ã€ŠEdea: Hero Summoning Conspiracyã€‹


 1 Last Boss

    In the depths of the biggest castle in the Mork Continent;

    "Go on!! Leave us! Complete the task you were called here to do!"

    "But¡­!"

    The man in the shining silver armor hesitated leaving his four companions behind. Facing, the last barricade of elite demons before the throne room of their sworn enemy.

    "What the hell are you standing around for!? Go! We can take care of ourselves! Don''t let the eight years we''ve been doing this for go to waste!"

    "Die Invader!" one of the elite demons shouted as it launched an attack.

    He gripped his sword but before he could defend, another one of his trusted companions rammed his shield onto the incoming threat. It flew and slammed directly into the stone wall leaving cracks surrounding it.

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    "Haha! You''re still the green little brat despite all the power you''ve gained! Fulfill your destiny and become the hero you''ve always wanted to be!"

    Looking onto the familiar and calming smile of the person whose shield has saved his life multiple times, the silver armored knight finally made up his mind and strode towards the large door at the end of the hallway.

    "Good luck my hero! May the gods shine protect you"

    Girl in white robes cast her protective spell on him as he glanced at her with eyes full of warmth.

    "Hmph! Still trying to flirt with my man? Just because I can''t use support magic doesn''t mean you can take advantage of him every chance you get"

    "Princess I¡­"

    "Save it! I''ll listen to your excuses after you do your job!"

    He looked straight into the girl''s fierce glare and sighed. This was the first time he was actually looking forward to her scolding. He did not know whether they would actually see each other again but to make sure that the four of them will make it out of here alive, he had to push through.

    "Take care of your selves, we''ll see each other after this is all over!"

    He dashed towards the tall doors as his companions blocked the demons path to support him.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Inside the room in the depths of the caste, two shadows were sitting across each other.

    "You should leave, he will be here soon"

    "But father!"

    "It''s still not sure whether I''ll die. If this doesn''t work then you know what you have to do"

    "You''re not even wearing any armor! I don''t want to lose you again!"

    "It is the same for me, but the circumstances are already upon us. That guy will not even listen if I don''t go this far. The chances are close to none, but I must try. My only regret is not finding you earlier and give you more happiness"

    "Father¡­"

    "Now go!"

    "Be well¡­ please don''t die¡­" Biting her lip she lowered her head and left through the secret passage at the far side of the room. She however, was not able to hear the whisper of the that was meant for her.

    "I won''t¡­ at least not in vain¡­" she was not able to hear the last line and looked back at her father with teary eyes.

    Loud and heavy footsteps sounded moments later as the heavy doors burst open revealing a silver armored knight with a long blade.

    "Demon Lord!"

    "Greetings Hero Gabriel¡­ or should I call you Sir Kazuya?"

    The figure sitting in front of the table was slowly illuminated by the lights that turned bright after the doors were opened. The well-dressed figure excluded a noble air and was smiling at the person who just trespassed to take his life.

    "How did you¡­"

    "This doesn''t seem to be a secret no? Why do you sound surprised I know your name from your world? Were you not called as thus until you were given your identity as a knight?"

    "Who are you!? Where is the Demon Lord?"

    The silver clad hero was surprised by the mysterious person that was clearly a demon. He looked like a person dressed to welcome a guest rather than the current predicament which was his group making their way to assault his castle for the sole purpose of eliminating him.

    "Demon Lord? If you''re talking about the king of the Mork Continent, then that is none other than myself Sir Kazuya"

    "You? What are you planning? Why are you¡ª"

    "Dressed as such? That is a simple way of showing you that I do not have the slightest intention to battle to the death like you expected. (Truly like the intelligence presented. He really is as chivalrous as they say. Letting his guard down as soon as he saw me without intent to battle)"

    "No intent to battle!? I won''t fall for such an old trick! You have caused a lot of deaths and I was summoned here to put a stop to you!"

    "I am aware of that which is why I thought of presenting myself like this to show my sincerity in having a serious chat with you. Will you humor this demon whose life is already in your hands?"

    Looking into each other''s eyes, both trying to get a read on each other, the two stared at each other both concluding that neither planned on making the first move. This made the warrior slightly uncomfortable since this was not in his expectations when he blasted through the doors.

    "If I see or feel any tricks then don''t blame me for slaying¡­"

    "Please tell me what would put you at ease and sit with me. Do I need to wear magic sealing restraints? Should I swear on my core that I have no other intentions than to have a discussion with you?"

    Kazuya couldn''t figure what this demon lord wanted but he could feel that he was not lying. This put his mind into more confusion since he had heard all sorts of stories and legends of the man sitting there smiling at him. He could only sigh and lower his sword and carefully strode towards the seat he assumed was meant for him.

    "(I don''t know what this guy wants after everything he''s done but since he has no plans to battle then I cannot slay him but rather convince him to surrender)" he thought.

    "Thank you, Sir Kazuya. I hope that you will forgive me for being blunt. Please keep an open and calm mind because I would not have gone to such lengths just to mislead you. At first, I had every intention to fight you to the death, but in the recent years, I have found a reason to want to avoid that and even risk the life I recently did not want to lose to provide that specific reason a better future"

    "Are you talking about a peace treaty after everything that has been done? After all the lives have been lost? I''m sorry but that is not¡­"

    "I''m afraid you are gravely mistaken Sir Kazuya. I am not here to negotiate about another peace treaty that was broken by you humans in the first place"

    "What a bunch of lies! You''re telling me that it was--"

    He slammed the table but was startled when he looked into the clear and truthful eyes of the king before him. He was blessed with godly intuition which was very accurate and combining it with his observational skills, he decided to silently sit back down and listen.

    "You''ve met a lot of demons and races in your several years in our world correct?"

    "What does that have to do with anything?"

    "Have any Demons or Beast Race people you''ve come across with ever broke oaths and promises to you before?"

    "No"

    "How about humans?"

    "¡­"

    The answer could be seen on his face. The best example of this the royal palace and the inner courts where hypocrisy was at its highest. Even his original world was full of politicians and businessmen that were either worse or on the same level.

    Compared to them, demons, especially beast races were easier to trust since most of them lived and took pride in their promises. This was an undeniable fact based on his experiences and interactions with them for the past few years.

    "That is of course excluding dwarves, imps, and the like"

    "pu¡­"

    Kazuya tried holding back his laughter at the sudden comment. Who didn''t know that most common greedy dwarves would turn their backs on you as long as there was a better offer?

    "That was not meant as a joke though"

    ""Hahahahaha!"" Finally, unable to hold back. The two of them laughed dispelling the tense atmosphere altogether.

    "Fine¡­ you win. I''ll seriously listen what you have to say"

    "I didn''t plan on discussing much about the war but since you seem to be under the impression that it was us who started the war then I am sorry to inform you that you have been fooled by them as well. The war was started in order to take advantage of an unexpected success of an experiment"

    "Experiment? What experiment?"

    "Well¡­ it was the sudden success of the hero summoning"

    "What!? Because of me?"

    "Not precisely because of you. It was to test the legend of summoned heroes. Since no human has ever lived from the generation of the previous hero Natsu otherwise called as Uriel"

    "You¡­ knew him?"

    "Not only did I know him, he was the one who granted peace for all races that lasted until the current scheme that broke it. I may not look that old to you, but I was once a young and ambitious demon lord that wanted to conquer everything before I met him during that time"

    "This is¡­ all a little too hard to take in¡­"

    "I know it is, but we do not have a lot of time for discussion, so I want you to be able to listen to the truth before you make your own decision. The previous hero was a close friend of mine and since you came from the same world as him, I decided to try and put my trust in you as well"

    "Why? Why would you go so far just for that?"

    "It was because of something Natsu once told me about. Unlike you, he was in this world for more than two decades before he was able to return to your world. Thus, he made me make two promises; First, If another hero was summoned with the purpose of war then I would at least talk to you like I am now and come to a peaceful conclusion. Second, to inform you of what he found out during his research and his own theory regarding it"

    Kazuya looked calm on the outside but his mind was currently in disarray. Things have really been taken a sudden turn after listening to the humble demon lord in front of him. The fact that he appeared as he currently is right now and not the described crude and bloodthirsty demon lord he was portrayed to be gave enormous doubts on the human side of things.

    He hated to admit it but a lot of things made more sense the longer their conversation went. What was he here for then? Was he just a pawn to feed the human''s ambition and greed? Demons were truly vicious and fierce but every single one of them he has slain, especially the high ranked ones always reminded him of the heroes and valiant warriors he admired from his own world.

    "Why¡­?"

    A quiet murmur coming from him reached the demon lord''s ears.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Why didn''t you try reaching out to me before all this? We could have avoided an all-out war if we had talked earlier"

    The demon lord looked at the serious expression on the hero''s face and gave a deep sigh.

    "Did you think I didn''t try? Not only have I tried, but I''ve done so multiple times to the point that in almost all your campaigns, I was present. Do you remember the letter you found on your tent at your first campaign? The merchant who wanted to discuss the price of sulfur privately? The slave trader who insists on protecting client''s preferences privately? Those are just examples, but you have

    been tightly under guard and observation which foiled all my attempts"

    "Then that was¡­ you?"

    "Indeed. I''ve neglected to tell you that I myself travel freely to live amongst the races these past few decades. I do not like being held up in this stuffy castle all the time and it gives me a better understanding on the current news and events on each race''s circumstances. That is why I''ve tried communicating with you even before the so-called war escalated where you had to take action yourself"

    Still in a state of confusion, the hero was panicking and hardly understood the explanations of the demon lord. His mind came to a certain realization when they talked about the attempts of communicating with him.

    "I''ve been under close guard and observation¡­ That should be wrong since most of the time I''ve only been¡­"

    "I need not say it myself since you yourself have come to the same conclusion. My attempts were foiled every single time by the same group of people. I am sorry to say that you have indeed been under close watch by your so-called aides and companions"

 2 Hero Summoning Research

    .

    "Preposterous! I would like to see how you''ll talk me into believing my companions are indeed scheming against me as well" He was agitated but who could blame him. He had been through a lot and spent the most time with them when he was called to this unknown world.

    "I would have liked to inform you which of them had not been included but, I''m afraid¡­ they, at some point¡­ perished along your journey. The only ones that remain are of the human kingdoms or part of one of the main factions"

    Kazuya was shaken. He thought about the companions that have made it this far with him. Each of them belonging indeed with the humans despite racial differences.

    Alicia Von Lichtenstein - Princess of Zweifel Kingdom

    Robert Britt - Head Knight of the Filodoxos Kingdom

    Julia Tisdale ¨C Royal Guard of the Zweifel Kingdom

    Dwayne Mybber ¨C Dwarven Paladin of the Church of the Goddess of Light

    Gale Valentine ¨C New Saintess of the Church of the Goddess of Light

    "Wait a minute! Gale was only recently part of the church and I was the one who introduced her to them. She raised from the ranks and became the new saints by herself!"

    "I know¡­ That is why I decided not to tell you mention this if you did not bring it up, but that woman was manipulated the moment you left her in the hands of that wretched organization. The fate she suffered¡­ is worse than those who have died along the way"

    "Gale¡­ (Are you really scheming with them against me? Did I really throw you into the belly of the beast?)"

    The demon lord was had not gained this title for nothing. The mere flicker of his anger when mentioning the church of light caused a tremor that shook the castle. One could easily identify that he has his grievances with the church.

    "If not for the oath I took with Natsu, I would have already razed such a wretched organization to the ground. They are hypocrites that feed on human weakness. They stomp on anything remotely against their organization whilst shamelessly proclaiming righteousness"

    "No¡­ Gale was saved by me and would never do anything against me"

    "Never underestimate the church of light. Their prowess of brainwashing individuals can be proven not by their own followers but the soldiers labeled with that wretched ''Holy'' title. She would not have been allowed to leave their compounds much less as the new saintess if they doubted her loyalty to their objectives"

    "I trust her. If it is how you say it is then I would save her once again¡­"

    "I admire your loyalty to your friends but¡­" The demon king wanted to continue but stopped after looking into the hero''s gaze.

    The hero''s eyes convinced the demon lord of his determined decision and nothing he could say can convince him otherwise. The demon king could only sigh and keep the conversation going before they ran out of time.

    "But what about the princess? She was engaged to me and if something happens then won''t she be once again placed as a political pawn towards Filodoxos'' crown prince?"

    "The illustrious crown prince of Filodoxos and the princess of Zweifel were once promised to each other. Did she tell you herself that she didn''t want the marriage to happen?"

    "No, but the king expressed his deepest regrets on that promise he made with them. That was why I worked hard to break it"

    "Were you aware that princess Alicia admired the crown prince of Filodoxos since they were young? The seemingly mysterious and talented crown prince of Filodoxos despite his fame is a ruthless individual while the cold and beautiful princess is even more ambitious than her father. Do you truly know your so-called fianc¨¦? Were you aware that those two were the ones that suggested to cancel their own engagements just so you would have more motivation to finish this campaign earlier?"

    "Princess Alicia¡­ Do you have proof?"

    "Indeed I do. Here are letters you can go through"

    Letters and envelopes with the seals from the royal families of both kingdoms made them undeniably real. The demon lord observed as the hero''s trembling hands as he went through the letters one by one. The well-known merciless demon king felt both pity and regret. This was mainly because the hero in front of him reminded him of his old friend, They were truly alike. Both wished nothing more than to help and this was how they were repaid.

    "This¡­"

    "Let me tell you a secret which only few from generations know of. Magical races like us can make an absolute oath to our cores that can ensure that what we do or say is undeniable. Have you ever heard someone say ''I swear upon my core''?"

    "Core¡­"

    Scanning his memories, he indeed has heard this phrase more than once. They were mostly his enemies but what does that have to do with anything?

    "I swear upon my core that what I am telling the hero Kazuya is nothing but the truth or may fingers explode"

    A surge of magic pulsed in the area which alerted the hero but after observing for a bit, nothing happened. His gaze went back to the calm demon lord wondering what was that all about.

    "I don''t get it¡­"

    "Then this might make things clear. I swear upon my core that what I''ve told the hero Kazuya is full of lies or may the little finger on me left hand explode"

    "Isn''t that basically the¡ª"

    BOOM!

    Blood splattered before he could finish his sentence as the demon lord''s little finger suddenly burst. Kazuya didn''t know what he should be shocked about. What had just happened or the unaffected face the demon lord made as he lost his own finger.

    "Please don''t spread this secret around. Although I do have the ability to use my magic to fool you and make my own finger explode, you can try this out with other demons that do not have such an ability if you are still uncertain"

    "That''s not the point! Your finger just¡­"

    "It is but a small price to pay. I can grow another one in time. I do believe that I''ve made my point so I will be moving on to inform you about what Natsu and I have worked on together. Do you perhaps know magic?"

    "I know the basics. I didn''t have enough time to study deeper because the war suddenly began. Milleya¡­ was only able to teach me until she¡­"

    "Ah yes¡­ The youngest elven sage. She, as well as your other companions were taken to our side after their attempted assassination. We failed to save them¡­"

    "You mean¡­"

    "I promise that you will have the choice to know everything about them if you desire. We must focus on the more important things with our limited time. The reason I asked about your magical knowledge is because Natsu and I uncovered a variable that led us to doubt the whole hero summoning process"

    "What about it?"

    "If you were not aware, Natsu stayed for a few years after the war to settle personal matters and to ensure that his legacy would be preserved by all sides. In that period, Natsu, myself and the High Elf Figg studied the summoning formation the humans use to summon heroes. We found a startling discovery"

    "What did you find?"

    "Natsu always told us that summoned heroes from your world were not that uncommon in literature. That was the primary reason he was not as startled as he would have led others to believe when he first arrived in our world. He informed us that what we found were indeed similar to his own, yours and the people that were part of your literature"

    Apparently, the demon lord assumed that the fictional characters from the other world were some part of their history. Kazuya wanted to laugh but couldn''t since he only noticed this because he was subconsciously looking for something to distract himself from all the bad news that he has heard so far.

    "Could it be that the heroes summoned were not predetermined but randomly chosen?"

    "Not quite. Do you remember the circumstances of how you were summoned into our world?"

    "Yes. I was¡ª"

    "Don''t tell me" He raised his palm. "I want to tell you about our findings so you can confirm it for yourself"

    "Alright"

    "Our study of the summoning formation revealed that there were coordinates present so the place where you were summoned from should be the same place where Natsu was summoned from"

    "You mean that the first hero was from my town!?"

    The hero was startled. Thinking of the summoned hero reference his predecessor gave indicated that he was not far from his own generation. He remembered that before he was summoned here, he was sneaking into his school from the woods and wondered if it was the same place where Natsu the hero was also called from.

    "Are you familiar with magic traps? The summoning circle on your world''s side works in the same manner, only that there are some specifications for it to be triggered. The main one being; ''A pure and healthy youth with enormous potential under the age of 20'' which can be proven by your current achievements in this campaign"

    "Pure? Is magic that advanced to even be able to accurately tell if a person has a pure heart?"

    The demon lord gave him a weird look and kept silent for a while before finally giving a sigh. He judged that this hero does indeed fit the criteria of ''pure'' in more ways than one. Truly a big difference from his predecessor. Although, Natsu did stay for twice the amount of time in Edea compared this current hero.

    "Err¡­ It means chaste. In other words, one must be a virgin"

    "Eeehhhhh¡­!"

    Kazuya''s face darkened immediately. There was no doubt that this ancient lord has seen through him because of that thoughtless inquiry of his. The look from earlier made him even more sure. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it for a while.

    "Um¡­ Don''t worry you''ll get there?"

    "I don''t need your consolation!"

    The two of them looked at each other before finally breaking into laughter. This may have been their first conversation but for both, it had truly been a while where they could speak to another which held no reservations and treated them as equals.

    "You are indeed from the same place as Natsu. Even your retorts are similar. Forgive me for being a bit nostalgic but he was indeed a friend that I cannot help but miss"

    "Why are you talking as if he''s dead? He returned to my world, right? If so, then he should still be alive somewhere"

    "Truly!? Humans rarely live past a century and it already has been multiple centuries since he returned"

    "Judging from what I''ve found out about him from you then It is likely that he''s still kicking if nothing serious happened. I assume time moves a lot faster here compared to our world. I''ve thought as much since I''ve been here for almost a decade and hardly even aged"

    "Ah yes. I believe he did come to the same conclusion with regards to his elven-like youthfulness. It is also why you heroes such high prowess"

    "What I don''t understand is; if anyone fitting the description steps into that summoning area, then does that mean that they would have been summoned here instead of me?"

    "We didn''t focus much on that aspect, but I remember Natsu saying that individuals needed to also meet the criteria of having an affinity to our world. Otherwise they would have functioned like normal humans in our world. He said he was going to continue his research on your world so that he can freely visit but since the difference of time is as fast as you say it is then it would be understandable that he has not yet come up with a way to visit"

    "About your discoveries¡­ what do the specifications have to do with the conspiracy?"

    "The sages who originally created this purely meant no harm initially. Because the human race is the weakest amongst all the races in our world due to their limited lifespans and average abilities, it was a desperate move in their part to call upon an innocent youth from an unfamiliar world to aid them in their crisis.

    Think about it. Rather than a youth, if people from your world can indeed have such great abilities in our world, then why not just summon someone who needs no training and can immediately dispel the threats?"

    "You mean¡­ the criteria of an innocent youth were set so that they could easily manipulate us to do their bidding?"

    "That was not the purpose of the set criteria in the beginning or we did so believe. We believe that the creators did so because they were afraid of their own race''s tendencies. Where as someone who had yet to develop will be easier to manage. You should have experienced it yourself from the way you have been treated"

    "I¡­ understand but forgive me for not being able to swallow it whole right away"

    "I know how you feel but our time is almost up. I can feel my subordinates slowly being forced to retreat"

    "They¡­ are coming?" Kazuya tensed up. He didn''t know how he would face his companions after everything that he had uncovered.

    "It will not be long now" The demon king saw the troubled expression on the hero''s face. "I would like to ask you a favor if you don''t mind"

    "What is it?"

    "If¡­ Natsu really is still alive in your world then please tell him that this friend of his is glad to know that he is still amongst the living"

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    The demon lord meant every word as Kazuya could only sigh in envy of their friendship. His predecessor was indeed a formidable guy in which he paled in comparison.

    "I''m afraid I may not be able to grant that request"

    The demon king was suddenly alerted by his response. He has an ominous premonition, but he still maintained his composure.

    "I really hope that your next answer would not be that you had decided to stay in this world after the war"

    "Huh? How did you know?"

    Kazuya was shocked as the demon lord''s expression before him darkened. This person had always been calm and collected in front of him so this change made him feel uneasy.

    "Please tell me that you''ve kept this desire to yourself"

    "I¡­ I''ve told the princess since we were to be wed and Gale since she is the one that always felt sad when the discussion of my departure from this world always came up"

    "Damn¡­ No wonder the incoming reinforces are so massive. This is bad!" The demon lord''s expression grew dim.

    "Huh? Reinforcements? They told me it would take a few days before they arrive"

    "Exactly. Although it may be good news for the humans to have such reinforcements, to you and me, they are bad news"

    "Why?"

    "Because ever since you let your intentions of staying here be known to both the crown and church''s side¡­ This place has been set to not only be the final battle of the war but also the final resting place of the Hero Gabriel"

 3 Sins

    .

    "It can''t be¡­"

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    "So, this explains everything I was unsure about¡­ I didn''t know that you intended to stay in our world. Both the crown and the church''s movements make a lot of sense now"

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Both sides have already made preparations for both celebrating the human victory and the mourning of the fallen hero. I never considered the possibility that you would decide to stay. You should leave with me while we still have the¡­" The demon lord''s eyes narrowed as if noticing something and glaring directly at the hero.

    "What is it?"

    "You have been marked by the church''s trace spell. It is almost identical to a regular blessing which was why I didn''t notice it until now. You have been marked before you came into this room"

    "Gale¡­ (are you really¡­)" he frowned. He couldn''t really believe that the warm and shy girl would do this to him.

    "Stay still hero. I''m going to remove the spell on you but we immediately have to leave. Its caster will be able to sense it"

    The demon lord raised his hand and directed his palm towards the hero but Kazuya slowly shook his head. He had finally come to a decision.

    "Thank you, but no¡­ I''ll be staying behind. Please use your magic to inflict some damage on me instead. I will be claiming that we were both wounded and that you fled" Suddenly without warning Kazuya took out a dagger and stabbed his left leg. He wanted to show the demon king his determination. Both of them stared at each other in silence. Both giving each other mutual respect.

    "You¡­ have chosen death?"

    "it''s uncertain whether they would truly kill me. I failed to take the life of the demon king and now I have the sudden urge of returning to my own world"

    "You¡­ That will not work! You''re underestimating their vileness too much! They¡ª"

    "I know you mean well but I have made my decision. Besides, even though they have their own factions, my companions have been with me for years now. If I don''t give them a chance then truly my stay here would have been nothing but a farce. The others¡­ would have all died in vain and I was the one who doomed them by taking them with me" This was the price he had decided to pay for himself. The companions he gathered himself were each killed by the side they wanted to protect. They could have led better lives if he had not asked them to join this farce.

    The demon lord felt both respect and a pity for the man in front of him. He was summoned to this world not by his own will and decided to answer their call for help yet he stands here with regret after finding out the truth. He knew what the inevitable end of this young man would be and couldn''t help but hope that he would survive.

    "My name is Hellion Malum"

    "I''m Kouzuki Kazuya"

    "I wish to have made friends in better circumstances but a man in my position has its own troubles"

    "I would believe so. I also hate to ask this of you, but can you give me a couple of wounds? They need to be convinced that an epic battle took place in this room"

    "I haven''t admired a human as much as I did Natsu. If you survive this then I would be happy to solve your chastity problem by introducing you to my daughter"

    "Haha¡­ It would be an honor to have the almighty demon lord as a father in law" Little did he know that his response was the trigger to what would happen next.

    "I see¡­ This must be the work of fate then. Do you not hate demons?"

    "I never hated anyone. Even though I''ve fought against the demon race, they were all admirable warriors who were brave and honorable. I would have fought for your side if you were the ones who summoned me"

    "Is that so? Then allow me to give you a few things as well as cast an experimental spell on you. Are you willing?"

    "What do I have to lose? I would like to express my utmost gratitude to you. If it were not for you then I would have died not knowing a thing. I won''t make any promises but I''ll deliver your message to hero Natsu if I get the chance"

    "We''ll see each other again. Hopefully in better circumstances. Please do note that I am usually not as easy to get along with as I am now"

    "Eh?"

    "You''ll understand eventually or at least I hope you get the chance to"

    A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the halls of the castle. It was the voice of none other than the hero Gabriel who was supposed to be in the middle of a great battle against the demon lord.

    "Gabriel¡­"

    "Let''s go Gale. Have you made up your mind?"

    "Yes¡­ princess"

    The heroes'' five companions looked at the retreating demons in disdain. They turned and immediately walked towards where the hero entered and barged into the room.

    SLAM!

    They found a large room that was badly damaged. Indeed, a battle must have taken place. They did find a shattered table and chairs a bit peculiar but paid it no mind. A familiar bloody human figure stood in the middle of he room using his sword as a crutch.

    "Gabriel?"

    "You''re late Alicia" She was displeased at his tone which seemed like contained anger. The princess shrugged it off since he had the right to be. They were late and from the looks of things, everything was over.

    "What happened? What about the demon lord"

    "That guy escaped. I almost got his arm off and gave him a fatal wound but wasn''t able to finish the job in my state"

    "I see¡­" Kazuya didn''t fail to observe his companions who were now contemplating on their next step. His chest felt heavy after seeing the beautiful features of his so-called fianc¨¦ that didn''t even bother to ask if he was alright.

    "Kazuya!" The white robed saintess threw herself into his arms so suddenly that the sword in his hands fell to the ground. This was like her usual self which filled him with doubts. He still reacted instinctively and caught her despite his current state.

    "I''m fine Gale. Just a bit roughed up. More importantly, I have something to tell you guys and I hope you won''t be surprised. I''ve been thinking about it for a while and decided to return to my own world after the war"

    !!!

    His companions were shocked at this his sudden revelation. He decided to announce this for two reasons; one for his own safety and the second reason was to probe the others'' reactions. He only told Gale and Alicia, but he now confirmed that the others knew of his initial decision due to their reactions.

    He held a little bit of hope that Hellion was mistaken, but it turns out that he really did throw himself back into the jaws of the tiger. After confirming it for himself, he felt a myriad of emotions but kept his emotions in check.

    "How long have you decided on this Gabr¡­ no Kazuya? You know that I am engaged to you right?"

    "Sorry Alicia, I know that it may sound unfair to you but I''ve made up my mind long ago. I''ll have to trouble you with the preparations. You don''t even like me anyway so this should come as a relief to you right?"

    "You¡­ (what the hell happened to this guy?)" It was just a short time, but he indeed changed. As to why, she could only blame the life and death bout between him and the demon lord. The hero usually just let her say and do as she pleased but he was now speaking as if he wouldn''t let anyone say so otherwise.

    "I hate to interrupt but. I would like to hear the details of the battle Sir Gabriel" Julia Tisdale stepped forward putting her enormous shield behind her back. The group listened to the tale of their battle where the demon lord ended up almost losing a limb and was stabbed through the chest and his magic core damaged.

    "So you really did it huh¡­ with this, that guy and his people would at least need a century to recover" Alicia walked towards Kazuya and casually picked up the sword used in the battle and stared at it. Kazuya made sure to keep his eyes on her but a wet feeling on his chest distracted him.

    The white robed saintess who was still hugging him sobbed silently. He wanted to comfort her like he usually did by patting her on the head, but he was shocked to find out that he couldn''t move a muscle. A binding spell coming from no one else but Gale held him still as she continued to sob.

    "Did you know Kazuya? You are the person I like the most and the person I hate the most at the same time"

    His companions surrounded him silently as Gale looked him directly in the eye with her tears still falling. From the looks of things, they were going to go through with their plan even if he already expressed his intention to return to his world.

    "You saved me from darkness, treated me warmly and gave me hope. I decided to be by your side and support you whatever may happen, but you threw me into a hell worse than the one I was in. You would never be able to imagine what I went through there. I endured hoping that you will come and save me again. I never doubted that you would"

    "Gale¡­."

    "But do you know what happened next? They gave me news that you were engaged to the same woman who I found out was responsible for giving them information about the children and the death of Runa. I didn''t dare believe it until I saw you giving that stupid and fawning look of love towards a person like her"

    "So Runa''s death was¡­ Alicia?"

    Contrary to his expectations, Alicia smiled before speaking.

    "Yes, it was me. I personally stabbed that bitch''s heart. I only regret not torturing her before ending her life. That impudent wench irked me every time she spoke, so it was just that she be put to death" a disdainful expression showed on her beautiful face.

    "Do you see now Kazuya? This is the real Alicia"

    "It''s not too late Gale. Release me from this spell. I can take you to my world where we can be at peace"

    More tears flowed from her eyes after hearing his words. She gently shook her head sideways refusing him.

    "I cannot. It''s already too late. The church is more fearsome than you can imagine. They¡­ put a demon core inside my body and made me swear an oath which compels me to follow them. This is already my final wish. I wanted to let you know before the end and in your arms I¡ª"

    Without warming, a burning painful sensation made its way through both of them. Alicia has used Kazuya''s long sword to stab Gale''s back all the way through to Kazuya.

    "So long winded" Alicia smiled and looked at Gale in contempt.

    "Gale!!"

    "This is my revenge Kazu¡­ya"

    The light in her eyes slowly faded. With the last of her strength, she mustered up a warm smile before the arms holding his back quietly fell.

    "A-LI-CIIIIiiiaaaaaa!!!" He glared at the beautiful and now unfamiliar cold princess that was smiling triumphantly in front of him.

    "I''m not deaf so you don''t need to scream at me you know"

    "WHY!? I would have just quietly returned to my own world!"

    "That would indeed be the ideal end to this war but not for me. Look at it from my point of view. How would you feel if you, a princess of the most powerful kingdom and sought after by everyone got abandoned by her own fianc¨¦? Isn''t that insulting?"

    "You¡­"

    Her answer truly shocked him to the core. This person''s pride and arrogance was on a whole new level. Kazuya held the now lifeless body of gale and tried to support himself as the loss of blood weakened him greatly.

    "I say princess, you humans never do fail to surprise this dwarf" Dwayne stepped up and scratched his beard.

    "Shut up you old dwarf. The crown is not paying you to talk" Julia unsheathed her sword and retorted.

    "Shouldn''t we put an end to this? I still need to report to my prince and receive my promotion" Robert followed suit and unsheathed his weapon while standing behind Kazuya.

    Each of them talked as if Kazuya was nothing more but a fallen enemy general. They no longer showed familiarity and talked as if he was already dead.

    "You guys¡­ I truly have been blind"

    Kazuya''s next action startled them. Now that Gale had died, her binding spell already wore off. He held the sword by blade and gently pulled it from the lifeless saintess'' back. The pain of slowly taking out the blade from both of them almost made him faint.

    Aside from the princess, they had at least once experienced a blade wound so they could imagine the amount of pain the hero must be experiencing. They couldn''t help but give him respect since he was only enduring it so that the dead saintess'' body would experience no further damage.

    "What are you guy''s doing? Why are you letting him do as he pleases?"

    "Keep quiet missy. I may have been paid to fight for you but gold cannot buy my respect. This hero may have just been a pawn, but he is a real warrior. Go ahead Kid, we won''t strike until that girl''s body is off you"

    He coughed up mouthfuls of blood and his vision blurred but he mustered up all the strength he could to gently place Gale''s lifeless body gently on shattered table''s cloth not to far from them.

    "I''m sorry Gale¡­ I accept this revenge of yours"

    The hero looked at his former companion before conjuring up blue flames to burn her remains along with the ruined furniture. He then staggered and walked back to the middle of the four to find Alicia holding his own weapon with a displeased smile.

    "A na?ve fool to the bitter end" Robert smirked as he watched Gale''s remains get swallowed up by the flames.

    "Do you have any last words hero Gabriel?" Julia pointed her weapon at him without changing her expression.

    "Heh¡­ We''ll see each other again. Only next time, I won''t be the one on this side of the conversation"

    Kazuya closed his eyes and opened his arms as his body felt impact from four different directions. The four didn''t know why but when they looked at him, they felt fear from the chilling smile of the dying hero.

 4 Reincarnation?

    .

    If there was a word that could describe what Kazuya felt as his life slowly faded away it was ''regretful''.

    He regretted blindly believing the people around him which caused the people who truly cared for him to suffer. Some even had terrible ends. What he couldn''t accept was that he felt affection for someone who played a big part of those people''s fates and to his own.

    Kazuya was frustrated but he could only blame himself for being too na?ve. He had matured for the last few years but the foundation they built with him had already corrupted his perception. He did not want to give them the satisfaction of being seen devastated. He could only keep everything bottled up inside.

    "Impudent piece of garbage" Alicia spoke as they withdrew their weapons. They watched as the puddle of the fallen hero''s blood continue to grow below his feet. What the other three couldn''t believe was that he was still on his feet wearing the same chilling smile as if he had been the victor.

    "Should we burn his corpse as well princess?"

    "Hmm¡­ Take off his equipment. We should at least take them back to the kingdom as proof of the so-called hero''s legendary battle. Let me chop him up more with his own sword. I want to slice up that impudent face of his"

    The three pulled out their weapons. They avoided the splash of Kazuya''s blood before they sheathed their weapons. The traitors walked closer to the hero intending to rob him of his possessions but they were immediately startled when they heard a very faint but fearsome laugh.

    "I¡­diots. He¡­he¡­he¡­" The voice was weak, but Kazuya mustered everything that was left to speak.

    "Good! You wouldn''t be a hero if you weren''t this tenacious! I was afraid it would be boring to cut up a dead man" Alicia covered up her emotions with a grin.

    "I knew¡­ of the plans to kill me. I''ll tell you this¡­ no amount of reinforcements can stop what happens next"

    !!!

    A sudden surge of mana surrounded Kazuya causing the four to be knocked back.

    "You four should wait and wash your necks. Your deaths won''t be quick and painless" The pool of blood on the floor suddenly started glowing whilst revealing a magical formation.

    "A transportation formation!"

    "Quick! Someone stop him!"

    "Kazuya!!!!" Alicia screamed at him full of murderous intent. It would be disastrous if he escaped.

    The hero ignored them and gathered all the mana he could muster. Kazuya then felt a sudden pain on the wound on his left chest. He felt something going through it which caused him greater pain than he ever felt before. He knew it was his last stand so he could only grit his teeth and ignore it.

    "HELLION MALUM! AS HERO URIEL''S SUCCESSOR, I LIFT YOUR OATH OF PEACE! GIVE THESE HUMANS THE RETRIBUTION THEY DESERVE!"

    The four were shocked. This hero somehow knew about the restriction put upon the demon lord and even knew his true name. From Kazuya''s words alone, they knew were missing crucial information about the demon lord and what had really happened.

    "You!!! You would side with demons!?"

    "Demons? HAHAHAHA!!! In my eyes, You lot and all you conspirators are the real demons!"

    "I''ll skin you alive!!!" Alicia gripped Kazuya''s sword and threw it towards him,

    A blinding light filled the room as the hero''s silhouette disappeared right in front of them with his laughter echoing throughout the whole castle. Little did they know that the hero already knew that he wasn''t going to live for much longer. He put on a show to make them always look over their shoulder until they finally got what they deserved.

    "Sorry Hellion¡­ I guess I won''t be able to deliver your message"

    He sighed whilst giving into the urge to slowly close his eyes for the last time. He hated not living up to the expectations being called a hero. What he detested the most was that he won''t be the one reaping the lives of all those who were involved in the conspiracy that made him a living hypocrisy and that filled his heart with endless regrets.

    "Alicia¡­ I guess I''ll be waiting for you in hell"

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    For an unknown amount of time, Kazuya spent time in darkness. Time seemed non-existent as various parts of his own life replayed through his mind. From the time he entered middle school up until the time of his death, he lost count of how many times various scenes from his life showed itself to him over and over again.

    He would cringe every time it would reach the point close to his death and cursed at the traitors. He thought they were reliable companions and treated them like family. He would have died to save them, yet they stabbed him in the back as if it were the normal thing to do.

    At first, it was like torture. He soon began to notice signs that he missed that were definitely suspicious. He couldn''t help but to think that this was his own personal hell. It went up to the point that he could identify every single person that had hidden intentions when they interacted with him.

    He was helpless. He couldn''t close his eyes and could only watch his life go by over and over again. What puzzled him however was that the memories he lost as a child were still unknown to him. The only thing he expected from this hell was to finally see the memories that he had lost before he came to Edea.

    The earliest he could remember were his middle school days where he woke up from an accident. At the hospital, he was slowly informed to have lost his parents. This had been one of the reasons why he had little attachments to his own world.

    Every time he saw Alicia''s smug face he would curse. She was the person who could still make his emotions spark after all the times he repeated the scenes of his life. Her triumphant smile when she stabbed him through Gale made him want to dissect every nerve in her body over and over again.

    At some point in time, something strange happened. He suddenly felt something as he watched the final moments of his life once again. A heavy feeling which he had not felt for who knows how long took ahold of him. He embraced the heavy feeling right away. It was at least something to keep him distracted for what the images were about to show him once again. Alicia''s grin triggered him once more as the sensation he embraced got stronger.

    "YOU BITCH! I''LL DESTROY YOU!" He screamed out loud as his eyes were suddenly blinded by light. He hadn''t experienced such a thing since before he died.

    Kazuya blinked repeatedly trying to get his blurry vision to focus. What he saw afterwards surprised him.

    "What did you just say young man?" said the blurry figure standing in front.

    "?" he shook his head and blinked multiple times trying to fix his own vision. It was then that the picture before him slowly cleared up.

    It was a lady who looked upset. Kazuya looked around his surroundings to find numerous children staring at him as if he were crazy. He found himself in an unfamiliar classroom surrounded by unfamiliar classmates.

    "(Did I just reincarnate or something?)" He looked at his hands and found that they belonged to a child.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya! I am speaking to you!" The lady who he could tell was his teacher called out to him again.

    "(Huh? Wait a minute¡­ she just called me by name. This isn''t a reincarnation?)"

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    "Don''t you start ignoring me to play dumb young man. Do you want me to take you to the princi¡ª"

    "Ugh¡­ *cough cough*"

    Kazuya felt extremely dizzy all of a sudden. His chest hurt so much as he immediately clutched it before throwing up mouthfuls of blood that froze the entire room including the teacher who ran up to him before he fell to the floor.

    "Kouzuki-kun! Kouzuki-kun!"

    His teacher called out to him but all he could focus on was a familiar round object that came out with the blood he coughed up. He saw it slowly turn into small particles which flew back towards his body making him feel strange yet surprisingly soothed the throbbing pain he felt on his chest.

    "(Was that all a dream? No¡­ Everything was real. I remember every single detail. Even that gem that I coughed up proves what I''ve been through but¡­ what in the world is this?)"

    Kazuya was no stranger to the darkness, so he closed his eyes and pretended to have fainted to avoid explaining himself.He wanted to give himself time to think about what was happening around him. An ambulance was called and he was taken to the hospital not too long afterwards.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Kazuya pondered and thought about the last part of his conversation with Hellion Malum.

    "You''ll understand eventually or at least I hope you get the chance to"

    "You sure do like to mystify things"

    "Is that so? I''ll take that as a compliment. I''m handing you these. They will serve as proof of our meeting when you meet with Natsu" The demon lord handed him a thick book, a vial and a small dark colored gem that made him sense something from it.

    "These are?"

    "Research materials for Natsu. They can also serve as proof that you met with me. Those are findings after centuries of dabbling"

    "Ring" declared the hero as a small ring appeared on his finger. He nonchalantly used the ring to store the items but unexpectedly found out that the small gem had no response when he tried storing it.

    "That¡­ that''s a soul ring? Where did you get that ring?"

    "This is called a soul ring? I got it from an old chest inside a ruin I fell into. It pretty much saves me from bringing luggage though I haven''t gotten the hang of using it since it refuses to answer my call whenever there are people around but¡­" He looked at the ring and looked at the demon lord in front of it and realized that it appeared in front of someone for the first time.

    "You can forget about using your ring to keep this gem. Both of them are from an era even before I was amongst the living. Both Natsu and I haven''t the slightest idea on what it''s for nor were there any records about it. That is why we both found it so fascinating"

    "I see. I''ll do my best to pass it onto him. If I live long enough that is"

    "If you want a way out then I have a simple solution. Lift my oath and join my side. I can swear to my core not to take back or invade more than is necessary"

    "Can I do that? Wasn''t your oath done with my predecessor?"

    "Being his successor, of course you can. That Natsu was a pretty thorough guy. He gave me a lot of restrictions but also gave me enough room around them, so it can definitely be done by you"

    "I see¡­ Then in the event of my death by the schemes of the humans of this world, I hereby declare your oath to the previous hero Uriel be voided"

    "Are people in your world usually this crafty? It''s like I''m a battle maniac or anything"

    "That''s not it¡­ I just want to confirm things for myself first. They may be planning for what you said but I''ve spent years with them and¡­"

    *sigh* "I get it. Then let me tell you about the hidden magic formation beneath you right now¡­" He was so surprised to learn about the Hellion''s backup escape plan. He didn''t plan on telling anyone about it nor did anyone even noticed. but this was what his new friend Kazuya needed to save his life.

    A secret transportation formation activated by blood. This was the same formation that eventually led him to safely escape certain death.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Kazuya opened his eyes and found himself alone in a big hospital room. He still wondered what caused his current circumstances.

    "Was it that gem or that formation?" He shook his head and figured he wouldn''t get any answers by himself.

    "Wait a minute¡­ if that bead made it then¡­" he raised his thin arm and stared at his little hand.

    "Ring¡­" All doubts disappeared from his mind when the familiar looking ring showed itself on his finger. "Seriously, thank you for staying with me" he rubbed the ring with his other hand.

    He wanted to laugh. He didn''t know what or who to thank but he hugged the hand which held the ring as if it was the most special thing in the world to him. This was undeniable proof that everything he went through had been real. He wasn''t crazy or had been hallucinating, all the pain and emotions he felt was real. He was now given another chance.

    "Just you wait you traitors. Your ''hero'' will be coming for a reckoning"

 5 A New Slate

    .

    Spending an unknown time replaying the scenes inside his memories, Kazuya memorized almost every aspect of his life. His current predicament however, was not part of those memories. What he needed the most right now was information. He confirmed his name from the tag on his wrist but that wasn''t enough. He reached for the chart hanging on the end of his bed and read the nostalgic characters printed out neatly on the chart.

    Name: Kouzuki Kazuya

    Age: 6

    Blood Type: A+

    "(Six!? Did I perhaps reincarnate into someone with the same name?)" He read his own chart and looked at the mirror and confirmed his own identity. He recognized the face, it was indeed a younger version of his own face. He couldn''t help but smile. Circumstances aside, he is now presented by an opportunity to learn about a part of himself that he knew nothing about. Compared to the constant replays of his previous life, it was a refreshing feeling.

    "(It''s the same old city¡­)" He looked at the town outside the window and recognized the structures.

    He jumped around the spacious room and performed a few stunts. He wanted to make sure what state his body was in only to end up cursing himself in disappointment. His body couldn''t keep up with what he wanted to do. Kazuya fell down on the floor sighing in pain not too long after his first trial.

    "Damn¡­ This body is worthless. I can''t even do basic practices" He crossed his legs and concentrated. Using mana to aid in the body''s recovery was already like breathing for him so he involuntarily tried it. He frowned after a few seconds.

    "As expected¡­ There''s barely any mana in this world"

    The good news was that he could definitely feel mana, the bad news was that it was almost none existent. This was understandable because if there was an abundant amount of mana, then he or anyone that had that could make use of it, would be like the superheroes found in manga or comic books.

    "But this is definitely strange¡­ I still can''t remember any¡ª" he murmurted to himself only to be interrupted by the unnoticed arrival of a guest.

    "Kazuya!" a professionally dressed attractive young woman rushed inside. She found an empty hospital bed before scanning the room to find her target in deep thought.She immediately rushed to him and held Kazuya tightly in her arms.

    "Who ar¡ª" He paused in shock. The worried lady''s beautiful face flashed in his memories. This person definitely appeared in various pictures inside his room. His head painfully throbbed as different flashes of this woman appeared on his head.

    "What''s wrong Kazuya? Don''t you recognize me? What happened!?" She was panicking and didn''t know what to do and just hugged the child who seemed to be in pain.

    "You are¡­ my mother?" There was only one conclusion he could find after examining his memories.

    "Yes! Yes I am! Can''t you remember me?" She started tearing up at her own son''s reaction.

    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­" His head was still throbbing. The woman definitely felt familiar, but he still couldn''t process the sudden flood of incomplete information in his mind. He could only faintly respond as he dealt with both pain and shock.

    "Let me call a doctor so we can ask okay? Mom will be right back" She rushed out of the room.

    "Mother¡­" dragging himself back to the bed, he looked at the sun that was already setting. This was one of the things he didn''t expect to call anyone using his own lips. Kazuya had considered his mind strong after everything he went through in that darkness. He thought that he had already grown numb after all that he experienced but this sudden news affected him.

    His mother returned not long afterwards accompanied by several doctors. They asked him several questions that lasted for quite a while and they were absolutely baffled by Kazuya''s condition. He was sent to the hospital due to suddenly coughing up blood, yet now he suffered from the strangest case of amnesia they had ever seen.

    "Will my son''s memory return doctors?" The beautiful woman''s face was filled with worry.

    "This¡­ to be honest, we are clueless. His tests show no abnormalities and he appears to be a perfectly healthy child. Even his episode of coughing up blood showed no causes" One of the old doctors spoke.

    "Although it may seem like bad news¡­ we found out something interesting about young Kazuya here" The man identified as the head of the hospital smiled at him.

    "What is it doctors?" after getting a string of bad news, she was given some hope.

    "You said before that he was just a normal boy who was average at everything. If that is true, then he has awoken as a genius" He confidently declared.

    "Genius? My Kazuya?" She glanced towards the boy who was silently sitting as if it wasn''t his business.

    "Indeed Ms. Kouzuki. You''ve seen him answer the questions we presented right before your eyes. His reasoning skills along with his academic skills are not something someone of his age should have learned" She was handed the questionnaire he was asked to solve earlier and was shocked.

    "This¡­ I don''t know where he learned all of this" She handed up the papers with trembling hands after confirming the results.

    "You don''t have to worry too much about your son Ms. Kouzuki. Although we do not know yet what caused this, young Kazuya here does show sign of regular amnesia. The fact that he eventually recognized you means that he is slowly regaining his own memories. He is still young and children have amazing recovery abilities. Although we don''t dare to guarantee it, things are looking positive. What he needs now is a familiar environment to let him slowly recall the memories he lost."

    "Thank you doctors. It is a relief to hear those words"

    "No thanks are necessary. It was our pleasure to discover someone like him. Who knows, maybe he''ll end up at the top of our field in a few years. Please do remember not to pressure him too much. We still don''t know the cause of all this and he was being scolded harshly by a teacher when his symptoms occurred"

    "Can I take him home now?"

    "We suggest to keep him under observation for a few days so we can try to find a probable explanation for this incident but It is your decision" She decided to let him rest at the hospital for a few days.

    Kazuya found this to be a waste of time since no one would be ever to diagnose something that is out of this world. He had insisted on looking at his own test results and found no traces of his older self''s injuries anywhere. Unlike the soul ring which he assumed had bound itself to his soul, the gem he received from the demon lord was a physical object. He couldn''t help but wonder how it mysteriously got carried over as well.

    "(No point in thinking about it now)"

    Kazuya looked at the woman talking to the doctors, she was called Kouzuki Kyouko. There was no doubt that she was his blood related mother, yet he still didn''t know how to act around her. He thought that being a real amnesiac would make their meeting a lot less awkward. He already had one lifetime of memories and experiences and that didn''t involve having a mother so this was very new to him.

    "Kazuya?" The doctors left not too long afterwards, and the mother and son duo had finally had a chance to be alone together.

    "Yes?"

    "Are you hungry? What would you like for dinner?"

    "Isn''t the hospital going to provide meals?"

    "You don''t need to be reserved around me. I''m your mother. I''m allowed to spoil my own son especially since my son is recovering right?" She smiled warmly at him. He could subtly feel that she was slightly pushing herself so he could only submit.

    "Well¡­ sushi would be nice. Hmm¡­ or should I go for ramen or¡­ maybe a pizza? I don''t know¡­" talking about food made him realize that he hadn''t tasted food in who knows how long. Food from this world even more so.

    "Don''t you worry about a thing! Mom will get them all for you so just sit tight" Slightly baffled at her son''s choices, she took her phone and stepped out of the room.

    After making sure that she was occupied with her call, Kazuya browsed through her belongings to look for information. He only gathered bits and pieces of fragmented memories and wanted to know more about the people around him at this unknown period of his life.

    Kouzuki Kyouko

    Kouzuki Corp CEO

    "Kouzuki Corporation? CEO?" Looking at the calling card, he was unfamiliar with this company.

    Kazuya was startled. He was a poor student in his memories. He worked different jobs just to get by. His mother already passed away when his memories started and he was told that he suffered from amnesia because of the accident that caused her death.

    After taking another look at the hospital suite he was alone in, the thoughts that it was merely a small company left his mind and intensified his curiosity.

    "(From my original memories, it was always her in the pictures. Is she a single mother?)"

    He was so absorbed in this thoughts that he failed to realize that his mother had already returned to find him looking through her stuff. It wasn''t like he was looking through her stuff to steal so she continued to observe him and was touched to find him holding onto her card while staring at a picture the both of them took together not too long ago.

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    "Kazuya?" She decided to break the silence after a while which startled him.

    "I''m sorry¡­ Mother. I was hoping to remember a few more things so that you won''t look so sad. But I''m a failure"

    "Silly boy. As long as you''re alright, you don''t need to worry about such things. Remember or not, you''re still my one and only Kazuya" She hugged his little body tightly.

    "Can you tell me about myself?" Her familiar scent suddenly triggered a feeling of longing inside of him. He couldn''t help but recognize her existence as he subconsciously hugged her back.

    Looking at the happy expression on Kyouko''s face as she proudly told him about their time together. Kazuya couldn''t help but feel guilty since no new memories appeared on his head. He shook his head and apologized multiple times whenever she asked if he could recall anything but Kyouko refused to give up and kept coming up with different stories of their time together.

    It wasn''t until that the food finally arrived that she finally decided to take a break.

    "Special Delivery!"

    A cheerful yet familiar voice announced herself before entering the suite. A smiling young lady entered the room carrying different types of food. Like his mother, this lady was dressed professionally. The only difference was that this attractive young lady was someone he recognized.

    "Big sis Mei? What are you doing here?" He asked nonchalantly.

    This was the first person who he knew from his previous life so he immediately recognized her. His excitement in finally meeting someone he used to know took over as he decided to call her out. What Kazuya failed to realize that both women were shocked by his careless words.

    The shocked visitor stood frozen. The smile she once had disappeared but her beautiful features weren''t affected in the least. She immediately dropped the bags in her hands as her neatly tied up long hair trembled along with her body. Tears immediately started to gather in her eyes yet Kazuya still failed to realize what he did. He made it even worse with his next words.

    "Jeez big sis¡­ this isn''t your place so can you please put stop that habit of putting everything away as you please?"

    "W-what did you just call me K-kazu? I wasn''t able to hear you from here" She stuttered.

    "Have you gone deaf Big sis M¡ª" it was at that moment that he realized what he just did. The opened lips he used to speak froze as he quickly began to think of an excuse.

    "Kazuuuuu!!!" She leaped towards his small body and crushed him with her own.

    It was already too late. He had carelessly dug himself into a pit that was difficult to get out of.

 6 Inconsistencies

    .

    "Get off my Kazuya you witch! Vixen! Pervert!" Kyouko tried to pry the girl off her son.

    "Didn''t you just hear him you despicable son-con? He called me ''big sis''! Twice too!" She refused to set him free and continued to crush him with her own body.

    "I didn''t hear anything! Get off my son before you hurt him further you stupid girl!"

    "Shameless! Didn''t you say he had amnesia? He can''t even remember you but he clearly remembers his Big Sis! Don''t you try to renege on our agreement!"

    Kazuya felt dizzy. Two grown and professionally dressed woman fighting like children over a child. They pulled him towards themselves over and over while arguing.

    "You kidnapper! When did you take my Kazuya to your place? What did you do to him? He even remembers that dump you call an apartment!"

    "What are you talking about? Even if I wanted to do that I wouldn''t have the chance to! You pass all the work you''re supposed to finish to me when it''s time to pick him up! I don''t even complain since it''s for my Kazu''s sake! He must love his big sis so much that he went to my place on his own!"

    "Kazuya tell me the truth. Did this vixen secretly take you to her place? What did she do to you?"

    "Don''t listen to this strange lady Kazu. You missed your big sis and wanted to see me right? You even remember my name unlike this strange workaholic. Don''t you worry! Big sis here will take care of you and marry you!" She hugged him in front of Kyouko who definitely was affected by the woman who unlike her, was remembered.

    The startling change on the two adults was entertaining but he still found this strange. Although he knew and definitely remember the Kazuno Mei in front him, his memory''s version was a cold woman who rarely even gave a smile. She was his guardian from the start of his memories up until a certain incident which made him live on his own before he went to high school.

    She was the beautiful and professional woman who rarely showed emotion. She would get mad if she was called anything other than ''Big Sis'' so he assumed that he had always called her that. This woman had a strange quirk, she tends to let herself go when she reaches home. This troubled the future version of himself greatly.

    "Give me back my Kazuya!"

    "Honor our agreement! Kazu called me big sis so he can marry me as soon as he comes of age!"

    "Dream on! Pervert!" The two went back and forth until a sound disrupted their argument.

    *Gurgle Glrrgg grrrg*

    The sound of a grumbling stomach immediately silenced the two. They both looked at each other and then rushed to grab the food. The duo quickly presented what they grabbed in front of Kazuya hoping to get his attention.

    "Here you go Kazu! Your big sis took special attention to your requests and got food from places I know well" She fed him some sushi that definitely tasted nostalgic.

    "Hmm? Sushi from grandpa Masashi''s place? Pizza from Razza''s?" He forgot everything else and focused on the flavor. After finally sensing taste again, he closed his eyes to savor it. He neglected the reaction of his mother as she glared fiercely at her own colleague.

    "Mei! How come my Kazuya knows the places you frequent!"

    "You should learn to let go of your son Kyo¡­ I mean mother-in-law. He''ll end up hating you and elope with me if you keep this up" Mei gave her a mischievous grin.

    "Don''t call me mother-in-law!"

    She felt defeated. This colleague of hers that was serious most of the time truly doted on her son. She had mixed feelings over her being remembered more than her, but this proved that he was still her son on the inside. Her initial worries when she considered their background slowly faded as she saw the familiar smile on Kazuya''s face as he happily ate.

    Both of them took turns to feed the hungry child who forgot about them and just focused on satisfying his taste buds. They lost their will to fight as he continued to eat whatever both of them presented. The three harmoniously ate together until nothing was left.

    "Thank you for the food"

    "It was big sis'' pleasure Kazu. I''m surprised to see you finishing everything since you ate very little portions whenever I saw you eat"

    "I don''t know. Maybe I just missed the taste of them so much"

    ''Don''t you worry! Just call big sis up whenever you want to eat them again and I''ll gladly eat with you"

    "Why were you the one who brought the food big sis?" He asked. Kyouko didn''t let this statement slide and immediately interrupted. This was her chance to gain back some footing.

    "Aha! My Kazuya may know who you are but doesn''t even remember when you met!"

    "Big deal! Even if he didn''t lose his memory, he wouldn''t even remember when you met! He didn''t even have his vision then!" Mei''s statement caused Kyouko''s face to blush and was left speechless.

    "From what I heard earlier, you should work for my mother?"

    "That''s right. You can ask anything you want about your big sis! Even my three sizes!"

    "Hmm¡­" He ignored the last part of her sentence and continued. "Didn''t you just get out of high school?"

    "Oh my! You even remember that much about me? Big Sis is happy! This lady here found me working at a convenience store near your place after I returned the wallet she foolishly left behind. She treated me afterwards to show her gratitude and she decided to scout me for the company after I graduated from high school"

    "If I''d have known that you would act like this towards my son, I would have never extended an invitation. Don''t be too full of yourself. This is the first time he has ever addressed you as ''Big Sis'''' and we both know it. He was usually afraid of you and would hide behind me whenever you were around"

    "He''s just a nice and shy boy. He might have forgotten a few ''unimportant'' people but he didn''t forget the Big Sis that he loves. I wasn''t even aware that he knew my age!" she proudly declared.

    "Shut up. The reason he knows your age because I keep telling him to stay away from older women. Especially those who are older than him by double digits"

    "Hehe! Then that shouldn''t include me because I''m only 9 years and six months older than him! You better not forget out agreement or I''ll tell Kazu all your secrets!"

    "In your dreams!" Kyouko scoffed and retorted.

    The two of them kept arguing until it was time for them to leave. They did agree on one thing and seemed excited. Since Kazuya''s room was a private suite, both of them would work in his room until he got discharged. He was still full of questions but that wasn''t his main concern right now.

    "Finally alone¡­"

    This was good for Kazuya since he needed time to get used moving around in the body of a young child. He felt excited and immediately started testing the limitations of his new body. This was so that he wouldn''t injure himself. He even developed a plan to condition himself using the knowledge of experiences of his first life. Kazuya was confident in even making himself an Olympic gold medalist if everything went well.

    His soft untrained muscles and joints hurt the very next day. He had underestimated the frailness of his six-year-old body which the two women were happy to take advantage of.

    He found it strange. There was really nothing noteworthy to his previous life except for some minor events but those were still normal. Being a doted upon young child of a beautiful CEO felt foreign to him especially because the cold guardian who he remembered, treated him exactly the opposite way.

    "(If this really is my past then everything including Mei changed after the accident?)" he wondered.

    Thinking back to his previous memories, the car he and his mother was in crashed. He suffered grave injuries and miraculously survived but was in a coma. Kazuya then went through physical therapy for a year after he woke up. To top it all off, he had no memory before waking up and even missed his own mother''s funeral.

    He glanced towards the two women who weren''t arguing this time and were seriously working. Mei in particular looked a lot younger but the serious expression when she worked was very familiar to him.

    To be perfectly honest, she was his first love. Who could blame him? Living under the same roof as her and her careless attitude. Whenever she would reach home she was poison to any young boy in the middle of puberty. If he; the one who she had lived with at that time never saw this smiling side of her, then Kazuya believed that she was never the same again after Kyouko''s death.

    "Yeah¡­ I like this version of Big Sis Mei better" he closed his eyes nodding to himself.

    The nostalgic sounds of the keyboard typing he was enjoying suddenly stopped. When he opened his eyes to look at why it did but was immediately startled. The two ladies were right in front of him. One looked like she was in bliss and one looked as if she was just dumped by her lover.

    "Kazuya don''t tell me that¡­ to this woman¡­ you¡­" Kyouko''s lips trembled as she refrained from completing her own sentences.

    "Tell you what mom?" He tilted his head. He didn''t know what she was talking about.

    "Don''t worry Kazu, big sis here understands and will take care of you for the rest of your life. You can just depend on me for everything and stay at home waiting for big sis after our wedding"

    "Stop skipping steps! Hey Kazuya wasn''t there a cute girl in your class? Mother won''t be mad even if you have a girlfriend early but don''t fall for perverts like Mei okay?"

    "What are you¡­ huh? Did I speak out loud?"

    "You can speak out loud as much as you want Kazu. Tell your big sis how much you love her. Come on" She put the stack of papers in her arms down the table and hugged him while sticking her tongue out at her jealous boss.

    "Uuuu¡­" Kyouko pouted. It had only been one day but the way her son treated her and Mei had already been turned around.

    "What I meant was¡­. That err¡­" He tried to think of something to say. "The smiling big Mei is better. She would always look scary so I prefer this side of big sis" he opted to embrace the misunderstanding that he had retained a few memories of the beautiful assistant.

    Mei was startled. Kyouko laughed out loud and instantly recovered. He had nonchalantly stated the habit Kyouko always called her out for in the office without realizing it.

    "Hear that Mei? Don''t tell me that you wouldn''t listen to my Kazuya too?"

    "Nonsense! If Kazu likes this side of me then nothing needs to change! I''m exclusively like this to him anyway!"

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    It wasn''t that Kyouko didn''t understand why she acts like she does in the office. In their world, a young and beautiful woman like her always had to prove herself before anything else. She felt a bit responsible for some of the reasons she was looked down upon since she did recruit Mei who didn''t even go to a University as her personal assistant.

    "Come Kazuya, tell this stubborn girl that it would be better for her to soften up a bit so that she doesn''t offend as many people"

    "Okay then I''ll listen to Kazu. Tell me, do you prefer your big sis being close to those stinky men or do you like big sis being like this only to you"

    "Err¡­" He looked at both of them waiting expectantly for his response. "to be honest I¡­ prefer big sis Mei not to change" he felt apologetic to Kyouko but he really did agree with Mei even if she hadn''t promised to treat him specially.

    Seeing his mother''s disappointed face, he felt a bit guilty. He remembered meeting Kyouko for the first time. She had always been nothing but a picture on the wall for him in the past. That was why he still had trouble when interacting with her. Kazuya didn''t have any memory of ever being treated by a relative warmly so she was definitely a challenge to be around with. This was even more difficult because he did not know how to act like his current age.

    He was getting hugged by the blissful Mei when the door slid open slowly. Kazuya heard it and assumed it was another nurse checking up on him. He had assumed wrongly as a familiar cold look that instantly appeared on Mei''s face was apparent. She wordlessly let him go and went back to work as the stranger entered the room.

    "I got here as soon as I heard"

    Kazuya turned his head towards the door to see the owner the familiar voice. His head immediately throbbed as he saw another younger version of a person that existed in his original memory.

    "!!"

    The young man wore a uniform that he once did. He walked towards the bed and reached out to pat him on the head.

    "Are you okay Ka¡ª"

    *SLAP!*

    "Get the hell away from me!!" Kazuya shouted angrily. Those in the room looked at him in shock as the atmosphere around him changed. He looked at this visitor with unrestrained hostility.

 7 Grass Snake

    .

    "Kazuya¡­ You¡­" The young man was startled by the sudden rejection.

    "Lee, don''t take it to heart. Kazuya¡­" Kyouko explained the current circumstances while holding Kazuya who seemed to be in pain.

    This handsome young man is called Hashiyama Lee, Kazuya''s father''s adopted son. He was adopted when the couple separated which was approximately 8 months before Kazuya''s birth. He was valued for being intelligent and was being personally groomed by Kazuya''s father.

    "What''s wrong Kazuya? Does your head hurt?" He tried reaching to pat Kazuya''s head again.

    "I SAID DON''T TOUCH ME!" He swatted away the hand it was harder this time.

    Lee was displeased by this but he immediately changed the expression on his face almost instantly. Kazuya on the other hand didn''t miss this and glared while looking straight into his eyes. He knew this person was his adopted brother. The brother who relentlessly showed off how superior he was compared to him in his original memories. He had already been considered an adult when Kazuya woke up and recovered from his past life''s accident.

    Kazuya only met and found out their relationship when they met by coincidence. He really didn''t mind that this person never visited him when he was recovering but this person had a hobby of shamelessly flaunting himself whenever they would meet. It went up to the point where he would find Kazuya just to embarrass him in front of people.

    "I apologize little brother. I guess you don''t remember how close we used to be. We used to play a lot together remember?" he said with a smile.

    "Shut up you fake person! I don''t know who you are but the pain in my head definitely doesn''t want to remember you. These images in my head don''t show playing peacefully¡­ There''s only you bullying and hurting me!" That was a lie. The actual images actually showed them playing and having fun but Kazuya had already decided to trust his original memories. Also, after seeing the subtle changes in this person''s expressions, he knew that this guy was total scum.

    "Lee you¡­" Kyouko looked at him with mixed feelings. She had grown fond of Lee and admired his talents but all of that meant nothing because Kazuya was her world.

    Introduced to her when Hashiyama Lee was newly adopted, Kyouko had her guard up at first. When she saw that both boys had gotten along, she grew closer to him and even allowed him to stay at their house a few times. She figured that he would be a good influence to her own son since he was so talented and softened up to him. Now she realized that that decision was the wrong one. Truly nothing good came from ''that person''s'' side.

    "Calm down first Kazuya okay? You must be confusing me with someone else, don''t you remember asking me to stay over many times and we would play video games together and watch movies?"

    "Have fun? Like how you practice martial arts on me? Didn''t you say that no one would believe me because you practice moves that hurt a lot but don''t leave any traces? Please stop trying to fool anyone. The old me may have been afraid to say something but that is a different matter now" He used a part of Lee''s statements from his old memories. Since this guy loved to brag how strong he was then using it against him today made Kazuya feel a bit satisfied.

    "Boss, I have something to say" Mei, who was sitting and silently working suddenly interrupted. This made Kazuya feel strange. A certain incident from his memory couldn''t help but come to mind when she intruded in the conversation.

    "Mei-san, please talk some sense into them" Lee gave her an affectionate look which made Mei''s eyebrows twitch.

    "I have told you repeatedly to not call me by my given name" The cold look she gave Lee reminded Kazuya of the future version of herself. He was relieved to see that Mei didn''t seem like she had been fooled by this snake.

    "K-kazuno-san please. It may not be Kazuya''s fault but I''m definitely being wronged here" He couldn''t help but avoid Mei''s cold gaze.

    "What do you have to say Mei?" Kyouko interjected. She really didn''t want to hear his excuses.

    "Nothing much. I just had a thought and wanted to confirm some things with you after hearing everything. Do you remember who was it that spent a long time with Kazu the day before he lost his memories? Don''t they teach him their family''s martial arts?"

    "This¡­" Kyouko had a sudden realization and immediately understood. "You dare lay your hands on my son you ingrate! Get lost and never show yourself in front of us ever again!"

    "M-mother this is all a misunderstanding!" Lee couldn''t help but feel scared. He tried appealing to her but the way both ladies were looking at him made him want to run.

    "Don''t you dare call me mother! The only reason I allowed myself to be referred to that way by you is because Kazuya recognized and treated you as his older brother. Now that the truth is out, there is no reason to me to go along with this farce. Leave! I will get people to send whatever items you still have in our place"

    "I¡­" Lee felt wronged. "I will excuse myself then. Get well soon Kazuya. I hope this misunderstanding will be cleared up when you recover" He quietly turned to the door. There was no reasoning with them now so he chose to retreat.

    "I know enough about you just from fragments of my memories to tell you that there has been no misunderstanding. I hope you''ll listen to my mom and never show your fake ugly mug in front of us again"

    "¡­" The calm fa?ade that Lee kept up crumbled at this point. He glared at Kazuya before finally leaving the room.

    "(Playing with me happily during childhood then humiliating me after my mother dies? You''re nothing but a common grass snake in my eyes. If I''m going to get my revenge then every single one who plotted or will plot against me will regret it)" he glared at the door until Lee''s presence was gone.

    "I''m sorry Kazuya I¡­ let that monster¡ª" Kyouko felt apologetic to her son. She had no idea that such a thing had been happening nor noticed any signs.

    "Don''t worry about it mom. He won''t be able to do so ever again. It''s not your fault, it''s mine. It was my own cowardice that made it last this long" he comforted his mother who was about to cry. He felt a little bad for making her feel like this but this was a necessary step if he wanted to get rid of those that could possibly harm them.

    "Mei" Kyouko turned to her assistant.

    "I''m already contacting the lawyers. Where should the meeting be held?" She had already been sending multiple messages on her phone and the computer.

    "That¡­" She hesitated while glancing at Kazuya. She was reluctant to leave him alone especially after such a discovery.

    "I''m fine mom. Do what you have to do" he expressed his support. It would be more beneficial for him to be alone so he was not against whatever they were up to.

    "Okay. We''ll meet them at our office"

    "We? Shouldn''t I stay with¡ª"

    "No. I''ll be needing you this time. You can think of this as part of honoring our agreement"

    "Then I¡­" Mei stopped as if she had realized something and looked at the calm child in Kyouko''s arms. She pondered a bit before nodding her head in agreement.

    "Good. Tell the hospital director to not let any visitors come here without my approval"

    Kazuya didn''t mind their conversation since he would find out what they were up to sooner or later. What he needed to focus on was the body of his now that he provoked that petty-minded brother of his.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    A few hours later, at the hospital lobby.

    "Excuse me, can you tell me where Kouzuki Kazuya is?" an blonde haired little girl with blue eyes asked one of the nurses.

    "Visiting a friend of yours little girl? Let me check the records" the nurse smiled and immediately went to work. "Found him, he should be at¡ª" She then found that there was a directive from the higher-ups and stopped her lips.

    "Our teacher told me that he would be here. He didn''t come to class, so I wanted to visit him"

    "I''m sorry little girl. It looks like you won''t be able to see your friend. He is still recovering and it says here that he can''t have visitors at the moment" the nurse found this foreign looking girl sweet but she couldn''t do anything about the directive.

    "Is it really bad?" the little girl looked worried while trying to hold back her tears. "I-I saw him throwing up blood and I''m really worried since I haven''t heard anything from sensei" The nurse felt immediately guilty because his file said that there was nothing wrong with him the directive was from a person that she couldn''t disobey.

    "He''ll be fine little girl. I guarantee it. Can I ask for your name so I can tell him that you visited? I''m sure he''ll be happy especially since a cutie like you is worried about him" The nurse consoled causing the little girl face to blush.

    "M-my name is S-stockton K-kurumi" She cutely stuttered. "I will come back and visit again" she left after politely bowing and left the nurses admiring the sweet little girl.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    By the time the two women returned to Kazuya''s room, they saw him sleeping soundly on his bed. What they didn''t know was that he was feigning sleep. He didn''t want to deal with them because he was too tired and could barely move now.

    The two of them didn''t really mind and were glad to see him finally resting peacefully. They needed to do some work themselves because they have been delayed by recent events. Everything had moved so fast today and this was the only time they could stop to think about what had happened.

    "Boss are you really sure about this?" Mei suddenly started a conversation.

    "About what? There is no one else I can count on to take care of my Kazuya if anything bad happens to me. Although I''m really reluctant to have named you as his primary guardian, if anything does happen, you are surely better than that two-faced kid Lee. With you, I would be assured that he would at least be loved. Taking care of him though, is another thing. He would probably be the one doing that for you"

    "Then do you approve of our marriage mother-in-law?" She cracked a joke because she couldn''t deny the last part of Kyouko''s statement.

    "*sigh* I''m regretting my decision already"

    "What about his father then?" Mei waited for Kyouko''s answer since this was an important matter.

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    "He has no say in the matter. I have all rights into making this decision. I will however, inform them of their precious adopted boy''s behavior. I won''t let this matter end with just this since dare lay a finger on my Kazuya"

    Listening intently to their conversation, Kazuya was able to piece together facts that coincided with his original memories. It looked like his brother was listed as his primary guardian in the past and was able to take a hold of his inheritance when his mother died. Not only that, he also refused to take responsibility for him. It was probably at that moment in time that Mei stepped in and took up that responsibility.

    From the way Mei acted towards Lee, he could easily see that she did not regard him as Kazuya''s brother at all. She treated him as if he was air. This part confused him a little but decided not think too deeply about it since he still had a lot of time to figure things out.

    There was one thing Kazuya was sure about though. Now that he had returned to this point of his life, he would make sure that the terrible past he experienced would never come to pass. It still may not be complete, but he would use the advantage of his knowledge combined with skills he learned in the past to make sure that the people giving him warmth would have better futures together with him.

 8 Whiz Kid

    .

    It was dinner time at the hospital. The atmosphere was a little tense as the usual doting Mei was feeling frustrated while Kyouko was all smiles. Kazuya was his usual self and was thankful that his mother was helping him eat. His limbs hurt every time he moved. This was yet again caused by Kazuya spending his free time getting in condition. He of course was hiding it from them because he knew that they would stop him.

    Mei was envious of this because she would fight with Kyouko to feed him but she was feeling down at the moment. The reason for this was when a nurse came with a doctor to check up on him. They also wanted to inform Kyouko and the rest about an event that happened earlier.

    "Good evening Kouzuki-san" The doctor entered. "This is one of the nurses from the lobby and would like to report something"

    "Hello! This must be Kazuya-kun. You had a little visitor today but since you aren''t allowed any visitors, we had to turn her away" The nurse winked at him teasingly.

    ""Her?""

    The two women beside him picked up one specific word and reacted almost instantly. To the nurse''s surprise, instead of Kazuya who showed no interest, the two women immediately pounced to question her.

    "A little girl you say? Did she say who she was and her relationship with my Kazu?"

    "Good job Kazuya! What did she look like?"

    "Umm¡­ She was cute and had short blonde hair and blue eyes. Probably half foreign? Her name was Stockton Kurumi and said that she was from his class" She awkwardly explained.

    "Cute!?"

    "Stockton? hmm¡­"

    Both of them had different motives but seemingly asked the same question of ''did she come alone'' which the nurse could only awkwardly nod to. When she looked at the uncaring boy, she felt sorry for the cute visitor since she found out after getting curious that the boy had amnesia. What she didn''t know was that he had reacted as soon as he heard the visitor''s name.

    "(That girl¡­ don''t tell me we knew each other since we were children?)" Kazuya wondered but outwardly expressed indifference.

    Stockton Kurumi in Kazuya''s memory was an upperclassman that everyone admired wherever she went. She had gone to the same middle school as him and surprisingly enough, also went to the same sub-par high school. She was a quiet honor student but she was mostly known for her family''s wealth. They weren''t friends or remotely even close in his original memory but he remembered her giving him a lot of trouble.

    She was extremely popular because of her looks and family background and the boys would always talk about her. Kazuya was a quiet outcast because he was held back a grade because of his circumstances. Basically, they were supposed to be worlds apart. All that changed, including his peaceful life when she took a sudden interest in him. Her curiosity, to be more specific, was with regards to his amnesia.

    Various types of people started to bug him not long afterwards. All of them trying to use Kazuya to either gather information about Kurumi or use him to have an excuse to interact with her. Kazuya neither wanted it nor did he intend to continue dealing with her, so he tried to avoid her.

    Much to his surprise, he had underestimated the girl. She would always find a way to appear before him. The girl even appeared when he was doing some of his part-time jobs. One example was when he worked at a local car-wash. The girl would surprise him by rolling down the window of the car he was washing just to surprise him. This happened several times and caused him to switch to another job.

    Her persistence worsened his relationships with her admirers. He would always refer to her as someone who was as dumb as a rock because of her refusal to take the hint that he was intentionally avoiding her. He just wanted to be at peace and didn''t want to have anything to do with her.

    Her appearance this time made him realize that they might have known each other when they were children and her interest in him was not because of his amnesia. She was probably more interested at the memories of her that he was supposed to have.

    "(Truly an annoying girl. She should have just told me the truth)" he sighed. Even though nothing would have changed much, she could at least had given him some peace of mind.

    The nurse and the doctor left after reporting that there was no change in his condition. The two women wasted no time to question the boy who had just finished recalling the annoying girl from his past.

    "Kazu do you know that girl?"

    "I don''t"

    "She should be your friend. Don''t you want to get to know her better? You might even get some of your memories back" Kyouko viewed the girl in a positive light.

    "Hey! Don''t think I don''t know what''s on your mind boss! I can''t believe you would use your own son for your own ambitions!" Mei noticed Kyouko''s view on the matter and decided to call her out on it immediately. She refused to let her have any thoughts about letting Kazu be taken from her just after she had been acknowledged by him.

    "Don''t try and twist it Mei. My only interest is my Kazuya''s future. This girl may be suitable for him and her background is not bad. She''s certainly better than someone more than twice his age"

    "Hey that only applies because he''s only six! That girl may have a better background but it has yet to be said if she''s better than me!"

    "We''ll see then" Kyouko was confident in her son''s charisma. "My Kazuya can still meet a lot of people and the road is still long before he can get married. I only agreed to our arrangement because it must be Kazuya who chooses my daughter-in-law"

    Kyouko continued to tease Mei because she now that she had the upper hand. She even told the hospital to let the little girl visit if she ever came again. This led to the sour mood Mei currently displayed while they were having dinner. A threat had just appeared right after Mei finally got her wish of being referred to as ''Big Sis'' so she tried to think of ways to keep her position uncontested.

    "Hey Kazu" Mei made up her mind and started a conversation. She ignored Kyouko and found her hope in him.

    "What is it big sis?"

    "You don''t remember that thieving Stockton girl right?" She added a few words to vent her frustration as she tried confirming it with him again.

    "I don''t" He didn''t consider himself to be lying because he knew Mei meant memories of them as friends or classmates.

    "Then do you want to be her friend?" She asked with hesitation

    "No I don''t" His quick response once again reversed the situation with Mei blooming and Kyouko frowning.

    "Why not Kazuya? Isn''t she thoughtful to have come all this way? She''s a good girl"

    "I''m not interested" he knew that getting involved with such a person would bring him endless troubles so he made up his mind to avoid her the moment he learned that they were acquaintances.

    "Yes! I knew I could count on my Kazu!" Mei put him on her lap and hugged him like a plushie.

    "What if you remember her? Won''t you at least agree to meet her?" Kyouko persisted.

    "I can meet her if she comes but I doubt I can be her friend even if I remember" His response earned him a reward as Mei happily took charge in feeding him.

    "Ehh? Why not?"

    Kazuya knew that he needed a good reason since his mother was being extra persistent. He also didn''t want Mei to start acting up again. He pondered for a moment trying to think of what to say to satisfy them both.

    "Don''t I already have mom and big sis? I don''t need anyone else" Kyouko''s heart skipped a beat since she felt her son''s affection towards her. She was still a concerned since Mei was still included. Her thought was, Kazuya had been acting like a baby chick. Where he considered the first few people he encountered to be family.

    "Don''t be like that Kazuya. As your mother, I want you to have fun with friends your age. Who knows? You might even meet someone you''ll end up marrying in the future" She hinted at him while glancing at Mei who responded with a glare.

    "No need. I''ll just marry mom and big sis in the future!" He chose a childlike response that immediately worked because Mei was around. He knew about Kyouko''s anxiousness because of his lost memories so he had no hesitations in saying such an embarrassing line.

    "That''s right! He''ll marry me in the future! Don''t push him mother-in-law or he might think twice about marrying you too. Unlike me, you''ll still be more than twice his age when he''s 20!" Mei stuck her tongue out proudly.

    "You!!" Kyouko didn''t have the heart to get mad because who could blame her? It was always too soon to talk about such matters and mothers who had sons always liked it when they were picked before any other woman in their lives.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Two days passed by without incident. Kyouko''s anxiety towards her son became almost non-existent. Although he had changed because of his lost memories, she observed him to be more thoughtful and mature for his age. Which parent didn''t want their children to be excellent?

    The mother and son duo were alone in the room because Mei had to do work related errands all day. Both women had to work harder because they chose to stay at the hospital instead of the office. The weather was perfect this day so Kyouko fell asleep on the table as she was working.

    "Mom?"

    Kazuya who was feigning sleep to give her some time to work made sure she was out cold before getting off his bed. He looked at the files on her side and took the computer away before analyzing them. His initial purpose was to gain access to the computer for his personal use, but after seeing how tired his own mother was from all the work she and Mei had to do because of him, he decided to help out.

    He placed a blanket over her and took her computer to the table by his bedside. After making quick work of the workload she left behind, he wasted no time to visit a few websites. Kazuya made accounts on various popular websites to look for information. This action had not been planned beforehand, so he could only post things that were at the top of his mind.The purpose was finding his possibly still living predecessor; Uriel.

    Of course, as a person who had lived in a world with no modern technology existing for nearly a decade, he indulged himself in reading or playing whatever he could think of. He was disappointed when he remembered that he was currently reliving his past. Most of the stories or the content he looked forward to catching up to had not been made or released yet.

    He settled with just helping his mother with her work and gathered whatever else she left unfinished. Kazuya did not forget to erase the traces of whatever else he used the computer for. He thought that he may or may not have his own computer at home, but he was sure that he would have a phone he can use to check if there were any responses to his posts after he gets discharged.

    "Mmm?" Kyouko slowly sat up and noticed a blanket was put over her. She was touched and turned to look at her caring son but her drowsiness immediately disappeared after realizing what she was seeing.

    "I''m back my Kazu!" Mei entered the room just as Kyouko stood up and saw the stacks of papers she brought for her piling up on the patient''s bed. This immediately made her eyebrows twitch in annoyance as she turned to her blanket holding boss.

    "Did you just come back Mei?"

    "Didn''t you hear me just now? While I''ve been working you¡­ I know you have a habit of making other people do your work because of Kazu but you¡­" She gave her own boss a disappointed look.

    "It''s not what it looks like! How can I make my six-year-old child do this? He might not even understand¡­" She realized something and knew that Mei also had come to the same realization. They both came to confirm with Kazuya only to find him sleeping soundly on his bed.

    They turned towards the computer and were immediately shocked. After closing the game they assumed he played before sleeping, all of the data has been properly entered including reports they have been working on were finished and were supported by graphs and charts.

    "This¡­" Kyouko couldn''t hide her shock as she continued to check her son''s work.

    "Didn''t you say that Kazu didn''t have a computer?"

    "He doesn''t. I figured he didn''t need one until he was older"

    "If you don''t buy him one then I will. As his future wife, I reserve the right to monopolize whatever he makes or does with it"

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    "I refuse. I''ll even let him choose one that he prefers. As his mother and legal guardian, I have those rights"

    The two of them checked every single work Kazuya had done. He had swiftly and successfully completed the work that Mei brought for Kyouko to work on. He had even left a few notes on how they could work more efficiently which they couldn''t argue with. He had only accomplished everything in a few hours. Both women couldn''t help but turn towards the boy who was peacefully feigning sleep and could only think of one word.

    [Genius]

 9 Weird Girl Visits

    .

    It was Kazuya''s turn to be taken aback the next day. He woke up later than usual because his training lasted longer now that he had gotten a feel for his new body. What awaited him was Kyouko and Mei both holding a list of different types of computers, debating which he would prefer.

    "(These two¡­ no wonder there was so much work piled up)" Kazuya sighed.

    "Good morning Kazuya Did you sleep well?"

    "I did. Good morning Mom and Big Sis Mei"

    "Mornin Kazu! I want to thank you for getting a lot of work done. Your mother here would have taken forever to finish even half of it. This makes my life a lot easier so we decided to give you a reward"

    "She''s right Kazuya. Thank you for helping me with my work. I was surprised that you were able to flawlessly do it. You even give us some useful suggestions. Mom is very proud of you and as a reward, we want to get you your very own computer"

    "Whoa, really?" Kazuya was immediately excited. The only computer he used to own was an old model that could barely run the modern games while he was in middle school.

    The two were elated after seeing his reaction and immediately showed him various types that they picked out. Their choices caused his face to darken. They chose based on the outward appearance and cared nothing about the specifications. Even their lists barely included the most important information needed when buying one.

    "You can pick whichever you like Kazuya"

    "Come look at the ones big sis picked out for you"

    Kyouko''s choices were simple and colorful while Mei''s definitely showed that she was thinking what he or boys would like else, she would have the list down to the specifications.

    "Umm¡­ where did you choose these computers from?"

    The two handed him a catalogue. He browsed through them and easily made a choice. He hesitated at first because in his previous life, he would have only gotten this type of device after saving for it for a few months. Now he was going to get one just by asking for it. This felt very awkward for him so he just pointed at the one he preferred expecting to be declined.

    "Alright, this one then. I''ll have it delivered today"

    "(Seriously? That easy?)" he thought to himself as he watched his mother excitedly make phone calls to have his choice delivered. "Thank you mom. Thank you big sis" he gave them both a hug to express his gratitude. The two ladies smiled at each other after seeing that they made the right choice but their harmonious environment was soon going to end.

    *KNOCK KNOCK*

    "Come in" said Mei but regretted it as soon as she saw the appearance of the visitor at the door.

    "Pardon my intrusion" A cute blonde haired little girl entered the room.

    Mei wasted no time and protectively put Kazuya on her lap. She made sure to hold him tightly to portray ownership. Kyouko on the other hand finished her phone call immediately and welcomed the girl.

    "Hello! Are you the little girl we heard about a few days ago? I''m Kazuya''s mother" Kyouko greeted the little visitor with a smile.

    "Yes! I''m Stockton Kurumi, Kazuya-kun''s classmate. Pleased to meet you aunty!" she politely bowed. She turned her head towards Kazuya who sat quietly on Mei''s lap. Mei hadn''t moved and silently observed the unknown girl.

    "(This is without a doubt that crazy girl)" he thought while snuggling up to Mei as if it was normal for him to do so. He could recognize that signature hair color of hers anywhere.

    "Kazuya aren''t you going to say hello to your friend?" Kyouko turned towards her son trying to prompt him to greet the little girl.

    "Kazuya-kun, are you feeling any better? I brought the homework you''ve missed while you were gone" She glanced at Mei who was in bliss because of Kazuya''s new action towards her.

    "What a thoughtful friend. My Kazuya is lucky to have such a cute and caring friend" Kyouko''s compliments made the little girl blush. Kurumi secretly glanced towards Kazuya but was startled when she found that the two had been ignoring her.

    "Umm¡­ Kazuya-kun this lady is?" she ask curiously.

    "My wife" Even Mei herself was shocked at his unexpected answer. It only lasted for a moment as Mei extruded a beaming blissful pink aura.

    ""Wife!?"" Kyouko and Kurumi''s mouths gaped open.

    "That''s right little girl. I''m Kazu''s wife. I thank you on behalf of my husband for bringing his homework. Please inform the girls in your class that my husband is already married so they should stay away from him"

    "Y-you''re acting weird Kazuya-kun" Kurumi ignored Mei getting carried away and looked at him with teary eyes.

    "I don''t think so. Rather, I feel clearer than ever before" he replied with a straight face. This time he was looking her directly in the eye.

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    "You''re not acting like yourself. Is your sickness really serious?"

    "I could go back to school any time" He dismissed her concerns mercilessly. "Is there anything else that you need?" Kazuya really wasn''t interested having any more connections to this girl.

    "Kazuya-kun¡­ you''re acting very weird. D-do you need more medicine? I can ask my daddy to buy medicine" she tried to keep it in but her tears started falling.

    "I don''t need any medicine. Thank you for coming all this way. If there is nothing else then please leave" he turned away from her and played with Mei''s long silky hair instead.

    "Kazuya!" Kyouko scolded. Even Mei was taken aback at his cold treatment towards this girl.

    "Mom. Do I need to say that fragments of my memories are telling me that I should be afraid of this person?"

    Kyouko was reluctant but she understood what he meant. This girl had a sensitive background so Kyouko escorted her out before Mei could scare her with her sudden change in attitude after hearing what her son had just said.

    Kurumi, who was still confused could only be led outside as she sobbed. Kyouko felt sorry for her and explained her son''s current circumstances as best as she could. Her son may have been mistaken and this girl clearly cared for him so she could only hope that she would understand and forgive him.

    "I apologize again for Kazuya''s behavior Kurumi-chan" she comforted the little girl.

    "It''s okay aunty. I understand why Kazuya-kun was being strange now. I''m okay now so you can go back"

    "Alright then. It was nice meeting you Kurumi-chan and thank you for taking care of Kazuya at school"

    "It was nice to meet you too aunty. Kazuya-kun is a good person so it''s only natural for me to be friends with him"

    Kyouko smiled and went back to the room. Mei''s coldness loosened up and went back into spoiling the boy in her arms before he was taken away by his mother.

    "Kazuya did you recover any memories of Kurumi-chan?"

    "No" Kazuya was very sensitive to presences so he immediately knew that it was Kurumi''s shadow he could see on the gap under the door. He chose his words carefully as he was aware of her eavesdropping.

    "Then why did you say that you were afraid of her?"

    "Instinct"

    "Why would you treat her so badly because of that?"

    "I lost my memories. Meeting people I used to know can be difficult. Remember Lee? My instinct told me that he was not like he appeared to be. It was also instinct that made me realize who you were when I first saw you mom"

    "What about me, what about me Kazu?"

    "Err¡­ I remembered big sis Mei so I guess that it doesn''t apply?"

    "Eeeehhh! That''s unfair? Big Sis wants to know what your instincts told you when you saw me again"

    "A person who cares about me and I care about too I guess"

    "See mother-in-law! His instincts have been 100% accurate!"

    "Maybe¡­ But since we''re talking about intuition, mine says that she is a good girl. You should have thought so too, that''s why you''ve been overdoing it this time right Mei?" Kyouko looked straight at Mei who avoided her gaze on purpose.

    "(Women''s intuition, truly is a frightening thing)" Kazuya thought.

    "I don''t want to interfere in whatever you want to do but as a mother, I should at least point out your mistakes and correct them. Don''t be rude to the girl who had good intentions. Okay?"

    "I''m sorry I can''t promise that. I only have Lee as an example because I don''t have memories of other people but he even fooled mom by only showing a fake side that seemed good. Some people may not take the hint when one isn''t firm enough. I''m not interested in being her friend. I can ignore her but if she can''t take a hint then I can only make her understand through actions." He confirmed that the shadow had disappeared before giving his response.

    Kyouko was flabbergasted. She thought to herself if this was an argument a six-year-old could make. She shrugged her shoulders when she remembered what the doctors said when they examined him. Kyouko was at a loss because she couldn''t live up to Kurumi''s expectations and could only sigh.

    "Fine¡­ just don''t make her hate you" she bargained.

    "Are her origins that sensitive?"

    "You can say that"

    "Then can I transfer schools?"

    "Do you have to go that far? You hate her that much?"

    "I don''t hate her, but I definitely don''t like her. I would like to avoid trouble and since her identity is special then shouldn''t it be better if I won''t be able to offend her?"

    Both women had to admit that he gave a convincing argument. Kyouko actually initially wanted him to go to a better school but was afraid that he would be pressured if the level had been too high. This was because he didn''t have great results in academics.

    "Okay. We''ll look into a few schools and arrange your transfer"

    Kyouko looked at her assistant who nodded before they busied themselves leaving Kazuya speechless. He wondered just how much work these two get done without being sidetracked like this again.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The following days, a strange chain of events happened. Various famous doctors visited the hospital Kazuya was in seemingly interested in his strange condition. They were led by the hospital director who enthusiastically told them about their findings. Kyouko of course didn''t have any reason to refuse them because not only did they say that they only wanted to see him out of curiosity and there would be no need for extra fees.

    All of the doctors wore stoic expressions at first but after conversing with Kazuya himself and seeing the seemingly normal results, they came to the same conclusions as the doctors of the hospital. It was only Kazuya who was irritated by the influx of strange visitors and the continuous tests. His time alone had been reduced a great deal.

    It was when foreign neurologists arrived stating the same reasons that they felt something was extremely off. Kazuya''s patience was about to run out as well. The trio had come to the same conclusion.

    [This was the work of that ''annoying girl''/ ''Kurumi-chan''/ ''that thieving kitten]

    "Mom. Can we go home now? The purpose of me staying here has lost its purpose. Even specialists from all over can''t figure out what is or was wrong"

    "Son do you know why they have been taking a look at you?"

    "It should be because of that girl''s identity, right?"

    "Then shouldn''t you¡­"

    "I''ve made up my mind. You said so yourself, moving to Sacred Forest Academy will be better for my future as well"

    Kazuya was asked to choose which school to go to and he picked a school he had been familiar with in his memories.This academy was where he attended middle school. He chose to transfer to another school after he graduated because he wanted to lessen any burdens on his guardian. The most important reason he chose this school was this was the closest area to where he had been summoned the first time.

    "Be careful of the people there Kazu. That place and majority of the types of students that go there wouldn''t have changed since I went there. big sis trusts you okay?"

    This was a new discovery. Sacred Forest Academy is a well-known school and it''s graduates eventually end up being sought after by various different companies and institutions. Mei had graduated from there, so she knew that there were all sorts of people going there and had her share of trouble in dealing with them.

    "Are you sure you want to go there Kazuya? You''ve seen their curriculum and it looks pretty advanced"

    "I still have the weekend to prepare myself before going there. I''ll be studying the whole time so I don''t foresee any problems"

    "I bet you''re excited to see your room. Don''t you worry. Big sis here arranged everything for you"

    "Mei you¡­"

    "I just cleaned it up and re-arranged a few things. The doctors said that we have to be careful so I made sure to take precautions"

    Kyouko could only sigh because she definitely didn''t trust her assistant when it had to do anything with her son. One of the foreign doctor''s theories mentioned made both of them a little worried. The female doctor was a psychologist and theorized that this may be a new personality that emerged for self-protection after learning that he might have suffered from Lee.

    This of course was discussed in private so Kazuya was not privy to this. Kazuya could do nothing about what the two girls were thinking about. There was no sure way of telling if it was true or not since his supposed original personality had not manifested itself. It was still too early to tell and this was the reason for their anxiousness.

    "Mom? Is something wrong?" Kazuya''s voice snapped Kyouko out of her thoughts.

    "Nothing''s wrong. Mei''s ''arrangements'' just worries me"

    "I''m sure big sis means well. I don''t even remember my own room so I guess it won''t matter to me whatever differences there might be"

    "I guess you''re right¡­ Alright then, let''s go home"

 10 Home

    .

    Kazuya was quietly discharged from the hospital. In his first life, he lived in Mei''s messy apartment but had no recollection of how or where he lived before his accident. This was the very first time he had seen the Kouzuki household.

    Looking at the Japanese style mansion, he was surprised. He inwardly cursed that bastard Lee from his previous life. He must have had a blissful life after stealing what should have been his.

    "Welcome home Kazuya" Kyouko felt a bit disappointed since she could tell from her son''s expression that he had not remembered a thing.

    "I''m¡­ home" he curiously glanced around and memorized every part of his home.

    "Welcome home Mistress, young master and Kazuno-sama" an elderly lady woman walked up to welcome them at the entrance. "Kazuno-sama has already informed me of the young master''s circumstances" The aged lady wearing an aproned kimono smiled at him.

    "Hello! You must be Fujiyama Akane-san. Thank you for taking care of me and I apologize for not remembering who you are" he bowed politely.

    "Heavens you don''t have to apologize for such a thing, It is that ungrateful animal Lee''s fault. It is fine to call me granny like you used to. Do not worry young master, I will not let that beast set foot in this house again"

    "Do you take care of the whole house by yourself granny?"

    "I mainly do basic chores like cooking and basic maintenance. My children or grandchildren come over twice a week to help me clean the estate. This house may look old, but it has undergone improvements, so it only needs a little maintenance" she was happy after being referred to familiarly.

    "I''ll leave Kazuya to you Fujiyama-san. Mei and I still need to go to the office. He will probably lock himself up in his room to study for his new school so you don''t have to do anything special"

    "Please be assured and leave the young master to me" she bowed politely to Kyouko.

    Mei was a reluctant to leave but was pulled away. Kazuya saw them off before finally being showed around his own home. He quickly memorized everything and found that even though it was still just a little, mana was circulating better at his house compared to the hospital.

    "(Mana truly is more abundant where nature is)"

    "Do you have any requests for food young master?"

    "Food I used to enjoy. It may help jog my memory"

    "Alright. This is your room and is the last stop of the tour. Please do call for me using the intercom if there is anything you need"

    "I will, thank you" He opened the door. The moment he entered he immediately realized why Mei had been reluctant to leave. She certainly did ''arrange'' his room so that he could ''focus'' on things that have nothing to do with his old memories.

    "I hate to admit it but the old me would have killed for this room" He sighed.

    Kazuya didn''t mean the size of the room at all which was twice the size of his old one. Mei had filled his room with various pictures of herself and even made posters of herself to hang on the wall. He was ashamed to admit it to himself but it wasn''t just his old self that liked what Mei had done. Not that anyone will know what he truly felt.

    "Now then, I guess I should get started" he breathed in deeply and concentrated his senses.

    Kazuya already had total control of his body, so he had already begun enhancing its capabilities. He had gone through almost the same process when he first got summoned over to the world of Edea. Being a summoned person, he had an unfair advantage for progressing faster than any of Edea''s inhabitants. It was only recently did he begin to ponder about the reason why.

    Although his body''s improvement was quick, it was only at a pace a little faster if the scale was the progress in this world. His current pace was still leagues below his prowess when he trained in the academy in Edea. He surmised that this was because of the difference of the abundance of mana.

    After he was finally worn out, he sat down on his chair and called out his ring.

    "I''m glad that I didn''t lose you. You''re the only companion that''s been supporting me all the way and even followed me back to this point" he smiled and ridiculed himself a little bit for talking to his own ring.

    He concentrated and infused mana to the ring to take out the thick book that was entrusted to him by the demon king. Kazuya almost passed out. Although he only needed a little mana to operate the functions of the ring, in his world, that was already plenty and over his current capacity.

    "Sorry and thank you for your help" he rubbed the ring that had a noticeable change in luster and felt that it somehow helped him do what he intended. Since it was said to be bound to his soul, he could somewhat feel that it needed mana to be maintained so he could only feel apologetic towards it.

    Kazuya didn''t immediately go to study the book but waited until he was in a better condition to do so. He ate the food that was prepared for him and used his computer to check if there was any new information for him but alas, things were not that easy. The only lead he had to go on was the name Natsu and that he was from the same region so it was going to take time.

    Fortunately, it was the age of modern technology and he wouldn''t be treated as just a child as long as it was not known in the internet. It wasn''t until Kyouko came back with Mei at night that he finally stopped. He kept that ancient looking book in his desk since he didn''t have the capacity to use his ring again. He locked it just in case and went out to greet them. He didn''t want Kyouko to start arguing with Mei after when she sees the ''changes'' made to his room nor did he want it to be remodeled again.

    "Welcome back mom and big sis" Kyouko smiled warmly immediately after she saw and heard her son. She looked forward to this whenever she went home and couldn''t get tired of hearing Kazuya welcome her everytime.

    "Kazu! Do you like your room?" Mei cut in on her boss and moved towards Kazuya.

    "Yes. The only thing that''s missing is a pillow that I can hug in my sleep" he was being sarcastic about the last part but it seemed to have backfired as he saw Mei contemplating with a red face.

    "Did you already have dinner mistress? The young master has been patiently waiting to dine with you" Fujiyama stealthily winked at him.

    "We were too busy with meetings to get a proper meal. I brought Mei to eat here because she''ll end up lazily eating convenience store food again if I let her be" Kazuya held his laughter because he agreed. Most of the trash that would pile up when he lived with her would be the containers from food she bought there.

    "That is not a good habit Kazuno-sama. How can you live up to be the young master''s future bride if you can''t even cook for yourself" Fujiyama scolded lightly.

    Mei couldn''t retort so she kept silent and could only accept it. This was not her first time eating in this household. Considering that Kazuya ate Fujiyama''s cooking every day, she had a rough estimate of how his standards would develop.

    "This is delicious!" Kazuya exclaimed as they ate the dinner that Fujiyama made.

    "I''m doomed¡­" her hope of skipping the cooking process was shattered when she looked at how happy Kazuya was as he ate.

    "I''d be happy to teach you how to cook Kazuno-sama"

    "I won''t allow my son to consider women who can''t even prepare a home cooked meal for him"

    "Kazu they''re bullying me! Help me¡­" she turned to her last hope.

    "You should just move in and live here with us big sis" he dropped a bomb all of a sudden.

    ""Move in!?""

    It was a suggestion that he had already thought about. He genuinely cared for Mei''s wellbeing and always wanted to improve her lifestyle when she was his guardian. He even learned to cook to give her homemade meals back then. This suggestion was also a countermeasure to protect her from the incident that separated them in his first life.

    Kazuya swore that he wouldn''t waste his second chance. He may be acting greedy, but he swore to live his life with no regrets. He took advantage of being a child voiced out his wish without hesitation.

    "Kazuya are you sure about that?" Kyouko asked.

    "Yes. Big sis will live a better lifestyle and mom will have an easier time with work"

    Mei was hesitant. Kyouko had once offered that she moved in with her when she graduated so she could learn to do the job faster but she refused. She was used to living alone. Although she could have moved to a better apartment than the one she currently rented because of her salary, she really didn''t find the need to. The offer as too sudden and caused her to consider a lot of things which caused her a great deal of confusion.

    "My, my, the young master sure does act fast. Already wanting to live with the first bride candidate. I feel sorry for the future candidates since this advantage is certainly a big one" Fujiyama lent her young master some help.

    "Oh! Granny has a point. Shouldn''t married couples live together?" Kazuya immediately caught on and added.

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    "I heard from the mistress that the second bridal candidate was a kind young girl from the Stockton household. I''ve heard good things about her from people of the same industry"

    "Maybe I should reconsider getting along with that girl. It looks like big sis doesn''t want to live with me. She did get many doctors to look at me without letting us know that it was her doing"

    "Don''t! I''ll do it! I''ll move in!" finally giving in, Mei stopped him from having further thoughts about Kurumi. She didn''t want to admit it but that little girl''s background intimidated her. Mei didn''t want her new-found place in Kazuya''s new life to be challenged by someone so formidable.

    Kyouko just smiled and observed at the interesting development. She had no complaints if Mei decided to move in since it was more convenient for her to have her assistant live with them.

    "Congratulations young master. Shouldn''t you give Kazuno-sama some sort of reward?" Fujiyama gave one last push since there was still a bit of hesitation in Mei.

    "I look forward in living together big sis" Kazuya moved closer and kissed her on the cheek.

    "Kazu~!" She instantly lost all hesitation and hugged him before turning to Kyouko. "I''ve taken Kazu''s first kiss and I didn''t even need to initiate it" She smiled triumphantly at her boss.

    "Hey! That doesn''t count! If that counts then I''ve already taken it long ago!"

    "Too bad he doesn''t remember it! Isn''t that right Kazu?"

    "Sorry mom" He apologized and gave Kyouko a peck on the cheek which pacified her instantly. She was convinced that as his mother, she still held a greater place in his heart. After preventing another argument from these two, they happily ate the delicious food that Fujiyama made.

    Because Mei was set on moving as soon as possible, she reluctantly left after dinner. The mother and son duo finally had time to themselves again as Fujiyama excused herself to do the dishes.

    "How are your studies coming along? Are there any problems? Will you be able to make it?" Kyouko decided to take advantage of the time they had alone at home before Mei moved in and disrupted it.

    "Don''t worry mom. I don''t see any problems"

    "That''s good. We would usually go out during my day off every Sunday.Would you like to go anyplace in particular?" Her intentions were simple, establish a better relationship with him now that Mei had an advantage of being remembered.

    "We can spend more time together at home. Mom should be tired since this week must have been very hard for you. You should rest at home, that way I can study too"

    Kyouko was happy. She really felt her son''s care and agreed. This truly has been a week she would never forget. The only thing she hoped for was that her son won''t mature as fast as he was because she still wasn''t ready to accept her son to be all grown up yet.

    "Let''s go with that. Do you want to take a bath together with me like we used to?"

    "No. I want to keep studying so that I can spend more time with mom on Sunday. I''ll be going back to my room now" he immediately declined and retreated before Kyouko could say anything.

    "How cute" She smiled since he was obviously being shy from her perspective.

    Kazuya returned to his room and took out the book he locked on his desk. He felt energized after eating his fill of the delicious food prepared by Fujiyama. He had been overly sensitive of mana ever since he came back due to it''s shortage. He could immediately tell that there was a big difference when food was made from fresh ingredients. This made his attachment to his home grow more.

    "Now then, time to see the fruits of centuries worth of research"

    He opened the book and smiled. He was worried that anyone who saw the book would think he was crazy since he couldn''t put it back in the ring without suffering a little. Now his worries were alleviated since he was confident that people who saw this book would only show interest because of its antiquity.

    "So, they decided to write it in Elven language, interesting"

 11 Theory of Omnispecies

    .

    The elven language was a special kind of language especially when it came in written form. In Edea''s history, elves were a magical race that taught the first human mages how to use magic. The very first spells humans used were originally cast using elven incantations. The language itself contained many mysteries, take elven scripture for example. One who cannot utilize mana cannot even see elven characters.

    Kazuya didn''t understand the language when he first learned about it. He only got the basics when he was taught at the academy in Edea. It was only after seeing his whole life multiple times that he could be considered to already be considered fluent in using the magical language.

    "The hero Uriel truly was fit to be the most powerful mage. He was curious about anything that caught his attention" He surmised as he skimmed through the various research titles written on the book.

    Natsu or the hero known as Uriel was not only known for his unrivaled prowess in magic, but also for his thirst for knowledge which led to the application of the schooling system in the continent of Edea. Kazuya himself attended the famous school that was built on the territory given to Uriel which was located in the middle of multiple borders. This land came to be known as the ''Freelands'' after he had returned to the modern world.

    He felt inferior not only to Natsu but all his other predecessors since their legends were discussed in the academies and there were various books about all their achievements. Compared to him, whose only achievement was winning a war that was but a conspiracy, he was nothing but a joke. To make things worse, he even got himself killed by the people he tried to help.

    "Hmm?" His hands stopped at the research about the summoning formations.

    [Hero summoning Formation Findings]

    [According to notes found by the sages of ancient history, they dabbled and set different coordinates using the ancient language when they first experimented on hero summoning. The formation that summoned hero Raphael was the only successful one and had been released as the only working hero summoning formation]

    [The voice that I, Natsu heard seeking for help when I was first called to Edea seems to have belonged to Great Sage Eleanor. She herself engraved her own voice in the formation so that the heroes summoned would know what they have been called for]

    [Summoning a hero seems to have a heavy cost. Just activating this formation will make the land suffer from mana deprivation for many years]

    [The dessert separating the two human kingdoms were most likely the result of the human sages'' experiments]

    [It is my theory that most of the mana used in the process acts as a blessing to empower the person summoned]

    [As a precaution, the summoning formation targeted pure youths were the target of summons to prevent the possibility of uprisings]

    [It is uncertain as to how we otherworlders can withstand such a colossal amount of mana]

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    "So that beautiful voice was not from some goddess but was from a sage. Add that to the list of lies that despicable royal family spat" Kazuya cursed.

    The research was long and detailed but Kazuya took note of the important parts and was deeply impressed. The effort put into each and everything written on the book was not half-baked. It was as if he could feel his predecessor''s passion through the magic language. Kazuya wondered what kind of person Natsu was and looked forward to meeting him if it was possible.

    "Huh? What''s this?" his hands stopped after reading a peculiar page''s title.

    [Hero Theory: Omnispecies]

    [Please note that this is merely a theory that has nothing to do with Edea but rather the world we heroes come from known as Earth]

    [I do not have the capacity to prove this theory because of the basic need to put together the requirements just to start this research. One: Technology from Earth at least on a genetic level, Two: people of different races from earth Three: people from various races in Edea]

    [According to the results from the hero summoning formation research, any human from Earth that would match the description can be called to Edea. There has yet to be a summoned hero that has failed to exert prowess befitting of the title. This leads one to ask; how can humans from Earth be capable of feats humans or other races from Edea cannot?]

    [Much like Edea, Earth''s records do not reach very far into the past, however there are a lot of similarities especially when it comes to legends. Elves, Dwarves, Demons, Beast races and whatnot can be found all throughout Earthen literature. If they really did exist, where are they now?]

    [This theory is based on my own knowledge of earth and it''s history combined with what I''ve learned here in Edea. It can be said that Earth has existed far longer than Edea has if we base it upon the development of not only by it''s technology but also society]

    [Much like Edea''s history, for as far as the records go on earth, it has been repeated cycle; An era of peace and then an era of war. A time of conflict and then a time of acceptance. To give an example would be the issue when humans and beast races fought and on Earth, the battle against racism]

    [On earth, there are many theories about the origin of the human species like Darwin''s theory of evolution. My theory is that the other species that can only be found in Earth''s literature were not legends. They were merely forgotten and eventually merged with all the other races. They were eventually just labelled as the two legged ''humans'' on Earth]

    [Like I mentioned before, I do not have the capacity to present concrete evidence. As a citizen of Earth, this theory''s circumstantial evidence can only be understood by residents of my world. Earth''s landscape has changed throughout the decades and it is my belief that the diluted races'' genes can easily be identified if one were to examine the different kinds of humans on Earth]

    [This theory was formed in my pursuit to find the reason why we can handle the colossal amount of mana infused into us at the moment of our summoning]

    [as for the reason why Earth lacks sufficient mana for us to be able to rely on magic rather than technology; I can only think that if earth had existed and developed to the point that the most dominant species of the planet had become a single entity, Earth''s mana simply died out or we have such a high capacity for it that what''s left of it is simply to the point that we can hardly even feel it anymore]

    "Omnispecies¡­ wait a minute" Kazuya realized something after reading.

    Records say that Natsu decided to return to Earth after peace was stabilized and ensured. He took his wife with him to earth. That wife was an elf and elves for the most part needed mana more than they needed food.

    "Then does that mean that Natsu''s wife would have a hard time surviving on earth?"

    He thought about it seriously because he himself found the scarce mana on earth a little troublesome. Kazuya had no idea how much mana elves needed to survive but it was surely more than a human would need right?

    After pondering for a bit, he closed the book and locked it inside his desk drawer once more. He figured that he wouldn''t get anywhere by thinking too much about it.it was already getting late so he decided to train once again before taking his bath and going to sleep.

    The next day, Kyouko was informed that Kazuya had woken up early and went out for a jog. She was bit surprised because her son was the type to stay at home and rarely took the time to exercise.

    "You went for a jog early this morning Kazuya?" She greeted him after he had just come back.

    "I did. The curriculum mentioned that even the physical education classes were unlike normal schools"

    "It''s good to see that you''re determined to do well but don''t overdo yourself okay?"

    "I won''t. Don''t worry mom"

    "Oh, have you thought about which club you want to join?"

    "Mn, I have. I think I''ll be joining the kendo club"

    "Oh? Why kendo?" Kyouko was baffled by his unexpected choice.

    The only choices that came to mind was between martial arts clubs and since he was a swordsman, kendo was the only sport where he could have anything remotely close to actual combat with his preferred weapon. He didn''t want his battle sense to deteriorate too much since there were limits to self-practice.

    "It''s one of the school''s well-known clubs in the school so I wanted to try"

    "How about joining a local dojo?" Kyouko supported this because she herself once practiced kendo because of her father.

    "Do I get to practice with people more often?"

    "(Boys will be boys)" She smiled after realizing another childish trait her son was showing. "More than you will in a club. Your grandfather is good friends with a person who runs a dojo nearby. Do you want me to take you there?"

    "Yes! I''ll go get ready!" he ran up the stairs in a hurry.

    "I believe the young master has changed for the better. You shouldn''t worry too much about him mistress"

    "Is it really that obvious?" she felt a bit perplexed.

    "Even the young master tries to reassure you. I believe there is not much reason to worry. The young master is only six years old. He may have lost some of his memories, but he still has more years to make new ones with you mistress"

    "Maybe you''re right" Kyouko sighed. She got ready and left the house with her son.

    The duo walked around the neighborhood and stopped in front of a large pair of wooden gates. There was a wooden plaque on the side that wrote ''Shiroyuki Dojo''. Kyouko pressed the doorbell and was greeted by a young man wearing a kendo uniform.

    "May I help you?"

    "Is grandpa Jirou in?"

    "Yes he is. Are you signing up for¡ª"

    "is that you Kyouko-chan?" an elderly gentleman also wearing a kendo uniform greeted them.

    "Granpa Jirou! It''s been a while"

    Kazuya observed the elderly man and was surprised. He certainly had the air of someone skilled. He only wanted to have practice with living targets but he was now looking forward to joining this dojo.

    "This must be old Kou''s grandson then?" Kyouko urged him towards Jiro.

    "Hello! My name is Kouzuki Kazuya" he bowed politely.

    "What a polite child. Good! It''s been a while since I saw someone with great potential" He eyed Kazuya with great interest.

    "It''s good that you think so grandpa Jirou. Kazuya''s actually interested in joining the Kendo club in his new school, so I asked him if he wanted to come here to learn first"

    "That''s good news then!" he clapped his hands. "A kendo club eh? That''s not a bad place to start since competition is always a good motivation for improvement. Come inside and let''s talk in the dojo"

    They entered the Shiroyuki household and Kazuya saw many students doing different kinds of exercises. Kyouko was hesitant because they were actually being led into the dojo that housed the most talented disciples. This was not her first time here so she was very familiar of how this dojo operated.

    "Granpa Jirou the place we''re going to¡­"

    "Haha Didn''t I already say it? I think boy has great talent and I''m rarely wrong especially when it comes to finding talents" he turned towards the young boy "How old are you young man"

    "Six years old"

    "Really? Great! Which school''s kendo club are you going to join" his mood improved even more. He didn''t say why but he gave the feeling that he wouldn''t answer even if he was asked so Kazuya chose to say silent.

    "Sacred Forest Academy''s"

    "Haha! Even better!" the old man laughed after hearing his answer. The duo didn''t know why but chose not to ask since Jirou didn''t even try to explain himself.

    They entered the biggest dojo and found several children of different ages practicing. He looked around the lively dojo. Kazuya''s attention was drawn to the crowd gathered at one of the dueling areas where someone had been knocked down.

    "(Hmm? That girl¡­)" his eyebrows furrowed.

    Kazuya was drawn to her emotionless expression. He couldn''t help but find it familiar. A certain figure in his middle school suddenly flashed through his mind which shocked him. He couldn''t help but give a wry smile after making the connection. He was sure that this was the younger version of one of those people he used to know since he did enter the ''Shiroyuki'' dojo.

    The crowding students immediately gave way for Jirou and them after noticing their arrival. The girl who paid no mind to her fallen opponent glanced towards Jirou as he neared.

    "Grandfather¡­" she bowed

    "(I knew it!)" Kazuya''s heartbeat quickened. He knew this little girl from his other life.

    "Allow me to introduce my granddaughter, Tomoyo"

    "Shiroyuk¡­i Tomoyo¡­" she said in a barely audible soft tone. She lightly bowed but paid no real attention and stood beside Jirou silently.

    "This boy is the grandson of grandfather''s good friend Kou. Do you understand Tomoyo?" Jirou grinned as the emotionless girl''s gaze flickered before moving to stare at Kazuya''s. She then gave her grandfather a nod as if understanding something.

    "(This girl¡­ even now I can''t figure out what she''s thinking)" Kazuya frowned. He wanted to leave this place.

    "How about it Kazuya, do you want to try sparring with my granddaughter?"

    The students were shocked. Was their master actually being serious in making a newbie spar with her of all people?

    "No... I don''t want to hurt her" Kazuya ignored the gazes that focused on him including the flickering gaze of Tomoyo before continuing "I''d rather spar with you grandpa Jirou"

    The atmosphere froze. Even Jiro was taken aback by the sudden challenge. This time, even the instructors from the other dueling areas who heard paused and came closer with great interest.

 12 Enmity

    .

    Jirou regained his composure and took another look at Kazuya. He had to admit that this boy was as reckless as his grandfather which improved the old man''s impression of him.

    "HAHAHA! I like you even more now Kazuya! Do you think you can win?" he excitedly asked.

    "No I don''t" everyone nodded and thought that Kazuya wasn''t as unreasonable as they thought he was but that ended as soon as he continued. "My body needs to grow more for me to be sure since your physical advantage is too overwhelming at this time" he added as if it was a simple matter of fact.

    "Is that so? Now I''m really interest¡ª" Jirou stopped as Tomoyo moved in front of him and pointed her bamboo sword at Kazuya.

    She was used to ignoring children her age, but this was the first time she was ignored by someone altogether. Even worse, the same person challenged the person she cared for and looked up to the most.

    Jirou looked on with interest. This was the first time that his granddaughter had ever challenged someone of her own free will and it was his old friend''s grandson! He was happy with the current development. He took another look at the confident Kazuya and noticed something. He turned to whisper something to one of the instructors who quickly nodded before rushing out of the dojo.

    "I said I''m not interested in hurting you" he simply glanced at her before looking back towards her grandfather. His gaze was immediately blocked by the tip of her bamboo sword. He was getting annoyed. He kept stealthily glancing beside him and found that his mother was sternly gazing at him, so he couldn''t help but hold his tongue.

    "Kyouko-chan? Is that really you?" a tender voice interrupted the tense situation developing in the dojo. Everyone turned to find an old woman wearing a kimono standing at the entrance of the hall.

    "Grandma Kaori! It''s been a while" Kyouko ran up to her and bowed.

    "Come to the house and accompany this old lady. Leave these smelly fellows to do their things" She smiled as she grabbed Kyouko''s hands to guide her out of the dojo.

    "But¡­" She turned back looking worriedly at her son whose gaze was locked with Tomoyo.

    "Jirou! You better take care of Kyouko-chan''s son or you''ll be hearing from me!" the old lady threatened.

    "R-right" he replied feeling embarrassed in front of his students. Everyone knew who the real boss was in the dojo,

    The disciples held their laughter. Their strict master was a hard man to please, but he couldn''t talk back to his wife. She would rarely intervene but when she does, no one could stop her. Kyouko hesitated but ending up leaving with Kaori and headed for the Shiroyuki''s main house.

    Tomoyo kept her emotionless gaze locked with Kazuya throughout the whole encounter. With his mother gone, Kazuya no longer needed to watch himself so he only waited until it was sure that they were gone.

    "Step aside. You don''t stand a chance against me" He spoke again but the girl remained unmoved.

    The students that were admiring his bravery now thought that he was being arrogant. This was especially evident on the faces of the students close to their age. All of them were afraid of the master''s granddaughter but this newcomer didn''t even put her in his eyes.

    "Kid, if I''m not mistaken, Kyouko-chan said that you are new to kendo?" Jirou decided to break the silence.

    "That is correct" he ignored the ire he had invoked.

    "I''ve been training my granddaughter since she could hold a sword. Her style is completely different from textbook kendo and no people from her age has even come close to beating her so I wonder what makes you confident that you can do it" He was curious of what this brave boy''s answer would be. He wasn''t the only one as all those listening in glanced towards Kazuya.

    "Me not knowing anything about kendo doesn''t mean I don''t know how to use a sword"

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    "I see¡­ so old Kou¡­ hahaha! This is great!" as if realizing something, Jirou once again expressed excitement.

    "?" Kazuya still couldn''t understand or get a proper read on him. He realized that it should be mostly this old man that caused the emotionless girl to be as difficult as she was.

    "Can you humor this old man and spar with her? I''ll let you practice as you wish so you won''t have to do the regular exercises the other disciples do if you win" he assumed that Kazuya would want something like this so he tried giving him an incentive. "What do you think?"

    It was truly a tempting proposal. Complete freedom over his training would save him the trouble of convincing them to let him do as he pleases. This means that he could have more training time. He looked at the expressionless girl and could feel her intent to battle. The thought of battling with this girl was slightly interesting but not because he thought that she would pose a challenge.

    "Fine¡­" he nodded.

    "Great! Someone go and get a set of protective¡ª"

    "There''s no need for that. I just need to borrow a weapon to use"

    "You can choose from the rack over there"

    Kazuya lifted the bamboo swords until he found a suitable one. Tomoyo was already in position and Jirou had taken the position of the referee.

    "Please make her wear some protective gear on her arms at least. That way I can just hit her there without worrying about injuries"

    Jirou looked at Tomoyo who was shaking her head in protest. She did not want to wear any gear if he wasn''t. Jirou smiled since his granddaughter''s eyes were clearly showing that she was irritated. Kazuya could only sigh after Jirou looked at him with an expression saying that there was nothing he could do. He prompted both of them to get in position as the duel was about to begin.

    "Ready¡­.!" Jirou looked at both sides. Kazuya shifted his body sideways and held the bamboo sword with his left hand. "BEGIN!"

    Tomoyo wasted no time and rushed towards Kazuya. He smiled before taking a step forward to take action. Jirou''s eyes widened at Kazuya''s simple yet precise movement.

    Tomoyo struck down with all her strength. She really wanted to teach this boy a lesson. At that moment, the boy who everyone expected to be clutching his shoulder in pain, motionlessly stood in front of her. Her gaze moved upwards to see a smiling boy with two swords in his hands. This left the students, not to mention her own grandfather speechless. She looked at both of her hands and found that she was gripping nothing but air.

    He targeted and successfully hit Tomoyo''s sword handle after she had begun swinging down. He really didn''t want to hit a child so he disarmed her instead.

    "I already told you that you weren''t my match" he turned to walk towards Jiro but stopped when Tomoyo grabbed the tip of her bamboo sword to prevent him from taking another step forward.

    "¡­" Kazuya let the bamboo sword go and continued his steps only to once again be stopped by the girl who once again pointed her sword at him. Jirou remained silent but he was smiling at the two''s confrontation. He found this to be quite an interesting development. His own granddaughter was now getting a taste of her own medicine.

    "I said I didn''t want to hurt you but that doesn''t mean I won''t"

    *shake shake* she shook her head. Kazuya assumed she was refusing her loss so he was starting to get irritated.

    "What she means to say is that you only scored a point. In kendo, a single bout is made up of three rounds so to speak" Jirou decided to translate his granddaughter''s intentions.

    "Is that so? Fine then. Go and get yourself those arm guards the students are wearing"

    *shake shake* she shook her head once again to refuse.

    "She means that it would be unfair to you and will only do it if you do as well. Believe me kid, it''s already a good thing that my granddaughter is willing to wear them" Jiro handed them each a pair of arm guards.

    "Fine¡­" Kazuya reluctantly wore them before going back into position. He completely ignored his opponent and raised his arm before striking it with the sword he held on the other.

    "What is that boy doing master?" one of the instructors decided to ask after witnessing Kazuya''s weird actions.

    "He''s testing the arm guard. This would probably be the first time he''s wearing one. He wants to know how much strength he can use before the other party can get hurt"

    "With his skill? How can someone get that skillful without¡­" the instructor stopped and realized something scary. He stared at the boy who seemed to have gotten a hold of things.

    This time, Tomoyo raised the angle of the sword she held and did a defensive stance. She would only use this against opponents that were older and better than her. Kazuya on the other hand casually did the same stance as earlier. This development invoked the wide grin on Jirou''s face.

    "(Old Kou''s grandson really is an interesting one)" The senior instructors that saw the expression on Jirou''s face made them realize that they should keep an eye on this boy. Their master had a keen eye and would very rarely get attached to a student. Those who were able to get this look of excitement from him usually turned out to be masters with their own right.

    Tomoyo intently watched her opponent''s movements. She admitted that he was an opponent worthy of going all out with. All those who watched only saw this side of her when they watch her spar against the main instructors of the dojo. Her actions made the students that were thinking Kazuya was arrogant earlier look at him in reverence. Even the master''s genius granddaughter gave him such a treatment.

    "Ready¡­!" Jirou wished his granddaughter luck in his heart. "BEGIN!"

    There was no movement. There was only silence. Kazuya was aware that she had gone defensive and wanted to test her patience as he continued to stay still. What he was not aware of was that she was used to this. After a few minutes, he realized that he was at a disadvantage after she showed no signs of engaging. He wouldn''t be able to perform well in the case of Kyouko''s return. Kazuya knew this and was forced to take another approach.

    *yawn* "I see you''re set on countering my attacks but, can you?" he could see her gaze flicker after his taunt.

    "¡­" She may not have moved but her battle intent grew.

    Kazuya smiled. Her image coincided with the older version of her that he knew in his first life. This was actually not their first match but one of many where Kazuya who had no experience in kendo got beaten badly every single time. This was a chance fate had given him for some payback.

    "I wouldn''t be a gentleman if I refused such a request from a beautiful girl. Here I go then" he mocked and walked casually towards her.

    Tomoyo''s long ponytail swayed as her stance flickered at sight of his casual approach. She didn''t quite understand it yet but she was sure that it was going to end up badly if she underestimated this person.

    He raised his right hand which held the sword and attacked with a downward strike that was neither too fast nor too slow. She immediately reacted and positioned herself to counterattack. Her movements were stopped as soon as their bamboo swords made contact.

    "!!" she gripped her sword tightly to avoid letting go of it and was forced to lower her stance. The strength of his strike surprised her and made her arms feel numb as she quickly took a few steps back to maintain her balance

    "Hmm¡­ not bad. You held on" Kazuya laughed before following up.

    "(Impressive. This kid deflected a counterstrike with brute strength!)" Jirou gripped is fist as he worried for his granddaughter.

    "Watch out. I''m coming" Kazuya walked towards her again and did the same action. Tomoyo already got a taste of his strength so she gripped tightly and went for another counterattack but the weight that was supposed to be on her sword was instead hammered down in her arm.

    "Point! Kazuya wins!"

    "Hmm? I won?" He stopped his follow up strike. The bamboo sword was only a few inches above her shoulder. He looked at Jirou who declared his victory to confirm.

    "A solid hit to her arm counts as a point. You have two now, so you''ve won this duel" despite his neutral look, sweat could be seen on his forehead. He was glad that Kazuya stopped the next strike or his granddaughter would have really been injured.

    It was true that he knew nothing about Kendo. The only thing he knew about it was that it was a sword fight with bamboo swords. He gazed at the girl in front of him with a hint bloodlust. This caused the emotionless girl to tremble. She didn''t know why he was mad. He didn''t get mad at her when she stubbornly challenged him earlier but he changed after learning that he had won.

    Tomoyo''s trembling caused her fall on her backside. The sword in her hand rolled on the floor as the numbness in her arm made her unable to grip it anymore. Her predicament caused Kazuya to come back to his senses. He simply turned around and left towards the direction where his mother went.

    "Not only is that kid''s skill top notch but also his thirst for battle is amazing. If this were olden times, then he would have been one of the greatest heroes we read about today" Jirou misunderstood him and gave his own opinion for the others to hear. He was truly impressed with this young man.

    "Grandfather¡­" Tomoyo bowed apologetically while clutching her uniform.

    "Don''t take it to heart Tomoyo. He was simply too absurd" he patted her head gently."It looks like I ended up on the beneficial eh old Kou?" he laughed out loud as he continued to comfort his granddaughter.

    Meanwhile, Kazuya roamed around the area silently scolding himself.

    "To lose control and scare a child like that. Even if she is that damn robot girl. I should be ashamed"

    The reason he lost control of himself was because he heard Jirou say that a solid hit to the arm counted as a point. The memories that have been ingrained in his mind made him remember that he was not informed of this. Kazuya was hit repeatedly with a bamboo sword on either his head or his body multiple times. He was forced to do this countless times and he didn''t even have the slightest bit of interest in kendo in his first life.

    It was done by the same person he had expressed his bloodlust towards. Yes, it was the older version of the emotionless girl, Shiroyuki Tomoyo.

 13 Robot Girl

    .

    If Kazuya would classify himself as a person, then he would put himself in the silent average people category. He was not ambitious nor wanted to gain popularity, but one of the ones that simply lived and did was he was supposed to quietly.

    His life on earth before he had been called to Edea was as mundane as it could get. His only desire was to make his guardian Mei happy and improve her lifestyle. She didn''t say much so he did everything that he could to satisfy her since she was the closest thing he had to a family.

    Kazuya was annoyed by Stockton Kurumi but he didn''t really hate her. He classified her as a curious cat who would chase anything that caught her attention. He only needed to avoid her and everything would be fine. Well¡­ maybe except for the male territorial cats.

    Shiroyuki Tomoyo was completely different. She had a reputation that could compare to Kurumi but it was not her beauty that stood out the most, it was her temperament. The emotionless girl who was immovable in national kendo tournaments earned the nickname ''robot girl''. This grey-haired beauty had her fair share of fans but none of them dared approach her. One could only imagine their surprise when this girl who was like a robot that meticulously followed a routine suddenly changed her every day program.

    It all started when a rumor spread around that Stockton Kurumi had felt pity for a boy who suffered from amnesia. It was then that the name Kouzuki Kazuya spread around the school and his identity together with his circumstances were known by the students. Various people asked him if he really did suffer from amnesia out of curiosity, so he could only answer them truthfully.

    What surprised everyone though was that the robot that did the same thing everyday for as long as they could remember, acted like a normal person and approached the boy in the rumors.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya?" he turned to face her and found a beautiful girl that made his heart skip a beat.

    "Y-yes?" he was nervous. This was the only other person who could make his heart skip a beat aside from his guardian.

    But that only lasted for a few moments. Tomoyo immediately grabbed him by the collar and dragged him behind her after confirming his identity. No one was as shocked as he was because he had never met this girl before. He was thrown inside the unused kendo hall and locked alone with the girl who had the same expression all throughout their encounter.

    He wasn''t stupid, so he immediately deduced his kidnapper''s identity especially since he was brought to a kendo hall. She quietly handed him a bamboo sword before taking a few steps back while holding one for herself.

    "Umm¡­ Shiroyuki-san right?"

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    "You lost your memories?" She ignored his question and asked one of her own.

    "I did. I have no memory before waking up and could attend middle school after rehabilitation and physical therapy" after seeing the sword in her hand, he didn''t forget to mention his own injuries.

    "You know me?"

    "How could I not?" he replied. Tomoyo simply nodded before looking at him again.

    "Fight me" she made a stance and ignored further attempts Kazuya made to initiate a conversation.

    That was the beginning of the change in the robot''s daily program and also the start of the ''matches'' Kazuya would be having with her. Tomoyo would drag him to the dojo and force him to go up against her and suffer a beating. She was aware that he had no knowledge of the sport but that did not stop her from doing what she wanted.

    Others felt envy but most felt pity since the pitiful amnesiac boy was suddenly chosen to be the robot girl''s training dummy. His limited knowledge about kendo was based on how much this girl has said and with her temperament, it was not that much. She taught him to attack her head or her body to be able to win so he assumed that those were the only places you could hit to win.

    Who would like being beaten up for no reason? He hated it so much that Shiroyuki Tomoyo became the primary reason of his transfer out of Sacred Forest Academy. He would have beaten her back if he could, but her achievements were not for show and he was badly beaten for his efforts. This led to his current feeling of enmity towards her.

    "Over here Kazuya" Kyouko spotted him wandering around as she drank tea with Shiroyuki Kaori. He was introduced at the old lady who was looking at him from head to toe.

    "Looks like you''re fine. Did you beat Tomoyo?" Kaori asked while looking at Kazuya''s status.

    "I don''t know much about kendo but grandpa Jirou said I got two points" he still felt a little bitter about his sudden realization but couldn''t blame it on anyone.

    "Haha good! That old man is too proud of Tomoyo and dotes on her to the point that she turned out that way. It''s a good lesson for the both of them. I have to thank you young man, Kyouko indeed has raised a fine young lad"

    "Thank you, grandma Kaori. My mom is the best"

    They talked and ate snacks for a while. Kaori was told about what happened to Kazuya and expressed great regret that Lee was allowed into their household. She promised them that she would talk to Jirou about it when both Tomoyo and Jirou arrived.

    "I heard it all! That punk will be erased from the history of this dojo! He was mediocre anyway" He sat down with Tomoyo and looked at the boy "What do you think of my granddaughter''s skills?"

    "Weak"

    "Kazuya don''t be rude!" his mother reprimanded him.

    "It''s alright Kyouko-chan. It''s the truth a beginner like him did beat her without even breaking a sweat"

    "But granny Kaori said that no one her age could beat her"

    "Until now that is. This means we have to work harder as teachers so we are grateful for this lesson" he patted his granddaughter''s head and continued. "I was worried that there would be no one her age that she could contend with so I''m glad that both of you came to visit. The two of you will become comrades in school as well"

    "Tomoyo-chan also attends Sacred Forest Academy?"

    Tomoyo who was now wearing regular clothes kept her stare at Kazuya. He knew she was looking at him and he was intentionally ignoring her. He didn''t know what she was thinking but he imagined her holding a grudge. She sat up and sat close to him but Kazuya continuously tried to move away.

    "She does" Jirou laughed as he watched the children "You two should get along since you will be teammates both here and in the school club. I was hoping she could find an opponent during competitions but it turns out I only needed to look for one in the neighborhood!"

    "(Damn, I totally forgot about this)" he cursed inside. He would have chosen another school if the summoning area wasn''t nearest to the academy but this time he had no choice. Not only did he encounter Kurumi but now Tomoyo earlier than expected as well. "(It''s really true that enemies really are bound to meet up on a narrow road)" he sighed.

    "What makes things better is that it turned out to be old Kou''s grandson! You two are going to sweep the nation''s competition in the future hahaha!"

    "Don''t put too much pressure on them you old man! They are still children"

    "You know that stuff doesn''t affect Tomoyo much less is it going to affect Kazuya" they watched the two that was still slowly chasing each other without a care.

    "Maybe you have a point" Kaori gave a light smile after seeing the two interacting.

    "Can my Kazuya really do it?" Kyouko doubted as she watched her son finally get away from Tomoyo by sitting on her lap and wrapping her arms around himself.

    "I have no doubt. It''s a good thing that he and Tomoyo are going to the same school or else my granddaughter would be doomed to be second place in the individual tournaments until they both reach the age where the competitions would be separated by gender"

    "Are you really going to do it Kazuya?" She asked the spoiled looking boy in her arms.

    "I can only say that I''ll do my best"

    "Where did your confidence earlier go young man? I''ve taken my granddaughter to all the dojos in the district and no one in your generation stood a chance against her. You defeated her so convincingly and you can only say that you''ll do your best?" He felt a little disappointed at Kazuya''s lackluster response.

    "There are no absolutes in the face of battle between people of similar prowess" the boy replied nonchalantly "A moment of hesitation can lead to defeat or even worse, death" His response shook everyone in the room especially Jirou. Tomoyo''s gaze turned sharp as she continued to stare at him but he continued to ignore her.

    "Strong and wise. Truly a blessing to the Kouzuki family. Unlike this sword addicted husband of mine, you seem to be the wiser. You should be ashamed Jirou"

    "Haha¡­ how about it young man? Do you wish to join the dojo? Since you won earlier then our deal applies"

    "Hmm¡­" still under the relentless gaze of Tomoyo he felt reluctant. "I will think about it and come again when I''ve decided" he stood up and paid his respects before leaving with his mother.

    "I see¡­ then I will await your favorable response" Jirou was disappointed as he watched the mother and son''s backs. He didn''t want to push it. He noticed the change in Kazuya''s attitude earlier and didn''t want to agitate him into avoiding their dojo.

    "Looks like the both of you have taken a liking to that boy" Kaori spoke and startled her husband. Jirou glanced at Tomoyo whose gaze was still fixated at Kazuya.

    "You''ll see him again Tomoyo. Didn''t you hear? He''ll be going the same school and club as you" Jirou patted her granddaughter''s head. He had failed to notice this but it looked like his granddaughter held more interest in the boy than he did.

    *nod* "Kouzuki¡­ Kazuya¡­"

    The mother and son pair left the Shiroyuki household a little abruptly so Kyouko had her concerns. She already knew that her son''s temperament was different and a bit complicated so she wanted to clear a few things with him.

    "Kazuya, our families have been friends with the Shiroyukis for a long time so I hope you''ll be nice to them. Me and your grandfather owe them a great deal of gratitude"

    "Even that robot like girl?" Kazuya frowned. It was bad enough that he saw her again, now he had to be nice to her?

    "Be especially nice to Tomoyo-chan. She is quite the pitiful child. She lost her parents before her own eyes. That''s why she is a little strange" Kyouko explained.

    "I see¡­ (That''s why she''s like that?)" he didn''t show it but he was surprised. Who would have thought that she had gone through something like that? "I''ll try" he responded. Kyouko knew that that was the best she could get for now. She had gotten used to the changes in her son recently. He would usually just agree or disagree but if he was uncertain, this was the best reply she could get.

    "Okay. I trust you" She patted his head and smiled as they walked back home together.

    They really didn''t do much after they arrived back home. Kyouko returned to do work at home and Kazuya locked himself up his room to do some additional training. He would study the book of research whenever he took a break and learn a few things from it.

    "It''s a pity there isn''t enough mana on earth" he sighed as he read through the research notes about different spells that the authors either invented or improved. Most of them had high requirements of mana so he would have no way of using them.

    "Wait a second¡­" he flipped through the book after he had caught on to something. "I found it!"

    [Gathering Formation]

    [To counter the deficiency caused by hero summoning, a gathering formation derived from the hero summoning formation itself]

    [By changing the key elements of the summoning formation, making it into a mana gathering formation and adding devices/ talismans/ artifacts/formations to keep them in place, it is possible to stabilize the deficiency of mana caused by the hero summoning formation]

    [To provide mana for the land suffering deficiency, land that was unaffected is needed]

    [the unaffected land would have it''s mana reduced to stabilize the area containing the formation]

    [research was halted due to the enormous amount of complaints of the affected land owners and my co-researchers]

    "I should be able to use this to concentrate the mana in the area to our place. No one is going to complain since no one knows about mana anyway" he raised his hand and smiled at the ancient looking ring that appeared.

    "Don''t worry little buddy. I''ll have you shining like new again in no time"

 14 Quirky Genius

    .

    Kyouko was unusually nervous when she looked at Kazuya inside her car. This was his first day at his new school and he was now wearing the uniform for the elementary students. He may not remember it but he once failed the entrance exam for this school before he lost his memory. Because of his results now, Kyouko thought that Kazuya had failed on purpose just to avoid going to the same school as Lee.

    "Are you sure you don''t need me to come with you?" Kyouko looked at him with concern.

    "No need. Look, theres a teacher waiting by the building. He''s probably waiting for me like they said" he pointed at the teacher searching the students entering for a new face.

    "Okay then. What about picking you up?"

    "Didn''t you say that grandpa Jirou already offered to take me back?"

    "You''ve decided to join their dojo?"

    "Not yet. I''ll try it out for a while before I decide. I don''t know if I''ll even end up liking kendo. You can just focus on work and I''ll call or mail you if there is anything"

    "You promise?"

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    "I promise" He waved happily at his mother that was still reluctant to leave. He was always happy to oblige whenever she wanted to dote on him and they grew especially closer during the weekend especially since Mei had been tied up in her own affairs.

    "Are you the new student?" The stern looking man asked as he examined him from head to toe.

    "Yes. I am Kouzuki Kazuya" he politely introduced himself.

    "Follow me to the elementary department''s faculty room. It''s easy to get lost in this place" He led the way. Kazuya already studied and memorized the map of the elementary department but he appreciated the gesture.

    He was asked to sit on the couch inside the faculty room as the stern man called out to his colleagues. Kazuya recognized one of them, a young teacher who went all the way to the hospital so he could take a special exam designed for transfer students.

    "Is that him?" they asked the girl. She immediately nodded and they quickly gathered around to introduce themselves to Kazuya.

    He found out that the stern man was the head of the elementary school department. It was odd that a man in his position would wait and receive him but the culprit turned out to be his exam results. The exam had been designed to be several levels above the level any transfer student would be enrolling in so it was rare for a student to actually successfully transfer to the academy. Kazuya''s results were in the league of their own since he was able to successfully answer all the questions correctly.

    Not being able to retain the memories of his childhood, Kazuya did not think that the test was designed like that and merely answered everything quietly. He found it strange that the examiner was looking at him in a strange way since she came to the hospital but neither of them expected this kind of outcome.

    "(Of course the exams that were a few levels above mine were a piece of cake. I was already studying professional level subjects together preparing for the university big sis wanted to go to but couldn''t even before I entered high school!)" he sighed. Due to the playbacks of his memories, he was now an expert on all the things he studied before he was summoned to Edea.

    "Alright everyone settle down. I believe that all of you are anxious to know whose class he will be joining. We''ve decided that he will be joining Ono-sensei''s A class due to his academic potential" the person beside the stern man who identified himself as the department''s vice director spoke.

    The homeroom teachers of each second-grade classes expected this result and could only sigh. Kazuya on the other hand turned towards his supposed homeroom teacher and his gaze turned sharp. It was a well-dressed man who looked like an elite. He recognized this person from his previous life but not in a good way.

    Ono Masahiro, an ambitious teacher that graduated from a good university. Kazuya remembered this person because he treated the regular students like disposables. In his eyes, anyone who garnered great results as the only ones worth educating. He is an arrogant and ambitious man who was a middle school teacher back when Kazuya had reached middle school.

    His looks and demeanor were just a facade. His target was to move up the ranks to teach in the high school department. This teacher treated him like air which he really had no problems with but that was only until he had discovered this guy''s secret. Kazuya had stumbled upon him secretly peeping at middle school girls changing.

    Yes, he was a pervert. A pervert who had threatened to get him expelled if he ever spoke a word of what he saw to anyone else. Kazuya had no other choice but to comply since this person was backed up by an uncle of his who was the head of the high school department at the time. He was eventually fired because of his harassment towards a colleague which was covered up by the school.

    "Pardon me for interrupting but can I say something? (Like I''m going to let this sleaze ball use me as in his ambitions!)" the teachers turned towards him wondering why he had spoken at such a time.

    "What is it Kouzuki-kun? Do you have any problems with this arrangement?" the man introduced as elementary department''s second in command asked curiously.

    "I''ve read through the system the academy uses and I wonder if I could be assigned to B class instead"

    "Oh? Why do you say so?"

    "I have no interest in joining the academic class to be honest. I recently joined the Shitoyuki dojo and plan on joining this school''s kendo club with the intent of taking the national championship. You can confirm this with grandpa Jirou" he explained. He hoped that this would be enough to convince them to let him move to another class.

    He threw Jirou''s name in the mix and hoped that they wouldn''t confirm it since that guy would be ecstatic to hear the good news. His declaration however had an immediate effect as the department head himself crossed his arms and started to think. The guy named Ono Masahiro was nervous since he tried hard to convince many people to suggest that Kazuya be placed in his class.

    "Kouzuki-kun have you talked to your parents about this? I believe they would consider your future more important than your current interest in such activities" Ono confidently interjected and immediately invoked the ire of those responsible for sports related clubs and studies.

    "With all due respect, please do not assume to know what my parents think without actually asking them. I''m only suggesting to be placed in B class because I believe that it will be a good place for me to grow because joining a class that focuses on academics in this grade would only be detrimental for me in my opinion" Kazuya knew this sneaky guy was trying to put doubt into his earlier words. He immediately countered this and although he did put a smile on those involved in sports clubs, this petty guy''s mind was triggered.

    "You¡­" Ono clenched his fists and tried to calm himself. He turned to the department head "Sir are you really considering this boy''s opinion? He may be a genius but isn''t he being too arrogant?" Ono sneered and went to his superiors so that he could get them to argue with him instead.

    "Arrogant?" his gaze sharply turned towards Ono. "I can currently speak four different languages and would already have been studying in a university in America if I didn''t choose to stay here with my mother. I suggested to be in B class because I wanted to be treated as normal student since my mother emphasized my necessity of learning about social interactions. I would have asked to be moved to S class otherwise" Kazuya immediately replied. He didn''t want to argue with the department heads since their loss would just make him burry himself deeper.

    "S class? With just you?" Ono snickered.

    "I''m the son of Kouzuki Kyouko and the heir to the Kouzuki Corporation. If that''s not enough then should I also inform you that I am the grandson of the current head of the Kurogane Conglomerate. So¡­ do you think I''m being humble or arrogant?" he dropped a bombshell which left the teachers'' mouths gaping. They stole glances at Ono who started trembling. Who could blame him? These two powerful entities were more than enough to move the country. What was a mere teacher to do if they invoked their wrath through their decendant?

    Everyone turned to the girl who had been his examiner for confirmation. She nodded at them to confirm his statements. She honestly did not have any expectations when she was sent to a hospital for a transfer candidate. What surprised her however was not the seemingly normal boy but his mother who was featured in various magazines and articles as the head of the illustrious Kouzuki Corporation. Kyouko was an idol for women in the business world since she does stand in line with the most powerful men in the business industry.

    Sacred Forest Academy''s S class is a class for students with special identities. They were usually made up of individuals such as idols, musicians, and the likes whose class attendance to be affected by their status. They were still required to take their studies seriously and special exams were made for them but they were not bound by rules such as mandatory attendance.

    "Alright. You have convinced me. I respect your decision. It just so happens the head of B class is also the coach for our Kendo club. I leave him in your hands Miyamoto-sensei" the department head smiled. He didn''t accede to his request because of his special status but was rather impressed by his reason and intentions. He too did not agree with Ono''s philosophy of only finding worth in academic results.

    "Thank you for understanding and I apologize if I have sounded somewhat rude. My mother always reprimands me because she says that the way I speak tends to irritate people hence, my necessity to interact with people more to better understand how they feel" he added.

    The teachers immediately placated him and understood, Even Ono''s enmity was greatly reduced. They were teachers of this famous academy and knew that geniuses would always have a few quirks which made them different from others. They all surmised that one of Kazuya''s was his inability to empathize hence invoking ire whenever he explains his logic.

    "I''ll be looking forward to hearing about your progress in this year''s kendo competition, Kouzuki Kazuya. The tournament should be soon so I hope you''re prepared to participate in it right away" the department head patted his shoulder.

    "I will not disappoint your expectations. In the individual matches anyway" the staff room was filled with laughs. They all found his bluntness to be cute and his response when faced with uncertainty even more so.

    "Then I shall await the good news"

    "Oh I have one more request if everyone doesn''t mind" he turned their heads once again. The boy always had something interesting to say so they all listened.

    "Speak"

    "Please keep my identity a secret from everyone who doesn''t know. I do not want to be treated nicely because of it. I would rather have people who get along with me naturally than those who are only nice to me because I was born in my family" This was Mei''s suggestion.

    "Alright. Anyone here found to be disclosing this information will have to answer to me. Understand?" Everyone immediately agreed.

    The teachers had a very good first impression of Kazuya. He was unlike most of the geniuses or children of influential families who were arrogant. They were jealous of Miyamoto Shinichi, the homeroom teacher who he had been assigned to.

    "Let''s go Kouzuki-kun. I''ll show you where the classroom is and introduce you to everyone" Miyamoto gave him a smile and led him out of the staff room.

    "Please take care of me from now on Miyamoto-sensei" he gave a polite bow.

    The two left the staffroom and headed for the classrooms. Miyamoto Shinichi felt excited since a student as smart as Kazuya joined his class. He wanted him to be a good influence on the kids who wanted nothing more than just to go to their clubs.

    "Oh Kazuya-kun I''m just confirming but when you mentioned ''grandpa Jirou'', you meant Shiroyuki Jirou-sama correct?"

    "Yeah. That''s grandpa Jirou. Miyamoto-sensei is the kendo club''s coach, right?"

    "I am. Which class did Shiroyuki-sama put you in his dojo?"

    "Class?"

    "He didn''t assign you under someone yet?"

    "No, he said that I can choose to train however I wanted to"

    ''This¡­ (Free reign over his own training? Does Shiroyuki-sama thinking that this boy isn''t worth training?)" he immediately doubted Kazuya''s skill since the Shiroyuki dojo''s system was incorporated into the academy''s class system.

    "What''s wrong sensei?"

    "N-nothing. I was just thinking of how to introduce you to the class" he replied as they stopped in front of a classroom. "wait here and enter once I call you" he entered and hurriedly slid the door close since he wanted to surprise his class.

    "(I should have known¡­.)" he sighed as his keen vision immediately recognized Shiroyuki Tomoyo and her signature expression before the door was closed.

    He lamented his fate. She was indeed an upperclassman when he first met her in his previous life but without him being held back, he was indeed placed in the same grade. What made things worse, in order to avoid that perverted teacher, he basically volunteered himself to be in the same class as the robot girl.

    "You can come in now" Miyamoto''s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

    "(ignore it, ignore it, ignore it)" he chanted in his mind as he entered.

    Like he predicted, Tomoyo''s gaze immediately locked onto him as soon as he entered the classroom. He pretended not to notice and wrote his name neatly on the board before facing his classmates while trying to ignore the gaze that was begging to be recognized at this point.

    "Please introduce yourself"

    "My name is Kouzuki Kazuya. I''ll be joining class B as of today. Pleased to meet your acquaintance"

 15 Selfish Robo

    .

    Meanwhile at the Kouzuki Corporation''s headquarters.

    "..er ¡­ Mei!" Kyouko called out to her dazed assistant after just entering her office.

    "Huh? Kyouko? What are you doing here?" Still a bit out of it she tilted her head and asked.

    "This is unusual even for you. You''re usually on guard at all times here in the company"

    "Yeah¡­ that''s why I''m in your office I guess" Mei sighed and looked out the window.

    "You guess? What''s wrong with you? Are you sick?" Kyouko put a palm on her forehead and felt Mei''s temperature.

    "No¡­ I just feel a little weak for some reason"

    "Weak? Oh! It must be ''that'' time of¡ª"

    "Hell no!" she snapped back before her boss could finish her sentence. "I don''t know what''s wrong, but I feel a little off. Anyway, why are you here so late?" she changed the topic.

    "What are you talking about? Today is my Kazuya''s first day at Sacred Forest Academy so I drove him there"

    "I see¡­ wait a minute¡­ That''s it!" Mei smiled after coming to a realization.

    "What are you talking about?" Kyouko felt that she would regret asking but she did anyway.

    "I know why I''m feeling a little off! It''s energy!"

    "Did you not eat breakfast?"

    "I''m talking about my Kazu energy! I haven''t seen or hugged him since I had dinner at your place last Friday. I need my Kazu to feel whole again!"

    "¡­" Kyouko ignored her and sat on her chair.

    "Why didn''t I realize this before? What about my poor Kazu¡­ I bet he misses his big sis like crazy. Forgive your big sis Kazu, she''s been working as fast as she could so that she''ll be able to live with you. I should go to him now so he doesn''t have to be sad" Kyouko''s face turned grim after listening to Mei''s ramblings. She''s been getting worse and worse ever since Kazuya called her his big sis.

    "Stop right there!" she shouted. "I won''t allow you to ruin his first day at school" Kyouko moved towards the door and prevented her crazy assistant from leaving. She was afraid that she might actually do it.

    "But I need to recharge on my Kazu energy!" Mei pouted.

    "Shut up. I''ll fire you if you dare go to him. How are your moving preparations?" Kyouko quickly decided to change the subject before this assistant of hers got any more ideas.

    "I''ve finished settling things with my landlady. She was nice enough not to demand extra charges since it was a sudden decision"

    "Well you have been staying there for a while. What about packing? I''ve been to your place and¡­" Kyouko''s voice trailed off. They both knew that she meant the questionable state Mei''s apartment normally was.

    "Don''t say it! I know¡­" She was ashamed of her own room but never really did anything about it because she lived alone. "I''ve already bought boxes and stuff I need for packing. I''ve given away all the stuff I won''t be bringing along but doing that already took up most of my weekend" Mei sighed.

    "How much time do you have till you move out?"

    "I still have until the end of the week"

    "Just tell me if you need a few days off. Kazuya helped me a bit yesterday so I ended up getting a lot of work done. Plus, he even showed me how to do it much faster. My Kazuya worries and cares a lot about his mother after all" Kyouko gave a triumphant smile.

    "Don''t brag! Uuuu¡­" her shoulders slumped. "I miss my Kazu¡­ Are you going to pick him up later?"

    "Unfortunately for you, No. He said he''s going to join the Kendo club and since he was interested, I introduced him to grandpa Jirou. He''ll be going to their dojo after school so I don''t have to leave you here to pick him up"

    "Why is he going through all the trouble?"

    "He''s interested in Kazuya''s skills after we went to visit during the weekend. Kazuya is just hitching a ride since grandpa Jirou has a relative he usually picks up from the academy"

    "I wonder how my Kazu''s first day is going¡­" She felt weird, it was true that she did feel a little off but after hearing about Kazuya, a thought that her weird feeling only started after being apart from him for a few days. "Wait! Is Shoroyuki-san''s relative a girl?" Kyouko didn''t feel like answering this question and acted like she didn''t hear a thing and continued doing her work.

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    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Back at Sacred Forest Academy Class 2-B;

    "Alright that would be enough questions for now. You can get to know your new classmate during break times" Miyamoto stopped all the incoming questions after Kazuya finished answering a few.

    Kazuya stood in front of his new classmates and answered all their question while dodging the gaze of the girl who couldn''t even ask him one. Classrooms in the academy were mostly made up of raked classrooms with curved desks so him failing to notice her was understandable.

    "(it''s a good thing that she still doesn''t choose to speak at this point)" he felt a little relief.

    "Alright then Kouzuki-kun. you may pick one of the empty seats and claim it as your own" these were the words he had been waiting for since he had taken note of all the empty seats as soon as he entered.

    Kazuya picked a seat in the 3rd row near the wall on the left side. It was unoccupied and had a quiet seatmate who were one of the people didn''t pester him with questions. He walked towards it but before he could sit, his path was blocked by none other than the ponytailed girl who he had been ignoring all this time. She used her hand and immediately reached towards him.

    "!!" Kazuya recalled when they first met and instinctively moved his hand to block her attempt to grab his collar.

    But to his surprise, she grabbed the other hand that held his bag and immediately pulled him farther up the classroom. He was still flabbergasted at his failure to defend against this robot girl. He silently watched the long grey ponytail swing back left and right as he got pulled by her. Tomoyo then stopped and seated him in the seat she had been occupying before. She sat down the one beside it.

    "(This boy truly is intriguing)" Miyamoto was amused and silently watched on as the girl who had never shown interest in anything force the transfer student into sitting beside her.

    Kazuya of course was displeased by this sudden development and cursed himself before standing up to move towards another seat only to be stopped by the determined expression of Tomoyo. He really didn''t want to force his way around her so he opted to go for the peaceful route and turned towards their homeroom teacher.

    "Sensei, you said I could freely choose my seat correct?"

    "That is correct but since you and Shiroyuki-san are going to be teammates in the kendo club, I am in favor of her decision this time. The two of you should get along for the team''s sake. I''ll be starting class now so both of you please take your seats''" he didn''t think it would come so soon but this was a lesson that he may need to learn.

    "Tsk¡­"Kazuya clicked his tongue after seeing the amused smile on Miyamoto''s face.

    Miyamoto wanted him to yield. He may have taken down Ono-sensei with reason but there were some people that were impervious to reasoning no matter how much you''re in the right. One example was Tomoyo who was acting out of her own desires without regard of the consequences. He was bound to get himself in trouble because of that tongue of his so it would be better for him to learn this before he got himself into real trouble.

    "Alright then let''s begin class"

    Kazuya lost interest as soon as he heard what the lecture was about. He had fantasies about reliving his childhood again and wondered what it would be like to learn all the basics again but who would have thought that his first time experiencing it would be under the circumstance that he had watched his past life over multiple times to the point that whatever knowledge he learned had been engraved into his soul.

    Classes went by normally except for one small detail. Kazuya was under the silent attacks of stares from his right side. Since his senses were extremely sensitive, he couldn''t help but frown whenever Tomoyo would stare at him. He was only saved by his own teacher during break time and was taken into a consultation room.

    He changed his opinion about this man. He looked average but he was very observant and attentive. Kazuya''s impression of him improved and thought about his approach to things. Miyamoto explained that there were some things that couldn''t be solved with reason. This was especially true when it involved people. Kazuya thought about changing his own approach to things since he was currently seen as just a child.

    Finally, school was over. Tomoyo wasted no time and grabbed Kazuya''s hand and led him to the kendo club. This time he didn''t mind because he didn''t know the way and thought about what his teacher reminded him off. He figured it was better to let her do as she pleased until he found a way to get through to this weird girl.

    "Good, you''ve brought him" Miyamoto who was already wearing his kendo uniform greeted the two as they entered the dojo.

    The other club members immediately looked at Kazuya curiously. They had never seen Tomoyo even talk to someone yet here she was holding someone''s hand. Much like her peers in the Shiroyuki dojo, she was respected through her skill and they thought that her temperament was reasonable because she was untouchable when it came to kendo.

    "(This girl¡­)" Kazuya was flabbergasted as she took out a pair of swords and handed him one. "(does she really want to hit me that much? What did I ever do wrong?)" he wondered as Tomoyo''s eagerness in getting him to face her in a Kendo much hasn''t changed from his previous life.

    "Shiroyuki-san. You are still in your uniform and he still doesn''t have the right gear to spar" Miyamoto reminded her.

    Tomoyo looked at her current attire and realized that their teacher was right. She seemed to have remembered something and pulled Kazuya towards the changing room. This time however, he shook off her hand.

    "I don''t know what you''re thinking but do you honestly think that I''ll follow you to the girls'' locker room?" Kazuya''s patience was wearing thin. If she forced him to enter the girls changing room, he swore he would give this girl a lesson.

    "¡­" she still said nothing but her gaze told him that she understood. She walked into the changing room but stepped out almost immediately to hand him a large bag. She untied it and it revealed a kendo uniform that had ''Kouzuki'' engraved on it.

    "This is mine?"

    *nod*

    "Did grandpa Jirou have this made?"

    *nod*

    "I see. I''ll have to thank him later then" She looked at him for a few seconds before entering the changing room again.

    He had planned on asking Jirou about good places where he could get the right equipment, but it seemed like he had already procured some for him. He knew what he was up to especially by looking at the signature logo of their dojo printed on his uniform. Kazuya didn''t mind since he didn''t have anything to use at the moment.

    "Hey kid are you a new recruit?" Kazuya was immediately questioned by one of the older members once he exited the changing area.

    "I am. Miyamoto-sensei already accepted my application"

    "Then you should start by wiping the equipment in the changing room. The tournament is coming close and we don''t need a newbie hanging around our ace player" he arrogantly stated. He looked up to Tomoyo''s skill and didn''t like some random distracting her.

    "(Is this guy one of their regulars?)" he thought and took another look at him.

    "Hey what are you waiting for!?" Kazuya lost interest after seeing the sneer on this person''s face.

    "Get lost" he looked him in the eye.

    "What!? You!" his expression turned ugly. He didn''t expect this newcomer to mouth off at him.

    "Stop harassing the newcomer Nishida!" Miyamoto interjected. Kazuya ignored them and moved towards the rack holding spare bamboo swords.

    "But coach, this guy has no respect for his upperclassmen even though he just joined" he tried to reason to their coach but was ignored instead.

    "Respect is earned. Would you respect a stranger who suddenly pulls his weight around you just because he was born earlier? I have a principle of treating others depending on the way they treat me" Kazuya said as he picked up a bamboo sword and checked its condition. He didn''t bother looking at the sour expression of his upperclassman.

    "You!" Nishida lost his temper and raised the bamboo sword in his hand intending to strike. Before he would swing down though, his arm had been hit from behind causing him to let go of his bamboo sword. "WHO!?" he turned his head and shivered as his gaze met with Tomoyo''s cold gaze.

    "S-shiroyuki¡­"he trembled because he could feel that she was agitated.

    "¡­" she continued looking at him for a few seconds before turning towards Kazuya who had finished picking out a bamboo sword. She immediately moved towards him but he raised his palm to stop her

    .

    "You pulled me along here so you could spar with me?"

    *nod*

    "I refuse. You''re still not enough to give me a warm-up and I don''t want to waste my time" He turned away and continued to check the sword he picked up. Kazuya also casually ignored the pin drop silence he caused in the club. They all looked at him in disbelief. This was even more evident on Nishida who had tried to pick a fight with him.

    "¡­" Tomoyo tried to get closer to him again but this time she was a bit hesitant.

    "Are you really going to be like this? I''ve been trying to be nice to you but if you''re going to keep being selfish then I won''t even acknowledge your existence" it was his turn to give her a cold look. It didn''t only affect Tomoyo but also the rest of the people who gazed at him.

    Tomoyo subconsciously took a step backwards. What happened next however was something not even Kazuya expected.

    *drip*

    Tears flowed from Tomoyo''s eyes non-stop. She herself didn''t know what was happening and only touched her wet cheeks to find out that she was shedding tears. She continued looking at Kazuya nonetheless.

    *drip drip drip*

    "(What the hell is this!? I didn''t even do anything wrong and this is going to make me look like the bad guy!)" He was angry and his gaze turned even colder. A flicker of bloodlust was slowly growing and every club member who saw this felt chills down their spines. They all couldn''t help but feel fear towards this new member of theirs.

    "That''s enough Kouzuki!" Miyamoto finally had enough and interjected.

 16 An Unexpected Master

    .

    "That''s enough Kouzuki!"

    "Enough? You make it sound like I was the one who did something wrong sensei" his gaze left Tomoyo and now landed on Miyamoto who shuddered.

    "No you didn''t" he sighed. "Looks like I need to tell you a few things later. I''ll first need to clear a few things up first"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Kouzuki-kun, I talked to Shiroyuki Jirou-sama earlier and know about the duel between you and Shiroyuki-san. I believe that you are aware that she does not have any peers even remotely close to her level of skills correct?"

    "Correct" he calmed his expression and listened.

    "But she lost to you, someone who is even the same age as her. She finally found someone in her generation that she can compare herself with. Jirou-sama had informed me that Shiroyuki-san here had trained non-stop ever since she was defeated by you and wanted to catch up to you. She wants to see if her efforts had any progress but you simply dismissed her without as much as an explanation so how could she just accept it as simply as that?"

    "(comparing herself to me? Then why did her version in the future beat up the version f me who didn''t know swordplay?)" he felt a little skeptic about Miyamoto''s explanation but if he took his consideration of the robot girl from his previous life out of the question, it would make sense.

    "You did nothing wrong but her crying made you look like the bad person. I understand why you''re angry but please understand that Shiroyuki-san here is not very good with words so you need to be a little patient with her. It may take a while but I do believe that if both of you work together well, you''ll be able to answer the department head and Jirou-sama''s expectations"

    Kazuya understood what he was trying to say. His enmity with the other version of Tomoyo has affected his patience when dealing with her. She isn''t to blame for what happened and maybe learning to understand her a little may shed some light into why she did what she did to him.

    "Is what Miyamoto-sensei said the truth? Did you practice hard over the weekend?" he turned towards Tomoyo whose tears had stopped flowing.

    *nod*

    "I can see that It''s still not enough for me to even think about accepting a spar request from you" he didn''t change his opinion despite Miyamoto''s interjection.

    "Kouzu¡ª" Kazuya raised his hand to stop him before he could call out.

    He made sure that Tomoyo was still looking at him before he held the bamboo sword with both hands and assumed a normal kendo stance. He then raised his arms slowly before swiftly swinging it down. It was as if the air had been visible and cut down by a single swing.

    "I''ll consider sparring with you using one hand if you can at least achieve that swing"

    Tomoyo tried it immediately but knew that it was far from what she saw and felt. She tried it multiple times before turning towards Kazuya who seemed to have been dissatisfied with the sword he used and moved on to picking another.

    "(Looks like I''ll just have to focus on training my body until I get myself one I can use)" he thought as he put everything back. He felt a tug on his sleeve and found Tomoyo trying to copy his swing. "(Is she asking for tips?)"

    "¡­" she stared at him after doing a couple more.

    "From this point onward, I will allow you to show me your best try at swinging your sword once a day. If it meets my standards then I will spar with you but if it doesn''t then you will have to wait for another day. Do you understand?"

    *nod*

    "Then I will count those swings as your try for today. I suggest you do 50 swings to practice and then 50 sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and then 50 swings again. Try to feel the difference between when you swing the second time and maybe you''ll figure it out"

    *nod* she affirmed before leaving him be and doing what she was told.

    Kazuya walked towards Miyamoto who was waving at him and they left the club together. It was only at after they had gone that the deathly silence in the dojo turned into clamor after everything that had just happened.

    "So what did you want to tell me before sensei?"

    "Well¡­ I still haven''t decided whether to talk to you about this or not but this was the part I wanted to talk about but left out intentionally earlier. But since the incident with Shiroyuki-san happened then I might as well tell you about it since you probably don''t have anyone that will tell you about it"

    "What is it? Now you have me all curious"

    "Kouzuki-kun, do you know what is the most unreasonable, undecipherable, unpredictable, illogical thing this world is?"

    "Love?"

    "Hey how old are you? That''s quite deep but that''s not what I mean this time"

    "humans?"

    "Close but not quite" Miyamoto felt a little perplexed since Kazuya hadn''t given an answer that wrong but just not the answer he was looking for to prove his point.

    "Then what is it?"

    "It''s women. Didn''t you just experience it for yourself? You did nothing wrong yet you turned out to be the bad guy"

    "Hmm¡­"

    "With a person of your talent, background and charisma, you''ll be constantly dealing with them not too long in the future so I believe you should learn about them and how to deal with them"

    And there began the first class of Miyamoto Shinichi''s 29 years of understanding the mysteries of women. Kazuya was skeptical about it at first, he had technically lived longer than this teacher of his if he counted the years that he had no recollection of but after listening to what he had to say, it was as if he couldn''t stop nodding in agreement.

    He may have lived longer but most of it was spent focusing on his own goals. Kazuya came to believe that he could have avoided his tragic fate if he had understood women more and paid more attention to them. Combining what he learned from Miyamoto to the memories of his first life gave him a lot of insight, but it gave him a side effect of subconsciously forming a fear towards women.

    The already good impression that Miyamoto had in Kazuya''s mind immediately soared. If someone asked him what he thought of Miyamoto, then Kazuya without any hesitation would call him a ''master'' when it came to what men needed to understand about women. His own inexperience made him put Miyamoto up into a high horse. What Miyamoto did not know was that he had gained the utmost respect of a prideful and special existence that almost no person could accomplish even if they tried.

    "Let''s stop for today. It''s almost time for everyone to go home"

    "Thank you, Miyamoto-sensei, you have no idea how much you''ve helped me with your lecture"

    "Haha the sensei in the way you call me isn''t there without a reason you know"

    "that would make almost all the people I have to call with ''sensei'' fake then. You''re quite the rare breed of true teachers that care and I appreciate and recognize the fact. I owe you a debt and if you''re ever in any kind of trouble, please do not hesitate to tell me about it"

    "You don''t really need to but okay. (How much teachers can you have already met to make such a claim?)" he smiled and went back inside the dojo with him only to find an unusual sight. The members who were usually dressed and awaiting the coach''s dismissal by now were all covered in sweat. They were religiously swinging their bamboo swords downward after Tomoyo swung hers.

    "This¡­" Miyamoto blinked. He tried pinching himself to confirm if he was dreaming because no matter what he did, these children hardy gave it their all when doing exercises.

    "Hmm¡­ If that robot girl is the standard for unbeatable in the tournament then I guess there is hope for the team match after all"

    "Oh? Jirou-sama said you had a good eye" Miyamoto didn''t let what he just heard off. " He mentioned you said Shiroyuki-san couldn''t beat you even before she tried. Can you tell which of the members are the strongest just by watching them?"

    "I don''t dare say I can pick out the regulars but I can see the people with the most potential. Aside from me and the robot girl, that scrawny guy, that short haired girl and that bossy dude who picked a fight with me should have the most potential and should be the strongest amongst them. That tall girl and the bespectacled guy beside her can be the back-ups."

    Over the weekend, Kazuya didn''t lie. He did study to prepare for the academy. What he studied however was about kendo. He now understood the rules and system they used for tournaments. So he easily picked out the required number of people from the various members.

    "Are you sure? The one you referred to as the ''tall girl'' is the current captain of the club you know"

    "they aren''t that much far apart when it comes to their current skills. This is why I said potential and didn''t rank them according to strength. If that were the case then only the bossy guy and the short haired girl can be considered. The last spot is a contest between those other three"

    "I see. Well your assessment isn''t too far off from the current roster, but I''ll consider it"

    "Don''t mind me, the team is for you to decide. I''ll be satisfied as long as I fight in the individual tournament"

    "Do you know who the champion was last year?"

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    "Was it the robot girl? If it was then the tournament itself is a forgone conclusion"

    "It wasn''t. She only took third. Elementary school tournament is between six different grades after all. Unlike the middle school and high school divisions, it is much more chaotic"

    Kazuya went on ahead and changed. He didn''t get to do any training himself as planned but he was satisfied with what he learned. He looked at the students trying to catch their breaths after completing the exercise. He randomly thought of testing Tomoyo before heading for the exit. He was stopped before reaching the end of the dojo by a soft tug on his sleeve.

    "What is it? You''ve already used up the chance to show me your swing today"

    *shake shake* she looked back at him after shaking her head sideways.

    "Then what is it?"

    "¡­" the look in her eyes changed as she kept looking him directly in his eyes. Kazuya for some reason thought of something.

    "You want me to wait for you?"

    *nod nod nod* he noticed the subtle difference in her gaze.

    "Fine then. I''m going to your place anyway" He watched her go swiftly into the changing room.Just a few moments later he suddenly felt a presence stealthily approaching behind him. He quickly spun to immediately jump backwards and saw who it was that managed to get this close to him.

    "Hoho. You''re getting more and more interesting Kazuya"

    "That''s not a good joke grandpa Jirou"

    "Hahaha! It''s your own fault for making this old man curious. You can let go of that pencil now, the way you''re holding it is scary"

    "Please don''t do that again grandpa Jirou. I get startled easily and thankfully this is a great place or It would have been dangerous" he truly meant it. Being stabbed in the back made him overly sensitive towards being surprised from behind.

    "(Does he mean that that pencil would have been used on me if this wasn''t a school? Truly an interesting grandson you have here old Kou)" he thought before giving Kazuya a nod.

    "Oh, thank you for the clothes. I''m sure you''ll get a lot of new students if I wear it in the tournament"

    "Haha! Saw right through me. You''ll have to get first place first kid"

    "Let me worry about that. You only need to worry about if your granddaughter can surmount the physical differences of older participants"

    "That didn''t slip by you as well. Does that mean that you recognize Tomoyo''s ability?"

    "Naturally. She was raised and lives inside a dojo, if she''s not as good as she is then that would already be a question of her potential"

    "Are you saying that my granddaughter''s talent is normal?"

    "That depends on how much effort she puts in. Potential will only remain potential until it is developed. Everyone has the potential to be something. We humans are the most dominant species of this planet and we didn''t get that status by sitting on chairs"

    Tomoyo joined them and made their way towards Jirou''s van. He found that talking to Kazuya was always interesting and his point of view was definitely unique and full of wisdom. In his old age, he could still be excited by him and felt like he was talking to his old friend. Tomoyo was silently watching them while walking beside Kazuya. No one could tell what she was thinking but no one else was ever to walk beside her, that is until this mysterious transfer student arrived.

    The middle school students also started to leave the school grounds. A young boy saw Jirou and immediately straightened himself before walking towards to greet him. He stopped at the sight of the young boy standing in the middle of Jirou and his granddaughter seemingly enjoying a conversation with this famous old man.

    "(Kazuya? What''s he doing here? Isn''t that the uniform for the elementary department)"

    This boy was none other than Lee. His gaze immediately changed to one filled with hostility. Because of what Kazuya said, he had been banned from contacting anyone from the Kouzuki household.Even Kyouko had refused all his efforts of trying to explain himself. Now, his supposed younger brother was walking alongside the head of the Shiroyuki dojo which he had entered but hadn''t gotten the chance to get much out of buttering up Shiroyuki Jirou.

    Kazuya felt the hostile gaze and glanced at the direction it came from. His eyes met with Lee''s and kept calm as he was surprised to see him here. He remembered that Lee was wearing the middle school uniform for the academy and inwardly laughed at himself. He pondered for a bit but even though Lee knew that he had been seen by him, he did not try to hide his hostility.

    "(So it''s going to be this way huh?)" he couldn''t help but sneer.

    Kazuya made sure that Jirou didn''t notice it. He smirked at Lee and raised his hand and gave him the middle finger before laughing out loud. He made it seem like he was entertained by what Jirou was talking about but both these so-called brothers knew that Kazuya was laughing at none other than Lee. To top it off, he even used his other hand and used it to give him another middle finger.

 17 Change of Perspective

    .

    Despite her grandfather being distracted, Tomoyo was clearly watching Kazuya''s each and every action. She heard the adults say that he had been a victim of bullying from Hashiyama Lee, a person who didn''t even make it to the elite class in their dojo. She wondered how someone as strong as him could be bullied. The moment she stopped glancing towards Kazuya to catch a glimpse of who he had been mocking, her legs trembled.

    "Hmm? (Crap she saw)" Kazuya turned towards Tomoyo and found her looking at Lee.

    "What''s wrong granddaughter?" Jirou who noticed as well asked worriedly.

    "She''s probably still tired from the exercises I made her do" he moved to block her sight by moving in front of her and explained to Jirou what he asked her to do earlier in the dojo. He told him about how the students all got swept up in her pace and ended up doing only those exercises the whole time they trained.

    "Now I''m interested to see what kind of swing you showed her. Come to think of it, I should take you to one of my friends'' places to choose a bamboo sword. I figured you''d want to choose one for yourself"

    "Oh, I was going to ask you about that" Kazuya was glad to hear the offer.

    "Alright I''ll make a call then" he turned away and took out his cellphone to call.

    Tomoyo''s gaze was still looking into Kazuya''s eyes. She didn''t know why but she seemed to be calming down. What she didn''t know was that Kazuya was using a small amount of mana to calm her tensed up nerves. This was usually one of the very basic first aid skills he learned so it''s mana consumption was very low.

    "Have you calmed down? (I wasn''t sure before, but I am now. This girl''s weakness¡­ Is that why she lost in the last tournament?)"

    *nod*

    "You don''t need to worry about that guy. I can take care of him with my eyes closed. His enmity isn''t with you anyway, so you don''t have to worry about anything" he tried to comfort the robot girl.

    *nod*

    She understood. The boy before her had overcome what she couldn''t. This was the reason he was so strong. She wanted to ask him how he did it. People praised her to be a talent that was cut above the rest when it came to swordsmanship, but she didn''t think so. It even cost her to lose in the last tournament.

    "Do you want to overcome your weakness?"

    She was shocked as her small mouth gaped open. This person that hardly even knew her would sometimes understand her and would sometimes not. She was unsure and thought that the times he was correct were coincidences, but this was entirely different.

    *nod nod nod* she couldn''t help but be excited not because of his offer but by what she had just realized.

    "Do you trust me?"

    *nod*

    "Do you think I would hurt you?"

    She hesitated for a moment she remembered the first time they had met. He had said more than once that he did not want to hurt her and despite her persistence, he still didn''t.

    *shake shake*

    "Hey, that hesitation is really not reassuring"

    He was intrigued. This robot girl had finally shown him a clear weakness. She didn''t seem all that scary now that he had grasped it. The memory of him being beaten to a pulp every time was slowly being overwritten by this interesting version of the robot girl. He preferred this version rather than the violent android that tormented him.

    *tug tug* She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention and stared him in the eye.

    "Is this you trying to convince me? Well I''ll trust you for now and we''ll see if you change your mind later" He turned towards Lee who had already left. He wasn''t afraid of what that petty-minded guy would do but rather mocked him because he was looking forward to it.

    "Sorry for the wait you two. My friend says he''ll open his store, so we''ll stop by on the way there"

    The three of them got in the van and headed for the shop. Much to Kazuya''s surprise, it was more of a workshop than an actual store. There were many varieties to choose from so he wasted no time to look through the merchandise.

    "You brought an interesting kid Jirou" the shopkeeper said after observing the cheerful boy looking carefully through his works.

    "That kid''s called Kazuya. He''s old Kou''s grandchild"

    "What!? Kyouko-chan''s child? Then he''s¡­"

    "Yeah and It''s too early to be surprised. He wiped the floor with Tomoyo when they sparred"

    "#@^&@!! He beat the young miss!? How!?" he so surprised that he garbled his words.

    "He''s just that good. With him and Tomoyo, that old racoon will never know what hit him"

    The two old men chatted as Kazuya stopped in front of the section that had different kinds of wooden swords. Kendo regulations were strict so he really didn''t have much to choose from when it came to bamboo swords but what he really wanted was something that he could practice with. A real sword still wasn''t an option he could pick since Kyouko would never allow it so this was the next best thing.

    "This should be around the right weight for my current body"

    He picked up one of the wooden swords and did a stance using only one arm. It was on the heavy side but he smiled and thought that it was perfect.

    "You really are old Kou''s grandson. Still a child and still prefer the heavy ones" The shopkeeper commented.

    "Grandfather liked heavy swords?"

    "Yeah he would always nitpick about the wooden swords I make being too light. I made an especially heavy one just to hear him complain that it was too heavy, but he loved it instead"

    "I wonder if we still have it¡­" he thought about the two storage buildings in the Kouzuki household he had yet to explore.

    "You should grow a bit more before even trying to use that one kid. Even that one is a bit too heavy for you but since you''re old Kou''s grandson I bet you''d like it"

    "Yes. It''s perfect for me right now. I trust your craftsmanship, so I will be taking this one along with a bamboo sword that isn''t against any of the regulations"

    "Hey I''ll give it to you for free as long as you print my shop''s logo on your uniform. Plus, you can just ask me for new ones if they break down or you want an upgrade"

    "You really are friends with grandpa Jirou. I was intending to have the uniform altered to add my mom''s company logo in it if I''m going to be used as advertisement, so I guess I can add yours in too"

    "Leave that to me. I''ll have one made for you soon" Jirou chimed in on the conversation and was glad to see them getting along. He had a plan to slowly introduce Kazuya to their peers and looked forward to watching their reactions once they''ve met him.

    He thanked the shopkeeper and arrived at the dojo not too far away from the workshop. Kazuya had been ignoring it all this time but Tomoyo''s interest in his wooden sword as he carried it was interesting to watch. She was like a cat that saw something new and would closely follow it silently with her eyes.

    "Get changed and meet me in the courtyard if you want me to teach you" he said as he moved towards the changing rooms.

    Jirou heard this and was immediately elated. He didn''t know what his granddaughter did but she had successfully established a good relationship with this difficult child. He was curious about what the kid was going to teach his granddaughter so he acted like he didn''t notice and hid himself in a place where he could observe them.

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    Kazuya had roamed around the dojo before so he took note of some places where he could practice alone. One of them was a courtyard that had a big tree. He placed the wooden sword under the tree and immediately begun training.

    "First a warmup"

    Tomoyo who saw him practicing at the courtyard walked closer while hugging her wooden sword. Her steps came to a stop when she felt the atmosphere change as soon as she came closer. He didn''t hold his sword but she felt that she would be cut if she had moved any closer. He had an intimidating pressure that made her feel heavy. This was like the feeling she had earlier but for some reason it had felt different.

    "You''re here. Looks like you can feel the difference between hostile and non-hostile intentions"

    "?" she tilter her head and gave him a look that she didn''t understand.

    "It would be much easier if I showed you" his gaze at her changed as he directed a sliver of bloodlust towards her.

    "!!" Tomoyo trembled. She felt fear. This was the same feeling she got when she saw Lee earlier today. Kazuya noted the difference of her body''s reaction and withdrew his bloodlust.

    "Didn''t you say that you trusted that I wouldn''t hurt you? Was that a lie? I should just leave you alone then" he smiled mischievously after turning his back towards her.

    "!!" *tug tug* she immediately ran to stop him by tugging his sleeve nervously. She looked straight into his eyes as soon as he turned back as if telling him that it was not going to happen again.

    "I doubt that it won''t happen again. It wouldn''t be a fatal weakness if it were easy to fix"

    "!!" she was shocked to find that he understood what she wanted to tell him almost instantly. Kazuya failed to notice this himself and thought that her surprise was caused by not being able to overcome her fear.

    "Your weakness is first, you''re a spoiled child. You''re this dojo''s successor and no one dares treat you badly here. No one has ever shown hostility towards you openly, so you have no idea how to deal with it especially since you''re good at sensing other people''s feelings"

    *nod* she understood and accepted it. He was right.

    "The second and most fatal is fear. Whenever you feel pressure you instantly get paralyzed. We both have bad experiences but the difference is that you freeze instead of either fighting or fleeing from it. I assume this is the reason you lost the last tournament since more passionate people tend to be hostile to whoever they are up against. You indeed have some skill but because of this fatal weakness, I would rather have a less skilled person with me than you. Think about it, if Lee came to bully me again and no one but you is here, can I count on you to protect me after what you showed me earlier?"

    "¡­" she looked down. She was a bit happy that he recognized that she was skilled but was immediately disappointed when he told her that he couldn''t count on her.

    "The last isn''t exactly a weakness but It''s your sensitivity to pressure. This is supposed to be an advantage normally but like I said earlier, your initial reaction is to freeze. The good news is, I can tell that you can differentiate them instinctively. If you learn how to use it, you will be able to tell what other peoples'' intentions are but if you can''t move, it''s pointless"

    "¡­" Tomoyo kept her head down and was deep in thought.

    "(Does this girl even understand? Damnit I can''t tell)" he thought as he continued observing the silent girl. It was at that moment that he suddenly realized something.

    Compared to the older version of this girl in his memories, they had their similarities but they were still totally different because this one had not grown up yet. He remembered the times that she would beat him up and came to a realization when he compared her with the one right in front of him. They both had a change whenever they would feel hostility.

    Kazuya had always been patient, but every person has their limits. Shiroyuki Tomoyo had dragged him along countless times and would beat him up under the guise of kendo. She would start off by light strikes every time and would stop him whenever he tried to escape. He realized now that the point she would start beating him badly was all the same. It was the point that he lost his patience and would let his anger take over.

    "(I see¡­ so the only thing this girl got to fix was being paralyzed. She never learned how to deal with it and I was beaten badly for a perfectly reasonable reaction!)" despite what what he just realized, he still felt wronged. There still wasn''t a clear answer as to what made her beat him up in the first place.

    The two were silently standing in the courtyard busy with their own thoughts as Jirou secretly observed from his hiding place. He heard every single word Kazuya said and could only sigh.

    "He even noticed something that I didn''t. He''s right, this certainly is a deadly weakness for a swordsman" the aged man admitted his eyes being clouded. He always taught his granddaughter strictly but he never thought of letting her feel any hostility from him.

    He had always wondered why Tomoyo lost the tournament last year. He was there to watch at the time and noticed her sluggish movements when she lost. He attributed it to fatigue and her opponent''s body advantage but after listening, it seems that it was not that at all. Children were still children, but the more passionate ones tend to let their desires leak out.

    Jirou had been proud of last year''s results because Tomoyo was still a child. He now realized that she was lucky not to have faced an opponent that saw her as a real enemy and not just a competitor. That would have been enough to get her eliminated in the earlier rounds without a problem.

    "Hey robot girl" Kazuya suddenly broke the silence.

    "?" She gave him a confused look. She didn''t know if he was referring to her or not.

    "It''s going to be the same deal with the swing. I''ll check your progress once a day and see if you''re improving on overcoming this weakness. We don''t have much time until the tournament begins so if you don''t get over it, then your ranking will only depend on luck" Kazuya placed a finger on his chin to come up with something. "I''ll give you an incentive. If you can perform normally under pressure, then I will give you a gift" this was the best thing that he could think of at the moment. He really didn''t know this girl too much and only used a rule Miyamoto taught him that ''girls always love gifts''.

    He thought about it and chose a simple approach to deal with this six-year-old version of his nemesis. His current circumstances didn''t allow him to treat her badly so he decided that he would let this girl overcome her weakness. This was for the version of himself that got beaten badly every time he lost his patience. This was the best thing he could think of because he did not want to betray Kyouko''s expectations of him for a person he never really understood in the first place.

    Tomoyo heard his offer and was immediately motivated. Like any other child, the sound of receiving a reward was always tempting. She didn''t know if he was serious or not but she knew that she wanted assurance.

    "¡­p-promise?" she meekly let her voice out and extended her little finger nervously towards Kazuya.

    "D-did you just speak?" he stuttered.

    *nod*

    "(This girl is really weird... Welp! One problem at a time I guess)" He sighed before extending his little finger towards her. "Fine. I promise"

    He sealed their promise and locked little fingers with this robot girl.

 18 A Fortuitous Encounter

    .

    At the Sacred Forest Academy''s middle school building, Lee looked towards the elementary school department with an ugly expression. He had located Kazuya who was indeed wearing the uniform for the Sacred Forest Academy''s elementary school followed by Shiroyuki Jirou''s granddaughter.

    "Just how did that dumb kid get transferred into this school?"

    From how he knew Kazuya, he couldn''t do it yet here he was. Everything changed the day Kazuya got taken to the hospital. The boy that followed him like a dog now turned against him. He didn''t even get the chance to prepare but suddenly lost his connections to the Kouzuki corporation. It''s CEO and her assistant which he had a crush on turned hostile towards him in a blink of an eye.

    "It''s that kid''s fault. Even Kazuno-san hates me now"

    He hit the wall and angrily glared at the boy. Kazuya of course noticed him a long time ago but waited for the right moment. He looked at Lee at the peak of his anger before sticking out his tongue and giving him the middle finger.

    "bleh! (What can you do about it dumbass?)"

    "(I''ll kill you!)" he hit the wall again in anger.

    Tomoyo who was watching felt fear but it wasn''t as bad as the last time she experienced this. She tugged on Kazuya''s sleeve before pulling him to go inside the kendo club. Kazuya laughed and smiled after seeing that she made some progress.

    Today was Kazuya''s second day at the club. He made such an impression on the first day that everyone had looked at him with respect. Some of them already confirmed the rumor about him beating Tomoyo but the moment they asked about it, the more they knew that it was not just simply beating her.

    "Alright everyone is here. The tournament is drawing closer and I believe that we should start preparing our main team. I have consulted with people about the team''s structure and have come up with a system to decide the regular positions" Miyamoto announced a challenge system. He called out the five people Kazuya picked out yesterday and told them that there were three slots for the team battles and two slots as reserves. It would be up to their results in matches against themselves on who would take the three slots.

    To make it fair for everyone else, they could issue a challenge towards the chosen regulars but before anyone could challenge Tomoyo and Kazuya, they first needed beat one of the other regulars chosen. None of them found this unfair because they knew how good Tomoyo was. However, they were all curious about Kazuya''s prowess since they have never seen him in action.

    The three that ended up getting the regular slots were Nishida, the short haired girl named Ainu, and the female captain Sawada. The captain almost lost but she ended up beating the glasses boy that almost got her slot. She rested for a bit before walking towards the boy doing strange training exercises by himself on the side of the dojo.

    "Kouzuki-kun can I ask for a match?"

    "Are you sure? You stand a better chance against the robot girl if you showed the same intensity as you did when you fought that glasses boy"

    "Robot girl? Do you mean Shiroyuki-san?" she giggled and was immediately intrigued.

    "See¡­ you knew who I meant immediately. She is indeed the robot girl" he replied. Tomoyo who was nearby finally got the confirmation that she was indeed the one he referred to as the robot girl.

    "You''re quite the interesting guy Kouzuki-kun. It does suit Shiroyuki-san well but¡­ no one else but you would dare call her that"

    "Is that so? It''s true anyway she''s like a robot"

    "Do you even know my name Kouzuki-kun. I heard you call me ''tall girl'' yesterday you know" she pouted.

    "Can you blame me? Sensei asked for my opinion out of the blue on my first day here and none of you got to introduce yourselves captain" Kazuya shrugged his shoulders and stopped what he was doing. It seemed that this girl would not leave him to train in peace soon.

    "Still, you should at least know the name of the captain of the club you joined"

    "Uhh¡­ Can''t I just call you captain? (What''s up with this girl?)" he felt a little awkward since this girl was acting like they were close.

    "Nope~ I won''t respond if you don''t call me by name" she giggled.

    "(I don''t get this person. Why would I even need to call you?)" he gave a sigh inwardly. Luckily, he had learned a few things from Miyamoto so he calmed himself down.

    "Listen well Kouzuki Kazuya-kun. My name is Sawada Mahiru so call me Mahiru okay?"

    "Err¡­ okay?"

    "Okay who?" she gave him a look that wanted him to continue.

    "Okay¡­ Mahiru-senpai" he finally gave in.

    "Good boy" she smiled but before she should try and pat his head a quiet figure stood in between the two.

    "Are you here to show me your swing for the day?" Kazuya asked Tomoyo who stared at him

    .

    *shake shake*

    Mahiru was amused. Her initial interest in Kazuya began when Tomoyo came with him to the club. Her interest kept piling up until she finally approached him with a legitimate reason to do so. To be honest, she was envious of Tomoyo because of her skills and standing. Even though she was older, she was no match for her, but it looks like she did have something that she was better at and that was communicating with other people.

    "By the way Kouzuki-kun, do you mind if I call you by name?" Her interest in Kazuya increased more now that Tomoyo had given an unusual reaction. She didn''t know why those two got along but she too wanted to get pointers from him.

    "Do what you want? Can you two let me be? I still need to train" he saw no point in continuing his interaction with them.

    "but you still haven''t given me a match yet. I''m not asking because I think I can win but for two reasons; one, because I want to get some pointers from you and two, because I will be busy next year to get ready for middle school so I want to experience your skills firsthand" Mahiru didn''t give up and requested a match.

    "Hmm¡­ very well. I would have just told you your flaws if it was only the first reason but I will agree to a spar this once since you''re the captain Mahiru-senpai" he could feel her intent to battle by looking at her eyes.

    The two of them instantly garnered attention as they stepped up to Miyamoto requesting to be their referee. He had already been observing them wearing an amused expression so he immediately agreed. Mahiru finished wearing her gear but was puzzled to find Kazuya waiting for her still without wearing any.

    "Kazuya-kun? Why aren''t you gearing up?" she turned towards Miyamoto who shook his head after meeting her gaze.

    "Same rules with the robot girl. You win if you manage to hit me once. I wouldn''t worry about me. You on the other hand tend to think too much which makes you hesitate Mahiru-senpai. That moment is a deadly opportunity for your opponent so it''s best you get rid of it" he casually spoke and raised a hand holding the bamboo sword he brought with him.

    The onlookers held their breath as Miyamoto began the match. Their captain may not be as good as the girl everyone now acknowledged as the ''robot girl'' but she was still a student that was good enough to gain a scholarship from the academy for kendo.

    Mahiru immediately dashed to take her opponent by surprise. She wanted to use her advantage in reach together with the surprise attack to catch Kazuya before he got a grasp of both her reach and her speed. Kazuya however, saw this coming and dodged in a manner that made it look very easy to do so.

    "That was a nice try but you stopped right after I dodged. This is what I''m talking about. While it is good to think before you act, in times like this wherein a split second is enough to determine win or loss, just move according to instinct. Experience will gradually hone your skills so you will know if your decision was right or wrong afterwards"

    The match continued and left everyone in awe. Kazuya would dodge every strike perfectly and would even give input as he did so. There was only one person that felt different and that was Tomoyo.

    "¡­" she felt that it was unfair. It didn''t take him much time to beat her and this person even went as far as to guide Mahiru while they were in the middle of the spar. This was what she wanted but Tomoyo knew that it would be hard in her current state since he only needed to make her feel that pressure and she would crumble down. Although she knew it, she still couldn''t help but feel envious of Mahiru''s lesson.

    "Alright then. Now that I''ve pretty much covered the most important points. I''ll show you a bit of my skills to fulfill your second reason" Kazuya wasted no time after speaking and immediately struck at Mahiru. His bamboo sword clashed with hers. Even if Mahiru was clearly the bigger person everyone was surprised when a single strike caused her to drop her weapon.

    "Point Kazuya!"

    "Ouch¡­ did you really just hit me using a sword in one hand?" Mahiru looked at her trembling hands.

    "My bad, I used the same amount of strength I did with the robot girl" Kazuya forgot that she was just an ordinary girl.

    "It''s okay. I was just surprised that it felt as strong as getting hit with a strike using two hands"

    "is that so? Well I''ll be a little bit gentler since the referees only need to hear a solid hit¡­ or so I heard"

    Needless to say, the second round ended in a flash. Mahiru got hit the moment the second round began and it left everyone speechless. Kazuya returned to his practice as Mahiru rested with a refreshed expression on her face.

    "Thank you Kazuya-kun. I''ve certainly ''felt'' your attack" she sweetly smiled.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    It was already time for them to go home but Tomoyo seemed a little off. She wasn''t hurrying him like she did yesterday. Kazuya ignored it figured she must have been tired from the training. He had initially planned to increase the amount of exercises as she progressed, but she did so on her own. He silently praised her in his mind as they walked towards where Jirou was.

    "Hmm? Did something happen? Why does my granddaughter look bothered?" Jirou immediately noticed Tomoyo''s state.

    "I don''t know. Nothing really happened today but regular training. Maybe she''s tired?"

    "Hmm¡­ maybe. Let''s go for now"

    They drove off. Kazuya didn''t pay much attention to them and was looking at his surroundings. He expected to see Lee spying on them again but he was nowhere in sight. What he didn''t know was that Lee was stuck in his own club training for the kendo tournament for middle school students. He would have been watching them but like their club, Lee''s club were also deciding who the members that were going to attend the tournament were.

    While they were driving home however, Kazuya saw something that caught his eye.

    "(Isn''t that mom''s car? What is it doing in this neighborhood?)"

    This was an unusual place for Kyouko to be in because this was where Mei lived. The car was parked right in front of her apartment building so he was immediately curious.

    "What''s wrong kid?"

    "Can you stop the car grandpa Jirou? I saw mom''s car over there. I''ll be getting off here and go home with her"

    "You''re not going to the dojo? The tournament''s coming up you know"

    "I train during club hours, when I go to the dojo and after I do my homework just so you know" Kazuya reminded him. Jirou didn''t doubt it at all because he already heard from Kyouko about it.

    "Well fine. I can see that the car is indeed Kyouko-chan''s so you can go"

    "I''ll see you guys tomorrow then" he got off and approached the car. He wondered what reason Kyouko would have to go over to Mei''s messy apartment.

    He touched the car''s hood and felt no heat so he assumed that it had been parked for a while. Kazuya walked inside the building and went straight to Mei''s apartment. He was curious if the passcode he knew back then would still work. He rang the doorbell and hid nearby to see if there was anyone inside.

    Several tries yielded no result so he went on ahead and tried the passcode. During the time he lived here, the passcode was never changed. Kazuya had mixed feelings, he wanted the code he knew to work and not at the same time.

    *click click clank* the door unlocked after giving out the nostalgic sound.

    "Really big sis? This was the passcode I used for years¡­" he scratched his head and entered.

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    His heart was beating quickly because this was the original home that he recognized. he touched the wall and found the scratches on the wall that he had been curious about back then. Kazuya was also a bit surprised since the apartment had been much cleaner than he was used to. Clothes were still scattered everywhere but it was still about 50% less messy than the one on his memories when he first moved in.

    "I''m glad to see that at least some things didn''t change" he smiled and started to fold and pile up the scattered clothes out of reflex. He may have been away from this place for a while, but he still missed this place the most when he was summoned.

    He found that most of the appliances were already missing but thought that with how Mei usually was, she would take forever to sort everything out before moving. After seeing his old home, one fact was confirmed, a lot of things changed for him and Mei when Kyouko died.

    Mei lost her smile and seemed to have let herself go at home more than she already did. Kazuya of course was not happy to have realized it at all.He wanted the smiling Mei to not lose her current self. He was already making moves to change the future that ruined their lives. It was a long shot but he thought that there might have been some kind of hint here since he did not have memories of this place at his current age.

    He was currently stuck. He regretted not asking much about what had happened before he lost his memories. The only thing he knew was that he and his mother were supposed to go on a trip together when the accident happened according to the doctors. If it had been just an accident, then what was the reason of the totally different treatment he got from Mei? Was it somehow his fault?

    Kazuya was getting a bit impatient. He didn''t like feeling helpless since he had already simulated what he would do in the future. Though, that was only counting what he would have done differently if he was given another chance. Here he was feeling helpless not wanting to lose the sudden change of his life.

    *slide*

    He turned at the familiar sound of the door opening

    "Phew! I didn''t expect to fall asleep in the¡ª" Mei stopped in her tracks to rub her eyes. "I must still be asleep¡­ my Kazu''s here and tenderly holding onto my panties" she pinched herself and turned back to the boy awkwardly standing in her apartment.

 19 The Apartmen

    .

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    Kazuya couldn''t help but give a facepalm. he did a double after hearing her rambling. Certainly this version smiles a lot and is more cheerful. The version of her he got used to would be hard to read yet this version would always say what was on her mind. Even the ones that shouldn''t be mentioned at times.

    "He''s even putting my used panties on his face" she pinched herself harder but could still feel pain.

    He then remembered the fabric he was folding was still in his hand. He quickly folded it before adding it to the pile already folded.

    "I was just cleaning up big sis. Your place is as messy as always" he tried explaining himself.

    "As always? How did you get in? She didn''t miss the eyebrow raising comment.

    "Your birthday doesn''t count as a safe password" this was an issue he wanted to bring up.

    "but it''s backwards! My Kazu is still here and pinching myself hurts. Come to big sis and try Kazu" Mei who still believed she was dreaming beckoned.

    "You''re not dreaming big sis. You should go get dressed before you catch a cold" He was still looking sideways while talking to her so he raised the most pressing issue instead.

    "Oh" she looked at herself who had only been wearing the white shirt she wore to work. "big sis doesn''t mind at all you know" Mei stuck out her tongue to tease the shy looking boy. Ever since he woke up in the hospital, she found it harder to get him to react like the past.

    "I know you don''t. We''re at your place after all" he sighed again. Kazuya had been trying to keep himself calm in front of her and using his own mana to numb specific parts of his body. He might not have hit puberty age-wise, but his mind definitely has been stuck in the middle of it for a long time.His responses were hurried and gave Mei a lot of information as well as satisfaction, but Kazuya didn''t notice this and kept concentrating on his own body''s status. This was his first time doing this so he just hoped and focused.

    "Looks like you really do know a lot about your big sis" Mei gave a satisfied smile.

    "That''s a given. You are the wife I''ve always dreamed about after all. Why aren''t you getting dressed?"

    "You should pick out my clothes Kazu. I''ve been looking for my towel but I can''t find it anywhere. Look at my hair, it''s still dripping wet!"

    "I''ll go get you some clothes then. Did you check the shelf near the laundry area?" He turned to quickly head for Mei''s bedroom. Mei silently watched him confidently make his way to her room before turning towards the laundry room.

    At this point Kazuya didn''t care about what he said anymore. He got her a matching set of underwear together with a pair of black training gear that looked unused. He turned around and found Mei drying her hair with her towel but now the now wet white shirt''s buttons were undone.

    "Help me dress up Kazu. You need to do this for me a lot of times in the future too okay?"

    Yet another part of her that he was familiar with. She would usually act this spoiled only when she was drunk. It was very potent poison to the version of him going through puberty. He would steel his resolve and think of other thoughts whenever he did this. Luckily she was only like this in the past when she drank alcohol.

    "Okay" disagreeing with her at this point would only lead to torturing himself because this was not the first time she asked him for this in his previous life. He unfolded the clothes and slowly helped her dress up. Mei who was smiling mischievously intentionally made it a little harder for him because Kazuya in her eyes right now looked extremely cute while trying to hide his embarrassment.

    "The straps feel a little bit too tight Kazu. Can you fix them for me? My hair''s not dry enough yet"

    "That shouldn''t be right¡­ this underwear size is a little big for big sis" his eyes were sharper than they were in this life so of course he noticed the inaccuracy of her claims.

    "Hey! Are you saying that my breasts are small? They may not be as big as kyouko-san''s but there''s still room for growth since I haven''t reached my peak yet!" she posed in front of him.

    "They''re perfect actually" he gave his honest opinion. They were indeed not too big nor too small.

    "You sure know how to make your big sis happy" Mei calmed down and smiled. She was satisfied with his evaluation.

    "I''m not lying. I wouldn''t dare lie to you big sis (at least not about something like this)"

    "This is not your first time here right? Why are you even here?" Mei stared at him waiting for a response.

    "!!" Kazuya was caught off guard and started to think of an excuse.

    "You said you wouldn''t lie to me. Was that a lie?" she followed up as she noticed his troubled expression. She wanted an honest answer since both Kyouko and her have talked about this issue before. Kyouko blamed her for taking him to her place without her consent but she clearly had never done a thing before.

    "I saw mom''s car parked here when I was heading home from school. I thought that she would be here so I rang the bell a few times but there was no answer"

    "You haven''t answered everything. You''ve recovered your memories, haven''t you?" She actually gave him a hint he could use.

    "Only some of them. Though most of them are bad ones" He rode her train of thought. This was a good way to buy himself some time.

    "Bad ones? Do they have to do anything with me and how you know so much about me?" she gave a concerned and worried look.

    "To be honest I really liked big sis back then. I was scared at first because your face was scary when I first met you but that changed when you were nice to me and treated me well" he answered with the first impression he had of her when they met in his previous life.

    "Then why were you always hiding and avoided me"

    "It was because¡­" the perfect idea hit him but hesitated since he hasn''t thought it through. "it was Hashiyama Lee who made me do a lot of things I didn''t like" he decided to involve Lee since he played a big part in an event involving Mei in his previous life.

    "What did he make you do?" Mei didn''t expect Hashiyama Lee''s name to come up so she continued to dig further. This was the perfect chance to answer a few questions that have been bugging her and the current Kazuya rarely gave her the upper hand.

    "I don''t remember everything¡­ but he likes big sis too. He would ask me to gather a lot of information about you and he took me here a few times to try and guess the code for your door. Unfortunately, I was able to guess what it was and we got to enter your apartment" he frowned. He remembered the first time he saw Lee in front of the door looking for trouble.

    "What did he do here?" she tried to calm herself but she couldn''t help but let out some bloodlust herself.

    "We went around your apartment and he went through your stuff"

    "Did he take anything?" trying to think if she lost anything, Mei crossed her arms.

    "Some of your underwear. He would keep one in his bag, so I was able to retrieve them from him. I went back here a few times to return them"

    "That pervert!" She felt disgusted. She sometimes had some problems looking for things in her room and wouldn''t think too much of it because she thought no one else would have taken them. Now that Kazuya told her of this, she immediately put the blame on her missing items onto Lee.

    "When I finally returned everything, he asked me to come with him here again but I refused. He beat me up and said that he would do it himself but would hurt me more if I told anyone"

    "He can''t get away with this! Kyouko should know!"

    "I''m sorry for being a coward big sis. I really wanted to get close to you a long time ago, but he made me avoid you. I¡­ was waiting for an opportunity to be able to fight back so I wouldn''t have to stay away from you anymore but that¡­ was when I lost my memory" Mei couldn''t help but hug him tightly. She wouldn''t have wanted him to remember if she knew that it would be this bad. Mei regretted interrogating him like this.

    "You don''t have to worry about that bastard Lee. Big sis will protect you from him I promise" she gently combed his hair with her hand.

    "No¡­ I failed to protect big sis from him and I won''t let that happen again" This was an oath he made for himself. Never again will he let anyone mess with him or the people around him as long as he was still breathing.

    "Is that why you started training yourself and joined that dojo?" Mei smiled after thinking that it was for her sake that he busied himself like this.

    "I¡ª" before he could answer, a loud noise was heard from outside Mei''s bedroom.

    *BAM* *BAM*

    "MEI OPEN UP!"

    "Looks like time is up" Mei sighed. "You stay here while I tell her about what you just told me" she left the room and answered the door. Kyouko immediately barged in and pulled Kazuya away from her.

    "You! Where is he? Where''s my Kazuya? What do you think you''re doing to my son dressed like that?" Kyouko immediately went in and looked around.

    "Me? This is not you''re first time here so do you need me to answer? More importantly, there''s something that you should know" She had more pressing matters to tell her about so she tried hard not to tease this overprotective mother.

    "Tell me where my son is immedia¡ª"

    "Kazu recovered more of his memories. He''s in my room right now and I didn''t want him thinking about it when I told you because it''s mostly painful one. They answer a lot of questions we''ve talked about" Kyouko saw the serious expression on her assistant''s face. She instantly understood from the lack of her usual playfulness that it was a matter she needed to hear.

    "Tell me" the two sat down and Mei began to retell the story using her own flair. She added a lot of curses and insults whenever Lee came up to vent some anger. Kyouko clenched her fists as well and felt guilty about not noticing anything until it was already too late.

    "To protect his beloved big sis, Kazu''s been training himself and joined that dojo too" Mei added at the end with a playful smile.

    "Where is he?" Kyouko ignored it and was more concerned about her son and the memories he recovered.

    "He''s probably still in my room"

    Kyouko still had a few questions so she looked for her son. The two of them, especially Mei was shocked when she entered her own room.

    "Are you two done with your talk?" Kazuya spoke as he finished putting away all the clothes that was left inside the room and labeled them in boxes accordingly.

    "Mei you¡­ you made him pack your stuff for you!?"

    "Hey don''t look at me! When I discovered him in my apartment, he was already folding away the clothes I left in the living room"

    "and here I thought you were actually making progress in packing" Kyouko sighed.

    "It''s okay mom, big sis didn''t ask me to do this. I wanted to help so that big sis can move in with us before Lee comes to steal her stuff again"

    "That''s right! Only my Kazu is allowed to take my underwear!"

    "Shut up Mei" she turned to her son and asked "When did you remember Mei?"

    "When I saw big sis at the hospital. I already knew a lot of things about her even though they were incomplete. I only remembered the bad stuff that happened when Lee came but it made my head hurt a lot"

    "Why didn''t you tell me?"

    "I felt ashamed of how I used to be. I didn''t want to be a coward anymore so I tried to change myself"

    "You silly boy, of course you can be scared, you''re still a child! That''s nothing to be afraid of" Kyouko tried to comfort him. The change in her son after what happened made her miss how sweet and innocent he used to be.

    "Kazu" Mei pulled him close their noses touched. They looked each other in the eye. "Always remember that no matter what, your big sis is always on your side. No matter what you do or what you become, your big sis will never abandon you"

    Kyouko looked at them silently. It was rare to see Mei this serious when she is around Kazuya. He was initially scared of her when they first met because of Mei''s usual demeanor. That was why she would stop putting off that face whenever he was around and the Mei that would express herself openly would appear. Kyouko believed that this was her assistant''s real personality. From the time Mei started to work for her, she was known as the CEO''s trusted executioner even though she such was a nice girl.

    Keeping up her facade made others fear and respect her. Even though she was young, her prowess and talent were so apparent that no one could say anything. She knew that Mei had been under a lot of stress which was why she never really rebuked her when she would act the opposite way whenever Kazuya was present. She hoped that in the future, Mei could act more like herself freely.

    "Big sis¡­" tears gathered in his eyes no matter how much he tried to hold them back.

    Kazuya couldn''t help it. These words both relieved and hurt him at the same time. He was reassured because these were the words that he wanted to hear from her for the longest time. Mei had no idea but she would be over the moon if she ever found out how much she had been regarded by her Kazu. His world used to revolve around her to the point that every major decision he made usually had her in mind first.

    Though at the same time her words placed him in another predicament. A sharp pain would assail him every time he remembered. He felt that she was not lying and could feel the attachment she had for him. This was not only in this instance, whenever he indulged himself when Mei showed affection, he would feel a little bit of pain. A question that scarred him because he was never able to ask always crept up in his head even before he had died the first time. This scar was then continuously opened up when he was forced to watch his previous go by life countless times.

    "(Why¡­ why did you abandon me back then?)"

    Knowing that the person wouldn''t be able to answer his question he wept. He hugged the Mei in front of him tightly and cried to his heart''s content. He swore in his heart that he would die without ever fulfilling his revenge if he let that same future ever come to pass.

 20 Lees Frustration

    .

    Kyouko silently watched them by the side. She shed tears herself looking at her son who broke down earlier sleeping peacefully in Mei''s embrace. She felt a little jealous especially seeing Kazuya''s unusual attachment to Mei. She wondered if he would someday recover his memories of her but was scared that it was accompanied by bad ones since she was not able to discover his difficulties. One thing was for sure, her son totally regarded her assistant as an important part of his life and it may even compare to hers.

    "Kyouko-san what do I do? Kazu loves me so much I won''t be able to let go" Mei patted the sleeping boy''s back.

    "Stop gloating and get dressed!" Kyouko couldn''t stand the smug smile on Mei''s face.

    "Shh! You''ll wake him up" Mei carried him towards her bed but turned after a few seconds and stood in front of Kyouko instead.

    "What do you think you''re doing?" her eyebrows started twitching.

    "Don''t look at me like that. I can''t put Kazu on the bed. Looks like he doesn''t want to let his big sis go even in his sleep" This time she was serious and tried to get her boss to help.

    Kyouko scoffed and tried to get Kazuya off of her but found that Mei had been telling the truth. She tried to gently take him, but he was holding onto Mei tightly. She thought to wake him but she couldn''t bear to. She tried using more strength but it was no use.

    "Hold him properly. I''ll help you get some pants on. How much more do you need to pack?"

    "Just a few more boxes? Kazu finished most of what needed to be arranged in my room"

    "Then I''ll get some help. You''re going to be moving today" Kyouko made up her mind. She wanted to make her son happy and if Mei could help recover his memories, then it would be good if she moved in earlier.

    "Eeeh? Today all of a sudden?"

    "You''ve already gone through the process of changing your address so what''s the problem? I lent you a car to help you speed things up" she crossed her arms before continuing. "Now we have two and with granny''s help we''re going to have three so there''s no problem in moving today" Kyouko left the room and made a call. It didn''t take too long before Fujiyama came along with her two granddaughters. Kyouko told her what happened and why she had called for them suddenly.

    "I can''t believe what the young master had to go through even in his own home. I feel ashamed"

    "Why is the young master clinging to a half-naked Mei-san?" the younger of the two asked.

    "You shouldn''t blame yourself too much granny. The young master has changed for the better" The elder comforted her grandmother who expressed her grief.

    These were Fujiyama Yui and Yumi. Yumi is a Senior high school student and Yui, a 1st year middle school student both studying in Sacred Forest Academy. They lived in the dorms but help their grandmother with chores in the Kouzuki household at times.

    "You girls get yourselves busy and help Kazano-sama with her things. She will be taking residence in the household, so you must address her correctly" Fujiyama reminded them. As the person in charge of the household after the owners, she wouldn''t let anyone, even her granddaughters act out of decorum while she was still around.

    "Before we do granny, I think I should report this since you told me to keep an eye on that Lee guy" all of them turned to Yui interested on what she had to say. Lee was identified as the cause of all the recent things that have gone wrong with the Kouzuki household so they couldn''t help but be interested in what she had to say.

    "Speak. What is that animal up to now" Fujiyama wasted no time and let her granddaughter speak.

    "He didn''t change all that much after the truth about him was revealed which I found a little strange. That guy probably didn''t want anyone to know that he was in deep trouble but he started acting strangely two days ago"

    "Two days ago¡­ that''s when the young master started attending the same school"

    "Yes. He saw the young master going home with Shiroyuki Jirou-sama and his granddaughter and immediately changed. He now stares at the elementary school department and shows an enraged expression every now and then. Today he even hit the wall to vent his frustration" Yui recounted what she saw earlier.

    "That can''t be a coincidence now can it?" This time Kyouko was the one who reacted.

    "I thought so as well so I looked into the direction he was staring at and tried to confirm. It was clearly the young master together with the Shiroyuki girl he was glaring at from what I could see"

    "Than you for your report Yui. I''ll go and talk to grandpa Jirou over the phone" Kyouko stepped aside and used her cellphone to contact Jirou.

    Kyouko was alarmed. Clearly what she just found out scared her. Clearly Lee''s deeds have been revealed so he wanted to take revenge on the boy who told on him. She agreed to let Jirou pick him up along with Tomoyo because he would be able to protect him if anything happened, so he had to be informed in case that little snake planned something.

    Kazuya would have been thrilled if he were awake to hear the current development. He had successfully painted Lee as the villain and shifted all the suspicions. His original intention had just been to make him shoulder the cause his sudden ''amnesia'' but it now changed because of his new-found resolve. He wanted to get rid of as many variables as possible to ensure that the future of everyone he cared for was different from the one he knew.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Meanwhile in an alleyway near the Sacred Forest Academy, the boy who had lately been involved in a series of bad luck vented his frustrations in secret.

    "Damnit!" Lee cursed.

    He lost most of his matches on the first day of selecting the regulars for the upcoming kendo tournament. He had been under a lot of pressure ever since Kyouko had cut ties with him and informed the family of what he had ''apparently'' done. He was confused and felt wronged since he had not done any of the things Kazuya said he''s done.

    Lee blamed Kazuya for everything bad that was happening to him. He originally thought that he was just some dumb kid who got lucky by being born into a good family. Kazuya had something that he did not and had a better standing than him so he decided to make good use of it. He treated him quite good and thought of it as planting a seed to be harvested in the future. Lee did not expect the dumb kid he used and looked down on to suddenly turn the tables on him before the time was ripe.

    His hostility was caused by a small incident that involved Kazuno Mei. Lee had a crush on her from the first time they met but she would remain cold to everyone which frustrated him. It wasn''t until he arrived at the Kouzuki household one day that he coincidentally saw another side of her that he couldn''t even imagine existed.

    She was chasing after Kazuya who was afraid of her. Mei wore a smile which was exclusively meant for that unworthy little brother of his. He viewed himself as someone better than Kazuya and vowed to someday take away everything that Kazuya did not deserve. He was confident that the dumb kid wouldn''t even know what he was up to.

    That all changed when he heard that Kazuya was taken to the hospital suddenly. He wasn''t really concerned but after hearing that Kyouko and her assistant had holed themselves up in Kazuya''s hospital room. Getting a chance to interact with Kazuno Mei was rare so he immediately took the chance to make her remember him this time. His expectations were high but reality had a way of throwing curve balls and it was a very sudden one.

    It all went downhill for him as soon as he entered the room. The boy he looked upon claimed to have had amnesia and said all sorts of lies to frame him for being the cause of this incident. To top it all off, Kazuya had portrayed himself as the victim of abuse that was apparently done by him continuously in the past. No amount of reasoning could persuade Kyouko after that. Like a protective mother, she had taken the side of her own biological son without even giving him the chance to explain.

    This frustrated Lee even more. He patiently had to deal with that dumb kid and before he could reap any benefits, he came without anything to gain for it. He even invoked the enmity of the girl he had his eye on. Even the members of the family who adopted him had started to avoid him after Kyouko took it to the next level and complained to them. All of it was caused by the person who he saw as nothing but an ant.

    That same person appeared before him again and it was at the only place where he could be at peace. It was at this school that everyone still viewed and treated him not as a culprit but a good honor student with great potential. Yet here he was after getting mocked by the kid who started it all and knew the truth about his innocence.

    "It''s all his fault!" he kicked a dumpster in frustration.

    "What is all whose fault? Who is it that is making our dear model student curse alone in an alley?"

    A young man wearing an unbuttoned Sacred Forest Academy middle school uniform approached Lee. He had a different atmosphere from Lee with his long and unkept hair. He was accompanied by two rough looking people standing behind him.

    "You''re late" Lee told him off.

    "You didn''t answer my question. Who is it that you''re willing to risk being seen with me?" the young man persisted.

    "Don''t mess with me Kuuga. I''m already in a bad mood. Can you handle teaching a kid in the elementary school department a lesson or not?" he was already in a bad mood and the boy he referred to as Kuuga was not helping.

    "Details my friend. I need details. The corresponding price will be determined after I hear the information you have on the target"

    "A kid who recently transferred to the elementary school department Class 2-B his name is Kouzuki Kazuya. I don''t want it being linked to me because that kid already wrongly accused me of sending him to the hospital so take extra precaution"

    "Him being able to frame someone as devious as you intrigues me. That extra precaution is going to cost you more you know" he warned.

    "I don''t care. You know I''m good for it" Lee didn''t care how he did it but he wanted Kazuya to suffer.

    "Fine. I''ll give you a little bit of service since you''re a repeat customer. I have to say though, I''ve taken care of a lot of people that stood in the way on your path of fame so taking care of someone not on that path makes me wonder what he did to affect you this way"

    "It''s none of your business. Just take care of it"

    "Fine. Is there anything else I need to know?"

    "That kid hangs around with a mute girl in the same class. It would be best if you don''t mess with her since that girl is strong"

    "Strong?" Kuuga''s eyebrow raised. "Stronger than me?" He raised a fist as if wanting a fight.

    "If she held a sword then maybe. Don''t stir trouble with her if you don''t want a monster to hunt you down"

    "Oh? That first grader who got 3rd place in the national championship for kendo?"

    "You know her?"

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    "I keep tabs on strong people that show up in the academy"

    "You''re crazy as usual. She''s the successor of the Shiroyuki Dojo so don''t dig your own grave. Even your background is not enough to shield you from that crazy old man so don''t risk it. Contact me once you settle on a price"

    "Alright. It''s nice to be doing business with you again. I thought we wouldn''t do this until exam season but it''s always nice to have extra income"

    Lee ignored him and exited the alley. He was still in a bad mood but he felt a bit better after Kuuga accepted the job. This was not their first collaboration so he knew he could trust the way he did things. He couldn''t wait for Kazuya to get what''s coming to him and even planned on letting Kuuga do it again if he wasn''t satisfied.

    "Just you wait Kazuya. Since you''ve made me into a villain then don''t blame me for acting like one"

 21 Formation

    .

    Mei stretched after closing the final box of what was left of her belongings. She was no longer half naked and was now wearing the black tracksuit Kazuya picked out for her. She took one last look at the apartment she rented since she was in high school before leaving there for the last time. Although feeling reluctant, she felt that it was time to leave this place and move on to another part of her life.

    "Are you ready?" Kyouko asked after she watched her load the last box in her car.

    "Where''s grandma Fuji and the girls?"

    "They insisted on going on ahead to take Kazuya home. They wanted to get started on unloading your stuff so that you won''t mess the place up on your first day"

    "You all really shouldn''t have gone through all the trouble" She shrugged off the comment. Mei was feeling weird finally leaving the home she got used to but she felt like she wouldn''t regret it.

    "It wasn''t for you but for my Kazuya. Besides, at your pace it would take until the last minute for you to finally finish fixing everything"

    "Are you sure about this? I know you offered before but¡­"

    "All I ask for you is to not be like that ingrate Lee. I''ve let him off easy because he is still a child. You on the other hand know that Kazuya is my world. I want you to distance yourself from him now if you''re only going to end up hurting him in any way" Kyouko looked her assistant in the eye and wanted to make this completely clear.

    "You know that I won''t. That''s why you chose me as his secondary guardian right?"

    "Hmph. Yumi already took my car with them so you drive"

    "Don''t be so cranky mother-in-law. Kazu loves you a lot too. He even mentioned you along with me while he was sleep talking" Mei of course was aware that forcing her to move was mostly due to Kazuya''s attachment to her. She knew that Kyouko was feeling down whenever she would get along with him more than her so she wanted to give her a some encouragement.

    "What did he say?"

    "I think he was having a bad dream but he said; ''Mei don''t abandon me again'' and ''Mom don''t leave me, don''t die''. Neither happened in the past so it''s just a bad dream"

    "¡­ yeah" Kyouko answered half-heartedly and silently got into the car.

    Kyouko was silent as they went back to the mansion. Thinking deeply, she tried to think why her son would say such a thing in his dreams. She would never leave him nor did she think that Mei would abandon her son so why did he have such dreams? Did it have something to do with the memories he lost? Was it really a bad dream? This lasted throughout the whole drive towards the Kouzuki household.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

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    In the Shiroyuki household living room, Jirou, Tomoyo, Kaori and two head instructors were gathered. The two instructors were curious as to why they were summoned from their class after Jirou had received a sudden call. It turns out that it had something to do with the newest addition to the elite class. The instructors were briefed of his current circumstances beforehand, but today''s news was quite disturbing.

    Jirou had received a call from Kazuya''s mother and told him about what she learned from him as well as the report from Yui. The Kouzuki''s and the Shiroyuki''s close relationship was no secret and Jirou himself had taken a liking to Kazuya. Hashiyama may have been had some relations with the Kouzukis and may have been a disciple formerly recognized by the dojo but he was not a Kouzuki.

    "I want you two to investigate who in the dojo has good relations with that little bastard Hashiyama. Also get some of the students studying in Sacred Forest Academy to keep an eye on the situation. Be sure to be discreet about it. This concerns the safety of my granddaughter and my old friend''s grandson so take this matter seriously"

    ""Yes Master!""

    "That Hashiyama kid''s skills are average but he''s a sneaky little snake. It''s a good thing that Kazuya had forgotten his hesitations or we wouldn''t have been able to see his skills. Remind your students to only make a move if it looks like Kazuya won''t be able to handle the situation. If that snake really does strike then it would be a chance for him to get rid of the stain of his past" he instructed.

    "Jirou, that little bastard is a coward and I think that he will strike without putting himself at risk. Our granddaughter may be capable, but she is still inexperienced" Kaori who had been quiet spoke her thoughts.

    "If he dares then he will know that he is not the only one who has allies"

    "This is not your fight. You should wait till the boy asks for your help. I do not think he realizes his own position yet. This would be a great opportunity for him to do so"

    "Hmm¡­ you might be right. I''ll leave it to their judgement"

    "What should we do then master?" The two who were listening in were confused. The husband and wife had different opinions so they needed to be given clear instructions so they wouldn''t feel the wrath of these two.

    "Here''s how it will go¡­" Jirou explained his plan in detail.

    They thought of various ways to handle the situation in a way that would be beneficial for Kazuya''s growth. Tomoyo listened quietly but was a little surprised to learn about what had happened to Kazuya in the past. He didn''t seem like the type of person that would go through all that. This left her a little confused. She couldn''t imagine him getting beat up by someone who she had no problems beating so for what reason did he allow himself to do so?

    Their discussion and planning lasted for hours before they finally were able to call in a few students that would be involved in their plans. This was how the rest of the day was spent inside the Shiroyuki household.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Kouzuki household before dawn.

    "Huh?" Kazuya felt extremely rested and slowly opened his eyes. "This¡­ my room?" he surveyed the surroundings and after seeing the pictures and posters Mei made herself, he confirmed where he was.

    "Nnn¡­" A soft moan entered his ears after he moved to get up. His hand felt something smooth. He moved his hands to confirm what it was he was holding but couldn''t believe it.

    "Did big sis go this far to make a real-life pillow of herself?" He continued to move his hands around to make sure she got the measurements right.

    "Hmm¡­ the waist is thinner¡­ though how did she get the scent and feel so lifelike?"

    "Nnn¡­! NNn!" muffled sounds continued as his hands continue to roam freely.

    "It even reacts. Though it''s too much. Big sis wouldn''t react like this"

    "Nnn¡­! Are you sure about that?" Mei who finally couldn''t hold herself back finally spoke.

    "!!!" Kazuya immediately jumped off the bed in alarm.

    "You shouldn''t tease your big sis so much. I almost¡­ err¡­ I''m flattered you think your big sis is pretty and thin but why did you assume my waist would be bigger?" she slowly sat up with a flushed face.

    "Well¡­ I always hug big sis so¡­" he quickly made an excuse expecting her to get mad any second.

    "Is that so? Why are you up so early?" She was embarrassed herself so she decided to change the topic quickly.

    "I always wake up early to tr¡ªwait why is big sis sleeping in my bed?" Seeing Mei sitting on his bed wearing only a white shirt and her black underwear clearly now jolted his thoughts back to the more pressing matter at hand.

    "I moved here last night. You also said so yourself that you wanted a big sis pillow to hug so what''s better than the real thing?" She smiled at him like it was obvious. "Are you going to chase me away after everything you said?" She pouted and made him remember the scene he caused before he fell asleep crying. He immediately turned away to hide his embarrassed face. He started changing his clothes to avoid looking back intending to start his morning routine.

    "You can go back to sleep big-sis. You have work today so don''t mind me" he tried to make a quick escape.

    "Aww my Kazu is too sweet and cute. Big sis almost doesn''t want to let you go but I''ll let you do your thing so you won''t kick me out" She laid back down.

    Mei was a little surprised since Kazuya was too relaxed around her. She wouldn''t have minded normally but he had been more open with her whenever she compared how differently he treated Kyouko and herself. It was as if she was the one that he saw comfortably as family. She couldn''t tell if it was because he was still a child or if it was because of his amnesia. What exactly was so special about her?

    "I''m off then big sis"

    "Mn, Take care. I might join you one of these days but not now. I''m still too tired from unpacking"

    "Rest well and sweet dreams big sis"

    Kazuya went to run more than his usual routine. He felt great after sleeping off all his accumulated fatigue and after venting out his feelings yesterday, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Things were producing smoothly and the preparations he was doing in the Kouzuki household was almost complete as well.

    He arrived back at the household after the sun had risen and decided to double check the places he left specific marks on. He used his own blood that was rich with mana to place small formations around the whole area according to the research he studied from the book the demon lord gave him. The only thing left now was to activate them together by linking them with mana. This was the perfect opportunity since he was brimming with energy.

    He added a little extra to the gathering formation. Aside from it perpetually concentrating mana in the Kouzuki household, a detection formation was also installed. Kazuya wanted to add a protection formation instead but that required a lot of mana and decided that it can just be added if this experiment was a success.

    Since the formation would be activated by him, he would be able to feel whenever any living creature that he didn''t permit to be detected by him. As long as he was there or came within range of their property, Kazuya would be able to sense them. This was usually a formation used when setting up camps, so he learned it as an extra precaution even if people took turns in keeping watch.

    He sat on the ground and concentrated. He empowered his voice with mana before closing his eyes and spoke the elven incantations to connect and activate his formation. His body started to feel stiff as a large portion of mana in his body started to leave him. He could visualize the mana coming from his body slowly form lines connecting the small formations to form a larger one that covered their entire property,

    "(Just a little bit more¡­!)" he thought as his breath started getting rougher.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but think that it was a bit ironic. When he was first summoned, he felt that he had taken modern technology for granted and would always think of various inventions on earth that would have made his life a lot easier. This time it was the opposite. He couldn''t help but think about how convenient mana was and how it had become a large part of his life.

    "One truly realizes the importance of something after losing it" he whispered before letting himself lay on the ground. He had succeeded. He could feel that the grass and other plants in his house were brimming with life as the mana around them continued to congregate.

    Kazuya was in a good mood and felt a sense of accomplishment. He had successfully used mana and even formed his own formation in the modern world. He never thought that he would be doing this or if it was even possible but he succeeded. He raised his fist in the air and pumped it to celebrate.

    "Now let''s see if¡­ huh?!" he paused.

    It was then that he was alarmed. He had not noticed before now. The formation had just been activated and it was detecting extra human lifeforms currently in the Kouzuki household. He closed his eyes to confirm that they were indeed human readings. One of them was even moving towards him. This was neither Mei, Kyouko or Fujiyama but felt like someone that he hadn''t met.

    "(Could it be that Lee made moves this soon?)"

    He braced himself and pretended not to notice the quiet footsteps slowly approaching. He prepared himself to strike and focused on recovering his strength. This couldn''t have come at a worse time. He just finished activating the formation and was not in a state to put up a proper fight. He racked his brains to come up with a way to handle the situation. He needed think of a surefire way to win despite his current condition.

    "(A sneak attack is my only chance)"

    He calmed his breath and waited for the presence to come closer. He nervously felt the stranger come closer trying to hide the sound of their footsteps. This made him more anxious. The chances of him being successful had just gotten lower and his capabilities only recovered to being a normal child of his age.

    "(It''s now or never!)" Kazuya no longer had time to think as the person arrived into his range. He quickly flipped his body and immediately attacked, tackling the unknown assailant.

 22 Tantrum?

    .

    *THUD*

    Kazuya and the stranger crashed onto the ground. He was surprised that he was able to knock the person down so easily. He immediately took advantage of the situation and mounted the stranger only to be surprised at the familiar face of the stranger.

    "(This person¡­)"

    This was not the first time he saw this person. She was present both times that he was mocking Lee and had hidden herself from that guy''s point of view. He labeled her as one of that snake''s admirers. Kazuya thought that it was a waste that a pretty girl like this would have fallen for that petty-minded idiot so he recognized this person immediately.

    "(Is she here because he saw Lee''s anger? A stalker?)"

    Before he could gather his thoughts, the stranger recovered and sent a counterattack. He had no choice but to jump backwards to evade her longer reach. He lost his advantage after a moment of hesitation and clicked his tongue in frustration.

    "(Damnit, I''ve truly gotten rusty! This person knows martial arts too)"

    "Jeez! Why did you do that all of a sudden!?" She stood up and straightened out her clothes. It was then that Kazuya noticed her attire.

    "(Huh? An apron? Why would an attacker wear an apron? Camouflage? I should have expected as much from someone who likes that snake)" all sorts of weird thoughts in his head popped up as he remained vigilant against this person.

    "You don''t have to look at me with those scary eyes young master"

    "Young¡­ master? Me?" Kazuya was taken off guard. This person actually dared address him as young master. He thought that she might have some sort of backing since she uncovered his identity and still barged into their property without worry.

    "Who else? Are you still asleep?" she frowned at him.

    "Who are you? What are you doing in my house? Are you doing this for that fake guy Lee?" he used lighter words because he was afraid that she would attack if he insulted Lee.

    "For Lee?" her eyebrows twitched. She immediately realized that this young master had come to the wrong conclusion and she was curious as to how far he had assumed about her.

    "That''s right. I''ve seen you both of the times he was glaring at me. Take my advice and stop liking that guy because you''ll only get hurt. He''s nothing but a wolf in sheep''s clothing" he tried to reason with her to buy some time for himself.

    "(Me? Like Lee?)" She was irritated at Kazuya''s conclusion. She had only been following him because of him and now the same person who she did it for had assumed the worst.

    "You''re still young and there are many good people out there who are even better"

    "(Still young? How old do you think you are talking like that?) Pu¡­ HAHAHA" she couldn''t hold it in anymore and began laughing out loud. His last statement was like a tickle that she couldn''t help but laugh at.

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    "(D-did she lose it. I''ve recovered a little bit but it''s still not enough to beat someone who knows martial arts yet)" worried that this person had lost her mind, he lowered his stance and even became more vigilant.

    "You''re really a funny one young master. You''re speaking like you''ve had the experience but you''re obviously still a child compared to me. I don''t know how you came up with the conclusion that I''m in love with that animal but you couldn''t be more wrong" she wiped the tears from laughing so hard and looked at the boy who had sunk back to his own thoughts.

    "Wrong?" he lowered his vigilance a little and decided to listen as he focused on recovery. "Who are you then? What are you doing in my house?"

    "Didn''t granny tell you that there were helpers taking care of the chores in the house?"

    "Chores? Then you are¡­"

    "Fujiyama Yui, one of granny''s beautiful granddaughters at your service" she stuck out her tongue and winked at the now embarrassed boy who jumped into the wrong conclusions.

    "Then why were you looking at that snake secretly? Because of me?"

    "Bingo! That''s right! I was asked to observe his reaction when he found out that you transferred to our school. I''m actually surprised you were able to see me from that far and even recognize me. Did you see me both times?"

    "Yeah. You weren''t that hard to spot from my point of view. (So mom and the others did this¡­)"

    "So am I cleared from suspicion young master?"

    "Yeah. I apologize for suddenly attacking you. So does this mean the other person here is one of your relatives as well?"

    "Huh? How did you know that my sis was here too?" she immediately got suspicious.

    "Well¡­" he couldn''t say that he sensed them through the formation and seeing the suspicious gaze she looked at him with, he panicked. "Because you''re short. A taller person is needed to reach and clean the high places in this house and the ladder isn''t enough to make you reach them so there should be a taller person who does them"

    "Wha¡ª" she was so surprised at his sudden reply that her mouth gaped. She immediately lost her temper as soon as she recovered and shouted "You''re short! You''re even shorter than me!"

    "Of course I am, I''m only six years old. You''re already in middle school but only a few inches taller than me. Girls at your age should normally be taller than boys" he spoke as if it was a matter of fact. He didn''t think about what he said. He was just relieved that he was able to confirm her identity and her attention was successfully diverted.

    "You!!!" she breathed hard trying to suppress her anger. It was true that she wasn''t as tall as her sister was but she was confident that she had the looks to make up for it.

    This was the first time that someone actually told her she was short to her face and it was after the fact that the same person attacked her. He even assumed that she was in love with that scum of a person she didn''t even want to think about.

    Yui trembled because she wouldn''t hear the end of it from her grandmother if she hit this person. All the good things he heard about this young master had gone out the window. She had felt sorry for him after hearing what he had gone through but after speaking to him, she immediately thought that it was his own fault.

    All she could do was vent her anger on the ground as she stomped her steps and headed back to the house. What she didn''t know was that Kazuya didn''t know what he said wrong. As a hero, he was used to being sucked up to and his bluntness grew because he was never reprimanded for it. He would be respectful and mindful of what he said when it came to people he should watch his language to like his parents, the elderly or teachers, but when it came to people close to his age, he was used to saying whatever was on his mind.

    "Women¡­" he sighed and imitated the gesture Miyamoto had showed him. He had already recovered a little so he decided to sit back down on the ground to analyze the completed formation.

    Kazuya had to make sure that there were no mistakes in the connections of the formation because he would not be able to successfully use his house as a point to gather mana if the formation goes haywire. He would be spending most of his time here so he had to make sure that this place wouldn''t end up as a dead-zone.

    Almost all major magic experiments have all turned various places into dead zones in Edea so making sure that there were no mistakes was a necessity. With the already low amount of mana on Earth, a formation explosion would cause all the mana in his city to lessen even further.

    After making sure that everything was in place, he placed specific marks on the people currently inside the household. One good thing about the detection formation is that it could detect and deter small creatures so whatever pests that hid themselves well would no longer be an issue in the Kouzuki household.

    He returned to the house and found Kyouko reading the newspaper. Fujiyama had just served her a cup of coffee and saw that Kazuya had arrived.

    "Good morning young master. Would you like a beverage while waiting for breakfast?"

    "Good morning mom and granny. Black coffee for me please"

    "Kazuya I didn''t say anything before but do you really like black coffee?" She looked at him and decided to ask "Where''s Mei? Didn''t she go with you? She''s not in her room"

    "Big sis should still be sleeping in my room and black coffee is¡ª" Kyouko ran towards Kazuya''s room before he could finish. He sat down thinking it was going to be a cheerful and noisy morning.

    "Young master, there are some things that you need to know. Since the mistress is currently occupied with Kazuno-sama then I will inform you. Fujiyama explained the developments last night and warned him to be vigilant.

    "I see¡­ I will be careful. (I was the one who provoked him with the intent of making him go against me anyway)"

    "We have coordinated with Shiroyuki-sama to ensure your safety. They will be responsible for picking you up from school to their dojo and afterwards, back to this household"

    "Hmm¡­ (Looks like that guy''s in for a challenge if he wants to get to me at this rate. I should think of a way to get that guy an opportunity)" Kazuya decided to observe the current situation before coming with a plan.

    "Is something wrong young master?"

    "No, nothing. I was just thinking that we owe grandpa Jirou a lot since he''s doing this much for us"

    "This just goes to show how much he values your potential young master. The Kouzukis and the Shiroyukis may have close ties but Jirou-sama would not go this far if he did not think highly of you"

    Running sounds came closer as Mei showed up still wearing only her white shirt and dashed towards Kazuya. She turned his chair before picking him up and placing him on her lap like usual.

    "Kazu protect me. Mother-in-law is bullying me" Kyouko showed up and was immediately irritated to find that Mei had run towards her son for cover.

    "Mei! Let go of Kazuya and get dressed immediately! Don''t poison his eyes any further!"

    "Poison? Kazu already knows my body well. He even said that my breasts were perfect yesterday! Isn''t that right Kazu?"

    "Kazuya don''t go along with her shenanigans and don''t be afraid to kick her out if she sneaks into your room again"

    "That''s not fair mother-in-law! I''ve been busy preparing to move here that I need to have my fill of my Kazu energy! Look at me? Aren''t I looking better already?" She truly did appear better than in the few days that she looked a little pale.

    "That''s not the point! I didn''t let you live here so you could stay in my son''s room!"

    "I''m going to need to stock up on my Kazu energy since I won''t be able to see him for a few days when we go on our business trip" Mei retorted.

    "Mei that¡ª" Kyouko stopped as the atmosphere around Kazuya had a slight change. His peaceful expression turned a bit gloomy as he reacted to the sudden news.

    "Business trip?" his gaze slowly landed on his mother. It contained a bit of pressure that he involuntarily released. He was a little bit sensitive upon hearing this because he had begun to be a little fearful when it came to ''trips''.

    "You haven''t told him yet?" Mei felt the sudden change too as a slight panic appeared on her face. She could do nothing but hug him hoping to pacify him while signaling to Kyouko to do something. They already talked about this and came to a conclusion that Kazuya was plagued by nightmares of them abandoning. His reaction just now served as proof regarding their deductions.

    "You see Kazuya¡­ the trip wasn''t supposed to be until two weeks later but we decided to move it to the weekend so that we can cheer for you when you go compete in the tournament" She gestured Mei to back her up.

    "Yeah, mother-in-law wasn''t able to tell you because it was only confirmed yesterday. I was sent home early so that I could finish moving before we go on our business trip. She even lent me her car. That''s why you saw that car in my apartment"

    "I see¡­" the atmosphere cleared up a little as he gently freed himself from Mei. "I am feeling a bit unwell so please inform the school that I will not be attending today. I will be in my room resting. Please leave me alone for the meantime"

    Kazuya moved back to his room and didn''t look back. He didn''t think that they would suddenly leave for a business trip so he was caught off-guard. This was of course something that was bound to happen and he already had a plan instore. If he knew about this firsthand then he wouldn''t have completed the formation today.

    He needed to make sure that nothing would happen. This was the only thing he could do for them at the moment. So despite the risks, he braced himself for what would happen next.

 23 His sNightmares

    .

    The people in the living room were left speechless after the abrupt change. This was the first time that he had clearly acted like a child since the ''incident'' and he left no room for discussion. Mei frowned, ever since he woke up in the hospital, Kazuya had always let her do what she wanted and treated her more favorably than Kyouko. Now that he didn''t even glance towards her and freed himself from her affection, she felt weird.

    "Mistress should I call the school and inform them?" Fujiyama broke the silence.

    "Yes. Please do so. This time it is my fault for not telling him" Kyouko was still looking the stairs. She wanted to see if it was like before where he would sneakily look back after throwing a fit.

    "Don''t fret mistress. The young master may be upset but he should have understood" seeing that Kyouko''s hopes were not going to be met, Fujiyama tried to appease her.

    "I''ll leave him to you granny" Kyouko sighed.

    Kazuya didn''t bother explaining that they had misunderstood because he would have no way of explaining why he needed time for himself. Even if they knew, they would never allow it because in his room, he was reviewing the section of the book that contained risky procedures.

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    "Hmm¡­ I wonder what would be good"

    He took out the various silverware he collected from the kitchen over the few days. When he first had the idea, he didn''t know where to gather the precious metals since he had no money to buy them. It was a good thing that he stumbled upon these silverware that were unused when he was exploring the house. He sat down trying to think of something until his eyes landed on the computer he requested.

    *sigh* "How stupid of me. I almost forgot about you" he booted up his laptop and went to various sites looking for various jewelry designs.

    Yes, Kazuya planned on making jewelry for both Mei and Kyouko. As for their features, one would be for offense, defense and emergency treatment. That way he would feel at ease. The only problem was that he had intended to make them for when his body could easily handle it. The procedure was still a bit experimental since the mana source needed for them to work would be from one of the topics inside the research book that wasn''t meant for human use.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    [Blood Essence Crystallization]

    [Usually formed by the purest blood essence of creatures with a core]

    [Sacrificial type of spell that weakens the source or caster]

    [This practice has been deemed obsolete ever since the discovery of the various uses of mana gems or crystals]

    [Excessive use may lead to permanent damage. This was the reason it is rarely used]

    [It''s popular use nowadays is to show a magical race''s sincerity]

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    He experimented with this before so deciding to make use of it was not on a whim. The decision to put it off was because forming one the size of a droplet would make him unable to move for a while. This was due to a feeling of weakness that would take over his body.

    Kazuya would reabsorb the essence afterwards to reverse the effect but the absence of mana crystals on Earth leaves him with only this option.

    The only good news was now that the gathering formation was activated, his recovery speed would increase because of the steady rise of mana converging in the Kouzuki household. He looked at the imaginary ring on his finger without calling it out and apologized.

    "Sorry but I''m going to have to delay my promise to you"

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    The day quickly turned to night. Kyouko and Mei returned late from work and immediately asked Fujiyama about Kazuya''s current mood. The only news they had about him all day was that he insisted on locking himself up in his room and instructed Fujiyama to leave the food she brought outside the door.

    "I apologize mistress. I have not seen the young master all day" Fujiyama bowed apologetically.

    "What should we do mother-in-law?" Mei asked looking a bit anxious.

    "Let''s go see him. If it''s you, he might answer the door" Kyouko ignored Mei''s intent to stir her up.

    "Me? Why me?" Mei looked at her boss doubtfully. She didn''t want to be the one who Kazuya vented his anger on if he was still mad.

    "I hate to admit it, but he spoils you and I was the one who didn''t tell him" she tried to hide it but she held a sad expression.

    "No. I think he''s upset because you are the one leaving. I was preparing to move here and didn''t see him for a few days remember?" Mei reluctantly comforted Kyouko with this. She initially didn''t want to tell her boss when she noticed but, like her, she had been feeling dejected all day.

    "R-really?" Kyouko gave Mei an expectant look. Her assistant couldn''t do anything but nod after seeing her boss like that. "Let''s go then! I''ll apologize properly" She refused to go in alone.

    "Fine¡­ though I''m a bit scared he might be upset at me too"

    "You''ll be fine. My Kazuya''s fine without seeing you for days but he can''t stand his mom leaving him" Kyouko smugly declared and pulled her frowning assistant over to Kazuya''s room.

    The two stopped in front of his door. They noticed the untouched portion of food on the side and gave worried looks at each other. They had already come home late and had dinner but Kazuya apparently hasn''t yet. The two gestured at each other trying to get the other to knock but ended up settling it with a rock paper scissors match with Mei as the victor.

    *Knock Knock Knock*

    "Kazuya? It''s mom and Mei. We''ve come to talk to you"

    "p ¡­g ¡­.y" a barely audible voice could be heard from his room. They both looked at each other to ask if the other was able to understand but both shook their heads.

    "Kazuya we weren''t able to hear. What was that?"

    "¡­sy ¡­o¡­" they couldn''t hear it either.

    "Kazu I''m coming in!" Mei got impatient and grabbed he doorknob but was shocked to find it locked. Kazuya of course locked it to prevent anyone from seeing what he was up to or disturb him.

    "go¡­ away¡­" this time they understood his soft voice clearly. Mei froze, she hasn''t heard that coming from him in a while and surely didn''t expect to hear it again especially now that he had started to treat her differently.

    "Mei¡­ we should let him be alone for a while" noticing the agitation on her assistant, Kyouko suggested they retreat.

    "NO!" she didn''t know why herself, but she didn''t want to wait. She had a bad feeling. She was nervous but she wanted to see him. "I don''t believe Kazu would say those words to me again. Where are the keys?"

    "Granny?" Kyouko turned towards Fujiyama took a bunch of keys from her apron. She handed it to Mei who wasted no time and opened it.

    The room was brightly lit. They immediately locked on to Kazuya. He was sitting in front of the table in the center of the room surprisingly wrapped in a blanket despite the unusual warmth that was coming from his room.

    "Please go away. I''m busy at the moment" he tried to put more strength in his voice but it came out hoarse instead. Mei didn''t show her usual smile at him and pretended not to hear him while wearing a neutral expression. She approached him but not without noticing the scattered tools and the mess the room was currently in.

    "I knew it" She breathed a sigh of relief and gestured Kyouko to come over after placing her forehead against Kazuya''s.

    "Wha¡ªwhy are you sighing in relief for!? He has a high fever!"

    "It''s because he has a fever that I''m relieved. He would otherwise not have told me to go away" She finally let out a smile and hugged him from behind like usual.

    "You¡­ that''s what you were so worried about?" Kyouko couldn''t believe it but that wasn''t important right now. She had to give her assistant credit for noticing something was amiss or they would have never found him in this state. "Mei! Why are you getting in position? We''re taking him to the hospital" Kyouko was about to grab her son but he blocked off her attempt by raising his palm.

    "Don''t mom¡­ I''ll be fine if I just get some rest. Please stay away from me¡­ you might catch my fever" he tried to shake Mei off but was too weak to do so. She held him tighter instead.

    "You''re still saying that? You can''t even get to your own bed!" This time it was Kyouko who was upset.

    "I''ll be able to recover faster if I stay here. Trust me mom" Kazuya weakly turned towards his mother and looked at her for the first time since she entered the room. He didn''t expect them to barge in like this.

    The items he was making still wasn''t complete and were cleverly hidden with him inside the blanket. His condition was caused by mana deprivation, fatigue and the backlash of his experiment. Every movement he made now caused him pain. Taking him outside the Kouzuki household would not only slow his recovery but will make him unable to finish the task he was pressured to complete.

    "(Look at you, you can''t even hold your head up properly! How can I not be worried?)" Kyouko looked at her son''s begging expression and couldn''t help but waver. She turned to Mei for backup only to find that she had begun sweating for hugging the feverish body of Kazuya.

    "Mistress" Fujiyama interjected after seeing that the stubborn mother and son were locked in a stalemate. "I suggest we call for a home consultation if the young master doesn''t want to leave home" her suggestion garnered the attention of the duo who simultaneously retreated to their thoughts.

    "I''m willing to compromise with granny''s suggestion" Kyouko spoke up first. Fujiyama already knew the conclusion they came up with and left the room quietly.

    "Okay but¡­ please leave me alone. I don''t¡­ want to infect both of you" this was good. The doctor couldn''t run any tests on him. He clearly knew that they would be worried more since he knew the state he was in so this decision was the best option right now.

    "No! I''m not letting you go! It''s better if I catch it so you''ll get better sooner" Mei remained stubborn.

    "If big sis remains stubborn then I''m going to start locking my door whenever I go to bed"

    "I''ll get copies of the key from granny Fuji!"

    "Then I will start barricading my door and window"

    "You¡­ I can''t believe you''re treating your big sis like this! You hate me now don''t you?"

    "It''s precisely because I love you that I don''t want you to get sick right?" Kazuya wasn''t facing her so he wasn''t able to see her react to the words he just said. "Look, you''re even sweating and still trying to be stubborn" to be honest he wasn''t sure if the fever was caused by the backlash or if it was because his immune system had plummeted so he wanted to play it safe.

    "K-kazuya" Kyouko heard his words as well and found her son uncareful with his words like he usually was. This was a good observation since his Kazuya was a little bit muddleheaded and focused on his own recovery because they would drag him to the hospital if they took off his blanket right now. "A-are you mad at me for not telling you about the business trip?"

    "I''m not mad. I''m just a little bit upset. I had a nightmare that you didn''t come back and left me all alone" That of course was not a nightmare but a reality that he experienced but they didn''t know that.

    "I would never do that!" She exclaimed. Kyouko never thought of ever leaving him behind or letting anyone else have him. She was even confident about sacrificing everything she had just for her son.

    "I know. Not intentionally anyway" Kyouko had gotten her confirmation. Her son was being plagued by such a nightmare. She didn''t know how to comfort him because she knew that he was aware that it was impossible for her to do so. The conversation snapped Mei out of her daze as she gently followed his instruction to let him go and sat beside Kyouko.

    "If that ever happens then your big sis will take over and take care of you. I''m sure you know that I won''t abandon you too" she pitched in on the conversation.

    "You will¡­" he hesitated. He wanted to tell her about it and ask why she did but Kazuya knew that the Mei in front of him isn''t able to give him an answer. " Well¡­ you did in my dream" he sighed feeling disappointed after being reminded of it again.

    "Impossible!" She rejected the thought and slammed the table.

    "Calm down Mei. It was only a dream" Kyouko pulled her assistant back to sit down. "Did you know why?" she asked. Kyouko was curious as to what the details of her son''s nightmare was about. She wanted to know why it affected him so much.

    "No. Big sis never smiled at me after mom left. She took care of me for a while but soon discarded me and¡­" Kazuya gave a pained expression. "¡­ went over to Lee" he continued with a hoarse voice.

    "Believe me Kazu! I would never do that! Especially that last part. You can''t even be compared to that disgusting pervert!" She tried to argue but in Kazuya''s mind, this had already transpired. The changes he made now may prevent that future but that doesn''t change what he had already experienced.

    "Kazuya¡­" Kyouko decided to speak up after seeing the unconvinced expression on her son. "I also believe that that is impossible. I believe that Mei will not do that especially if it''s Lee"

    "But what if¡ª" Kazuya''s intention was to argue but he stopped after that thought came to mind. It had been simple but it was definitely a possibility. "(was that really what happened big sis?)" He looked at Mei but in his eyes was the older version of the agitated girl in front of him.

    "What if what?" Mei snapped him out of his thoughts.

    "What if it was all to protect me?" Kazuya replied but is mind was somewhere else. He understood Mei more after spending time with the current her. A few years shouldn''t have her core personality, so it was definitely a possibility.

    ""!!"" The two thought about it. Their silence and hesitation was all that he needed to be convinced.

    "(Hashiyama Lee¡­ I swear¡­ I''m going to destroy you!)"

 24 Resolve

    .

    True enmity was born between Kazuya and Lee the moment Mei was taken away from him. This was the main reason why Kazuya had no problems using Lee as a scapegoat for anything that could be applied. He didn''t care how much he was bullied or shamed by that so-called brother of his. He was an amnesiac and assumed everything bad Lee had done to him in his first life was because of a conflict they never resolved before he lost his memory.

    Kyouko and Mei shared a special relationship. Unlike every other person in her life, Mei treated Kyouko as a benefactor and a friend. A friend that gave her the chance to prove and display her capabilities. In the world where majority of high paying jobs had little to do with actual capability but rather how much time and money was spent in attending universities, Mei was at a disadvantage.

    Because of Kyouko, she was now standing where she was rather than still working her way through a school she could afford only to acquire a regular low paying job at some small company. How could Mei let her down after being given such a chance despite the obvious risks.

    Mei on the other hand was a capable and honest friend that Kyouko depended on. When the Kouzuki Corporation experienced trouble due to her fall out with the Kuroganes, she couldn''t find someone to trust. That was when she met an honest and clever girl who was very much like her when she was younger.

    Unlike those who would always agree with her, Mei would always do the opposite if she could find a reason to. Her fame and position made it hard to find someone like that, especially someone who was very capable at the same time. The only major flaw that Kyouko found on her trusty assistant was when this girl was introduced to her son.

    Kazuya of course has no knowledge of this. He normally would have been curious but because of the various experiences he already had together with his old memories he had ingrained in his soul, he felt like he didn''t really need to.

    What made him so convinced at this conclusion was that Lee never showed up voluntarily in front of him again to cause trouble in his past life. He always assumed that Lee got bored of him not caring about being bullied. Now, Kazuya realized the truth of what likely was the cause of why he was abandoned.

    It coincided with the time Lee changed. Kazuya was no longer a toy to be played around with after he was left to fend off on his own. After meeting Mei as she was now, it was apparent that it was indeed what had happened.

    Although this was good to lighten Kazuya''s mental burdens, Lee was now in trouble. He was now considered as one of the targets that needed to be dealt with.

    "Remember this, I would rather die or go through hell than let someone sacrifice themselves for me like that" he looked deep into Mei''s eyes. He didn''t need to wait for her to answer his previous question.

    "I-I understand¡­" Mei looked down and stuttered.

    "(You dare call yourself big sis now?)" Kyouko rolled her eyes at her assistant as she found this amusing. Her son made this overbearing assistant of hers behave like a little girl.

    "Now then, please get some rest"

    "That''s our line Kazuya. Don''t think that you can get rid of us that easy. We''re staying until the doctor can tell us about your condition" Kyouko crossed her arms.

    "Fine¡­ Then just maintain that distance to be safe"

    He remained still. Even moving caused him pain and talking with them made him consume energy. Because Mei, who was supporting him earlier left, he didn''t have enough strength to prevent himself from leaning backwards. He fell on his back but was still able to hold on to the blanket enveloping his body.

    "Kazu!" he fell flat on his back.

    "I''m fine¡­ just felt like laying down for a bit"

    "That is a lie. You don''t even have enough energy to keep yourself from falling" Kyouko ignored his protests and carried him to his bed. "We''ll wait outside for the doctor''s arrival so stay in bed and behave"

    Both women went to their rooms and changed into more comfortable clothes. The doctor who arrived wasted no time and went to examine Kazuya who he had not met since he was discharged. This was one of the doctors that took care of him when he was hospitalized. He asked everyone to wait for him outside the room.

    "I didn''t expect to see you this soon young man" the doctor spoke.

    "Hello doctor. I would have also wanted us to meet under better circumstances. Sorry for the trouble"

    After a series of tests, the old man''s eyebrows furrowed. He asked a lot of questions including how he has been after he got discharged and if he had recovered any memories. A diagnosis was made after that and to make it simple, Kazuya was in terrible condition. It was surprising that he was even conscious and talking to him.

    "Tell me young man, why don''t you want to be admitted to a hospital"

    "I know it looks bad doctor but please believe me when I say that I''ll be fine after I get some rest. I overworked myself too much because I found out that mom and big sis are leaving for a trip so I''m¡­" he explained what he was up to and added a couple of more details, including the upcoming tournament.

    "So that''s why you''re intent on staying home. They are lucky to have you. Such a thoughtful and talented boy like you" this was his honest opinion. He was really amazed at this young genius and how mature he thought at such a young age.

    "I''m underserving of that praise. I''ve made them worry" Kazuya denied it because he knew that he was causing them to worry despite his good intentions.

    "I will be honest. Your current condition makes me want to drag you to the hospital right now. I will refrain only if you promise not to continue overworking yourself, even if you''re not able to complete your task. Their birthdays will come again next year and you wouldn''t want them to spend it worried in the hospital, wouldn''t you?"

    "Doctor is wise. I will refrain from training until I am better (not like I have energy to spare for training anyway)" Kazuya politely replied.

    "Good. Then I will leave you to rest" he silently wished for all children his age to be this sensible. He believed Kazuya would stay true to his word because of the maturity he showed.

    "Thank you for your help doctor" Although he referred to his cooperation, the doctor didn''t know this himself.

    "Oh do you mind if I ask you a question? Which school did you transfer to?" he asked while packing up his things.

    "Sacred Forest Academy. Is there something the matter?"

    "Just curious. They have strong sports teams so I might be able to see the competition on television" He dimmed the lights and finally exited the room. Fujiyama led him to the living room where the two women were anxiously waiting for the news.

    "How is Kazuya doctor?" Kyouko asked with obvious worry.

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    "I''ll be honest, he is dehydrated, overworked, sleep deprived, his blood sugar is very low, experiencing a lot of bruising, muscle weakness and is extremely stressed" The doctor''s interaction with Kazuya may have been very normal but he was really concerned.

    "I-is really that bad? What do you think caused it?" Kyouko''s hands trembled at the news.

    "He just got discharged and was diagnosed with amnesia. It is causing him a lot of stress and stress is a big factor to a child''s or even an adult''s immune system. I would like to take him to the hospital but since he doesn''t want to, I will respect his decision so that I won''t add more to his currently stressed condition"

    "What can we do doctor?" Kyouko frowned, did not expect him to allow her son to stay home after hearing his report.

    "He needs to eat food with a lot of nutrition. Soft foods would be preferable. I''ve given him an IV to rehydrate and help him replenish the nutrients he needs right now. You can just buy some more and change it when it runs out"

    "Is there anything else?"

    "Refrain from talking about his lost memories. They are currently giving him nightmares and it is the biggest contributor to his stress. If his condition worsens then you must bring him to the hospital. I''ve talked to him about this and he agreed" This was

    "His memories¡­" Kyouko looked guilty. She felt that it was her that pushed him too far.

    "To be honest, amongst the several cases of amnesia I''ve discussed amongst my peers, we consider Kazuya to be one of the lucky ones. He had not lost any memories that stopped him from functioning as a normal person. In some cases, there were unfortunate ones that did not remember how to use tools and there were even ones that had to start learning how to speak again"

    "!!" both ladies trembled at the thought.

    "Anyway, please don''t worry too much. He will recover in a few days. Please refrain from trying to agitate him, he is quite considerate and reasonable for his age so that shouldn''t be a problem. Please call me if there is any question or update I should know about"

    "Thank you, doctor" Kyouko bowed and let Fujiyama escort him to the door. Both ladies re-entered Kazuya''s room. They found him sleeping peacefully so they decided to just let him rest. The two of them had a lot of things on their mind so they wordlessly returned to their own rooms.

    "Sorry everyone¡­ I have to finish what I started" Kazuya murmured and opened his eyes. He turned his head and looked at the IV drip attached to his arm. He couldn''t help but give a wry smile. He had discovered something interesting; the concentrated nutrients form the IV fluid was enhancing his recovery.

    Kazuya turned up the intake and took out a few items from his pockets. This was a good chance for him to continue working without disturbance. He figured he would recover when the rest were awake and continue when only him and Fujiyama were left in the house.

    As a former hero, his body had been through worse injuries and he even died so he thought nothing of this. There was a change however in how he sees the views the mysteries of magic. After reading through the book and gaining more practical experience with the bits and piece of his classes in magic in the past, his thirst for it grew. Like a child who discovered something new, he was excited.

    Two days relatively passed by quickly. Because of the doctor''s warning that his condition had a lot to due with stress, Mei and Kyouko could only follow his instructions and did not stay with him for long. They were glad that he worried about them but were anxious to discover that his fever barely went down.

    Shiroyuki Tomoyo and Jirou also dropped by for a visit but were unable to see him because he feigned sleep. Fujiyama informed him that the robot girl didn''t speak a word but her grandfather had trouble in convincing her to leave without seeing Kazuya. This of course made Mei question him but he cleverly avoided it by making himself sound like he had a hard time talking.

    "(This¡­ should be good enough for now)" Kazuya weakly smiled as he looked at the clock.

    He made it. A lot of sacrifices were made for this yet Kazuya cared very little about it. His priorities have changed for the meantime. The mana gathering formation will take more time to stabilize because he had overused the mana in the area. With his body''s current condition, training would be put on hold until he was able to handle it again so the formation would have time to recover.

    The tools in his hands were put in the table and he looked at the completed jewelry neatly arranged in wooden boxes he also made. He felt a bit nervous since he didn''t know if they would like them. He chose to make jewelries mainly because Miyamoto taught him that women would always brandish themselves with expensive looking ones. He would have chosen to make them simpler but he trusted his teacher''s judgement towards women more than himself.

    "I''ve already made them so no use in thinking about it"

    He leaned on the table and closed his eyes and started focusing on recovery. He had a few more hours before they would leave so he needed to have enough strength by then. The two had promised to stop by to say goodbye to him before they left so he didn''t need to go to them himself.

    Before he knew it, the darkness outside started disappearing and the sunlight slowly illuminated his dimly lit room. Kazuya already noticed the movements inside the house. The two ladies knocked and entered his room and found him waiting for their arrival.

    "You''re up Kazuya?" Kyouko found her son out of the bed and frowned. He still looked very pale.

    "I wouldn''t have asked big sis and mom to come before leaving if I planned to sleep through"

    "You should be resting Kazu. Why aren''t you in bed and what''s with this mess?" Mei pointed at the table that had various tools on them. Kazuya didn''t bother to clean up nor did he have the energy to.

    "Kazuya didn''t you promise us that you would rest? What have you been up to?" Kyouko noticed the four boxes in front of him that she had never seen before.

    "I was upset when I found out that mom and big sis were leaving for a trip. I wanted to go to a temple and get safety charms for both of you but I fell sick. So¡­ I looked up a few things on the internet and read that if I wish and put enough feelings into something then it could act as a charm so I made these"

    He placed the two blue boxes in front of Mei and the two red ones in front of Kyouko. The two could tell from the clutter around the room that they were handcrafted so they were shocked. It looked like it was bought from a store. The two carefully examined the boxes in their hands and saw their names beautifully engraved on them.

    They were curious as to what Kazuya made for them and looked at each other before opening them. Despite finding out that he had been doing this despite his condition, no girl wouldn''t welcome receiving gifts. The duo was already shocked at the container''s craftsmanship but as soon as they saw what was inside, they were astonished.

 25 Presents

    .

    After the duo left, Fujiyama entered Kazuya''s room to serve him some nutritious porridge. She also changed the nearly depleted IV bag.

    "Thank you granny" he wanted to get back to his usual routine so any help in his recovery was welcomed.

    "Not at all young master. I am curious though, why where the mistress and Kazuno-sama so happy when they left your room?" she inquired, she didn''t expect the two to be in high spirits soon because they had been worried sick about Kazuya and felt guilty for causing it

    "Oh, I gave them the charms I made thinking about their safety"

    "Made from the kitchen''s silverware?" she inquired with a smile. As the Kouzuki housekeeper from even before he was born, how could she not notice such expensive silverware gone?

    "Hehe, I was found out really quickly" he scratched his head weakly.

    "I could tell from the scattered remnants of them and surmise that this was the reason why young master''s condition has yet to improve significantly" she didn''t really mind especially after looking at Kyouko and Mei''s reactions after they left his room.

    "There is no need to worry about that anymore. I will be sleeping from today until the end of the weekend. Granny only needs to replace this nutrient bag instead of giving me meals" without the help from magical potions and the like, this was one of the fastest ways he had for recovery.

    "(Sleeping for two days? Well¡­ as long as the young master finally recovers)" Fujiyama thought deeply. She still had some concerns but seemingly trusted Kazuya''s words and didn''t speak out.

    "I''ll just be sleeping granny so don''t worry. I''ll be back to my old self when I wake up. Please don''t tell big sis and mom though, they will be anxious in their trip if they know about it" he tried assuring the worried housekeeper.

    "Very well young master. Can I also clean your room while you sleep?"

    Kazuya agreed. Fujiyama helped him to his bed afterwards and he wasted no time to begin his recovery. The two ladies that left however were having a heated discussion on the way to the airport. They avoided showing each other what they received to avoid arguing in front of Kazuya. Both of them felt a sense of superiority over the other after seeing their gift.

    "We should wear them just like Kazuya said" Kyouko was especially confident this time because the second box in her hands were bigger than the one Mei received.

    "I agree" Mei didn''t back down as both of them turned to put on their gifts before showing them off.

    They counted down after putting on what they received. To their surprise, what they both received indeed was as Kazuya had claimed. He said that he crafted the items ''especially'' for them and no one else. It was indeed so when they saw that the ones they got indeed differed from each other.

    ""Those earrings¡­""

    Both of them received a pair of earrings. Kyouko''s was shaped like a radiant sun while Mei''s was like a beautiful crescent moon. Both had engravings on them as well as a distinct red gem that was hard to miss.

    "Sun¡­"

    "Moon¡­"

    They put each of their thoughts aside as their eyes tried to focus if the second box they received contained the same piece of jewelry. Kyouko saw that there was nothing on Mei''s neck compared to the elegant silver necklace that she was wearing. It also had the similar red gem as a pendent that matched perfectly with the ones on her ears.

    "Hah! I knew from the different sizes of the second box that you didn''t get one as good as mine" she smugly declared as she continued to show off her necklace.

    "Are you sure about that ''mother-in-law''?" Mei gave more emphasis on the last part of her words.

    "What are you talking about? Why are you speaking weirder than usual?" Kyouko had a bad feeling.

    "A necklace to show off is indeed good. You are indeed Kazu''s ''mother'' and as a son, I admit he truly treats his ''mother'' well" Mei continued smiling. Kyouko continued to look at her assistant but found nothing on her.

    "Stop trying to hide it. You must be embarrassed since it''s not as beautiful as mine" she tried to provoke Mei.

    "Indeed. It may be a lot simpler but it''s meaning and purpose speaks for itself"

    "A bluff. You''re just trying to mystify things again"

    "I believe you know what it means when a man gives this to a woman right?" Mei retrieved the hand from her back and raised it in front of Kyouko. It was a ring. A ring that had the same distinct red gem. "My Kazu actually made me an engagement ring! He was right, this will protect me! Especially from all those stinky men that can''t be compared to him" she laughed.

    Kyouko was speechless. She didn''t expect her son to actually give Mei a ring. She thought that it was a brooch or a bracelet from the size of the box but it turned out to be a ring instead. What made it worse was her assistant was shamelessly claiming it was an engagement ring.

    "Wrong! My son said so himself, these are gifts serving as charms!" Kyouko denied her claims.

    "You''re leaving out the part where he said they contained his wish and strong feelings! Give it up ''mother-in-law''. I will not continue arguing with you about who Kazu likes more since it is clear that his affection towards us differs" Mei smiled. "Familial love and romantic love are like two separate worlds, like the ''sun'' and the ''moon''"

    This was the beginning of another heated debate between the two that would last through their whole trip. Neither side wanted to back down and there wasn''t anyone to confirm any of their claims. What Kazuya didn''t know was that their continuous debates ended up being a sort of protection which he caused.

    With their heated arguments, many men were intimidated. All those who heard assumed that they were two women fighting over a man. Those same men couldn''t help but silently curse at whoever those two were fighting over.

    .

    Time flew by quickly. Kazuya woke up briefly on the night Mei and Kyouko were scheduled to return. He was informed that they needed to extend their trip for a little bit. He immediately went back to sleep after a short meal. Fujiyama also informed him that she let the stubborn robot girl in his room to prove that he was indeed still recovering.

    Since Monday had been a holiday, he was able to recover for an extra day. He felt refreshed as he stretched his body preparing to resume his daily routine. He left the house and ran his usual route while assessing the state of his body. There were indeed some residual effects but he was confident that he could make up for it with the help of the increased mana now gathering in his home.

    To increase his training speed, he also thought of slowly increasing the range of the formation. He was currently unable to activate a large scale gathering formation that would cover his entire neighborhood but slowly extending the reach of the one he completed was an option. With it acting as the core, much like the detection formation attached to it, he didn''t need to connect them all at once and could just extend the range slowly.

    If this was successful, as the core, his house would be able to maintain an even better amount of mana. The neighborhood itself would too so he thought that this wasn''t a bad plan. Thus, he took note of certain points where he could add mini formations. His current goal was to extend it as far as the Shiroyuki dojo because that was the other place where he would train his body.

    "Hmm?" He noticed it a while ago but thought he was being paranoid. As he continued to stop at certain parts of the neighborhood to look for spots to place formations, he noticed two presences. He thought that they may just be going the same way but there was no way they would be heading through his weird route.

    There wasn''t any ill intent so he continued to ignore them. He didn''t know who they were or what they were up to but since he could not feel any hostility from them, he decided to ignore them go about his business. What surprised him was when he entered a narrow road. He stopped because he knew this would be a great place for a formation.

    "I don''t know whether you''re brave or stupid, but you still dare bring people tailing you to a secluded place like this?" The two people showed themselves. They were none other than the Shiroyuki grandfather-granddaughter pair. Them showing up actually surprised him.

    "Then should I also commend you two for showing yourselves when you were only interested in tailing me?" he scoffed as he retorted.

    "Touch¨¦ kid. Kyouko-chan called me and told me to keep an eye on you. Looks like you finally recovered. Will you be going to school today?" the old man laughed but changed the topic right away.

    "Yes I will. I''ve grown a lot weaker so I need to train harder" he didn''t hide it. He knew this old geezer had sharp eyes.

    "Oh? Did you hear that Tomoyo? Do you want to spar with him now?" Jirou laughed and turned to his granddaughter.

    "Do you want to? You have a 50% chance in beating me in my current condition. Are you interested?" Kayuza turned to the silent girl and grinned. It was true that she had a 50% chance of winning but that was an estimate if he didn''t utilize any mana.

    *shake shake* She declined. She was more interested in his wellbeing and tried to check his condition by continuously looking at him from head to toe. Now that he was awake, she was afraid of touching him unlike when he was sleeping. Fujiyama didn''t tell him that she held his forehead for a long time while he was sleeping.

    "I heard you went to visit me at home. I know why but you don''t need to worry, you can try twice a day to count for the days I was gone" he misunderstood her intentions.

    *n¡­od* she hesitated but still ended up nodding. Kazuya''s attention turned back to the alley. Jirou felt a little sorry for his granddaughter but didn''t bother to explain. It was her that needed to express herself more or this would continue to happen.

    The two joined Kazuya''s run. This made Kazuya unable to thoroughly check out the areas so he just focused on himself. Jirou found his exercise strange but interesting. He wondered what kind of training Kazuya did at home because from his point of view, the types of trainings the boy did seemed random from a bystander''s perspective. Even to the discerning eye, these were hard to understand. They would only understand it if they tried.

    Kazuya had a smirk on his face. This was not the first time the robot girl tried to imitate his training. The first time she did, even her emotionless face showed signs that she was in pain. It was especially apparent because of the pain she suffered the day after. Thus, he felt that it was weird. If this girl continued to follow his instructions, wouldn''t she grow more into a monster worse than she was in his previous life?

    "(The poor sap she chooses to beat up in the future will surely die in that case)" he glanced at the girl trying to catch her breath. Kazuya was now confident in being the one doing the beating if she tried doing the same thing towards him again.

    "?" *tilt* she noticed the grin on Kazuya''s face as she looked at her and wondered what was up.

    "Just jog normally. Copying me will only make you unable to properly attend school (You have no recovery skills after all)" He warned.

    *shake shake* she shook her head and pointed towards him.

    "Me? I''m different from you though. I''m used to this training and my recovery speed is faster too"

    *stare* She looked at him from head to toe. She placed her hand on his forehead confidently. She forgot her reservation because of what he said. After realizing what she was doing, she panicked and shyly stepped back with her head lowered.

    "You think I''m lying? The only reason I had to skip a few days to recover was for special reasons. I won''t stop you if you want to continue but don''t say I didn''t warn you" he decided to continue after saying what he needed to.

    Jirou found it amusing whenever he watched those two. Kazuya could understand most of what his granddaughter means and he didn''t even realize it. He would have been mad if he found out that he was only able to do so because of Kazuya''s experience with beasts and animals he encountered in Edea. He basically treated the robot girl like one of them since he wasn''t really interested in having conversations with her.

    When they finally made it back to the Kouzuki household, Jirou told him that he would be picking him up for school. He took a bath, rested and ate his breakfast before preparing for his second week in the academy. He brought both his bamboo and wooden sword and waited for his ride.

    It came to no surprise when Kazuya saw the stubborn robot girl limping when they arrived at school. He and Jirou were gazed upon with sharp eyes when he spoke the words ''I told you so'' in a teasing way. The trio were in a good mood as they drove peacefully towards the academy. Kazuya and Tomoyo bid him goodbye after arriving.

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    "?" Tomoyo gave a questioning gaze towards him after seeing the smile that suddenly appeared on Kazuya''s face after Jirou had left.

    "Looks like things are going to get interesting soon" Kazuya''s gaze identified several people observing him as he entered the school. These people were clearly observing him since they didn''t bother looking at anyone else once they spotted him.

    "??" She tried giving him the same look but was ignored this time. He was preoccupied in remembering each of the people that were observing him. No one especially stood out but they were from different levels of the academy. He felt no hostility yet so it was hard to distinguish friend from foe.

    "Looks like I''ll be going fishing. Hopefully I get to catch big fish"

    .

 26 Kendo Tournamen

    .

    One week quickly passed by. A cold atmosphere can be felt inside the kendo club''s dojo. No one had any idea why, but it was getting colder as the day went by. All the members were afraid to approach the corner of the dojo where the chill was originating from. Only one person emotionlessly remained by that side training with dedication. That was none other than the girl who had adapted the nickname ''robot girl''.

    "Captain do you know what''s wrong?" one of the members asked Mahiru.

    "I don''t know. I didn''t really notice anything until yesterday when I asked for another spar"

    "Could it be the pressure since the tournament is tomorrow?"

    "Hmm¡­ maybe. I''ll go ask him then" Mahiru walked towards the corner where Kazuya had been training with a wooden sword.

    She stopped as chills went down her spine as he continued to swing his sword in different directions. Each strike emitting a strange pressure that she felt could injure her even if he was still a distance away.

    "?" Tomoyo turned towards the team captain after seeing her approaching. Mahiru ignored her since she knew that the robot girl would interfere if she tried to get too close to him.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya, can I ask for a match?" surprisingly, it wasn''t Mahiru that talked but was another member.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya''s gaze landed on the person who now bypassed Tomoyo and Mahiru. "You are¡­ err¡­ short hair senpai"

    "It''s Ainu! At least remember the names of your teammates Jeez!" Ainu stomped on the wooden floor.

    "Wear your gear¡­ I accept" Kazuya didn''t plan on making small talk and immediately accepted which piqued the interest of the other members. He would usually reject people and make them challenge Tomoyo first. They were immediately worried for the short haired girl who they were afraid that would get Kazuya''s bad mood get poured on.

    "Sensei, please referee for us" She said before turning towards Kazuya. "Please treat this a serious match. I don''t want pointers and just want to experience a match with the most likely candidate to take the individual championship" She wore her equipment and faced him seriously.

    "I see¡­" having realized something, Kazuya complied and wore his own gear. Everyone was surprised because he would refuse to do so every time he did a spar. Even Tomoyo couldn''t help but stare at him curiously for this. She had already completed his request and got acknowledgement for her swing but he still didn''t wear the appropriate gear when they sparred again.

    "Ready?" Miyamoto oversaw them. Kazuya took his usual stance and held the sword with his left hand. "BEGIN!"

    Ainu wasted no time and attacked. Everyone''s mouths instantly gaped. However, it was not because of any attack but rather he purposely stepped over the line of the duel area. Everyone noticed this aside from Ainu as she continued to chase him.

    "Point Ainu!" Miyamoto immediately shouted but Ainu didn''t hear him. As her focus remained on Kazuya who was smirking inside his headgear.

    "HAA!" she tried to strike. Kazuya on the other hand raised the bamboo sword horizontally in front of her vision and showed her how he let it drop to the ground as if dropping a microphone tauntingly.

    *Klak* the sound of the sword falling to the ground was like a pin drop in the silenced hall. It was only then that Ainu had noticed that he had gone over the line on his own volition.

    "Congratulations. You have won this match. Are you satisfied to have won the match against the ''most likely champion?'' Can you focus all your attention towards the tournament now? I warn you, focusing on anything else will be detrimental to your future" He didn''t bother looking back and went back to his corner.

    "Kazuya-kun that was a bit mean" Mahiru walked up to him.

    "That wasn''t directed only at her. It was directed to everyone. There''s no need to focus on anything else right now" he mercilessly replied and glanced towards those who were still looking in their direction instead of training,

    "Did something happen? Why does your mood seem to be getting worse every day?" She asked straightforwardly because she would never get through this guy if she beat around the bush.

    "See? Didn''t I already say to focus on winning the tournament?"

    "Can''t you see that I care for the state of mind of my teammates as their captain?" Mahiru knew that he may seem a bit scary, he was actually a very reasonable guy.

    "Hmm¡­ Fine. It''s just that I''ve had bad luck in fishing recently. The fish have been extra careful and the people with me keep scaring the ones I''m about to catch so it''s quite annoying" he sighed regretfully.

    "Fishing?" Mahiru tilted her head since she never took him to be the type to go fishing. "Are you trying to catch them by hand by any chance?"

    "Something like that" he gave a wry smile.

    Kazuya had been pretty excited when he noticed that he was being observed. It wasn''t only at school but there were several people outside that took notice of his presence. This was without a doubt Lee making a move. He was a little impressed since he could even extend his hands over students in his department to do his bidding.

    His excitement however de-escalated as the days went by. Tomoyo had been a major reason for it because she would always insist on sticking close to him. He found a couple of opportunities to shake her off at school but nothing happened. He even went as far as approaching them alone but they made no moves.

    The meticulousness of them didn''t look like the work of Lee so he was at a loss. That guy would always straightforwardly bully him so what was the difference now? This made Kazuya have second thoughts about these weird observers being under the command of that bastard.

    Kazuya''s mood got worse as the days without movement went by. He had a bad feeling about how everything was going so his senses was on edge. He didn''t know when they were going to strike so the only thing he could do was wait.

    Talking to Mahiru seemed to have lightened his mood a little. He thought that this girl was clever and humorous. She took his words literally and would probably faint if she found out what he really meant whenever they talked. She would usually talk to him about how he became strong or if she and the team would get stronger if they were to do all his weird training.

    "That sounds pretty amazing. Are you strong without your sword too?" she looked as the wooden sword in his hand.

    "Me? I''d have to say that I can''t beat the strong enemies I''ve faced before without it" he answered honestly.

    "I find that hard to believe"

    "Believe it or not¡­ it''s true. I probably won''t even be able to make them look at me in my state¡­" he knew that he couldn''t even make their heads turn towards him if they saw him now.

    "You''re looking down on yourself too much. We''re only human and can get sick. Don''t beat yourself too much about it" It was unusual for Kazuya to show any weakness so she blamed it on his mood and tried to comfort him instead.

    "That''s not what I¡­ never mind. It will be a while before I face them again. All I need to do is catch up" he laughed.

    Everyone was amazed, she was able to turn the seemingly hopeless situation after talking to him. They considered her captain status had become in-name only after Kazuya joined. All of them gained new found respect for Mahiru after she made the chilling atmosphere disperse by talking to him.

    "

    ¡­" Tomoyo, was a little surprised, He had never shown that side of himself whenever she talked to him. Well, communicating with their weird way. He was always hard on her training and she didn''t mind but she envied how Mahiru was able to communicate with him like that.

    "Looks like your faithful robot is going to send me away soon" Mahiru giggled as both of them noticed Tomoyo approaching.

    "Huh? Faithful robot?" Kazuya turned to the person in question who seemed to have stopped in her tracks. She stared at him as if waiting for his response.

    "You were the one who called her robot girl. We observers changed it a bit to your faithful robot since she only follows and listens to you" Mahiru giggles after stumbling onto something interesting. She was always shooed away by Tomoyo and this was a rare chance to get back at her.

    "You seem to be misunderstanding something. She just follows me around but doesn''t listen to me. It''s her grandfather that she listens to and not me so she''s her grandfather''s robot not mine" he quickly denied it.

    "Really? So following you around are orders from her grandfather?" Mahiru asked as she monitored Tomoyo''s every response at the side of her sight. Tomoyo froze after hearing his reply and she had sunken deep into her own thoughts.

    "Yeah so calling her as such is wro¡ª" the robot girl suddenly moved in front of him. She looked directly into his eyes and she would only do this if she wanted to make a point.

    "oh? Looks like she disagrees with you Kazuya-kun?" Mahiru giggled.

    "Is that so? You don''t like to be called your grandfather''s robot?"

    *nod*

    "Aren''t you just following his orders?"

    *n¡­od* she couldn''t deny it.

    "You ignore it when I say you don''t need to follow me around all the time right?"

    *nod*

    "Is it because your grandfather said so?"

    *nod*

    "Then why are we even having this discussion?" he raised his eyebrow and looked at her like a cop who just cornered a criminal into confessing.

    "¡­" she looked down on the ground.

    For Kazuya, getting this girl to speak on her own was a challenge he decided to take on. Even if he did understand her to an extent, it would be less trouble for him if she actually spoke with her mouth.

    "Kazuya-kun, I think she''s trying to say that she doesn''t like to be called her grandfather''s robot because she doesn''t think she is" Tomoyo looked at Mahiru as if wondering what this girl was suddenly up to.

    "Oh you understand her?" Kazuya was surprised that she got it right. Tomoyo didn''t deny it so that was proof that she did not make the wrong assumption.

    "Not her per se¡­ but I do know how girls think. She probably doesn''t even mind being called robot girl by you"

    "Is she right?" he turned towards the girl in question who had taken a step back to his side.

    *nod*

    "How about you prove it Shiroyuki-san?" She smiled. "at the Tournament tomorrow, you are to stay with the team and not follow Kazuya-kun unless he calls for you. Like he said earlier, everyone should solely focus on winning the tournament so unless he has advice to give you, do not follow him around. That should count as following his instructions"

    "¡­" Tomoyo thought deeply. She found no reason to refuse her suggestion. They would be there as a whole team and her grandfather would be present as an advisor to their coach as well. She gave a nod to them after thinking it over.

    "Good! Hopefully our team can get this year''s team championship too!" Mahiru clapped her hands in excitement and left the two to themselves. Kazuya went back to his corner and continued his training and Tomoyo followed soon afterwards.

    Kazuya went home early today since Jirou had instructed him to take a rest. They both knew the burden his training puts on the body so he was taken home instead of training at the dojo. Mei and Kyouko on the other hand worked overtime so they could show their support in the tournament. They were not able to see him when they got home and when he left for school.

    The tournament''s schedule was, team matches in the morning and the individual matches in the afternoon. Kazuya and the rest of the kendo club were exempt from classes because of this.

    They met up at the club''s dojo before getting on the academy''s bus to head for the tournament venue. The bus dropped them off in front of a stadium where various teams from different schools have been gathered.

    A lot of eyes were on their bus as their academy was famous for always having a good rank for each major sport they invested in. The other teams however focused their gazes on a single person that got off the Sacred Forest Academy''s team bus.

    "It''s her. She''s back"

    "I wonder if she can get the top spot this time"

    "Word is that the Shiroyukis separated her from their famous elite class for special training"

    The students murmured as they passed by. Tomoyo remained unmoved despite the students not really lowering their voices. She silently stood with the team and followed her grandfather and their coach''s lead to the stadium.

    "What do you think Kazuya-kun? Shiroyuki-san is pretty famous right? No one in the first grade has ever made the top three so that should say a lot about you since you always say that she''s weak"

    "Doesn''t matter to me. It''s true anyways. A lot of people our age have to fight to live" he replied. Kazuya had seen it with his own eyes. She wouldn''t believe him anyway so he didn''t bother explaining.

    "Do you think we''re still in the feudal era or something" Mahiru giggled and assumed he was once again joking with his weird sense of humor.

    "I was referring to something close to medieval times" he gave a dry laugh.

    Their team approached the registration area where Miyamoto submitted the list of students participating in both the team matches and the individual matches. They were placed in the D block for the team matches while in the individual matches, Tomoyo was seeded in Group A and Kazuya was placed in Group C.

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    Miyamoto and Jirou were relieved to hear the news. The two stars they were counting on were only going to meet in the finals if they make it through to the rounds. Jirou was especially ecstatic as he looked on his dojo''s logo printed on the back of both his granddaughter and Kazuya''s uniforms.

    "Well, well, well, if it isn''t Shiroyuki Jirou and the Sacred Forest Academy team" another strong looking elderly man approached. He led another team of students who looked hostile.

    "What do you want old bat?" Jirou''s eyebrows twitched after hearing a familiar voice he didn''t want to enter his ears.

    "Nothing much. Just wanted to see you and your team before you drop out from the team matches like last year" his team snickered with him. Kazuya looked at some members of the other team and immediately lost interest.

    "Hey Kazuya-kun do you know who the tallest girl with the long black hair is?" Mahiru whispered to him.

    "Not interested in pretty girls"

    "So you do have eyes! That''s not what I''m talking about though. That girl was the individual champion last year and that coach''s granddaughter. The successor of the Kuronuma dojo. She''s the Shiroyuki-san of their team so to speak"

    "So she''s the one that beat the robot girl?" Kazuya took another look at the girl hidden at the center of the team. The black-haired girl''s eyes were looking at Tomoyo shifting slowly through the team. She met Kazuya''s gaze and his eyes and he immediately avoided it after getting a feeling.

    "Yup! She''s a 5th grader same as me. What do you think?" Mahiru looked at Kazuya but she was already too late as he had already fallen into his thoughts.

    "(This girl¡­ I can sense mana coming from her. She can use it?)"

 27 Competitor

    .

    Kazuya calmed himself and hid behind Mahiru and the others. He was taken by surprise but since mana was natural energy, it wasn''t weird for a people to have it in them without being aware of it. What caught him off guard was the amount of mana in that girl''s body was more than what she should have at her age on Earth. Some notes he read about in Natsu''s research came to mind.

    [Earthling Mana Theory]

    [Mana should be present on Earth albeit on a lower supply compared to Edea]

    [After learning and experiencing what I could here in Edea, I conclude that Earth''s lack of understanding has lead to many misunderstandings. All living beings have mana. I believe that the people on Earth that can hold more mana than a regular person can are classified in Earth terms as ''Empowered Humans'' in which I have classified them as ''Superhuman'' and ''Supernatural'' types respectively]

    [Using Edea as an example, some are more talented in certain aspects. They develop themselves and use their talents as the base of what they wish to be. They are classified as warriors, magicians, archers and the like]

    [The most common are the Superhuman types. Majority of them like here in Edea manifest the physical related talents. They are what we call ''athletes'' on Earth. They are manifested by above the norm strength, agility, dexterity and the like]

    [The rarer ones are the Supernatural type. In Edea, magicians for example are known as practitioners of forces unknown (the real ones anyway). These individuals are harder to identify as most hide their abilities while some are labeled as con-artists. Earth''s people have a certain stubbornness about believing in only what they can see]

    [It is the same for both worlds. Mana is the key and it plays a large part on how much capacity one has]

    [Probably the biggest difference is that people on Earth have no knowledge of mana in it''s entirety. Without the knowledge, and insufficient supply, the bearers themselves only have their instincts to guide them]

    "(A talented athlete. It was no coincidence that the robot lost after all. I wonder what she''s really capable of)" a faint smile formed on his lips. This tournament might have something that he could look forward to.

    This wasn''t the first time he encountered someone with an unusual amount of mana in their body. Tomoyo and Jirou were examples of natural warrior types with heightened physical abilities. Kyouko and Mei on the other hand were still unknown since the mana in their bodies were being steadily increased by the formation at the Kouzuki household.

    Kazuya even took it a step further and increases it manually when they touch him. Together with the items he gave them which they proudly wear, it would take a lot of effort for them to get hurt. That is, if the damage wasn''t life threatening,

    He had yet to encounter one of the supernatural types mentioned on the book so he was interested in people who held unusual amounts of mana in their bodies. As he looked at the girl however, he was not expecting much as she was someone competing in an athletic competition.

    "Don''t count your chickens before they hatch old bat. I certainly have enough students that I don''t need to take a job coaching kids at some school" Jirou taunted. He was merely supporting the team because Tomoyo had been there.

    "So that''s going to be your excuse this year?" the old man sneered.

    "There hasn''t been an excuse or will there ever be one. Do you dare tell these students how your win loss record against me is? Your attempts to annoy me with such trivial things don''t suit your age you old bat" Jirou confidently laughed and starred him down. The results of their numerous bouts caused this conflict in the first place.

    "You¡ª" before he could continue, the black-haired girl poked him with her finger. "What is it Ayame?"

    "I found him grandfather" she happily smiled affecting those whose attention was on her.

    "You found him? What do you¡­ wait! You mean¡­" his mouth gaped. No one knew what they were talking about but judging by prideful old man''s reaction, it was something big.

    "Yes" She walked out of their group and approached the team her grandfather was arguing with.

    The Sacred Forest Academy''s team made way for her since she did beat their ace player last year. She stopped in front of Kazuya who was still in his thoughts and grabbed his hand. He was already used to Tomoyo pulling him along whenever he was in this state so he assumed that his team was moving along. When he realized that something was different, he was already standing between the two teams. The girl pulling him bent down a little and touched his forehead with her lips.

    "Huh? What was that for? Who are you?" he was dumbfounded by what just happened. He wasn''t the only one, both teams were supposed to be rivals and yet this unexpectedly happened.

    "My name is Kuronuma Ayame. Please take care of me from now on my future husband" she winked.

    "A-ayame¡­ are you sure? He''s from the enemy team you know" the old man nervously asked.

    "I felt it so I''m sure. Remember your promise grandfather"

    "But he''s¡­" noticing the logo of the Shiroyuki dojo printed on Kazuya''s uniform he knew that things were going to get complicated. It was at that point that the Shiroyuki duo made their move. Tomoyo pulled the confused Kazuya from Ayame''s clutches and used her handkerchief to wipe his forehead.

    "What is the meaning of this old bat? Are you trying to poach one of ours? What does she mean by ''future husband''?" Jirou was trying to calm himself but he was already agitated.

    "I don''t have to explain anything to you. This is between me, him and my granddaughter" he crossed his arms and refused to listen to Jirou. Ayame on the other hand was agitated after seeing the meek girl she defeated in the previous year take away her man and wipe off her mark.

    "Shiroyuki-san right? I know that I defeated you last year and hold a grudge but please do not interfere with my personal matter" she looked at the girl blocking her from the person she just declared hers.

    *shake shake* Tomoyo refused and prevented her to advance towards Kazuya any further.

    "Did you even ask what he thinks about it? This isn''t about the competition so you have no right to interfere like this" Ayame moved forward but Tomoyo refused to let her through. Tensions were rising from both sides as the four refused to back down.

    "I say. Aren''t you people totally disregarding me on purpose?" A chilling atmosphere enveloped both teams. "It''s true what Kuronuma-san over there said that I wasn''t asked about my opinion but it also applies to her doesn''t it?" he was in a bad mood. He didn''t expect such a troublesome scenario to occur and he was unsure of what Ayame''s intentions were.

    "Do you not think I''m pretty?" Ayame looked at him with teary eyes.

    "You possess an appearance above the rest. But what does have to do with anything?" Kazuya mercilessly retorted.

    "You don''t like me?" her eyebrow twitched. She was confident in herself but the younger boy in front of them clearly gave her no face.

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    "This is the first time we''ve met. I don''t know you so why would I like you? What would you think if some random guy just forcefully pull you and kiss you out of nowhere?" Kazuya continued to vent.

    "I¡­" she couldn''t say anything after what he said. Surely, she would be mad if someone did that to her.

    "I''ve been understanding enough not to immediately report you for harassment but please do not assume that I will let random strangers touch me as they do so please" he crossed his arms and stared her down.

    "Kid, there are some reasons behind this so if you give my granddaughter a chance then¡­" seeing Ayame was at a loss, her grandfather started to mediate in her stead.

    "That is your business not mine. I already have someone I am engaged with, so I have no interest in whatever reasons you may have" Kazuya refused to budge.

    "You tell em Kazuya!" Jirou laughed out load. He appreciated this brave young lad that was not tempted in the slightest in the face of a pretty girl.

    "Jirou you¡­ is that why your granddaughter¡­"

    "He''s Old Kou''s grandson" Jirou crossed his arms triumphantly. "Are you regretting what you said back then now?"

    "Ugh¡­ You just got lucky. This isn''t over" He beckoned his own granddaughter over. "This is a complicated matter and you need to know the details later. Focus on the tournament for now"

    "But grandfather!" She didn''t want to back down. Especially in front of an enemy that she''s already beaten.

    "Back down for now. Since he''s an old acquaintance''s grandson then I can tell you about his family. Do you not want to learn all of this before making your move?" he mostly let this girl do what she wanted but she was not in an advantageous position at the moment.

    "Fine¡­" she turned Towards Kazuya. "Can I ask for your name?"

    "As long as you or your teammates don''t get eliminated too early then you will find out even without me saying anything" he was annoyed at both himself and at the girl. He let himself get taken advantage of just because he thought he would be safe as he stood amongst his teammates.

    "You''re that confident huh¡­" a mischievous smile grew on her face. "then how about we make a bet? All I ask is you won''t dismiss the idea of me as a fianc¨¦ candidate. The road is still long and who knows if you change your mind when the time comes" Tomoyo who had been wary of Ayame turned like everyone else looking for Kazuya''s response.

    "And if I win?" This tournament may have had a surprise but it still wasn''t enough to shake his confidence.

    "I promise to give you one request to ask me of anything that I''m able to do"

    "Alright I will play along. You have yourself a bet" Kazuya moved to lead the team himself into the waiting areas.

    "That boy really reminds me of his grandfather. I should have agreed to Kou''s request"

    "His boldness is like old Kou but that''s where the similarity ends. You better remind your granddaughter not to be too careless about betting something like she did today. The boy is a good lad so you won''t have to worry about him asking for something unreasonable" Jirou followed the rest of the team and didn''t wait for a reply.

    Everyone''s morale was lifted as the members looked at Kazuya. He didn''t have any problems exerting his dominance even in the midst of last year''s strongest competitor. The seven members prepared themselves as the rest of the other members set up the school''s banner on the stands.

    "Coach what will be our team arrangement for the team matches?" the short haired girl Ainu asked as the team gathered. It was almost time to begin as officials started to make checks on different blocks.

    "From First to Fifth seat; Ainu, Nishida, Sawada, Shiroyuki, and Kouzuki. For the first match. I will be moving Shiroyuki and Sawada around but this is what it will be like for majority of the matches. You don''t mind taking the general''s seat throughout the matches right Kouzuki?"

    "I don''t mind. Let the others get the experience I have little need for it" he agreed without hesitation.

    "Hey Kazuya-kun, I have to say, you sure have a knack for attracting girls" Mahiru giggled as she looked towards the audience area. Mei and Kyouko arrived and were holding up their own signs with his name on them. They looked to where she pointed and Miyamoto''s jaw immediately dropped as he saw the beautiful duo waving towards them.

    "Kouzuki¡­" he couldn''t help but swallow. "W-who are those beautiful women"

    "My wives. Excuse me for a bit while I go greet them" everyone except the robot girl froze at his response. Tomoyo met Kyouko already so she knew that he was joking. Her only concern was the other girl who was lovingly referring to him as ''Kazu''.

    He was immediately grabbed by Mei as soon as he was within her reach. She started taking several photos of him in his uniform and even took some with him sitting on his spot on her lap. She probably didn''t notice it but the speed at which she grabbed him with was improving as the days went by.

    "I thought we weren''t going to make it but I''m glad we didn''t get to miss your first match son" unlike her usual professional outfit, the two were wearing casual clothes which made them less intimidating and more approachable.

    "It''s okay mom. I probably won''t get the chance to enter the team matches since I''ve been placed on the fifth seat"

    "Oh? Then does that mean that you can sit here with your big sis? I''ve missed you a lot Kazu. We''ve been working hard to get a few days off and I''m so low on my Kazu energy!"

    "A few days?The tournament only lasts for a day though"

    "We''re talking about after you win! We can celebrate somewhere nice with just the three of us" They planned to go on a trip together after the tournament to pay Kazuya back for leaving him alone for an extended period of time.

    "Hey, don''t give Kazuya too much pressure Mei"

    "My Kazu won''t lose to a bunch of kids right?"

    "I''ll do my best to live up to your expectation big sis" he preferred to stay humble.

    "By the way¡­" She held him a little tighter. "Your team seems to have a lot of girls and they are staring at me for a while now"

    "It''s not just you. I feel their gazes too for some reason. Do they know who we are? I know Tomoyo-chan does, but I know she won''t bother explaining" Kyouko noticed the gazes as well. She was afraid that her cover would be blown since she was featured in magazines even though they were mostly about business.

    "Well I told them that both of you were my wives" he told them as if it was a matter of fact.

    "Nice going!"

    "You what!?"

    "Hey Kyouko, is that little girl with the long ponytail the girl you talked about? The old man Shiroyuki''s granddaughter?"

    "That''s her. Why do you ask?"

    "Does she like my Kazu or something? Her eyes have been on me the whole time and she reacts whenever I hold Kazu close"

    "You don''t need to mind that robot girl big sis. She''s like that to anyone who gets close to me that she doesn''t know. Her grandpa Jirou did ask her to watch over me"

    "Hmm¡­" Mei rested her chin on his head as she gathered her thoughts. Her intuition was telling her that it wasn''t as simple as Kazuya had been assuming. She noticed Tomoyo''s gaze flicker whenever she moved with him and she was someone that was close to Kazuya''s mother. She wanted to clarify things more but an announcement gathered everyone''s attention.

    "[Attention all participants, We will be starting shortly. Please report to your respective waiting areas and standby for your school name to be called]"

    .

 28 What Lies Beneath

    .

    In a large western style mansion, a girl locked herself up in her room. This spoiled girl was upset after being ignored and forgotten by a boy in her class. She looking forward to meeting him in school after he got better but he transferred out without even saying goodbye instead.

    "I failed¡­" she sadly murmured while holding a letter of rejection from the Sacred Forest Academy.

    This girl was none other than Stockton Kurumi. She looked at the picture on the table with teary eyes. It was a picture of her, Kazuya and her cousin taken at Kazuya''s former school. He was in the middle wearing a basketball uniform while holding a basketball.

    "Kazuya-kun¡­ do you really hate me now?" she gripped the letter in her hands.

    She remembered the cold look he gave her and the words he said about fearing her instinctively. This was unlike the Kazuya she knew and it felt as if he was like a whole different person. His memory may have been lost but shouldn''t he be at least feel she was familiar?

    She learned recently from one of the directors of the hospital he stayed at that Kazuya had transferred to Sacred Forest Academy. This was hard to imagine since the school had been very well known to have strict and difficult procedures for accepting transfer students.

    Kurumi thought that if he could do it then so can she but despite her marks being above his during their time in school, she had failed the exams while he passed on his first try. The boy she helped with his studies actually surpassed her imaginations and went to a school that even her standing couldn''t shake.

    *KNOCK KNOCK*

    "Kurumi-sama, the master would like you to come to his study" one of the maids said through the door.

    "I don''t want to" She went back to her bed in case the key was used.

    "The master says that he has news about Kouzuki Kazuya-sama"

    "I''ll get ready right away!" Kurumi wasted no time and went to her father''s study.

    Inside the study was Stockton James, the head of Stockton International. An American that decided to head the Asian division because of Kurumi''s intention to stay in the country. His wife and Kurumi''s mother, headed the corporation in the west in order to instill the good qualities the eastern companies have to western culture.

    *KKOCK KNOCK*

    "Come in Kurumi" The man smiled in front of his daughter.

    "Dad¡­ I heard you have news about Kazuya-kun" she asked nervously. She knew she would be asked to go back to school especially after she failed to pass the transfer exams.

    "I have to apologize to you Kurumi. It looks like I still can''t let you transfer to Sacred Forest Academy without passing your exams¡­" he sighed. He treated his daughter like she was his world and always gave her everything she wanted as long as she remained a good girl.

    "Dad¡­ I should be the one sorry for being selfish and not passing the exam"

    "It''s not like I have no other means but you might have a hard time entering the academy in your current state. Sacred Forest Academy ''s reputation is not without reason" he wanted her to understand why he can''t make her go there without her making up for it.

    "Even if I use my influence to get you admitted, you may not be able to keep up with their current curriculum. It will be extremely hard for you to keep up with them"

    "What do you think I should do dad?" she didn''t want to give up.

    "Is it really worth it for you to go follow that Kouzuki Kazuya? I know that you and Maron are fond of him but you said that he doesn''t even remember you" he was concerned. He really did not have much opinion about Kazuya because they have never met.

    Everything he knew about him was obtained through reports. He initially didn''t really interfere with his daughter''s personal life since she was still young and would always tell him everything. James once only knew that this boy was a friend that his daughter grew fond of after a few incidents that showed how quick witted he was.

    As a person that has survived the rough and harsh world of business, he didn''t like leaving things unchecked. He had this kid investigated and found out that he was the only successor to the famous Kouzuki family. This was the reason why he did not have any complaints about his daughter hanging out with him.

    Like Kyouko, James also placed Kurumi in a normal school so that she wont be pressured by the harsh environment he experienced in famous schools. All he wanted was for his daughter''s smile to remain as he watched her slowly grow up.

    "Yes. I want to help Kazuya-kun regain his memories. I can finally help him after everything he''s done for me" she looked determined. She wanted to convince her father that she wasn''t willing to give up even after failing.

    "I already know what he''s done since it''s your favorite story to tell me and your mother" his statement made the little girl blush.

    "What news about Kouzuki-kun did you get dad?" she tried to change the topic quickly back to what she was called for.

    "Right¡­ I already finished touring the facilities of the Academy and have made some connections with the people working there. They were quite helpful after I expressed my interest in investing towards the school" The school needed reliable investors for them to be able to expand their facilities since major construction towards the mountains was very hard and costly.

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    "I found out that not only did Kouzuki Kazuya pass the transfer exam, he passed it with perfect marks. It looks like the diagnosis about him being able to attain such knowledge was not in any way temporary" to be honest, James at first, didn''t believe it.

    Because of Kurumi''s persistence, James tried to inquire about Kazuya''s condition at the hospital but due to doctor and patient confidentiality, there was not much help. Kurumi insisted that he needed some kind of medicine because he wasn''t getting any better so he decided to try sending many specialists to get the gist of what really was wrong with the boy.

    To avoid the doctors James invited to breach confidentiality, he asked people to bring them to the hospital and interpreters to monitor and help with the situation. He was shocked at what he learned. The boy could speak various languages and from what he heard, Kazuya was nothing like Kurumi had described.

    A genius that was able to stump and impress such specialist from overseas was a feat none of them ever expected. From what he gathered from the people that he sent to accompany the specialists, they had various speculations about his current situation but not the cause for him to go through such an incident without any results from the various tests he went through.

    One of the more plausible theories came from psychiatrists, one of them stated that Kazuya had repressed his old memories to forget about the fears and abuse he went through as a self-defense mechanism. Another one stated that he developed another personality that hated his old self and this might have caused the repulsion he felt towards his old friends or acquaintances.

    That was not all, from what they''ve learned, the Kurogane Conglomerate and the Kouzuki Corporation who should have been on good terms because of Kazuya''s existence was not at all as peaceful as they seemed.

    One thing was certain though, Kouzuki Kazuya has already changed and there have been no signs of him reverting back to his old self. He was continuing with his new life as if nothing happened and was now placed in a new environment that was currently unsuitable for Kurumi.

    "I won''t give up! I''ll reunite with Kazuya-kun and help him recover his memories!" Kurumi remined determined.

    "Kurumi¡­" James felt conflicted. His daughter''s attachment to the boy wanted him not to let her succeed but as a doting father, he couldn''t stand to see his daughter gloomy like she already had been for the past few weeks. "Fine¡­ I can help you but you must prepare yourself. Not only will you have to study hard but you will have to maintain it in order to keep staying in that school. The requirements are even higher if I request that you be placed in their special class because of your identity"

    "Thank you dad! I will work hard I promise" she hugged her father and kissed her cheek.

    James was excited to see his daughter wanting to study hard. He felt conflicted about her reasons for it but since it was good motivation for her, he didn''t say anything. He had his own calculations, he already considered having good relations with the Kouzuki Corporation since it would be beneficial for Kurumi if their company had good relations.

    Although James was a doting father, he was still a very successful businessman so he saw the advantages of cooperating with them. Even if Kurumi would change her mind in the future, it would still help their company if they had good relations with the Kouzuki Corporation. Who wouldn''t want a boy acknowledged by famous doctors around the world to have good relations with their daughters.

    "Alright, I''ll try and get the best tutors I can find to let you be able to retake Sacred Forest Academy''s transfer student exam and pass it. If you quit halfway then I don''t want to hear about this again and you will attend school regularly alright?" this was his bottom line. He trusted his daughter''s determination but also wanted to let him know that this was her last chance.

    "I understand! I won''t fail again!"

    "Good. You told me that the boy plays basketball with Maron right?" he decided to change the topic.

    "Yup! Maron-chan and Kazuya-kun play in the same club" she wondered why her father brought up such a topic.

    "Well¡­ there was also another piece of news that I haven''t told you. Maron''s a bit too unbridled so since she gets along with the boy too, I refrained from informing the both of you but the boy joined a local kendo dojo and is part of Sacred Forest Academy''s kendo team"

    "Huh? Kazuya-kun and martial arts?" she couldn''t believe what he heard. Kurumi couldn''t imagine the boy from her memories doing well and was worried he was going to get hurt.

    "Not only did he join but he is also one of the people participating in the regional tournament today"

    "Eeeehh!? K-kazuya-kun is!? B-but he¡­" she still couldn''t believe it and thought her father''s informants must have mistaken him for another person.

    "I''ve confirmed it with one of the directors I''ve met when I visited the school. He said that the boy was confident in his chances"

    "C-can we go see it?" this was the first time there was definite information about Kazuya''s location aside from his home. She wanted to see him but didn''t want to go to his house because she had never been invited before.

    "Maron is here and I''m afraid she might make a scene if we go" both of them knew of the cousin''s peculiar personality so this burst Kurumi''s hopes. "But don''t worry, I''ve sent people to get coverage for you. Just don''t let Maron know or I''m afraid she would cause another incident"

    "O-okay¡­" she was both excited and worried. Kurumi would finally be able to see him again and this was what she looked forward to the most. "(Wait for me Kazuya-kun¡­ I''ll be by your side again very soon)"

    .

    In the middle school department of Saint Forest Academy, Hashiyama Lee stealthily made a call behind one of the buildings. He dialed the number of one of the managers of one of the many subsidiaries of the Kurogane conglomerate.

    "What can I do for you, Young Master Lee?" the manager answered the call respectfully.

    "You''ve taken care of it right?" he wanted to confirm his plans. Kuuga had still not made a move so he had no choice since he didn''t want to pay him more to accomplish another task.

    "I have young master. Please rest assured, the elementary school kendo team of your school will not have luck on their side during the team matches"

    "Good. I trust you have made the necessary arrangements. I can''t let Kazuya ride the train to glory by relying on the Shiroyuki house" he grinned.

    Lee didn''t believe that Kazuya had what it took to join the regular team for the Kendo club. He believed that he used Shiroyuki Jirou to put in a good word for him just because he joined their dojo. He knew what Kazuya was capable of and trusted the knowledge he accumulated while spending time to brainwash that useless little brother of his.

    "Please don''t forget what you promised young master"

    "I won''t. I''ll put in a good word for you with the other managers to get you transferred to the main company" he promised.

    "Thank you, young master"

    "(I''ll make you regret ever going against me Kazuya)" he grinned as he put down his phone. Unfortunately, the girl who was secretly watching him couldn''t hear the conversation.

    "Look''s like this snake is up to something" all it took was to see the grin on Lee''s annoying face. He had been in a bad mood ever since he lost his position in his own club so this sudden change along with how suspiciously he''s been acting indicated something was going to happen.

    .

 29 Team Matches

    .

    The first match was against an unfamiliar to school. That is until both teams were able to see their competitors.

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    "Kouzuki?" One of the students from the opposing team called out. Both teams turned towards Kazuya whose face remained unchanged. "You''re competing?"

    "You know who I am?" Kazuya was genuinely surprised and tried to scan his memories. He came up with nothing which caused a frown.

    "So the rumor was true. You lost your memories. You don''t even recognize that the school you''re up against is where you transferred from" the boy confidently smiled at him.

    "Is that so? I don''t think I''ve been significant enough to be known to people above my grade"

    "Are you kidding? Who doesn''t know who you are now? Stockton-san made a big mess trying to find out where you disappeared to. Who would have thought you''d go to Sacred Forest and joined the Kendo club"

    "Is that a problem?"

    "Not at all. We''re actually glad. Seeing you being a regular tells us how your team is in desperate need of good members" they all started laughing.

    "Is that so? Good luck to your team then. Seeing you guys so confident, I hope you make me stand from the general''s seat" Kazuya smiled and proudly sat on the fifth seat.

    "Bluffing already I see. No matter how athletic you may be, you''re underestimating Kendo too much. A basketball player can''t just learn and win in kendo in just a month" they laughed and went back to their side.

    "(So I was a member of the basketball team? Why didn''t mom tell me about it? I didn''t even see a ball in my room¡­)" he tried thinking about it but nothing came to mind. He only remembered playing it during his first life as a form of exercise in school.

    First up was the short haired girl Ainu from their team. It was a close fight but she lost with a score of 2-1. Their smug faces were immediately erased after Nishida and their captain won with 2-0 scores. The person who talked to Kazuya was their fourth contestant. The boy entered the duel area glaring at Kazuya who had been sitting peacefully the whole time.

    The boy''s glare immediately got interrupted by the emergence of a sudden pressure and took a step backwards. Tomoyo had entered the dueling area.

    "(This robot girl¡­ is she nervous? She''s starting to leak out her own pressure)" Kazuya was a bit surprised. He decided to put some of his attention in changing this future violent robot girl into a decent robot but contrary to his intentions, she was growing in strength more than anything.

    "READY!" The referee was expectant to see how this girl had grown since the last tournament. "BEGIN!"

    A quick dash to the boy startled him. There were two people that almost everyone here knew and that was the individual tournament''s Kuronuma Ayame and the 1st grader who took 3rd place like a storm; Shiroyuki Tomoyo. He involuntarily took a step back due to the pressure and held his sword up horizontally to block the incoming strike from above.

    "(I''ll parry this little girl''s strike and counterattack)" he thought.

    His expectations however was ruined after their swords came into contact. Shards of bamboo exploded in different directions as Tomoyo''s sword passed through his own bamboo sword.

    *BAM!*

    "POINT SHIROYUKI!" The referee shouted. "Point Sacred Forest Aca¡ª"

    *THUD*

    The boy fell to his knees. His vision was blurry. He was scared out of his wits. Looking at the blurry image of his opponent who wasted no time to get back to her position, cold sweat poured down his head. She wanted to begin the next round right away so he fell on his backside and backed away to his team.

    "Get away! I forfeit! I forfeit!" he shouted.

    The referee along with everyone couldn''t say a thing. A sword breaking can happen but it was even rarer in a competition with elementary students as competitors. The perpetrator was a mere 7-year-old so he couldn''t believe it himself and thought that the boy''s sword may have been too worn out.

    "(This robot girl can now make use of her mana even though she''s doing it unconsciously... Interesting)" his mouth arched upward to form a slight grin.

    "Victory goes to Sacred Forest Academy! 3 wins to 1!"

    Both teams lined up against each other one last time. The other team''s faces were looking downwards, they had been humiliated after they bragged. Mahiru shook the other team captain''s hand but looked towards the boy who mocked their team.

    "You only have yourself to blame for incurring the wrath of our team''s princess" She said.

    "I have to say; you guys were pretty dumb to get us riled up you know? You wouldn''t have looked so weak if you just greeted our team''s King with respect. We would have gone easy on you for being acquaintances" Nishida huffed as he chimed in.

    "Your team''s¡­ ''King''!?" They all looked at the quiet Kazuya who sighed.

    "A bunch of nonsense" he quickly turned to head back to the waiting area. The rest followed except for Nishida who wasn''t done. He had been pretty docile recently so he didn''t let up the chance to add a few parting words to those who underestimated them.

    "Can''t learn Kendo in a month? You better open those blind eyes of yours and watch Kouzuki-san if he ever gets the chance to get on stage. You will wish you won''t meet him in the individual tournament" Nishida mocked. He really looked forward to seeing them drop their jaws once Kazuya gets up on the dueling area.

    Tomoyo''s startling performance garnered a lot of attention towards their team. They couldn''t wait for the individual tournaments to see if she could make it to 2nd or even 1st place this time. Thanks to her, Kazuya was able to stay under the radar. He only gained a little attention because of his unusual one-handed stance but because of the lack of skill from his enemies, there was no need for him to show off.

    "Mahiru!" a person called out to their captain on the audience stands. It was a woman who looked just like her wearing an office uniform.

    "Mother¡­" She bit her lip as she looked at her. The two stared at each other for a while before their captain sighed.

    "What''s wrong captain? Isn''t it good that your mom made it this time?" Nishida who had known her for longer asked.

    "I guess so" she slumped her shoulders.

    Kazuya who had just finished winning his match and sealed their team''s victory looked at Mahiru''s mother. They were only one match away from winning their block. A sudden thought popped into his mind as he looked at the matches on the big screen above the stands.

    "Miyamoto-sensei. There''s something I want you to do" He whispered to the coach''s ear.

    Kyouko and Mei were seated at the center of the cheering members from their school per his arrangements. They cheered for him loudly whenever he would step into the dueling area and he would wave at them every time afterwards.

    "I think something is wrong. Kazu didn''t wave at us this time" Mei''s eyesight had already improved so she could see the serious expression on Kazuya''s face.

    "He''s probably just feeling tired. He doesn''t need to do it every time you know"

    "But he still would do it. Is he hungry? It''s almost lunchtime. Did we bring enough food for him?"

    "I asked granny to make extra so there wont be any problems. I don''t think it''s hunger if there''s a problem. He was looking at the board for a while. Probably a strong team is next"

    "I''ll look it up one my phone"

    Back at the waiting area, Miyamoto looked towards Jirou who had his arms crossed. What Kazuya had told them was disturbing. There was only a little time left before the next and final match for their block so they had to reach a decision soon.

    "Shiroyuki-san what do you think?" he consulted with Jirou after hearing the shocking news from Kazuya.

    "It is indeed possible but I''m still unsure about some things. What he said also matches some of my observations. After having someone else see it too, I say it''s accurate" Jirou crossed his arms. "It''s your team so it''s your call Miyamoto"

    "We''ll find out soon" Kazuya didn''t mind Miyamoto''s hesitation.

    "I certainly hope you''re wrong about this Kouzuki-kun. I''ll go submit the next order of participants so we can talk about this later" he left with a gloomy expression.

    "Don''t blame him for doubting you boy. He''s a good lad" Jirou patted the boys shoulder.

    "It doesn''t bother me. What I said was based on my own observation and speculation" he remained unmoved.

    "Well you better get back to your teammates. You''re their pillar whether you like it or not and it''s up to you to get them that championship" he got pushed by the hand placed on his shoulder.

    "I would fight the 5 matches by myself just to give it to them if that were possible" he sighed and moved back to where the others were seated. He called out to Nishida unexpectedly. Tomoyo who was still restricted by their agreement could only watch as the two boys of their team sat to the side.

    "What is it Kouzuki-san? Do you need me to get you something?" He looked eager as this was the first time he had personally called out to him. His respect for him only grew as time passed by so he was not the same person when they first met.

    "Why are you being so polite senpai? You''re an upperclassman and you''re treating me like I''m older" he asked. He really didn''t mind whatever they called him but this was a good time to set things clear with the team.

    "Then K-kazuya-san?" he nervously looked at Kazuya''s reaction.

    "I guess that would do. Anyway, how are you feeling? You''ve been fighting in all the matches. Some of them even ending with all the time consumed" he patted Nishida''s shoulder. This wasn''t supposed to be his job but the captain wasn''t in a state to motivate anyone right now.

    "I-I''m fine. I can still go on" he was suddenly nervous. Kazuya never talked to him nor anyone in the team unless they talked to him first. They all knew that he could spot their flaws and one of his was his stamina for not taking things seriously until recently.

    "Sit in front of me and let me teach you a breathing technique. It will help replenish your stamina faster. You''re a key member to us in winning the rest of the matches so I''ll show you a few tricks" he placed his hand on Nishida''s back and slowly cast a basic recovery spell on him under the guise of a breathing technique. He also taught him a few tactics that he could use to his advantage but the most help Nishida got was a huge boost in morale.

    "(A key member¡­ Does this mean that he thinks I can be stronger?)" Nishida wanted to show that he wouldn''t let Kazuya down. His determination rose that caused his body to recover even faster with Kazuya''s help.

    The last match in their block started with Mahiru this time who unfortunately lost with a score of 0-2 followed by Ainu who also lost with 1-2. The other team had guessed that they would have no problems as long as they didn''t make it to the fourth member which had always been Tomoyo but their expectations were crushed.

    Tomoyo easily won. She protected her streak of a 2-0 win record. Everything for their opponents rested on the 4th match but unfortunately for them, Kazuya was the one who stepped in. His record was also the same as Tomoyo but she had her reputation and her dominating style to keep him in the shadows for a little longer.

    "Go win it for us" Kazuya placed a hand on Nishida''s shoulder after winning his own match with another 2-0 record. He was not disappointed. The energized Nishida also won with a score of 2-0 and they took first place for the team match for D block.

    "We did it! We''re in the final four!" Nishida jumped and gave a victory pose. His excitement was through the roof as they were not able to get this far as a team in the last tournament. The other block matches ended not too long after theirs and it was announced that there would be a short break as they made preparations for the team matches.

    "Mahiru-senpai?" Kazuya called out to the captain looking dazed as she looked towards the audience.

    "Kazuya-kun do you have a moment? There''s an intermission and I want to introduce you to my mom"

    "Your mom? Why?"

    "You''ll find out soon" She pulled him and headed out of the stadium. "There''s still a lot of time left so there''s no problem"

    They arrived at the back of the stadium. Kazuya broke free from her grasp after she stopped. A Mahiru''s crying face appeared when she turned to face him. She was usually cheerful and went along with his strange humor but there was no sign of it. Right now, she was but a girl who looked like she was in pain.

    "What''s wrong Mahiru-senpai?" Kazuya''s expression was gloomy.

    "It''s about my mom¡­ she¡ª" She stopped as numerous figures came from the direction they came from.

    "Well, well, well, if it isn''t two of the winners from D block" they were from the team they had beaten in the third round. The rough looking competitors that only knew how to swing hard with intent to injure.

    They surrounded Kazuya and Mahiru. The rough looking group held their wooden swords instead of bamboo swords used in the competition. They looked at Kazuya with hostility as their team lost after he beat their captain.

    "Is this how it''s supposed to play out? You guys aren''t even a real Kendo club right?"

    "You''re pretty smart kid. There wasn''t a kendo club in our school so we decided to make one"

    "Just for little me? I''m flattered"

    "No hard feelings kid, we don''t know who you pissed off but someone wants you beat. This wouldn''t have happened if you just let me hit you a couple of times inside you know"

    "You and I both know that that''s not true. The person went through all the trouble to make you guys come here just to beat me up so a little beating will not be enough"

    "Smart. Too bad being too smart isn''t going to do anything for you at the moment. We''ll probably get banned from the competition and punished for being ''sore losers''"

    "Clever plan. No one would believe even when I claim that you were hired in normal circumstances. So someone who isn''t Lee really is after me"

    "No need to try digging for information. Even we don''t know who requested it. The money is good and that''s enough for us"

    "Then you have just lost your only value to me?" The atmosphere instantly changed. Kazuya''s eyes narrowed as he looked at each of the people surrounding him. "I just have a small request before we begin"

    "We cannot hit you in the face. It would be the proof we''d need to show we did what was asked"

    "I don''t know how long it''s been since I didn''t hold back in beating someone" He gave them a chilling smile. "So please try not to die"

 30 A Special Kind of Category

    .

    "Please try not to die"

    Kazuya grabbed the person nearest to him by the wrist and pulled. The boy couldn''t believe the strength used to pull him. Before he could react, he felt extreme pain caused by the bones in his wrist cracking followed by a devastating blow to his abdomen that immediately made him vomit everything he ate this morning.

    "One down" casually turned to face the others. He raised a palm and taunted them to come.

    "Get him!" the leader shouted as the remaining four brandished their weapons to attack him simultaneously.

    *SWISH*

    The wooden swords hit nothing but air. Kazuya had no trouble dodging their basic attacks. He kicked one of them behind the knee, causing the enemy to fall on the ground immediately followed by a fist to the face. Blood dripped on the ground as the poor boy slowly fell on the ground before losing his consciousness.

    "Are you guys taking this seriously?" he mocked.

    "You''re dead!" the remaining three were not good people but they, as bad eggs stuck together. They couldn''t forgive Kazuya for mercilessly knocking the other two out as their attacks intensified.

    *SWOOSH*

    Their speeds increased as adrenaline started kicking in. They forgot about the money and were attacking ruthlessly to avenge their fallen comrades. Kazuya''s cheek got grazed by the wooden sword as a red line had appeared on the left side of his face.

    "Good, too bad you''ve received your quota on hits today" he touched the burning sensation on his cheek. He stood in the front of the two boys protecting their leader and suddenly threw a wheel kick followed by a quick and devastating spinning back heel kick to their faces. The two fell before Kazuya without realizing what happened but their leader saw it all. It was so effortless that he made it look easy.

    "This is wrong¡­ you shouldn''t be so strong without¡ª"

    "Without this you mean?" he picked up one of the wooden swords on the floor. He swung it with one hand and a slash mark appeared on the concrete floor.

    "Hyiiii!" the leader fell to his backside after witnessing it. A wet and warm sensation on his lower body but ignored it because he couldn''t afford to let this monster out of his sight.

    "See why I didn''t use it?" Kazuya approached the retreating leader who had backed up into a wall. He avoided the wet concrete and grinned. "You''d either be dead or crippled. Do you see why I only use one hand in the competition?"

    "W-what do you want!?" he stuttered. He regretted taking this job now.

    "What else? Information. Each time I hear ''I don''t know'' I will break a bone of yours" Kazuya positioned the wooden sword on top of the leader''s thumb and pressed to hold it in place.

    "What information do you w-want to know? I didn''t lie when I said that all I got was the request!"

    "How did you get that request?"

    "Through mail. That''s the only way the requestor communicates. Whoever that person is, they only send instructions on how best to deal with the targets with little to no consequences. That''s all I know!"

    "You don''t get to decide that. From the way you''re telling me about this mysterious requestor, this isn''t your first request, right?"

    "N-not it''s not"

    "Tell me who you five are. Show me your ID to prove it"

    "H-here¡­" he showed his id and told him all of his companions'' identities. They turned out to be middle school students that were using the identities of their underlings'' younger brothers. They planned on escaping after doing what they needed to and already had the cooperation of the people whose identities they were borrowing.

    "It was indeed a good plan. Too bad the person who requested it against someone he shouldn''t have. I have recently produced a certain kind of hatred for those who try to plot against me from the shadows"

    "C-can you l-let us go now?" He was embarrassed. He knew that he had peed himself and wanted to get away before it dried up and started releasing a repugnant odor.

    "Not quite. I can spare you but you have to promise to do a bunch of things for me. First of all, you will give me a list of all the people that you''ve targeted via this requester. I will also contact you to get more information about how this whole relationship started. Do you understand the conditions for sparing you five?"

    "Y-yes. I will do as you say"

    "Good" he raised the sword away from the leader''s thumb "Now give me your phone and show me the details of the request on me"

    "O-okay" he nervously took out his phone and navigated it before handing it over with both hands respectfully. Kazuya skimmed through the information and sighed.

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    "K-kazuya-kun? Are you alright?" Mahiru who was still in shock after witnessing everything that just happened called out to him nervously. The chilling atmosphere still had not left after the danger had been dealt with. It was getting heavier instead.

    "Mahiru-senpai, do you know what I hate more than enemies or schemers?"

    "No, I don''t. More importantly, we should get back to the arena befo¡ª"

    "It''s traitors" Kazuya threw the wooden sword on his hand. It landed directly in front of Mahiru and embedded itself in the concrete. "I really hate traitors the most" Mahiru fell on her backside and trembled. She was no longer under the pressure of the chilling atmosphere but was suffocating under the threat of his bloodlust.

    "W-what are y-you¡­ talking about¡­ I''m¡­?" she couldn''t stop trembling.

    "I''ve already had my suspicions earlier. Of today''s matches, you have not won a single match aside from the first. It would always end up in a draw due to time running out even against opponents that were clearly weaker than you. That is until a certain person arrived and changed the continuous draws into losses"

    "T-that''s not¡ª"

    "You weren''t the only one doing it. That short haired girl never won a single match too. While hers was deliberate, you were stalling for time. Thanks to your hesitation, all of us looked at her but I have better eyesight than others so I could tell that the person sitting behind her directly was non-other than the coach with these guys"

    "!!"

    "It was only suspicion though. You may have had mixed feelings about your mother being here or something else but what convinced me is the moment you brought me here. Not to mention these guys showing up, they treated you like you didn''t exist even as they found out that they were in over their head"

    "Kazuya-kun¡­ this is all a coincidence!"

    "Then where is the mother who asked to meet me?"

    "..."

    "Still being stubborn?" Kazuya pointed the screen of the phone in his hand to her face. "This undeniable evidence no?"

    [Do not touch the girl after following. She is the informant and will lead the target to a suitable location]

    "Is that not enough?"

    [The informant says that it would be advisable that the target be faced without a weapon. It will greatly increase the success of this request]

    "I have never talked about that with anyone else. I remember clearly being asked if I was weaker with a sword but did not bother to mention that I was useless without it. You see I have an issue with trusting people. I died trusting the wrong people but was actually brought back" hearing Kazuya''s last statement made her think ''what if he really did die''. Since the one who requested it went though all the trouble, what was his actual purpose?

    "K-kazuya-kun It''s true. Everything you said is true. I''m truly sorry but I had no¡ª"

    "Bullshit! No one ever has ''no choice'' do you understand?" he grabbed her by the neck and slowly squeezed. "In the end all you people care about is yourselves. Sacrificing people from your own side, fooling them into trusting you while you hold a knife at their backs. You make me sick to my stomach"

    "Ka¡­" Mahiru couldn''t speak. His grip got tighter and tighter as his agitation grew.

    "That''s enough kid, let her go before you cause something irreparable" Jirou appeared from the corner with a serious tone.

    "So this is when you finally decide to come out huh? Your really can''t stop that bad habit of yours can you?" Kazuya turned his head and met Jirou''s gaze.

    "I said that''s enough!" Jirou felt a cold chill after meeting his gaze. He had a bad feeling that he might actually suffocate the poor girl to death.

    "Relax grandpa Jirou" his expression softened as he let Mahiru''s neck free from his grip. "You really didn''t think I would kill her, did you?" he laughed dryly.

    *wheeze* *cough* *wheeze*

    Mahiru gasped for air and coughed. Her vision was still blurry from the lack of oxygen but she clearly heard everything that was said. She didn''t believe it, she would have been suffocated to death if this old man didn''t show up.

    "If you ask me, I went too easy on her. If not for the fact that she was hesitant to do it all this time¡­" Kazuya pulled the wooden sword from the ground and gripped the handle tight with the help of his mana. "I wouldn''t have shown mercy so easily when I can just do this" the handle cracked and then broke. Several wood fragments fell to the ground together with the sword.

    ""!!"" Both Mahiru and Jirou''s mouth gaped open. They realized he really wasn''t joking when he said that he went easy on her. Mahiru''s neck could have easily ended up like that wooden sword''s handle if he wanted to.

    "Now then, I trust that grandpa Jirou and the other instructors still hiding about can take care of the aftermath. I have to get back to the arena for the final matches" he walked back to the group''s leader who was still frozen at what he just witnessed. "Here is your phone back"

    "T-thank you for g-going easy on us" he kneeled with his head on the concrete floor to give a sincere dogeza.

    "I''ll be seeing you soon. Remember, I treat my enemies better than I do traitors" Kazuya patted his shoulder with the same hand he used to crush the wooden sword. The leader shuddered but he made sure that he didn''t reject it.

    "Kid, you were also right about the other girl. She was asked to lose by a person she identified as her father''s boss. I''ve called Miyamoto about it and she said that she wasn''t told about any accomplices"

    "Oh? Which company does her father work at?"

    "A small subsidiary company of the Kurogane Conglomerate"

    "Now that''s the Lee I know. Stupid, careless and predictable" He laughed. "Her parents don''t even know about it right?"

    "Not likely, those idiots will have to deal with unlawful termination if it was done. They made sure to use the little girl''s naivety. It''s a good thing that Miyamoto''s known to be a good teacher or we would have never convinced her to come clean"

    "Leave it to mom and big sis. They would be much better in handling the short haired girl''s situation even in the event that her parents know about it" he put his confidence in the ladies of his house.

    "There is also another problem, who among the two girls do you think can still go on with the tournament?"

    "Why choose one? Have the short haired girl and this long-haired girl replaced with the reserve members. We have a much better chance with them for the remaining matches"

    "That''s the thing, There can only be one tactical substitution. We can only change players once unless theres a situation where participants can''t join"

    "Then that''s easy" Kazuya turned around and walked towards the dazed Mahiru. She had been demoted back to being called ''long haired girl'' by him. A feeling felt by her hand made her realize that Kazuya was the one beside her holding on to it. She thought that this junior of hers had chosen her to continue despite what she did. His other hand landed on her shoulder and a popping sound immediately came after.

    "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Mahiru screamed as the pain of getting her shoulder dislocated for the first time. She couldn''t believe it, he even left her to fall on the ground in pain after doing what he did. Jirou couldn''t stop it because he never expected him to do it.

    "You''re quite ruthless kid" he sighed.

    "Grandfather taught me that being kind to your own enemies, especially traitors is being ruthless to one''s self" Kazuya nonchalantly walked past him and headed back to the arena. Jirou repeated his statement over and over in his mind and smiled.

    After getting a distance away from them, Kazuya immediately placed a hand over his cheek and used his mana to heal the red mark on his cheek. A few wooden splinters have entered the skin on his palm. He grimaced while bearing the pain as he forced the small wooden pieces out.

    "Ruthless to one''s self huh¡­ If only old Kou told me that back in the day" Jirou laughed. He ordered the instructors who came out to bring the children to see the medical team from the event. He called Miyamoto and told him about what happened. Jirou headed inside himself with the intention of taking the short haired girl Ainu to meet Kyouko.

    .

 31 Team Finals

    .

    The sudden changes to the Sacred Forest Academy''s team were suddenly cast upon the members. The two reserve participants didn''t expect to be able to participate in this tournament but they had now been given a chance and were itching to go right away. With Kazuya, their most dominating member providing pointers unexpectedly, he was able to keep his team''s morale up.

    "How did the captain get injured?" Nishida asked still looking a bit worried.

    "Hey do you like the captain?" Kazuya changed the topic to avoid talking about Mahiru.

    "N-n-n-no I don''t! I was just c-curious about it!" Nishida denied it but the answer was already quite obvious.

    "Well I don''t care who you like and why but, isn''t this a chance? If you win gloriously in her place then wouldn''t she see you in a better light?" he tried to hold back his laughter. It made him remember the time that he thought like this.

    "Really?" hope filled his eyes. He didn''t doubt Kazuya one bit especially after seeing Kyouko and Mei fawning over him.

    "You can tell her that you worked hard for her sake or you were motivated to win because she was here or something" Kazuya said. They were surprised that he could actually be like this. They never actually talked to him aside from the regular greetings or him pointing out a few things he noticed.

    """Genius!""" They exclaimed. They took his advice to heart which made Kazuya''s face fill with black lines. These na?ve upperclassmen of his were even more gullible than he was back then.

    At the side, Miyamoto was relieved. After the sudden change of their team''s structure and the missing two members, he thought that morale would plummet. With Kazuya''s help not only were they motivated, their moods even improved.

    "(And here I thought that he didn''t know how to socialize. Good job Kouzuki-kun)" Miyamoto was grateful and praised him in his heart.

    The team they went up against first had the 6th grader who finished second in the last tournament. Miyamoto had taken note that she would be going up first like last year''s team tournament. She was the reason that their team matches ended early the last time and affected the morale of the whole team with a dominating win as their vanguard.

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    Nishida and the others were aware who she is and what happened to them last time so Miyamoto sent Kazuya as their vanguard this time. Kazuya agreed so he stepped into the ring and saw the smirk on the opponent''s face.

    "Looks like they sent a new member for the slaughter. I doubt that anyone would have wanted to be in your position after what happened to that big guy last year" she glanced at Nishida who avoided her gaze. "Huh?" She looked back at her opponent and found that he wasn''t paying attention.

    Kazuya had been looking towards the direction where he felt a peculiar gaze. There he found Kuronuma Ayame whose eyes were locked onto him from the other arena''s waiting area. She wasn''t paying attention to her team''s match but was rather interested in seeing his match.

    "(I wasn''t able to see your matches earlier but show me what you''ve got)" she thought. She wanted to tell him this but she would be penalized if she made a disturbance.

    "(You don''t have what it takes)" Kazuya got the gist of her thoughts from her eyes.

    "(Huh!?)" Ayame''s mouth gaped "(Did he just¡­ and I¡­)" She heard his voice as if he was beside her. She knew it was impossible but judging from her reaction, he should have heard her too.

    "(Uh oh)" Kazuya shifted his gaze. He was surprised to know that the girl actually just activated the ''whisper'' skill coincidentally. It was a communication skill using mana but had the requirement of both people being under a certain distance.

    "You have a lot of guts ignoring me and eyeing Kuronuma Ayame instead" the girl in front of him said.

    "Pardon me If I have offended you. That girl has been staring at me quite intently and earlier declared that she wanted to marry me but I declined" he told his opponent the truth. "I am quite sensitive to being stared at and thought it might affect our match" he politely bowed to apologize.

    "Huh?" The haughty girl was startled by how polite he was. "Kuronuma did that?" She was intrigued. She suddenly wanted him to take off the headgear protecting his face since she really didn''t pay attention to the other team.

    "Thank you for understanding. I was afraid to have incurred the wrath of a beautiful young lady" he bowed trying hard to hide his own surprise. This was another one of the tricks he learned from Miyamoto in dealing with girls who were unreasonable. ''Compliment them despite the anger'' were his words and they proved very effective.

    "Wha¡ª" the girl was suddenly shy. Kazuya felt cold gazes from different directions but shook it off. Miyamoto on the other hand felt proud seeing the boy actually put into practice his random preaching. His male teammates looked at him like a hero who subdued an undefeatable monster.

    "Ehem¡­ get in position" the referee interrupted. Both of them followed to avoid being penalized.

    Because of her unsettled heart, Kazuya won without any problems. Without getting a point, the girl didn''t seem that affected at all and hurried to her seat. She took of her gear and took a peek at Kazuya who talked to his teammate who was next in line before sitting down. She held her breath waiting to see the face under the headgear.

    "Captain are you okay?" one of her teammates asked but there was no response. Her gaze was locked and glittering as seeing Kazuya''s black flowing hair and glistening sweat. Her vision seemed to have slowed down as he noticed her gaze and gave her a warm smile instantly causing her face to flush.

    "(This kid¡­ am I creating a monster?)" Miyamoto wondered. He would glance towards the stands and towards the attractive ladies he claimed to be his wives. One was not present but the remaining one showed hostility immediately after seeing Kazuya''s opponent act coyly.

    Sacred Forest Academy was going strong this year. They soundly beat last year''s 2nd place champions in the team competition without taking a single loss. Due to Kazuya continuing his 2-0 victory streak, his teammates tried to follow suit and were successfully win the three starting matches without the robot girl getting a chance to enter the stage.

    Their morale was high as they lined up with the first team they had outside the venue. The bespectacled vice-captain stood in for Mahiru but he was ignored as Kuronuma Ayame moved to stand in front of Kazuya instead.

    "I didn''t think we would actually meet until the individual matches ''Kouzuki Kazuya''" She smiled at him. Ayame was glad that he didn''t disappoint.

    "Congratulations, you found out what my name is" he sarcastically replied.

    "We''ll settle this here. I took the vanguard just to do so. I''ll even forfeit in the individual matches if you beat me here and now" her statement shocked even the referee who was listening in.

    "Too bad. I didn''t register as the vanguard this time. Your opponent is our vice-captain this time" Kazuya ignored her and bowed with the others before returning to his team''s side.

    "Good call Kouzuki. That girl really did take the first seat after she saw you in the previous match" Miyamoto patted his shoulder. Kazuya could tell what Ayame planned to do after he started ignoring her. He didn''t want her to be able to use the whisper skill on him again so he avoided looking at her since Ayame had yet to discover how to utilize the skill.

    Needless to say, their vice-captain lost the first match without putting up much of a fight. The robot girl was up next followed by Nishida and then Kazuya who secured them the championship for the team battles. They rejoiced after winning as their school who had finished early in the block stages in the last tournament made it all the way to become the champions.

    Kazuya slipped away as the team was celebrating. He avoided Ayame and moved to meet Mei who was in a foul mood in the stands. She immediately grabbed him and put him on her lap showing off that he was hers to anyone who paid attention.

    "Kazu" Mei pulled him towards her as if declaring ownership.

    "What is it big sis?" he was already used to this so she let her do as she pleased while starting to circulate mana for them.

    "Did you flirt with that girl in the match before last?" she started her interrogation. She stuck closer to him to get a feel of his heartbeat looking for any changes.

    "Flirt? What is flirting big sis?" he knew what flirting was but due to Miyamoto''s teachings, he was told that girls have a different way of defining things and would often use them to win an argument.

    "What did you say to her then?"

    "Oh¡­ I apologized for not paying attention to what she was saying because the last year''s champion was staring and got me distracted"

    "Why did she suddenly start acting coy?"

    "I don''t know. She said I was polite and she didn''t really know how to respond" he didn''t even notice this so he paid it no mind. Even if it were true, he couldn''t care less.

    "Why was that champion staring at you then?"

    "That weird girl says she felt something and called me her future husband" he dropped a bombshell but still held a neutral expression.

    "Proposed!? Which girl dares try to seduce my Kazu from me" Kazuya could feel her hold tightening as he pointed towards Ayame who was still searching the arena area for him.

    "That pretty girl? What did you say to her?" Mei''s eyesight immediately locked on.

    "I told her that I already had big sis and wasn''t interested"

    "What about Shiroyuki Jirou''s granddaughter then? What do you think about her? She always keeps staring at you" satisfied with his answer, she rested her chin on top of his head lovingly.

    "The robot girl? She''s like a pet who follows me around. Her grandfather wants her to get stronger so she trains with me" This was his true opinion about her. He found Mei''s interrogations quite interesting so he would answer them truthfully most of the time.

    "I see¡­ Somehow, I''m a bit worried especially after seeing how my Kazu keeps attracting these little thieving cats. Tell me if they give you trouble okay?" this was a subtle way of telling him that he only needed to call her if they were persistent. Kazuya understood both her meaning and intentions.

    "Don''t worry big sis. I want little to do with them as possible. No one can even compare to you big sis" he decided to calm her down. It wouldn''t be too good if she continued this thinking for too long.

    "Really?"

    "Of course"

    "Aww¡­ I hope that doesn''t change even when you reach ''that'' age" she meant puberty. The little boy in her arms may change once he becomes a little man but she of course didn''t know that the same little boy in her arms knew what she meant.

    "Should we go for lunch? There should be an hour break before the individual tournament starts"

    "Come to think of it where''s Kyouko? I haven''t seen her for a while" Mei took out her phone and called. The two of them moved to meet Kyouko at a nearby caf¨¦. She was then informed of what happened and why she had been missing.

    "So that''s what happened. When we asked the girl why Lee would ask for such a thing, she said that he had been relegated to the reserves due to his poor performance. He wanted Kazuya to not make it far into the tournament" Kyouko irritatingly recapped.

    "Didn''t I already say that those bunch of snobs would just cut off some of his privileges and not do a single thing to make him think about his actions? That perverted scum now involved their company and opened them to legal actions. If you don''t do anything about it then I will" Mei scolded. This involved Kazuya so why wouldn''t she be agitated.

    "Her parents have already been called and they are on their way here. I will talk with them. If they agree, I will personally accompany them to meet that old geezer" Kyouko clenched her firsts. She really hated that place and preferred to not even go there if she had a choice.

    "Don''t force yourself. I''ll do it"

    "No. you know how those people are. They will not take you seriously"

    "Why not just let them come to us?" Kazuya who was slowly getting squeezed by his big sis spoke to break the tension.

    ""How do you suggest we do that?""

    "Lure them with the evidence. It''s them who will be facing the lawsuit so it''s whether they come to us or they come to court"

    "That''s my Kazu! What a great idea!"

    "Please don''t ever forget that as much as the both of you care about me, I also don''t want both of you to be in any kind of harm. That also includes things that you don''t want to do" Lee was the least of his worries and didn''t want the two of them to do anything too troublesome.

    Both of them however knew nothing about what happened with Mahiru case. Jirou didn''t want to tell Kyouko about what Kazuya had done to his attackers not to his own club''s captain. Kazuya himself told him that he would handle the matter. Jirou himself indeed thought that it wouldn''t be productive for Kyouko to learn about this but made Kazuya promise that he would not make any risky moves without informing him first.

    It all felt weird. Aside from Lee, Kazuya couldn''t think of anyone that would go that far to hurt him. A simple tournament wouldn''t warrant such action and even if they did, Shiroyuki Tomoyo would have been a better target. He thought hard and couldn''t come up with anyone who he gravely offended.

    "(Was it that weird girl Stockton? No¡­ maybe that pervert Ono? It couldn''t be¡­ I guess I''ll have to find out myself to get a real answer)"

 32 Mediation

    .

    The large arena was now again separated into four different blocks. Larger tournament brackets were on each side where the students mixed with each other. Tomoyo was seeded in group A so she had more time to rest while Nishida who was in group D and Kazuya in group C. Kuronuma Ayame was also a seeded contestant but she was placed in group B.

    Sacred Forest Academy only had three participants. Mahiru who was supposed to compete as well had forfeited due to injury and gave away a free victory to her first opponent in group B.Since they have stolen the championship from Saint Tera Technical Institute, eyes were starting to observe them more intently.

    Kazuya was even more so taken note of since the information of him having not lost a single point was spread around by those who checked the results. Mei felt proud when she heard the audience talking about her Kazu and informed Kyouko of whatever things related to Kazuya were happening in the stadium.

    Unfortunately, the incident with Ainu required Kyouko to be absent until she finished talking with her parents. She was disappointed in not being able to watch Kazuya''s performance but Mei had been asked to continue recording it with the camera she brought. Miyamoto was also there to help communicate with both Ainu and her parents. He found out that she was Kazuya''s mother when Jirou had introduced them.

    "Kid" Jirou called out to Kazuya. He was sent by Miyamoto to guide the students participating in his place.

    "What is it? Shouldn''t you be guiding the others?"

    "I just wanted to speak with you for a moment. You shouldn''t be too hard on that Sawada child in the future" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed after hearing what he had to say.

    "You''re not going to tell me about some sappy story about why she did it now are you?" he scoffed.

    "Just listen. That girl''s father died a year ago after being hospitalized for a long time. Her mother shouldered all the debts and costs of their family. The father''s family turned their backs on him when he got sick and refused to help and even tried to take over their small company. They even sold their debt to loan sharks recently.

    That girl didn''t know of this until only recently. She couldn''t believe that she was asked to sell out the person who she only recently started to befriend. That is why that girl hesitated a lot and stalled by not losing directly. She wanted to think of a way out but¡­

    I don''t know if you understand the world of adults even though you''re smart. Clearly, she was wrong to have done what she did but, she is but a normal child dragged into the circumstances of adults". Jirou clenched his fists. He was frustrated that such a thing happened.

    "Is this a conversation that is supposed to motivate me for the tournament?" He was annoyed."You and your granddaughter have the same talent of always disrupting the way I do and handle things" of course he knew that Mahiru may have had her reasons but that didn''t matter to him at all.

    "The scale of this regional tournament isn''t enough to faze you. I even doubt that the nationals would make you go all out"

    "Well you may be right about that but I also do not have a reason to win this tournament. I can just settle for third place or something and mom would still be proud of me" Kazuya scoffed before he continued.

    "I don''t want to talk about this again nor do I want any advice on the way I handle my own business. You were not the one betrayed and you can''t even come close to guessing how I feel about it and that is a guarantee"

    "I heard your conversation. You said you died? Aren''t you exaggerating a bit?" Jirou indeed took the words he overheard earlier when he was dealing with Mahiru to heart.

    "Exaggerating? Have you ever died? Have you felt your blood flowing out of you and dripping inside and outside your own body? Has your chest experienced that burning feeling right before you feel your own heart stop?" he tried keeping his cool so that he wouldn''t attract too much attention but he could only control the volume of his voice.

    "I¡­" Jirou had a thought. He assumed that he was revived with a defibrillator while being half conscious. Kyouko never told him the details of when Kazuya was rushed to the hospital nor did he think it was appropriate to ask.

    "All of that because I trusted the wrong person. She might not have wanted to do it and had the reasons you said but what about me? Do I not have a reason for doing what I did? Would you be pestering me like this if their plan were successful and I was in a hospital bed?

    I can empathize with her and understand why she did what she did but was that her only choice? If she really did want to become friends with me then what did she think would have happened after? Deceive me while playing the part of a fellow victim? Could she have not warned me of the plot so I or we could have made preparations?

    I don''t care if she had her reasons or what they were. The fact remains that she cared more about her own circumstances rather than my wellbeing. Did you want to read the requester''s demands? He or she wanted me to be ''crippled''. Me being crippled over a mere debt? I could have just asked my mom to pay it off.

    Now you''re asking me to be lenient. Have I already not been? Did she end up with any injury aside from the needed dislocated shoulder? You say she''s still young. If I let her get away with it without consequences, what would happen if she is put in a similar situation when she grows up?"

    "¡­" Jirou couldn''t say a thing. He would always avoid arguing with this kid and this was the reason why. Being a lot older than him made it harder to accept that he was the one who didn''t think about it enough. He had indeed pitied Mahiru because of her remorse towards what happened with the kid but after hearing him out, he really didn''t seem that unreasonable now.

    "I''m almost up so I''ll be heading off now grandpa Jirou. I''ll ask you a question before I go. What would you do if a person was holding a gun to the robot girl''s head and told you to shoot me to save her? I''ll be waiting for your answer" Even after being left with nothing else to say, Jirou was still given a conundrum. Both he and Kazuya knew the answer to this if the answer was needed instantly but neither wanted to speak about it.

    Kazuya had gone pretty unchallenged. He was able to continue his flawless streak with very little effort. It was then that he started to wonder about what he learned about earlier. He could have still trained his body and maintained the profile of his original self if he had picked to join the basketball team instead. The best part about it was that he could have avoided dealing with the Shiroyuki duo and all the troubles that he encountered after joining the kendo club.

    "Kouzuki¡­" it was the boy who mocked him from his old school. They were unexpectedly placed in the same group.

    "So, it''s you. You should have no problems dealing with me since I can''t get good in kendo in a month, right?" Kazuya laughed and walked to his position.

    "I''ll make you a deal Kouzuki" he whispered. "Let me have this one and I promise I won''t tell Tennouji-san where you are and what you''ve been doing. We never met okay?" a confident smile could be seen on his face. He seemed to have quite the confidence in using this person to coerce Kazuya.

    "I don''t know who that is nor do I care" he was already in a bad mood because of Jirou''s meddling. He wanted to finish this match quickly to let the tournament proceed.

    "I forgot that you lost your memories¡­ Her name is Tennouji Maron-san. She is Stockton-san''s cousin and our basketball team''s ace" he tried to explain. Although Stockton Kurimi''s name was mentioned, Kazuya still didn''t care.

    "Stop wasting your breath and get to your position" Kazuya made sure to reciprocate the threat he had received. It wasn''t as eye catching as the robot girl''s match but every hit made him squirm.

    "You better not regret this Kouzuki. Tennouji-san has been looking for you for a while" He said before holding his arm and walking away.

    "(Does that person have a grudge against me? Is she the one who sent those people?)" Kazuya wondered. If she had any relation to that weird girl then he thought that the person might also be one of the weird ones.

    .

    At the Sacred Forest Academy, there was an announcement broadcasted throughout the academy.

    [We have just gotten word that today''s elementary school kendo tournament team championship has been won by our very own Saint Forest Academy Team. Furthermore, the individual tournament final four have just been announced. To those unfamiliar with the system, these four will attend the national tournament. Two of students from our school have made it to the final four. From second grade class 2-B, Shiroyuki Tomoyo and from the same class, Kouzuki Kazuya.

    We will be announcing the results after we receive the news. Please help us wish our young schoolmates good fortune so they may make us proud]

    "Looks like that young man is living up to his word" The elementary school department head smiled in his office after hearing the announcement. He had looked at Kazuya''s files before and knew that he was a member of an athletic club but didn''t expect him to be able to make an impact this soon.

    "Looks like it was a wise decision to put him in an athletic class, director" Ono sucked up. He felt a little regret since it would have been a great achievement he could have bragged about if Kazuya had won the regionals and topped the exams while being in his class.

    A similar announcement had been made last year but only Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s name was mentioned. Unfortunately, she was not able to win the championship but no one could blame her because she already achieved an amazing feat while being a first grader.

    "Damnit!" Lee shouted as he broke the mirror inside the boy''s bathroom. He took out his phone and dialed a number. "THAT GIRL WAS USELESS! FIRE HER PARENTS" he routed in rage.

    "But young master, that would¡­"

    "I DON''T CARE HOW YOU DO IT. IT''S EITHER THEM OR YOU! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" he stomped on the mirror shards on the ground.

    "Y-yes!" the manager replied as the phone call was cut.

    "You must have made good use with the connections you''ve gotten with the Shiroyukis to worm your way into the tournament but you''re still a bug to me Kazuya!" he broke the rest of the mirrors before leaving the boy''s bathroom wearing his fake expression.

    "Looks like I''ve gotten quite the scoop yeah?" a figure cautiously made sure that no one was around before stepping out. It was surprisingly a girl who was hiding in one of the cubicles and had been spying on Lee the whole time.

    "I wonder what that young master of mine will do to get ahold of this?" She played back the video she took on her phone of Lee''s rage episode. She giggled before carefully exiting the boy''s bathroom to return to her class.

    .

    Back at the tournament venue, the final four of the tournament have been decided. Group A''s Shiroyuki Tomoyo, Group B''s Kuronuma Ayame, Group C''s Kouzuki Kazuya and Group D''s Akabane Nanami. Nishida almost made it to the top four but he was eliminated by the seeded Akabane Nanami in D group''s last match.

    To determine the rankings, the four of them were going to have to face each other round robin style. The person with the most wins would be ranked first and so on. The first match of the rankings made all those who kept track fall silent in anticipation. The current champion Kuronuma Ayame, whose team was unexpectedly relegated to second place versus the person who had the most potential to beat her and a core part of the team that sent them down, Shiroyuki Tomoyo.

    "Hey robot girl" Tomoyo''s steps stopped. This was the first time Kazuya had called her out today.

    "¡­" she turned around but remained quiet. Contrary to her silence, her eyes held a bit of expectation.

    "Show me that I didn''t waste the time I spent paying attention to you" his mood was able to improve a bit after venting it out on his former school-mate who now wore a cast after ''slipping'' multiple times during their duel.

    *nod* a sharp glint could be seen in her eyes. She turned around and entered the dueling area.

    "Wasn''t that putting more pressure on her Kouzuki?" Miyamoto asked. He was able to finish matters and stood beside the two members who made it into the finals.

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    "That''s the only way to get through to that robot. More importantly, did things go well on your end sensei?" He glanced towards the stands and could see Kyouko waving at him beside Mei.

    "Everything went smoothly. Your mother was really a lifesaver. With her help, Ainu''s family was relieved" he noticed Kazuya''s gaze in the stands and changed the topic "Your elder sister must be happy that you''ve made it this far"

    "Haven''t you read my file sensei? I''m an only child. See the ring on her finger? That''s my future bride" Kazuya smiled. He knew that Miyamoto was attracted to Mei. He wanted to save him the trouble of being mercilessly exposed to her cold rejection since he was nice enough to share his knowledge.

    Ayame entered the duel area as well. She frowned as Kazuya had kept ignoring her this whole time. He disappeared during the long intermission after the team matches so she couldn''t get ahold of him.

    "(He definitely understood and heard me. He even replied! Why isn''t he curious about it?)" She was already in position and noticed the opponent in front of her. "(Is it because of this little girl? Grandfather already told me about it and he really had been a fool)"

    "¡­" Tomoyo noticed Ayame''s gaze and met her eyes without hesitation. She was no longer the same person that cowered under that strange pressure.

    "Shiroyuki Tomoyo. You and your grandfather were lucky but Kouzuki Kazuya and I share a connection that you will never have" Ayame said as the referee took his position.

    "He¡­ is¡­ mine" Tomoyo replied with a voice that was barely audible that only Ayame could hear.

    "BEGIN!" Their fight had officially begun.

    .

 33 The Robot Girls Program 1.2

    .

    Despite the signal to begin, both girls did not move a single step. Their last match too started as such. An invisible pressure began to grow from Ayame''s side. This was the same pressure that made her unable to perform properly in their last bout.

    "(This girl¡­ she''s different from last time)" Ayame felt something. Her enemies would usually have a reaction whenever she was serious in a match.

    Ayame inched closer. She sensed something amiss. This was the Shiroyuki dojo''s successor so she wanted to be careful. Tomoyo watched intently whilst under the pressure Ayame was involuntarily releasing. She was thankful towards Kazuya for showing her how to deal with it.

    Ever since the incident with her parents, Tomoyo had started to fear and distrust everyone around her. The grandparents that took her in were the only ones she relied on. Jirou was especially nice to her so her interest in Kendo started because she could see her father''s image whenever she watched Jirou practice.

    Of course, she was praised a lot for wanting to learn and practice kendo. She was even called a genius by everyone and had no one near her age beat her at the dojo. It was because of this that her grandfather told her to join the kendo club in Sacred Forest Academy so that she could pit her skills against people outside their dojo.

    Tomoyo was initially afraid of the challenge after being doted upon by her grandparents. She joined the last tournament of her first grade and found that it was more or less the same as with students in the dojo. The only difference was that there was no unnecessary banter or praising. She actually preferred this over the praises she received in the dojo.

    It was then that she met Kuronuma Ayame. A girl that looked at her the same way she looked at people. She first appeared in last year''s tournament and is the defending champion. Tomoyo, being a first grader gained everyone''s attention but this girl saw her as just another stepping stone.

    Ayame had the right to do so as Tomoyo lost without putting up much of a fight. This was the first time she had lost so badly and she didn''t even know what it was about Ayame that made her feel fear. This bewilderment lasted for a while and caused her to lose focus as she lost to Akabane Nanami as well which placed her in third place.

    People had consoled her for the loss and even praised her for getting ranked third in the tournament. This made Tomoyo believe that her loss was just a matter of fact and had been inevitable. Reasons like "they were older or they were bigger" and similar other reasons made her believe that she could not have won anyway. This only lasted of course, when a strange boy walked into their elite class'' dojo accompanied by his mother and her grandfather.

    At first, Tomoyo did not really pay attention to this person nor was she interested. The only stranger she was curious about is about a child that was supposed to be the grandson of Jirou''s very close friend. Her opinion changed only moments after he was introduced as the same person who she had been curious about followed immediately by a shocking statement. The boy had challenged her beloved grandfather without a hint of hesitation.

    This agitated her because this bold boy was her age and immediately ignored the hierarchy she had been led to believe. She refused to allow him to have his way and immediately stepped forward to show him how things were.

    The boy reciprocated her good intentions by ignoring her. He even went as far as belittling her abilities and overestimating his own. Tomoyo, who had been praised by everyone was now being looked down upon by someone her own age. This the very first time someone did so and the pride she never had she knew compelled her to teach him a lesson.

    She didn''t quite understand how this boy thought. He himself said that he didn''t stand much of a chance against her grandfather but he still insisted on dueling with him. He even admitted that he knew nothing much about kendo but still stood confidently while ignoring her. She wanted to see what this boy was capable of but did not notice that this was the first time she actually wanted to directly challenge someone.

    Her persistence finally paid off as the boy accepted her challenge albeit reluctantly. He had expressed that he did not want to hurt her more than once but she only realized it to be true after experiencing his skills for herself.

    Tomoyo had been utterly defeated. Defeated by a boy who she found out later was even younger than her. Her defeat was unlike the one she had suffered before where she didn''t understand what was happening. He did so convincingly and without even showing the slightest bit of effort. Her thoughts were in disarray even though her expression didn''t really give it away.

    She had been reminded by her grandfather of his identity. Jirou would usually tell her stories and a lot of them involved tales with his old friends. Kouzuki Kou was one of them and probably the most significant one. He had told her about the unreliable person but reliable friend of his. One story in particular was told to her multiple times because it had involved her in a way.

    In a gathering of all friends, Jirou''s old friend Kou, talked about his grandson being born. He was proud to have a grandson because most of them had granddaughters. He promoted his grandson and wanted to make sure that he grows up with ties to the Kouzuki family''s most trusted friends.

    As reliable as Kouzuki Kou was as a friend, he was considered somewhat of an enigma even amongst his peers so they all tried to get each other take up his offer only for it to end up in a game which Jirou had lost.

    Jirou of course didn''t want to accept his loss just like that so he put up several conditions to give his granddaughter a way out. A few of them which is that Tomoyo had to like him and since the Shiroyuki household is known for their kendo skills then he had to possess talent in the field. Kou and everyone of course did not find this unreasonable and thus a betrothal was agreed upon.

    Being a six-year-old, Tomoyo had looked at this like a child would. She had never met this person and often wondered what kind of person he would be. She wouldn''t have cared if he had not been good at kendo because even she got good by simply practicing. Her expectation to meet this person grew since she heard all about her grandfather''s most trusted friend and hoped she would be able to share a similar relationship. In short, she wanted a friend she could rely on.

    Kazuya was not aware of her thoughts of course. If he did, he wouldn''t have hated the older version of this girl so much in his previous life. Without the memories of his own family and their relations, he was not able to even think of this conclusion nor did he make a connection when he viewed his previous life''s memories countless of times. His inability to understand her and Tomoyo''s own persistence paid off in the end as Kazuya decided that he would change this girl and prevent her from turning into the version of her that he hated.

    Both Tomoyo and Jirou then heard what he had experienced. She herself had a similar experience but in her thoughts, he had to endure for a long time that even caused him to lose his own memories. She envied that part, she wanted to forget what she had experienced but she immediately changed her mind when she heard that he was not able to remember his own mother.

    She felt pity for him. He may be strong enough to have defeated her but she didn''t want to lose the memories of her late parents and her grandparents. She felt that they were the similar in a way and wanted to get close to him. Tomoyo didn''t realize it but the seemingly emotionless girl empathized with Kazuya.

    The thing she admired most about Kouzuki Kou in her grandfather''s stories was that he didn''t give up on his friends despite anything they experienced. He would never leave or even betray a person who he considered as a friend even though he himself would suffer losses. Tomoyo wanted to be like him so she decided to ignore Kazuya''s rejection and show her sincerity in wanting to be friends with him. It did take a lot of effort and patience but she was successful in making him not ignore her anymore.

    She was not disappointed. Not only did Kazuya give her motivation, he even spared his time to help her get stronger. She had finally found a friend of her own and was very protective of him. Tomoyo now primarily sought strength both to spend more time with him and also have the strength to protect him if there came a time that it was needed.

    She was now up against the first person in their generation that defeated her. Initially, she looked forward to facing this person to see how much see had grown together with Kazuya''s help. He was able to accurately identify her problems to wash off the shame she encountered last time. But now it was different. This person whose name she now chose to remember declared that she wanted to take Kazuya away from her. This of course was unacceptable to Tomoyo.

    She took one step forward and Ayame''s pressure was immediately blown away by an even larger force that burst forth from Tomoyo. She thrust her bamboo sword forward as the sudden gush of pressure dulled Ayame''s senses. She refused to hand him over, not to her, not to anyone.

    Ayame was shocked. She was able to see the thrust coming but could only tilt herself backwards hoping to dodge the strike. Thanks to her quick reflexes, she was able to avoid the strike. Before her eyes, the body of Tomoyo''s bamboo sword appeared in a flash.

    "Point Shiroyuki!" The referee raised the white flag in favor of Tomoyo.

    The instant call confused Ayame. As the sword in front of her get retracted, she shuddered. Her vision was clear. She used one hand to touch her helmet but toughed her own head instead. She turned to find her headgear got thrown back a few ways behind her.

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    "(A precise strike with the help of her own aura. Looks like this robot girl''s senses are much better than I thought. Her style is becoming similar to what mine used to be)" Kazuya gave a nod of approval towards the robot girl who was looking at him.

    The audience was stunned. Not only had Tomoyo taken a point but she had done so in an unbelievable way. All of them wondered what would have happened if Ayame hadn''t been able to dodge that devastating strike. A few of them were already a witness to the strength Tomoyo showed in the first match of the team tournament and weren''t convinced. Now they did not doubt it, she had grown monstrously since her last appearance.

    A tactical timeout was called and the judges went into discussion while giving Ayame time to retrieve and wear her gear. She looked at the mark left by Tomoyo''s bamboo sword and frowned. This was not something she could take lightly anymore.

    "(And that sudden pressure¡­)" She tried sensing it again but could feel nothing. She looked at her opponent only to find her looking at Kazuya who gave her a nod of approval. (It was you? Did you teach her how to use that pressure?)" Tomoyo had turned to look at the judges so she missed Kazuya''s glance turning towards Ayame for a second before giving another one of his nods.

    Ayame of course didn''t miss that and grew even more confused. Did he really hear the thoughts she wanted to transmit this time?

    "Contestant Shiroyuki, please refrain from using tsuki again. Although we do not usually prohibit it normally, your strike''s strength is currently above the level of this competition." the surprising call immediately made the audience discuss this with themselves.

    Even the judges agreed that she was now on a level that surpassed this competition. "for fairness, this applies to you too contestant Kuronuma"

    *nod* Tomoyo gave a nod of approval and went back to position. Ayame wore her gear and did so as well.

    Both of them stood still once more after the duel had begun. Ayame was now taking this match seriously. She focused more on her senses and unconsciously emitted a stronger presence. Tomoyo felt the pressure but calmed herself as she had been trained by Kazuya to get used to even a heavier type of pressure.

    Of course, this wasn''t the only thing Ayame was capable of. Kazuya knew this, the involuntary release of pressure is due to one''s intense concentration. Ayame''s earlier dodge proved that she was a capable competitor. She carefully closed in on Tomoyo who still remain rooted to her spot.

    Ayame raised her sword upwards slowly and Tomoyo was immediately alerted. Her muscles contracted and prepared to parry as soon as the Ayame''s arm moved for a swing towards her head. She had decided to give a quick counterattack after Ayame''s attack.

    *BAM*

    "Point Kuronuma!"

    The crisp sound echoed through the stadium. Ayame''s strike did not strike at Tomoyo''s head but rather her arm. She had successfully taken back the point that she lost. The game was now tied 1-1.

    .

 34 A Robots Desire

    .

    "This girl wasn''t the Champion for show. She has incredible reflexes" Kazuya commented.

    "Yeah she used Shiroyuki''s excellent observation skills and executed a marvelous feint" Miyamoto added.

    "Not only that, because of her size, her opponent has the advantage in reach. (What are you going to do now robot girl?)" Kazuya didn''t know. He could understand this girl sometimes but her thoughts were still a mystery no matter how much he spent time with her.

    Tomoyo glanced at her arm. She hardly felt a thing through her guard but it had made a convincing sound similar to the one that Kazuya had used before.

    "¡­" determination filled her eyes. Both girls looked at each other not intending to back down.

    "BEGIN!"

    This time, both had stepped out immediately. An intense fight of reflexes begun. Left, right, top, a flurry of their bamboo swords'' clashing noises echoed through the arena. The first match is truly suitable to pick this year''s champion. Only one mistake would change the difference between winner and loser. The two continued their furious clashes without caring for their remaining stamina. This duel had just been the two of them.

    Ayame stepped back. She was surprised at the little girl in front of her. Tomoyo''s strength surpassed hers. That didn''t get her down however as she still had the slight advantage in agility. She took the previous stance which gained her a point and immediately struck before Tomoyo could have the time to think if it was another feint.

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    Tomoyo of course was cautious since this was the strike that made her lose a point. She immediately raised both her hands to avoid a possible feint and to prepare to meet her strike. Time seemed to have slowed down for the both of them. Both of them instinctively knew that this would be the final strike.

    "!! (These two actually achieved initial ignition at the same time¡­)" Kazuya was shocked. He knew that Tomoyo was a talent but he never knew that she would be able to achieve this already.

    She was younger and her opponent had trained longer. Ayame even vaguely made sense of mana so it wasn''t much of a surprise for her to achieve this.

    "(Is it because of what happened to you in the past?)" He wondered as he had no idea why the robot girl sought strength.

    Kazuya smiled. If he could teach her how to freely use it, there would be no need to look far if he wanted to have a suitable sparring partner to compete with while utilizing mana. He knew that with how hardworking and stubborn the robot girl was, it wouldn''t take her that long to make him break a sweat.

    She was able to complete the strike he asked her to complete the moment he came back to school after his absence. He thought that it would take her at least a month but she proved her talent and determination. This made him change his method of teaching her how to handle pressure. Instead of slowly doing it, he chose a rougher approach.

    Pressure was one thing but bloodlust was another. He still hadn''t completely let go of the grudge he had with the version of Tomoyo in his previous life so he made use of it on this version. Tomoyo had fainted multiple times at first but as she woke up finding that nothing happened to her, the trust she had in Kazuya grew.

    She indeed feared this version of Kazuya and never wanted to experience it for real. He was really scary when he was angry but she knew that she wouldn''t be worthy of standing beside him if she failed his expectations. Kazuya had finally paid attention to her and she was happy to have received his praise when she completed the first task he asked of her. Above anything else, she wanted Kazuya to praise her for her efforts.

    Kazuya would shift between the normal pressure and follow it up with bloodlust so she would be able to tell the difference. This girl was extremely sensitive to how people felt so it did not take much explaining for her to know the difference. She wasn''t stupid, she knew that he was teaching her the difference so that she could tell if people were being sincere or harbored ill intentions.

    It took a few days but she was finally able to move despite the heavy pressure she felt. Her trust in Kazuya made her ignore the hesitation of her mind and finally overcame his test. He praised her efforts and even remembered the promise he made to give her a gift but since she progressed earlier than he expected, he still hadn''t prepared it.

    Kazuya didn''t really think much of it but Tomoyo''s mind would go blank whenever he patted her head. She was attached to that feeling and wanted him to praise and pat her more. This is why she was determined not to disappoint him in whatever he asked of her.

    Ayame and Tomoyo were now standing at where the other started their strike. With back against each other, neither looked up right away. Both competitors'' eyes were on their own hands. Both of their bamboo swords were broken. Ayame''s sword was in pieces while Tomoyo''s was snapped in the middle.

    Tomoyo gripped the handle of her broken bamboo sword hard. She didn''t want to lose. She didn''t want to not receive his praise after he had called out to her today. Tomoyo raised her head and turned towards the judges. She wanted to know the verdict.

    Two judges raised both red and white flags while the referee in the middle raised a white flag.

    "Point Shiroyuki!" He declared as he gestured a hand strike to the two judges. The audience looked up at the big screen for a replay on the last strike.

    The screen played the scene where Ayame''s sword clashed with Tomoyo''s. Ayame''s sword started to break the moment their swords touched. Tomoyo''s lasted until it was near the handle before it snapped. The other half of her sword bent and was able to cleanly hit Ayame''s arm guard. That was not all, Tomoyo also successfully hit Ayame''s side using her broken sword as she passed through. She had been shorter so she used the advantage and momentum to land an even more convincing blow.

    Tomoyo had gained the first victory. She only needed two more to be crowned the new champion while Ayame would be stuck in second if Tomoyo won all of her matches. This unexpected change riled up the audience as cheers erupted from the crowd. She took off her helmet and proudly walked towards Kazuya and gave him an expecting look.

    "Good work. Looks like there is some value in keeping you around" Kazuya patted her head and used his own mana to let her recover. Her stamina should be drained after unconsciously activating her potential so he helped her out.

    *n..od* this was what she was looking for. She longed for this warm feeling. Not even Jirou made her feel this way whenever she would pat her head.

    "Looks like Kazuya and Tomoyo-chan have become good friends" Kyouko smiled while watching the two children. She glanced at the unusually quiet Mei and was surprised that there was no reaction coming from her.

    "What? Did you think I would freak out or something?" Mei smugly smiled. Indeed, she would have reacted as such if she hadn''t talked to Kazuya about that girl. "That girl deserves praise. It was a great match".

    She wasn''t the only one who thought so. Everyone had applauded the second grader who had successfully started a rivalry with the seemingly invincible Kuronuma Ayame. Now both of them had one win and one loss against each other. Everyone was looking forward to the national tournament should these two meet each other there.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya and Akabane Nanami to the stage!" the referee announced. Kazuya was surprised to see a familiar face. They had already met in the team matches, he didn''t pay attention to her name but this rough looking girl had lost to him already.

    "We meet again pretty lady" he casually greeted her.

    "Y-you won''t be able to distract me this time!" she stuttered.

    "Distract? Please forgive me, I had no such intentions. I will keep my mouth shut from now on" Kazuya bowed to apologize.

    "d-don''t! Err¡­ I mean¡­ we can talk after the match. I have something to ask you" she fidgeted. She was warned that he was only distracting her earlier to get a win but after he apologized and promised not to talk to her anymore, she quickly took it back.

    "As you wish" Kazuya got in position.

    This was their second match already and everyone was still hung up on Tomoyo and Ayame''s amazing match. Kazuya was basically an unknown contender who in their opinion was lucky enough to make it to the final four after beating last tournament''s seeded 4th place.

    "This is going to be boring. Looks like that little boy''s luck has run out"

    "Yeah. I heard some guy from the other team say that he threatened them"

    Some of the audience''s words reached the members of Sacred Forest. They were displeased by this and knew it was the work of those scum from Kazuya''s previous school.

    "I dare you to say that again" Mei stood up and gave them a chilling look. "My Kazu''s luck ran out? Are all of you thinking this blind? No contender he''s faced has even landed a solid hit. Bunch of sore losers spreading rumors" They were stunned. No one dared talk back to her they wondered if what they said was true so those who heard, turned towards those who recorded the previous matches.

    "What that lady said is true¡­ it was strange. No one has ever landed a hit on that boy before and he made it look easy doing it" One of them said. All the others who paid attention also mentioned something similar so interest in the current matched had been sparked.

    Those who didn''t pay attention immediately turned towards the dueling area to find out if this was true.

    "Winner Kouzuki!" the referee declared. Those people quickly turned to the people already on the move to watch the replay. The match ended quickly and like earlier, Akabane had failed to score a single point.

    The four were given a short 10-minute break. Kazuya used that time to help the robot girl recover more of her strength. Her next match would be against Akabane and although she was not as good as Ayame, she was still a qualified contestant.

    "Next contestants Kuronuma Ayame and Kouzuki Kazuya get ready!" The judge announced.

    Apart from everyone else, the group from the Sacred Forest Academy was waiting for this matchup the most. They had confidence that Kazuya would have no problems but still wanted to see how he would deal with Kuronuma Ayame.

    Those who have seen the replays of his fights also paid close attention. This person had breezed through the tournament without any problems and they didn''t even notice. Even Tomoyo had to block with her sword every now and then but Kazuya just scored points almost instantly. They all wondered if he could do the same thing with last year''s champion.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya¡­ I won''t let you deny the connection. I heard your reply in my mind so you heard me in yours" she looked at him with determined eyes. She trusted in herself and what happened earlier. She believed that no matter how he denied it, she wouldn''t imagine him replying to her just by herself.

    "Connection? (This girl may look mature but she''s a bit na?ve)" he knew that this girl was referring to the whisper skill.

    "You will not be able to ruin my concentration like you did with Akabane" Ayame raised her stance and got in position.

    "I think you have misunderstood me. I have no need for such tricks. As to whether the ''connection'' you speak of exists or not. I don''t really have much interest" Kazuya casually raised his sword with his left hand.

    "BEGIN!"

    Ayame wasted no time to dash for a strike. Kazuya was aware of how fast she was so he quickly dodged. He actually grew a little interested in what this girl can do since she did unconsciously activate her hidden talent. He wanted to make sure that her current physical state was enough to control it.

    It was at this point that Ayame had a thought. Kazuya had refused to acknowledge the connection they shared earlier. Now that he was paying attention and couldn''t afford to ignore her, it was the perfect time to test it.

    "[Slash to the left]" a voice sounded in Kazuya''s mind.

    "(This girl¡­ unconsciously telegraphing her moves?)" He grinned. He had to admit that she had multiple talents but without controlling them properly would do more harm to her than good.

    "[Strike to the body]" Kazuya evaded another strike flawlessly. This left the audience speechless. The match was fast paced enough as it was yet the contender they hardly paid any attention to until now was making it look like he was strolling around the park.

    "(Looks like her breathing changed)" noticing Ayame''s stamina dwindling, he decided to make a move.

    "[Strike to the right!]" Kazuya heard this and immediately dodged left to prepare for a counterattack.

    BAM!

    "Point Kuronuma!" the referee shouted.

    "(I was tricked¡­?)" Kazuya gave a wry smile and scratched his head. He had to give Ayame some credit for pulling one over him. This made his fighting spirit rise up a little.

    "You won''t be able to deny it now right?" Ayame tried to regain her breath as a triumphant smile beamed towards him. She felt accomplished but that suddenly changed when the atmosphere around Kazuya changed.

    "Congratulations, you have made me consider you a little seriously"

    .

 35 Naive Girl

    .

    Ayame felt a heavy presence pressing down on her. Her hand started trembling. She held her sword with two hands and tried to shake of the heavy feeling by releasing her own presence. It helped suppress the trembling but she could still feel the pressure closing in on her as both of them got in position.

    The audience didn''t know what to think. From their perspective, it looked like an obvious mistake when Kazuya dodged too early and lost a point. From his amazing performance, something felt off but they couldn''t quite figure it out. They wondered what he was going to do now that his perfect streak had been broken by non-other than the previous champion.

    "BEGIN!"

    "[Overhead slash!]" Ayame wasted no time and attacked. Kazuya on the other hand remained still.

    "[Playtime is over]" a voice spoke up in Ayame''s head, the shock caused her attack a second delay which Kazuya didn''t fail to take advantage of. With a light step forward, he used the sword in one hand and hit Ayame''s hand. The strength of his blow made the bamboo sword in her hands fly out of the dueling area causing a stir.

    "P-point Kouzuki!" The referee stuttered. Ayame''s bamboo sword flew in his direction but he evaded.

    "Y-you just¡­" Ayame was flabbergasted. It wasn''t because of what happened to her sword but to the direct message in her mind.

    "[I just confirmed your suspicions. What about it?]" he shrugged "[I can even teach it to the robot girl. It''s a basic skill and that''s all there is to it]" He turned around and went back to position. Ignoring the stunned Ayame, he waited for the next round to begin.

    "Go Kazu!" Mei cheered. Kazuya looked over after hearing her. "Stop playing around and finish it so we can go home!" he gave her a nod and faced Ayame who got her sword back.

    "You heard her. The test is over hmm¡­" he stopped to think. "I think I''ll call you na?ve girl" hearing him, Ayame had mixed feelings. She was glad that she had been acknowledged since she knew that Tomoyo was called ''robot girl'' by him but being called ''na?ve'' by someone younger than her felt like an insult.

    "You sure are confident" Ayame still thought it was fair game. He might have scored a point after he caught her of guard like she did to get a point.

    "Unless you reach the same state you were in with the fight with the robot girl, you won''t be of much use to me as a sparring partner. Do you remember feeling everything move slower?" his words made Ayame shiver.

    "!!" As if he had read her thoughts, he bluntly told her about the experience she had, this was why she wasn''t disappointed after losing to Tomoyo. She felt like she had found a breakthrough after that bout.

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    "If it wasn''t for her reaching the same state, the robot girl would have slowed down too. That is only the initial stage of both your potentials though" Kazuya looked at the referee and waited for the signal. Ayame knew that she wouldn''t get anymore out of him so she got in position.

    "BEGIN!"

    This time Ayame stood still. She knew that Kazuya would try to finish this so she chose this method to make use of all her abilities. With her reflexes, she was going for a counterattack. The disadvantage of Kazuya''s one handed style was the side left open when he attacked. That was her target.

    "Not a bad plan" Kazuya lightly stepped forward to initiate an attack. He couldn''t help but admire this na?ve girl''s clever tactics and focus.

    Due to her intense concentration, Ayame felt something warm inside her gushing forth. Time had once again looked like it was slowing down. She could clearly see the light step that her opponent used to approach. With the sword on Kazuya''s right hand, Ayame immediately took advantage of the situation and targeted his unguarded left.

    "[Impressive. You actually returned to this state]" A voice sounded in her head.

    The slow-moving Kazuya didn''t move slow in her vision anymore. He immediately sped up and met with Ayame who had begun her counterattack. A strong force to her bamboo sword threw her off her stance. She immediately looked at the supposedly unguarded side of her opponent. Her eyes couldn''t help but open in surprise to find Kazuya''s sword was now in his left hand.

    "(This power on a non-dominant hand?)" she thought as she jumped backwards to regain her stance.

    "[I forgot to inform you. I''m ambidextrous]" Kazuya''s voice appeared on her mind together with a light chuckle.He immediately gave chase and Ayame couldn''t help but defend. His continuous flurry of strikes gave her no chance to counterattack as he kept switching the sword between both hands at unpredictable times.

    All those who were watching couldn''t help but rub their eyes or pinch themselves. Ayame who had an epic duel against Shiroyuki Tomoyo was getting pushed back like this. Even Jirou and Miyamoto had never seen this style of fighting before. They knew that Kazuya followed a non-traditional style but this was just out of their expectations.

    Tomoyo watched every moment of the battle. She felt a little envious. Kazuya had never showed or used this style against her. She felt that this was his original way of fighting and felt inferior to Ayame for not being able to go against it.

    Ayame who kept getting pushed back waited for an opportunity for a counter-attack. She was hoping for his stamina to deplete. She only needed one opportunity and it came not long after. Kazuya''s flurry of strikes suddenly stopped. She gripped her sword tight and repositioned herself to strike back.

    "Point Kouzuki!" The referee''s declaration stopped Ayame''s thoughts as she turned towards the referee. She followed the referee''s vision which were under her feet. That was when she realized that she had already gone out of the dueling area. She had been pushed back this far and instantly lost the match.

    "I¡­" she looked towards Kazuya who had already removed his headgear. She didn''t know what to say but was surprised to see a smile on his face.

    "Thanks. That was a good spar. I finally got to break out a sweat" he was in a good mood. He held out his hand to shake hers.

    "A spar huh¡­" Ayame took off her own headgear along with the cloth to let down her hair. She glanced towards the stands and found the person who Kazuya looked at earlier. She extended her hand to shake Kazuya''s hand but immediately pulled him towards her.

    The whole arena froze. Mei and Kyouko stood up in shock as Ayame pressed her lips on Kazuya''s forehead. She looked at Mei as if challenging her before letting him go.

    "You¡­" Kazuya was a bit dazed as he touched his forehead.

    "Salty¡­ I was the one who made you break a sweat so can''t I have a taste?" She stuck out her tongue. "Your reward for winning. Congratulations" she giggled and left to recover. She had used far too much of her remaining stamina on that match. With two losses, she could only settle for third place because of those two little monsters.

    Kazuya could only sigh as he headed back towards his own corner. He didn''t look at the audience stands this time because a chilling cold was emanating from where Mei was sitting. He knew that Mei was upset so he chose to deal with it later.

    Tomoyo rushed up to him and immediately used her handkerchief to wipe his forehead. She made sure that it was spotless before letting him go. Miyamoto laughed wryly and gave two thumbs up towards his troubled student.

    Seeing that her actions did the desired effect, Ayame closed her eyes and focused on recovery. Tomoyo and Akabane were called to the dueling area not too long afterwards to start their duel.

    The match between Ayame and Kazuya had changed how everyone looked at him. Most of the spectators thought that the early match between Tomoyo and Ayame had been the highlight of the tournament. They did not expect the sudden appearance of this underdog to shake what seemed to be an expected outcome.

    The question on everyone''s mind was; ''will Shiroyuki and Kouzuki truly fight?'' They were teammates and from the looks of it, were good friends. It was already startling that a young monster appeared from Sacred Forest Academy but now there were two of them. One even more mysterious than the other.

    "You jealous Mei?" Kyouko mocked her icy assistant.

    "No. Kazu already told me about that thieving cat. You saw it too didn''t you? She looked straight at me before she did that!" She held it in but Kyouko knew what this girl wanted to do.

    "Wasn''t it because you shouted for Kazuya to finish the match and beat her? Wait¡­ Kazuya told you about her!? When!?" She was surprised that her son actually talked about girls.

    "We can talk about that later. What''s important right now is that we find a way to protect Kazu from wenches like her" Mei knew it would take a while to explain so she dodged the topic.

    "Aren''t you being too paranoid?Besides, that girl is no stranger. She''s probably Kuronuma Oji-san''s granddaughter" Kyouko explained. She was no stranger to Kendo and could immediately tell from Ayame''s style which style she learned.

    "Another one of your father''s friends?" her eyebrows were raised after knowing this.

    "Yeah. I saw him earlier here today but didn''t get to say hi"

    "Good. Keep it that way. I don''t want Kazu to have any contact with that girl after this tournament" After what Kazuya informed her of, how could she let that girl get close to him?

    "You''re getting more overprotective than I am" Kyouko sighed. There was no arguing with this stubborn assistant of hers when she''s agitated like this so she just ignored her for now. She meant well but she was afraid that Kazuya would be under Mei''s thumb when he grows up at this rate.

    The scoreboards updated. Tomoyo had won without any problems. Both her and Kazuya were now the only ones who hadn''t fought. Both had two wins so whoever wins in their duel will take the championship. The two of them had already performed marvelously so Miyamoto was satisfied with the result.

    However, the audience including the referees, wanted to see these two go at it on stage. They wanted to see who among these two monsters would come out on top. The main judge approached Miyamoto to ask if they were still going to continue but he turned to the two.

    "I don''t mind if the robot girl wants to. She worked hard to get where she is so I can grant her the rematch she wants if she thinks she''s ready for it" his casual reply made the judge look towards the favorite to take the championship this year.

    *nod* After seeing his match with Ayame, she didn''t want to let this chance go. She had never gotten the chance to seriously spar with him after their first one.

    "Alright then. Please enter the dueling stage" the referee smiled and returned to his spot.

    The crowd erupted in cheers as the two entered together. Whoever won, they were now the king and queen of this year''s tournament. The cheers however suddenly stopped the moment Kazuya had taken a stance. Unlike all his other matches, he held his bamboo sword with both hands and had taken a regular stance just like everyone else.

    "This kid¡­" Jirou who had been silent all this time walked closer to the dueling area.

    "What''s the matter? Is something wrong?" Miyamoto asked. Kazuya indeed never took such a stance before but this was the normal stance so it would be weirder if he didn''t know about it.

    "It may look like the traditional stance but I and probably Tomoyo can see it. This kid who never participated in classes is planning on using our Shiroyuki style"

    Tomoyo was startled after seeing Kazuya take a stance. She was surprised after seeing the style he used against Ayame but he, who never took a class in their dojo suddenly intended to use her style against her. She didn''t know what he was up to and secretly glanced at his face.

    "!?" a cold chill could be felt on her back. The sharp look she was used to wasn''t there. His expression was blank and his eyes expressionless. She couldn''t see how he was feeling. "(Is this¡­ how I look like in front of others?)" she wondered. As the stoic expression on Kazuya''s face remained unchanged.

    Tomoyo took her own stance. The moment she did, a pressure heavier than he had ever let her go through attacked her. The expressionless eyes now had a glint of fighting spirit. She wasn''t the only one affected however, even Ayame who had been recovering at the side trembled at the presence. It felt similar to what Tomoyo had released in their match but this was on a whole new level.

    "BEGIN!"

    The instant the referee shouted, the intense pressure suddenly shifted. Tomoyo who was about to strike felt a force preventing her to move. She tried to take a step forward but her throat immediately felt resistance. She glanced down only to see that a bamboo sword had already struck her throat.

    "P-point Kouzuki!" the silence made the referee''s call echo through the arena. The first round ended too fast. Before anyone knew it, Tomoyo''s throat had already been struck by Kazuya.

    .

 36 Mirror Match

    .

    It had been too fast. All that who saw it couldn''t believe their eyes because the strike to Tomoyo''s throat was done with so much speed and control that even Tomoyo herself didn''t realize that she was hit until she felt it herself. One of the judges even wanted to see the footage just to make sure that Kazuya had not moved before the call to begin was given.

    "This cocky kid" Jirou snorted. "He''s trying to school my granddaughter"

    "School your granddaughter?" Miyamoto repeated his words confusedly into a question. He didn''t understand but Jirou had gained some insights on the situation.

    "He''s basically emulating Tomoyo''s moves but on a very different scale. He''s showing her how it should have been like. I really can''t believe that he''s Old Kou''s grandson¡­ what a little monster" he may have said it frustratingly but Miyamoto could see the impressed smile on Jirou''s face.

    "¡­" the move from before still left Tomoyo dumbfounded. She tried to remember what she just witnessed and slowed down ever detail in her mind. It had been really quick and compared to her previous strike, Kazuya had controlled it so that it wouldn''t be a fatal blow.

    "Contestant Kouzuki, about your tsuki strike¡­" The referee approached.

    "Are you prohibiting me from using it despite the control you''ve witnessed?" he was annoyed. There already has been enough interruptions.

    "Well we did ask contestant Shiroyuki to refrain from using it so it wouldn''t be fair if we didn''t restrict you as well" he tried to reason after sensing some hostility from the child.

    "Then let her use it" Kazuya refused to budge.

    "But your safety¡­"

    "I''m aware of the risks and take full responsibility. I want her to show her best capabilities in this match"

    "I see¡­ then please be careful" the referee sighed. There was indeed some danger especially when it came to Tomoyo''s strength and lack of control but since the contestants themselves didn''t heed the warning, they decided to keep watch and stop the match if there was any danger.

    "Did you hear that robot girl? Hold nothing back. Remember the state you were in earlier" he spoke before taking a deep breath and once again gave off a silent indifferent expression. He went back to position and waited for the next round to start.

    "BEGIN!"

    Both contenders stayed still. Tomoyo, who still couldn''t wrap her head around the situation tried to look under the mask only to see a stoic and expressionless gaze. It was then that she understood what he had been doing. She felt warmth in her chest after realizing that he had not just trained as she stubbornly hung around him. He had been watching her.

    Tomoyo knew that this was another lesson. The capabilities he showed were what she was supposed to have. She felt excited. She wanted to see what he would do next. Her desire to not let this end as quickly as possible ignited her potential once more as the pressure pressing down on her lightened as she eased up. Everything looked like it was when she was fighting with Ayame. She entered a state of concentration and had nothing else in her view but Kazuya.

    "(Looks like she got it)" Kazuya tried to hold back a smile as he noticed her slowly inching closer.

    *PANG* *PANG*

    Continuous simultaneous strikes. The two of them struck each other with the exact same strikes like a person fighting against a reflection. There were no indications of who was winning but their pace was increasing as they continued.

    Kazuya had not actually completely copied her style by heart but was only using his superior senses to match her moves. He was waiting for an opportunity while silently gauging her limits. His intention of taking charge of this girl were sincere so that she wouldn''t grow up to be the person he hated. He did not know that he had already changed Tomoyo''s future from the moment he stepped into the Shiroyuki dojo.

    The version of the robot girl he very much despised had grown up spoiled by her grandparents and had a distrust for people. She only had an interest in two people aside from her family and they were Kouzuki Kou and his grandson, Kouzuki Kazuya. She had grown up without a friend and was educated with the fantasy that Kou''s grandson would be the person entrusted to her by Kou.

    Of course, when she found him, the boy showed no talent for kendo. She wondered if it was because of his lost memories because it was said that he was quite the athlete before his accident. Tomoyo thought of training him before she presented him to his grandfather. Her lack of empathy didn''t let her think about how he would feel or think about her which was the cause of their misunderstanding.

    Kazuya did not know this. Nor did he know that the legend of this girl in the kendo scene only started when Kuronuma Ayame had moved on to middle school where she had been left uncontested. She eventually did beat Akabane Nanami but she was only second to Kuronuma until Ayame graduated.

    Needless to say, her feat of beating Ayame in her second grade greatly deviated from the life she led in Kazuya''s previous life. He did not know what kind of life he''d led before he actually arrived here but Kazuya did not care. He was moving so that the tragic future he and his loved ones will face shall never come to pass. Tomoyo''s change was one of them.

    "Those two are amazing" Mahiru appeared beside Miyamoto. She was already given medical attention as her arm was on a sling.

    "Are you fine now Sawada?" Miyamoto looked concerned. He couldn''t believe what had happened right under his nose but he was their coach and teacher. He couldn''t really blame or hate her for what she did.

    "I''ll be fine sensei. I also want to tell you that I''m resigning from the club. I''m sure you heard about what I did" She bowed apologetically and tried to hide the tears that were slowly forming in her eyes.

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    "Do you have to go that far? You''re on a scholarship and I''m sure Kouzuki will get over it in time. He''s not an unreasonable kid" Miyamoto didn''t want her to leave. He understood her circumstances and like Jirou, he felt pity towards her.

    "Do you really think so sensei?" Mahiru felt hesitant. She didn''t really want to quit the kendo club.

    "Leave him to me. You just worry about your situation" Miyamoto comforted.

    "Thank you, sensei. But I will resign from my position as captain. I''ve failed everyone and I''m not fit to lead them. I''m really sorry for what I did sensei. I betrayed everyone''s trust" Mahiru bowed even further as tears fell towards the ground.

    "Hold your head high Sawada. You''re still captain until the end of the day. Watch how your juniors leave everyone in awe so you can proudly say that you were once the captain of these two prodigies" Miyamoto patted her shoulder.

    The battle that had left everyone speechless was almost out of time. Some who were looking at the countdown clicked their tongues and wished the match should last longer. They hadn''t seen such an exciting match and it didn''t feel like they were watching an elementary school bout. The two competitors have not slowed down in the least and were still going at it.

    It was sudden but a change occurred in the match. The two who seemed like they were fighting against themselves were separated and were now doing different stances. All those who watched and were awed by Tomoyo''s performance knew the stance she took. It was the devastating tsuki strike she did earlier that blew Ayame''s headgear. They were at the edge of their seats the moment she took that stance and immediately went in for the kill.

    Those who knew kendo on the other hand found this scenario to be familiar. The same thing had happened between Ayame and Tomoyo''s match, the only difference was that Tomoyo''s style had been different. They were not mistaken but Tomoyo had other plans. She wanted to feint using tsuki but her real target was a strike to Kazuya''s arm.

    Tomoyo used all her remaining strength for this one strike. She was utterly satisfied. This was even better than winning the tournament. The match between the two of them felt like their very own world. Unfortunately, her stamina couldn''t keep up with the toll of activating her potential.

    *PANG*

    "As expected. Truly a brilliant performance. I hope you learn from this Tomoyo" Jirou commented as he looked at the unanimous flags raised by the judges.

    "Point Kouzuki!" it ended with both of them facing each other''s backs. Unlike the bout with Ayame, both swords were intact.

    A round of applause and cheers burst from the audience as they watched the replay of the brilliant ending shown on the screen. Tomoyo''s strike was precise and everyone thought that she was going for a tsuki to the throat but Kazuya''s immovable sword grazed hers and changed the trajectory magnificently as he attacked with a strike to the top of her head.

    Kazuya wasted no time and dropped his sword after the call was made. He turned around and grabbed the robot girl''s collar to prevent her from falling down. He pulled her up like a kitten and signaled Miyamoto to bring her some oxygen. She had really pushed herself to the limit.

    "You should treat my granddaughter better kid. She really gave it her all you merciless punk" Jirou carried Tomoyo off after saying his piece.

    "[You really know how to kick someone when they''re down]" A voice popped up in Kazuya''s head. He glanced towards Ayame who was frowning after witnessing their match.

    "[I did not take advantage of you. It should be ''adding salt to someone''s wound'' instead]" He took off his helmet and showed her a grin.

    "[You!! You won''t even let me have this!]" Ayame''s frown worsened.

    "[It''s not my fault you used the wrong expression. Besides, you also should have gained some insight from that match yes? I look forward to our district''s performance in the nationals]" He turned to walk away before halting his steps again to turn back at her. "[I''m also closing this connection so I wont be able to hear you. Goodbye na?ve girl]"

    "[Wait I¡ª]" Kazuya didn''t listen anymore and continued on his way. That was his last match and would only wait for the awards ceremony after the respective rankings have been finalized.

    Kazuya decided not to stop over by Tomoyo''s side. He saw Mahiru and didn''t want to have anything to do with her so he headed straight for the locker rooms for a shower. He changed into a set of their academy''s sportswear.

    It wasn''t time for the awards ceremony yet so he took out his phone and sent a message before heading towards another school''s locker room. There he met with five nervous looking students that shivered at the sight of him.

    "I''m not very good with remembering names so I''ll just call you Zako Leader and from the tallest Zako 1,2 ,3 and 4 for now. Okay?"

    "Yes!" They all answered in unison instantly.

    "Good. Now, where is he?" The five of them led him into the bathroom where a man had been tied up and gagged on the floor. "I have to say, you guys are quite reliable after all"

    "Mhphh!! Mmmph!!" The man tried to shout as he glared at him. He felt a cold shiver on his back as Kazuya''s gaze met with his. He was grinning evilly and had an ominous presence that made even the five behind him take a step back.

    "Hello there coach. Or should I say¡­" he took out the ID from the wallet given to him by Zako 1. "Ousame-san" he read out loud. "I''ll make this simple for you. Answer all my questions truthfully and follow my instructions. We will have nothing to do with each other once you have done your part" Kazuya signaled them to let him sit up. He asked them to remove his gag.

    "Heh! You don''t know who you''re dealing with kid. I''ll have you¡ª" Kazuya signaled them to gag him once more.

    "I see you want to do this the hard way Ousame-san. I really don''t mind it. I have 30 minutes to make you understand your situation and do you know what that means?" He made the boys take off his shoes and socks. "It means that I won''t waste time in asking for your cooperation" He reached for the wooden sword leaning on the wall. Kazuya gave an ominous grin as he used one hand to immediately strike towards Ousame''s left foot.

    "MMPHHH!!! MMMPPMHHHHHH!!!" He writhed and tried to scream in agony. The shivering henchmen tried to hold him in place. There was no blood but the finger that was struck was obviously broken as the bone bent so unnaturally.

    "I really have to thank you for not spilling the beans too quickly. I still haven''t vented off the frustration I had earlier" He smiled. "Do you know that I hate greedy schemers and their conspirators as much as I hate traitors? Sawada Mahiru was lucky that grandpa Jirou was there. I was this close to snapping that traitorous neck of hers" he raised his hand and then slowly closed it to a grip before laughing maniacally.

    "MMPHH!! MMPH!!" Kazuya signaled for them to take off the gag. "I''ll talk! I''ll talk!" he shouted before Kazuya grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up with a hand. This was a grown man so they couldn''t help but be shocked by this.

    "I advise you to keep your petty tricks to yourself. I may look like a kid but I care little about your cooperation. I will find those behind you sooner or later. Your only value is making it shorter so I''d rather use you to vent off stress" He threw him down on the ground. Kazuya then moved to cover Ousame''s mouth with his hand and used the other to grab one of Ousame''s fingers before breaking it.

    Ousame tried to scream but he could only made muffled sounds. He thought he was going crazy when he realized that this ruthless boy was able to hold him down all on his own. His whole body felt like he was being pressed down by a large animal. Ousame''s mind going blank. The seemingly little boy in front of him was not a kid at all. He was a demon!

    .

 37 Getting a Bigger Ne

    .

    What had lasted in a little over 20 minutes felt like an eternity for Ousame. Nothing he could think of worked on this devil in the form of a boy. Even if Kazuya only doubted an answer he gave, he would ruthlessly do something to make him scream in pain. The boy even claimed that he could hear his heartbeat. No matter how absurd that sounded, he believed it. All the lies he mixed in were immediately identified while the truths were dissected.

    "THAT''S ALL I KNOW I SWEAR! Please¡­. Just let me go already¡­" he begged. The grown man cried loudly in front of Kazuya. He had already completely surrendered to him.

    "I seem to have already run out of questions" Kazuya sighed as he showed Ousame''s name had been added to his phonebook. "I will contact you if I remember any more. You do know what happens if you lie to me right?"

    "Y-yes!" his hellish experience made it abundantly clear.

    "Also, I may ask you to do a few things" Kazuya pulled a chair and sat down in front of him.

    "I-if it is something I can do then please¡­ do not hesitate"

    "Good. I''m really not as unreasonable as you might think. These boys over here were like you, asked by an anonymous person to hurt me" He beckoned the leader who showed the messages on his phone to Ousame. "The requester may be careful but he still left traces. Sooner or later I will grab that tail"

    [The awards ceremony will be starting in a few minutes. Will all the teams receiving an award please report to the arena]

    A public announcement was heard. The tournament was finally over and all those in the room knew that Kazuya had to attend. They hid the relief they felt on their minds as this person left scars on their minds they wouldn''t be able to erase so soon.

    "Looks like time''s up" Kazuya stood up. "You said you bought the tall girl''s debt for cheap from their family, right?"

    "Y-yes" he was nervous that he would get mad at him for causing her betrayal again. "D-do you want me to cancel their debt?" he nervously asked.

    "No. I want you to charge them with the amount you paid plus the medical bills you''ll be spending on your injuries. Never let anyone know that it was me who asked of this" He looked at Ousame as if he didn''t want to hear anything but ''yes''.

    "I will follow your instructions" he found this reasonable and accepted without hesitation.

    "I also want you to find out why they suddenly sold the debt to you. It''s a long shot but there might be a clue there somewhere" Kazuya gestured the five to clean up the mess.

    "H-how will I contact you?" Ousame asked. Kazuya had his number but he did not know how to get in touch with him.

    "Good. Looks like you really did plan on doing my request" Kazuya''s response made Ousame feel glad that he asked. He didn''t want to know what would happen if he forgot to ask this important question. "I will contact you instead and give you the details on how to contact me in the future" Kazuya turned around and called the leader of the five.

    "What is it boss?" After witnessing Kazuya''s terror firsthand, he lost all thoughts of doing anything to get punished for.

    "Give me your clothes" Kazuya quickly changed out of his uniform and wore his. He took some of the blood scattered around and made himself look like he was injured.

    "Boss what are you¡­"

    "Take a few pictures and send it to the requester. Tell them that your mission was a success and get your money" he posed as if he was injured. Several photos were taken and were sent before he quickly changed back and fixed himself up.

    "Thank you boss!" he didn''t think they would make any money and only suffer losses so he happily obeyed.

    "No need to thank me. Whoever requested this has to suffer some loss" he grinned. "I will also get in contact with you if I need something" He looked at the group whose legs were shivering when they met his gaze.

    "Anytime boss! We''re at your service!" the leader''s admiration for Kazuya grew more. He viewed him as strong, ruthless and doesn''t forgive betrayal. That means that he was the type to be loyal to a fault so he had no objections about having a positive relation with him.

    Kazuya soon left them and headed back to the arena. Their school had successfully won two championships so everyone''s eyes were mostly on them. There were even some photographers who asked Kazuya and Tomoyo to take pictures together.

    The journalists who wanted to get their interviews were held back. The awards ceremony was still not over and Jirou was especially overprotective of his granddaughter. He learned from last year''s events that he had to take some measures because Tomoyo was reported to have been too devastated to speak in the article about her in the last tournament.

    The chairman of the committee gave a speech before handing out the awards for the team tournament. Mahiru was nowhere to be found so the Sacred Forest Academy''s vice-captain received their trophy. He wanted Kazuya to receive it but ended up getting rejected. Kazuya was already going to receive the championship award for the individual tournament so he gave the chance to their vice-captain who will soon be graduating,

    "Hey Kouzuki Kazuya" he was called by Akabane Nanami whose team was ranked third.

    "Hello again pretty lady" Kazuya politely greeted her.

    "D-do you r-really mean that?" she nervously asked. "T-that was the question I didn''t get to a-ask earlier"

    "Mean what?" Kazuya tilted his head feeling confused.

    "That I''m p-pretty. N-no one has ever called me that b-before especially g-good looking guys like you s-so I wanted to make sure if you were just f-flattering me" she tried to avoid his eyes. She was nervous to hear his answer so she fidgeted every time he moved.

    "Why wouldn''t I mean it?" She indeed looked like a rough girl but Kazuya had already seen a lot of them from his time in Edea. Those battle-hardened girls and even beast race ones were more preferable to talk to than those types who were like nobles who used products to heavily change their appearance.

    "I-I don''t know¡­ y-you''re the first ever to refer to me as p-pretty so I wanted to make sure"

    "Please be at ease. I''m really not lying to you, you may have a wild look about you but you''re certainly unlike those who doll themselves up with so much effort. A natural beauty is always better than an artificial one so please be confident about yourself" Kazuya smiled at her. She reminded her of some of his beast race people that he met. They were rough and eager to use violence but they were very straightforward and easy to get along with.

    "T-thank you!" she was so overjoyed that she jumped into his arms. Kazuya found this natural and reacted as if he was pounced on by a beast kin.

    "You''re welcome pretty lady" he tried to calm her and used his fingers to brush through her messy hair.

    "!!" Nanami indulged herself with his touch. She felt her legs melting when Kazuya gently moved his fingers to gently scratch the area below her chin. She was in bliss.

    "Have you calmed down now?" Since this always worked against his furry friends, he didn''t doubt that it would be effective towards this girl that reminded him of them. His voice woke Nanami out of her trance as her face almost look like a tomato because of embarrassment.

    "I-I''m sorry! I d-don''t know what came over me¡­" she couldn''t remove her gaze from the ground.

    "Hehe, it''s not a problem. I''m honored to be hugged by such a lady" he gave her head a pat. She was taller than him so he had to reach for it but he was successful. "I''m about to be called on stage so I have to go now" he let go of her. "Until fate brings us together again" this was the usual farewell for one of the tribes of the beast races so felt it was appropriate.

    Kazuya returned to his teammates and found Nishida and the other boys giving him a thumbs up. He didn''t know what they were up to so he just smiled at them while waiting to be called.

    "We all decided to call you our boss from this day forward!" Nishida spoke to represent the boys in their club who witnessed what just happened.

    "What are you guys talking about?"

    "Don''t you know who you just tamed? Scarlet Academy is not too far away from our school and she''s famous around the area"

    "That girl is a delinquent?" Kazuya didn''t believe him.

    "She''s not really a delinquent but she hangs around them a lot. They follow her because she''s strong and it was because of her that the other schools don''t mess around lately. Even the older students are afraid of her"

    "But she wasn''t even that skilled" Kazuya knows that she was stronger than him without the use of mana but her skills were very rough and still needed work.

    "Because kendo has a lot of rules. I heard that some a group of delinquents tried to take over their neighborhood. They simply made fun of her messy hair and the streets ended up littered with their unconscious bodies"

    "Is that so? What does that have to do with me?" Kazuya had lost interest. He didn''t care for gossip and knew that the story was exaggerated.

    "We just can''t believe that Akabane Nanami was acting like that towards you boss. You truly are a genius when it comes to handling girls" they all looked at him as if he were a master.

    "Don''t look at me like that. If you want lessons on how to handle women then Miyamoto-sensei would be the one to ask. He''s been giving me tips on how to handle girls. He says I lack social skills so he''s been teaching me when he has time" Kazuya turned their attention towards the teacher who was feeling proud of his students. The boys wasted no time and crowded towards Miyamoto just as Kazuya was called to receive his medal.

    "Congratulations on being the champion of this tournament''s individual championship" the chairman presented him with both a gold medal and a trophy before guiding him to stand alongside Tomoyo and Ayame. The crowd cheered for him as he received a bouquet of flowers from one of the emcees.

    The cheers and admiration from the crowd gave him mixed feelings. They reminded him of the world he wanted to return to. It was still a long time before he can go back Edea so he was worried that he would lose his determination over time. Meeting Kyouko and the cheerful side Mei made him feel a thankful for being able to return and experience this point in his life that he had lost.

    "(Wait for me Edea¡­ I will definitely be back)" he tightly clenched his fists.

    He stepped down the stage and went straight for the crowd. Kazuya approached the area where Kyouko and Mei were standing. The two were ready to escape from the journalists who wanted an interview.

    "This is for you mom" He put the gold medal around Kyouko''s neck and handed her the trophy.

    "Kazuya¡­" She was proud of him for winning. He was now giving her the award he worked hard for as if saying that this was for his mother so she couldn''t help but feel touched by her son''s sentiment.

    "This is for you big sis" he gave the bouquet he received to Mei. She of course felt envious after receiving the awards Kazuya won but she understood. This was the privilege of being his mother.

    "Thank you Kazu. (You''re going to make this big sis of yours unable to live without you at this rate)" she happily received the bouquet of flowers. This wasn''t the first time she received flowers but this was the first time she was willing to receive them. Kazuya was unaware that this version of Mei was slowly deviating from her original version in this time as well.

    ¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô¡ô

    Back at the Sacred Forest Academy, the final results of the Kendo tournament were announced. Regular classes were already over so those who heard the announcement were mostly students in clubs and the remaining faculty members. They felt proud of the second graders who gave their school glory. There was one student however who didnt think this was good news. He went to a secluded area near the middle school kendo club after excusing himself to make a call.

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    "Yo, why if it isn''t our model student. Why are you suddenly giving me a call?"

    "You still haven''t delivered! Why do you think I would be calling? He even won the tournament!" Lee tried hard to keep his voice down but he was clearly agitated.

    "Our deal wasn''t to prevent him from doing anything like that. Besides, thanks to the fact that he was in a tournament. It was easier to get to him from there rather than in our academy" Kuuga sounded confident which was why Lee felt even more frustrated.

    "What are you talking about? He already won! I want that kid taken care of immediately before I see that smug face of his"

    "The job is already completed. The target was struck in the locker areas after the awards ceremony. I''ve sent the evidence to the usual place so you may confirm it there"

    "It''s done?" Lee was startled. This guy has never failed him before which was why he was frustrated but this sudden piece of info greatly changed his mood.

    "Don''t take my word for it. See for yourself. They did a good job if I do say so myself" Kuuga laughed. "I''ll be expecting the rest of the payment tonight so don''t forget to transfer it after confirmation"

    "I got it. You don''t need to worry about the money. I know how you operate"

    "Good. I look forward to our next business deal. The exams are coming soon and you haven''t been in good condition lately" Kuuga laughed and ended the call. Lee didn''t care about it because that guy only cared about whether he was getting paid or not.

    He accessed his private mail. Lee immediately checked the pictures sent and an evil grin grew bigger on his face. The bloodstained appearance of his supposed little brother satisfied him.

    "This is a better job than I expected" he couldn''t help but start laughing. Kazuya may have won the tournament. He imagined what Kazuya would be feeling after being attacked while holding the title of a champion. "This is what you get for messing with me. Enjoy the walk of shame, champion" he felt victorious and thought that he had been struck at the right moment. After winning, walking out of the venue in shame not a bad ending for him.

    "Let''s see how you will face me now"

    .

 38 The Company I

    .

    In the Kouzuki household, a feast was prepared to celebrate Kazuya''s victory. Thanks to Mei and Kyouko''s efforts, they were successful in evading the journalists who couldn''t wait to get an interview. Kazuya himself wanted to stay low key, he knew his reputation would be boosted by his achievement but he didn''t want his status to be revealed.

    This was one way to avoid the annoying people in Sacred Forest Academy that Mei warned him about.He knew that his identity couldn''t be kept hidden forever but still preferred to keep it quiet for as long as he can. Most of the children their age may not be thinking about things such as social advantages but that doesn''t mean their parents did not.

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    "The food is amazing as always granny" Kazuya complimented the caretaker.

    "I''m glad to hear that they suit your taste young master"

    "You should be more grateful to my grandmother young master. Your sudden change in taste made her learn many new things. We were used to taste the failures from her first try" Yui who was standing by Fujiyama added.

    Steak, Pizza, Pasta, Sushi, BBQ, and the like made up the feast. Surely Fujiyama herself couldn''t prepare such a feast alone so the sisters were brought in to assist her. Kazuya''s tastes indeed have changed from what they knew as both worlds'' influence showed in his choices in cuisine. While earth had the sophisticated cuisines, he missed greatly when he was in Edea, the crude yet mana filled meat of beasts from the wild would really be helpful for him right now.

    "Thank you for always preparing food to suit my tastes granny Fujiyama. You don''t always have to make these kinds of food all the time" he didn''t fail to notice how she opted to make these by hand instead of purchasing them. Kazuya knew that she noticed his attachment to fresh foods which is why he was grateful for her thoughtfulness.

    "It is no trouble at all young master. This old lady is having fun learning new things. I should be the one to thank young master for making me realize that I still have a lot of things I can improve"

    "I would like to learn culinary from you one of these days. I''m afraid I won''t be able to satisfy myself once I start living alone after middle school" Kazuya said. He was concerned about feeding himself after going to Edea. His culinary skills were only subpar and couldn''t compare to Fujiyama''s. Eating her food everyday made his tongue pickier as she improved.

    ""What did you say!?"" Fujiyama knew to step back as Kazuya was pulled from both sides. The two girls forgot to control their own growing strengths and ripped the sleeves on both sides of his shirt.

    "I wanted to learn how to cook from granny Fujiyama" he realized what he said wrong. Kazuya has felt a bit fearful after seeing the state his clothes were in. "Being able to cook is a usef¡ª"

    ""Not that!!"" The Fujiyama trio tried to hold their laughs as the two grown women interrogate Kazuya like a lover caught cheating. The three knew that with their young master''s intellect, he already knew what he said wrong and was stalling while thinking of an answer to satisfy the two.

    "You mean living alone after middle school?" Kazuya tried hard to put up an act. "I heard my classmates talking about it. They said that their brothers and sisters moved to the dorms after graduating from high school. There were those that said that it could be as early as middle school so I thought that it was a normal thing to happen"

    ""NO!"" The two rejected the idea.

    "Kazuya don''t believe such things. Moving to study only applies to those who live very far away from their schools" Kyouko tried hard and gave a lot of examples to explain. She didn''t like the idea nor even thought about letting Kazuya move to a dorm.

    "Mother-in-law is right Kazu. How can you say such things? Can you bear to leave your poor big sis alone?" They rarely got along when it came to Kazuya but they stood as a united front against what they just heard.

    "Is that so? I''m relieved then. I thought it was a normal thing. I was afraid that I had to leave when I got older so I''m relieved to hear I won''t have to" This made him feel a little guilty. He didn''t know how time flowed in Edea compared to earth. He planned to use this excuse to give himself some time because he didn''t know how long he would stay there once he went.

    Fortunately, this pacified the two ladies as they continued their meal. This was the first time the Fujiyama sisters attended a meal with the three occupants so they couldn''t help but stare at the startling appetite of their little young master. They initially thought that they helped with too much food after learning that there wouldn''t be any other guests but after seeing the boy''s appetite, they couldn''t help but think where the food was going.

    Kyouko''s phone rang just as they were finishing up.She looked at the number and immediately answered. The expression on her face grew a bit serious as she glanced at Mei. Kazuya could tell just by listening that Lee made a move that will cost him.

    "Kazuya, I''m sorry but our trip will have to be postponed" Kyouko regretfully announced.

    "It''s okay mom. What was that all about?"

    Kyouko hesitated but under the unwavering gaze of her son, she decided to tell him all of it. He already knew the part about Lee''s involvement in this after Jirou told him. What he didn''t about was the sensitive relationship between the Kouzuki and the Kurogane families. It never occurred to him until now who or where his father was.

    "A-are you curious about your father?" Kyouko nervously asked.

    "I''m not" Kazuya hasn''t even seen a picture of that guy nor did he hear anything about it in the past. He only knew that Kyouko was the only relative he had and no one from the Kurogane side ever cared to show themselves in front of him. "You don''t need to be nervous about them too much mom. They will regret it if they dare even as much as threaten us" a flicker of bloodlust made the people in the room feel a chill.

    "It''s not their threats we should be worried about but their reach. People may see our families on the same level but without our allies, we are at a disadvantage"

    "I see" stood from his seat. "Please do inform me if there is any progress about this matter. I will leave the adults to talk and will be in the storage building to pass the time" Kazuya left and headed for his next destination.

    Kyouko was touched by her son''s concern but only took his words as an adult would a child''s. Kazuya understood this and that was why he didn''t pursue the matter further. Even he wouldn''t take his own words seriously if he was in her shoes. Even though that was the case, he was still glad to have been informed about this potential problem.

    "Looks like I have a new thing to add to my to-do list" Kazuya smiled as he entered the storage room.

    Like other common old Japanese mansions, the Kouzuki family have two of their own separate storage buildings. One was originally a smaller dojo but it was turned into a storage area because Kouzuki Kou always went to the Shiroyuki dojo whenever he was up for sword practice.

    Kazuya took over one of the storage room and moved all the stuff to fit in the other storage facility. This was now turned into his own space where even Kyouko and Mei were forbidden from entering without Kazuya''s permission. The storage area had been dubbed his research area where he claims to be his quiet place to study and research on the outside. On the inside however, this was where he studies and experiments on magic so that no one will be able to see witness the more eye-catching ones like live spells or visual formations.

    "Now then¡­ what to do¡­ about this¡­ new problem"

    He stared around at his new space while thinking. It took him most of the previous week to arrange this storage house for himself. Kazuya actually wanted to sleep here but he was prohibited by both Mei and Kyouko. This was where he decided to store most of his secrets so he placed a lot of enchantments with the help of the mana gathering formation.

    This was not the only thing he started doing. Kazuya also started to develop Mei and Kyouko''s sensitivity, aptitude and compatibility with mana. Due to the increase in the concentration of mana gathering at their household, the ladies were clearly showing positive changes. The two however were clearly showing different kinds of reactions.

    Kyouko and Mei''s natural abilities were improving, their agility, strength, intelligence and the like were enabling them to do so much work with ease. The clear difference between the two''s developments were like night and day. Kyouko received a shocking growth when it came to her intelligence, concentration and mental agility.

    Mei on the other hand, could now hold Kazuya in her embrace without worrying about him escaping. She could even catch him if he wanted to run away. To make matters even more complicated, her senses greatly improved and she can unconsciously sense those who were staring or paying attention to her.

    "They should be able to protect themselves if it were normal circumstances. I guess this would be one of the perks of having your old life''s memo¡ª" Kazuya stopped what he was murmuring as an idea popped into his head.

    He a clear advantage and that was his memory. If the plans forming in his mind about how to take revenge in Edea largely involved the usage of information from his memory and prediction of the future, then it could also apply on earth.

    "A quick way to make a lot of money legally¡­." He looked at the date on his computer. "The lottery would be a good choice since a kid can do it and get lucky" he decided. He would take a breather from reading too many books in the library at times and pick a random one. One of those was a book about a man and his schemes about trying to determine if there were patterns regarding winning lottery number combinations. It was mainly to make fun of the conspiracy theorists who like to gain attention by claiming as such but the numbers written on it were indeed the true winning numbers of the past.

    Usually one wouldn''t remember details about such a book but Kazuya was different. Like watching a movie countless number of times, the viewers will be able to memorize not only the lines but also various other details as long as they pay attention. Kazuya never thought that the random books he read would help him much but they were already playing their part in helping his current self.

    Another example would be the book he read about physical therapy and reflexology. He can apply the science he learned about the human body towards optimizing his own training as well as help nurture the bodies of Mei and Kyouko. The two may have their capabilities enhanced but no one had endless stamina. Kazuya would help them by giving them simple massages to relax and improve their constitutions by strengthening them with his mana.

    "Money is just the first step¡­" Kazuya pondered about the next step.

    There were obviously limitations since his current self was too young to be taken seriously. He needed a guardian to oversee everything since minors were considered not competent enough no matter how much of a genius one was. Since he wanted to hide this from Kyouko, there was only one other person who he trusted enough to help him with his plans.

    "Big sis will most likely agree but I wonder if she''ll give me a hard time¡­" Kazuya murmured. Mei was unpredictable at times so Kazuya was a little troubled. He didn''t doubt her sincerity towards him but her overprotectiveness at times do cause some trouble for him. "I will have to worry about that later. For now, I need to get things prepared for when I win the lottery"

    Kazuya got on his computer and checked the lottery results of the past and made sure they coincided with his memories. He targeted two lotteries in specific; the one that was recorded for not having a winner for consecutive weeks and the big lottery at the end of the year which no one was also lucky enough to win this year. This was more than enough to get his own company started and the money itself would be a great help if ever the two families ever clashed.

    "As for the people¡­"

    After making sure that the lottery numbers have been accurate, Kazuya proceeded to download two specific applications. One was an online game that was about to be officially released, and one was a currently under development chatting application used by gamers.

    *KNOCK*

    "Young master it''s Yui. I have something I need to discuss with you" She tried to stealthily enter but she couldn''t open the doors no matter what she did. Kazuya of course was aware of her presence because of the detection array but did not mind as she was not the first person to wander around his research area trying to get a glimpse of what he was up to.

    "Come on in then" she was not the first visitor either. Mei basically made him set up a place where visitors or she could sit and stay. "What do you want?" he had many things to think about so he cut straight to the point.

    "Payback" Yui gave a mischievous grin. "I have something that would help the Kurogane conglomerate to accept their loss without making a big fuss but I want you to take back your insults and beg me" Yui folder her arms and stood proudly in front of him.

    .

 39 The Company II

    .

    Kazuya could only sigh and confirm another one of Miyamoto''s teachings. This specific girl was being petty and held on to grudges. He shook his head because this girl decided to blackmail the wrong person.

    "I heard your proposal and I reject it. You may leave now" Kazuya smiled at her.

    "Good, now I want you to¡­ wait¡­ what did you say?" Yui couldn''t believe what she just heard.

    "I said you may leave the same way you came in" he kept the smile on his face as this girl couldn''t believe he just turned down such an opportunity.

    "You¡­ were all the things you said to the mistress a lie!? Wouldn''t you do anything to save them the trouble of dealing with those shameless people?" She was getting irritated. She thought that he was a decent person for saying those things and actually admired him when he said it which was why she was disappointed in hearing his calm rejection.

    "My words weren''t a lie. I just don''t want to deal with someone who clearly went to blackmail me without thinking about it clearly" Kazuya said it as if it was a matter of fact which irked her. He then proceeded to take out his cellphone and played a recording of their current conversation. "See? Even if I didn''t go this far I would only need to say that you hold a piece of evidence to your grandmother and you would hand it over to them"

    "You sneaky little fox! I''ll erase it then!" she proceeded to take her phone out to erase the evidence in spite. This was when Kazuya made his move and grabbed her cellphone the instant it left her pocket.

    "I advise you not to do that. You need to think about things more thoroughly. Remember, what I''ve been doing? I resumed recording our conversation so if you erase it now, then the consequences would be dear for you" he warned. The only reason he was not being hostile to this girl is that If the evidence she had really does make the other side take a loss in silence, then he would be grateful instead. His plan needed time to be implemented so avoiding a confrontation now would be the ideal scenario.

    "You''re even threatening me now!" She felt wronged. It was supposed to be her winning but it was turned over so effortlessly. She was now the one being forced into a corner.

    "I''m not threatening you, I''m just stating facts" He was only responding to her threat accordingly. If Yui knew the consequence of threatening Kazuya then she wouldn''t be acting so unreasonably.

    "Meanie! Bully! I hate you!" she shouted. Kazuya sighed. He was the one being threatened and she was the one getting mad. Kazuya didn''t feel like dealing with her anymore and looked at the video of Lee she took.

    "This is certainly interesting. Good work" he praised her but she was still pouting by the side. "But like I said, you need to think a little more about how you to make the best out of the situation"

    "What do you mean by that? I''ll just show it to granny and the mistress and this will surely be able to help them" This part she was sure about. Lee giving the direct order and the video even captured the iconic school clock outside the window so denying would be hard.

    "You forgot to take account yourself first and foremost" Kazuya looked at her seriously. "Sure, this is helpful but if they present this evidence, the first questions would be how did you get this? Who took this video? When your identity as a person of a Kouzuki household person is exposed then they can blatantly claim that this is a direct attack against them. Remember, you''re a girl who took this inside the boy''s bathroom. Not only will they have a reason to escalate this feud, you will also be at risk" Kazuya explained. He wasn''t worried that Kyouko and Mei would take care of it but there were risks still involved.

    "W-what should I do then?" Yui was nervous. She didn''t even think about the points he just raised but they were indeed serious things to think about.

    "Luckily, you presented this to me beforehand. I happen to have a good way to resolve this" Kazuya led her to his computer where he copied the file and then began his work.

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    Kazuya had a simple solution for their predicament, it would be to leave the dirty work to the public. He masked his IP and immediately posted the video on various public boards after primarily posting it on the school forums. That was not all, he even went as far and created funny memes out of Lee''s raging where he made funny gifs and spread it as well.

    "Young master you''re a genius!" Yui was so excited that she hugged him from behind his chair. Kazuya continued doing his work and didn''t pay her much attention.

    Yui wasn''t stupid and realized what he was doing. They could claim that they just found this video instead. Although the public didn''t know the reason Lee was raging, their side could simply just give them the hint and it would be the public who decimates the conglomerate''s young master and their reputation.

    "No matter which world, humans always have a habit of minding other people''s business. A rumor inside a small community travels at the speed of boredom" Kazuya turned at Yui who in turn looked at him. She finally realized that she had been hugging him from the back of his chair this whole time and quickly jumped back.

    "I-I''ll go ahead and tell them about the evidence" she couldn''t look him in the eye and rushed out the building. Kazuya proceeded to do his work and went back to going to his original objective after making sure that there would be no further disturbance.

    Kazuya opened the nostalgic online game and installed it. Being a student who worked after school and studied a lot, he didn''t have much of a social life in his previous life. He was given a hand me down computer and he decided to play a game out on a whim. The game was called ''New Gods Online'' and it was a game he played in his previous life.

    The reason he played this game was simple, there were a lot of people who got inspired from this specific game and soon became famous in the real world. Being a person who wanted to repay Mei and give her a happy life, he paid attention to these people and learned from their interviews that they played NGO and it played a great role in their success.

    Kazuya followed their example and used the game as a tool to socialize with people while having fun. It was the unique community of this game that helped build a lot of those successful people. He even found himself a great group of friends who like him, were constrained by life during the daytime and wanted to take a breather when they got home. He was part of the group called ''Nocturnal Pals'' and played with a with a small number of interesting people. One of them could even be considered his virtual girlfriend since they were called recognized as one of the group''s couples.

    "Since Tang-chan said she started out playing this game when she was given a free copy during it''s release, I wonder if she''ll be there?" Kazuya wondered. He was never actually able to meet this person in his last life in person but that didn''t matter to both of them. They cared little about those things and enjoyed each other''s company after their busy days.

    Of course, meeting up with his old friend is not the main reason he was going to play this game. He needed to find the specific people so he could convince them to join the company he was going to build.

    "I still have a few days before the game is officially released so I need be prepared to go through all of this" Kazuya went back to the house and went directly inside Kyouko''s study to retrieve all the books she kept about business and the like. He may have dabbled in reading about businesses but his knowledge was still incomplete. He was going to build one up from the ground so he wanted to make sure that he understood everything to minimize the risk of being caught off guard.

    He may have been a genius in the eyes of others but in his own eyes, Kazuya was still an inexperienced person who didn''t deserve to be called one. He was a pretty average person when he was on earth in his first life and was suddenly called a hero when he went to Edea. As a person who was underappreciated his whole life, this played a large part of his demise. The hubris caused by all the praise he suddenly got made him lose sight of the important things he needed to pay attention to.

    Even now, he didn''t consider himself anything much. In his mind, if he did not possess the memories of his previous life then he would just be the same person he was before. He swore to never again be distracted by such shallow praises and let himself be swayed into making decisions that he didn''t agree with for the sake of people he didn''t even care about.

    As Kazuya went off to busy himself with the preparations of his new plan, the living room just finished watching the video that Kurumi showed them. Kyouko and Mei were thankful towards Yui with providing them with such a decisive evidence but were still thinking about how to use it. The issue that Kazuya raised with Yui was now on their minds.

    "Thank you Yui-chan. This is very crucial evidence" Kyouko gave her an appreciative look.

    "Are you worried that using will mean escalating the relationship into a feud mistress?" Yui inquired after noticing Mei falling deep into thought.

    "How did you know? There are indeed some problems but we only need to figure out how to use this without making the situation worse" Kyouko thought that Yui was worried about making things worse so she tried to let her be at ease.

    "The young master told me when I showed him the video. He also took care of the issue the mistress is worried about" Yui proceeded to tell them about what Kazuya had done and everything he explained to her. Everything had already been taken care of and the best part about it is that they even dealt a blow to the Kurogane corporation without being clearly implicated by it.

    "Where is Kazuya now?"

    "The young master is still busy. He said that he will make this viral and began to make and spread memes around" She showed them some examples. Different types of gif images made the scenes and scenarios of the video. Some included texts and some were in looped to make Lee dance around the bathroom.

    ""pfftt¡­ HAHAHAHA"" everyone who watched couldn''t hold it in and laughed out loud. The tense atmosphere immediately evaporated as laughter filled the room.

    "Somehow I kind of feel bad for this pervert. If these memes get used around¡­" Mei couldn''t help but smile. She liked what Kazuya had done and it was done so in a way that both her and Kyouko wouldn''t have thought of.

    This reminded everyone in the room one thing; do not get on his bad side. The posts haven''t been up for long and it''s already spreading throughout the most brutal crowd; the internet people. His clever work has already begun to let the first people to discover it spread it around vying for the rights to have been the ones to use such funny memes first.

    Back at Kazuya''s lab, he finally realized how much time had past and headed to his room. There he found Mei who was sleeping soundly on his bed.

    "You''re late" she slowly opened her eyes as he finished changing to sleepwear.

    "Sneaking up to my bed again¡­" This was a habit that he only thought existed in the other version where Mei would sleep in his room after getting home late for work. She would do this even as he studied or played games so he got used to it. It was only after meeting this younger version of Mei that he realized how much the quiet and cold version of her cared for him. He couldn''t make her leave after he realized this.

    "Come to bed Kazu. I can''t sleep as peacefully if you aren''t here anymore" she pulled Kazuya who was hesitating to the bed and locked her arms around him.

    "Have you been awake all this time big sis?" he asked while knowing she was half asleep when he entered.

    "A little. I''m kind of excited for what''s going to happen later. Our clashes with the Kurogane corporation don''t always have a very favorable conclusion for us so I''m looking forward to this one thanks to Yui''s video" She was in a very good mood.

    "Big sis, I want to ask you a favor" he figured that this would be a good opportunity to ask for her assistance"

    "What is it Kazu? If it''s something your big sis can do then consider it done"

    "But it must be kept a secret from mom until the right time to tell her. If you can make this promise then I will tell you" Kazuya made sure to mention this since she was Kyouko''s right hand woman after all.

    "A secret between us¡­" Mei loosened her hold on him and lowered her gaze and looked at him. "Is it something bad?"

    "Not at all. I just want to borrow big sis'' authority as one of my guardians to sign a few papers for me"

    "Papers? What for? We can''t pre-sign a marriage contract" Mei tried to fool around to mask the nervousness she was feeling. This was the first time he asked for something so she definitely wanted to grant it but aside from not telling Kyouko, she was going to exercise her rights as one of his guardians to sign legal papers behind her back.

    "I plan on making my own company"

    .

 40 Nice Guy

    .

    "I plan on making my own company and according to the law, I can''t do much without an adult signing for me" He made up an excuse Mei could accept. What he needed right now was her cooperation so he didn''t reveal all of his plans just yet.

    "Then why don''t you tell Kyouko about it? She can easily set up a subsidiary company just for you" Mei was curious, since this talk was about business then it was something she can help him with.

    "It''s because of that reason that I want to keep this from her. I want to build a company of my own and give it to the Kouzuki corporation once it has grown strong enough to be an addition that can tip the scales against the Kurogane conglomerate" Mei instantly understood his intentions. She couldn''t help but think how much of a monster Kyouko raised. A six-year-old with an ambition to overthrow one of the biggest companies in the country. She found this notion quite enticing.

    "How are you going to fund it without Kyouko noticing?" her drowsiness evaporated and full attention was now on Kazuya''s every word. The thought of establishing a secret company was indeed exciting but reality was not that kind. She wanted to hear every detail of his plan and help him with her expertise.

    "The funds will come soon. I just wanted to ask for big sis'' help before I make a move. I won''t be able to do anything unless you agree to help"

    "I can help but I want to know things like; how you are going to establish it? What kind of company is it? How are you going to get employees? Those kinds of things. My Kazu may be a genius but he is still six years old" Mei really didn''t want to say it but it was to make him understand that this was not a game.

    "The less you know for now the better big sis. It''s not anything bad and since you will be handling some of the paperwork, you will get a few answers from them. I am still in the planning phase and still studying everything I can so talking about the details right now is a bit difficult" Kazuya tried to calm down her curiosity. He knew that he had lit a fire in Mei since this was her playing field but he had to do this himself or Kyouko will have suspicions.

    "Okay¡­ but I''m not going to help you if you don''t answer even the most basic of questions. The real world is tough but the business world is even more merciless so let your big sis do her responsibility and let me protect you a little okay?" she was not looking down on him at all, she knew how capable he was and wanted him have as little obstacles as possible.

    "Thanks big sis. It''s already pretty late and you still have a big day later" Kazuya snuggled up to her and closed his eyes. He put his body in rest mode and began circulating mana for both himself and Mei.

    Because of her habit of sticking close to him, Mei had the most progress when it came to her affinity with mana. Kazuya''s realized both Mei and Kyouko''s natural affinity with mana were a lot better compared to normal people like Miyamoto or Fujiyama. The two were indeed a cut above the rest and knowing that as their constitutions'' development will be beneficial for their wellbeing made him want to double his efforts.

    Kazuya''s ring appeared in his finger to include itself in the circulation. He looked at it and was relieved. This companion of his looked to be in a better state with it''s luster back. Maintaining it still required some effort but it was good training for mana control. Because of it, Kazuya''s mastery over mana would make his actual skills more precise and he could get a better estimation of his enemies'' strength.

    The weekend quickly passed by. It was now preparations for exam season at the school. A smiling boy walked through the gates and felt glad that he was back. He took out a piece of paper in his pocket and checked the classes he was going to attend. Most of them were in the second grade''s class 2-B. He entered the school and all those who noticed the illustrious S class pin on his chest.

    "I''m back!" he declared as he entered 2B''s classroom. His eyes locked into a specific seat and found that a stranger getting surrounded by some of their classmates happily talking.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya noticed the boy coming straight for him. His classmates were congratulating him for winning the kendo tournament. They made way as soon as they noticed the new arrival and unlike Kazuya, they knew what he was here for.

    "I haven''t seen you here before. Are you a transfer student?" he was a little surprised that the boy didn''t show any reaction to the pin on his chest even though he already noticed it.

    "I am" he was curious as to what this person wanted. Seeing the students'' reactions, he was glad that he didn''t opt to go to the S class.

    "Do you know that that seat belongs to someone else?" It was clear to everyone that he came here for Tomoyo. Kazuya understood this after hearing this question.

    "I was asked to sit here when I was introduced to this class. I''ll be glad to move to one of the empty seats in the back if you can take the responsibility of explaining why to all those related" Kazuya smiled. This was a good opportunity to free himself from being stared at from time to time.

    "Oh? You''re quite the reasonable and nice guy. Don''t worry, I''ll tell the teachers that it was me who told you to move. The real owner of this seat should be returning today now that the tournament is over" he said as Kazuya moved his things and sat beside another classmate in one of the seats at the back.

    He asked about the boy who came for Tomoyo. He was named Aoki Takaya, a member of one of the most prestigious families who have deep roots in theatre. He came to attend a few classes earlier his year and was fascinated by Tomoyo''s ''unique'' demeanor. He claimed that he wanted to make her a model for the role he found very challenging so he kept hanging around her.

    "I see¡­ thank you for your explanation" he thanked his classmate and took out a book he borrowed from the library. He was finally free from the commotion and went back to studying. Kazuya already finished most of the old books in Kyouko''s study so he decided to make good use of the school and its resources.

    "Shiroyuki-san!" Takaya immediately spotted the Tomoyo as she entered the room and called out to her.

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    "?" She looked at the boy who was sitting in her seat. He looked familiar and couldn''t quite remember who he was. She thought that he was a classmate so she entered the classroom anyway.

    *stare* she kept looking at the boy since he didn''t move from her seat. She didn''t notice Kazuya sitting at the back trying to hide himself with the book he was reading.

    "What''s wrong Shiroyuki-san? Why don''t you take a seat?" she would usually ignore everyone and sit quietly but today was different.

    *shake shake* she shook her head and pointed to where he was sitting. This confused Takaya even more. It was only when the class representative stepped up to tell him that he was sitting in Tomoyo''s seat did he understand what she meant.

    "Err¡­ That''s odd¡­ I''ve only been gone for a few weeks and the seats have been changed?" He scratched his head. "No matter, I can sit in your old seat then" he moved towards the next seat but was immediately stopped by Tomoyo before he could rest his bottom on the chair.

    *shake shake* Tomoyo refused to let him sit. This time he made a guess at what she meant.

    "It''s okay Shiroyuki-san, the person who was sitting here before said that he didn''t mind if he vacated the seat and happily handed it over" he glanced over to Kazuya for confirmation but found that he wasn''t sitting on the seat he transferred to.

    Kazuya left the classroom to avoid getting disturbed further. There was still some time before morning classes so he moved to the courtyard to concentrate. Today was the official release of ''New Gods Online'' and will be the first step to gathering the people he needed for his company.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya felt a hostile gaze. He kept reading his book but turned it towards the source of the hostility as to not attract attention. It was Lee and another person who had his back facing Kazuya. They were located in the upper floor of the middle school department and it looked like they were having a conversation until Lee spotted Kazuya sitting at the courtyard.

    "Kuuga you bastard! I''m looking at him right now. He doesn''t have any sign of injury. Did you scam me? Were those pictures fake?" Lee was venting his frustration.

    "Are you sure you want to be seen with me in school? You may have already been disowned by your adoptive grandfather but that matter has not been openly announced" Kuuga remained still and didn''t look at Kazuya who was curious about who Lee was talking to.

    Lee had been disowned by the Kurogane family due to his actions. He could not defend himself after being shown the video that had already spread around the internet. His continuous plots against Kazuya further disproved his claims of having nothing to do with the cause of his amnesia. Even his reputation in school has been affected and people were talking behind his back.

    He had fallen from his high horse. To make matters worse, even random strangers recognized him because of the merciless number of memes that had circulated around the internet. To those who didn''t know him, he was simply one of those violent young masters who didn''t care about lowly commoners so a lot of people enjoyed poking fun at him.

    "I don''t care anymore. What''s the use of letting them think I''m still with the Kuroganes. Without their support, this would be my last year here in this school" Lee clenched his fists and continued glaring at the boy who he didn''t know already noticed them.

    "You still have all that cash saved up right? Besides, due to my help, you''re more than eligible to apply for a scholarship"

    "I have no face left to show here. I''m just talking to you to either get my money back or make sure you live up to your end of the bargain because clearly, I''ve been had. I''ve paid less to send my peers to the hospital so don''t you dare tell me you showed mercy just because he''s a kid"

    "I''m already looking in to it. I was surprised to hear the kid went to school today. I''ll return your money if you want it¡­ but only after I''ve confirmed that the job was not satisfactory"

    "What''s there to look into? Our deal was to cripple him yet he''s still walking fine without a care. Just give me my money back"

    "I''ll give you your money back but not all of it. The amount I return will depend on how much work had been done. You know how I do business" Kuuga had enough and walked away. He was not a nice guy but he always had done business fairly because he held pride in his way of doing things. "If I was indeed played for a fool¡­ I will deal with them myself" he continued his steps and left Lee who was trembling in anger. The boy who was once reading a book stuck out his tongue and gave him the finger before heading inside the building.

    Kazuya was satisfied with himself and returned to class a minute before the bell rang. He used door behind the classroom to sneak in without Tomoyo noticing and timed his entrance together with Miyamoto. He was not the only person taking advantage as Takaya also sat down on Kazuya''s seat after they were done with the morning greeting.

    Class S students were students with identities that required them to be away from school at times. Takaya for example was part of a large family that did theatre so he traveled around a lot to do performances around the country. The same type of people made up the students of class S.

    They had special privileges, they could access the class schedules and choose which class they could attend. Although it might sound very envious to have complete control of their time, the school was very strict on these students. If they fail to perform to the school''s standards then their status would immediately be revoked. They could either transfer to a normal class or transfer out of the school. This was the price to pay for having such freedom.

    Miyamoto of course noticed the change and smiled. Kazuya never wanted to sit there in the first place so he was just taking advantage of the situation. Tomoyo on the other hand still hadn''t noticed Kazuya and could do nothing now that Takaya had claimed the empty seat.

    Kazuya silently sat at the back and minded his own business. All the teachers were already used to him reading different types of book in class. It ranged from medicine, engineering, architecture, science anything he found interesting in the library. The teachers knew of his prowess already so most of them didn''t mind.

    "Thank you transfer student. You''re a nice guy" Takaya who noticed his return, looked in his direction and used his lips to relay a message.

    .

 41 New Friend and The Gif

    .

    It was finally lunchtime and this time, Kazuya failed to escape. He had been concentrating too much on his studies that he didn''t hear the school''s bell sounding. Tomoyo finally noticed him and stared at him as if she was wronged. He ignored her and continued to read. He was hungry but he didn''t feel like dealing with this robot right now.

    "That''s not very nice of you Mr. Nice guy. The person Shiroyuki-san has been saving the seat for was you right?" Kazuya finally closed his book and turned his gaze towards Takaya. "I feel like I''ve been tricked"

    "You''re not the only one. I felt the same when I was forced to take that seat" he remembered the day he transferred and got forced to sit there. "You have my gratitude for using your privileges to save me from it" Kazuya smiled, he found a good excuse to have a peaceful day without being stared at.

    "Oh! I like you! You''re pretty quick with your comebacks!" Takaya laughed and introduced himself. Kazuya responded with his own name. Takaya realized the connection between him and Tomoyo immediately after hearing his name. "Would you have yielded your seat if you were seated in any other seat Champion-san?" he curiously asked.

    "I probably would, it''s not like I mind sitting anywhere really. I just read books most of the time in class anyway" he replied without hesitation.

    "You really have guts. I''m liking you even more. People are usually afraid of me when they see the badge on my uniform but like Shiroyuki-san, you''re different" he patted Kazuya''s shoulder.

    "Why should I be afraid of you? Aren''t you a student just like the rest of us? S class is a group of people who have busy schedules and come as guests to sit in on other classes. In my opinion, you guys are the ones who should be respectful. How would you feel if I pulled my weight around your house?" Takaya''s mouth gaped. Kazuya raised a fine point which everyone who heard nodded to.

    "You''re absolutely right! Members of S class have a bad reputation because of people like that" Takaya laughed as if it didn''t involve himself. "Let''s go to the cafeteria to eat I''m starving" he urged.

    The three of them went to the cafeteria. Takaya was surprised that Tomoyo actually went with them. He couldn''t help but wonder what it could be about Kazuya that made her behavior change like that in the short time that he was gone. He knew that Kazuya took the recent kendo regional championship but was that really all?

    "What are you staring at me for?" Kazuya looked at Takaya who had been staring at him for a while.

    "I''m wondering what you did to make Shiroyuki-san follow you around like this" he bluntly replied.

    "Why don''t you ask her then?" he really didn''t know. He had his suspicions but didn''t want to consider them because he had no way of proving it.

    "Do you think I''d get an answer?" everyone knew that aside from Kouzuki Kazuya in school, this robot girl would either nod or ignore a question directed at her.

    "Fair point. Why are you even asking anyway?" Kazuya sighed. He hasn''t made any progress in getting this girl to express herself in words at all.

    "Because I want to know what she''s thinking. if I get some insight on how Shiroyuki-san thinks then it will be easier for me to assume her in my acting. The part I need to play is perfect for her personality and it is challenging enough for me to tackle" Takaya smiled as the two turned to look at Tomoyo who was peacefully eating her meal.

    "You''re quite passionate about acting huh¡­" Kazuya commented.

    "Of course I am. It''s one thing to express a variety of emotions but to express almost none at all will take me to the next level. My mother was the one who told me to try practicing for such a role and I admire those who can do it because as an actor myself, those who can achieve that level are¡ª"

    *CLANK*

    Takaya was interrupted when Tomoyo placed down her chopsticks. She had done this on purpose to get their attention. She pointed towards Kazuya after both turned to her as if trying to tell them something.

    "(This girl remembers¡­)" Kazuya scratched his head. He knew what she was trying to say.

    "Shiroyuki-san I can''t understand¡­" Takaya also followed Kazuya''s example and scratched his head.

    *tug tug* she pulled on Kazuya''s sleeve. She knew that he understood her already.

    "She meant to say that I can help you because I can emulate her" Kazuya breathed in deeply and closed his eyes. The moment he opened them again, his face, demeanor, expression, eyes and they like were like Tomoyo''s.

    "This¡­" Takaya was speechless. He was going on about how being able to portray her was a milestone for him but Kazuya did it on a whim. This made him take another look at Kazuya. This was the very first time he tried to evaluate someone his own age and he was impressed. "You should be an actor!"

    "No. Hell. no." he tried to imitate a robot while he was still in character.

    "pfftt¡­" Takaya was caught off guard and stifled a laughter. He wanted to hear what Kazuya''s impression of her speaking was but the unexpectedness of what he did seemed to fit. Even the impersonator himself found how ridiculous his impression was and stifled laughter could be heard when he turned away.

    "¡­" Tomoyo stared at Kazuya. Even both boys could tell that this expressionless girl had developed a frown. This robot girl didn''t like being made fun of. She was already heard talking by Kazuya a few times so she didn''t appreciate such an impression.

    "Hey, you shouldn''t be upset. You should start talking so that I won''t have to guess every time you try to communicate with me with your eyes" Kazuya turned back to face her after laughing.

    "You communicate with Shiroyuki-san like that?" Takaya was the first to react.

    "I talk to her normally. She usually just stares if she wants to relay something that can''t be answered by a nod or a head shake so I got used to it more or less. I spent a lot of time with this girl in both training at the club and their dojo. Seeing her interact with her grandfather was a good reference so I think I''m accurate most of the time"

    "That''s great! That''s even more of a sign of you being a very talented actor. To be able to read cues or communicate with just looking at another person''s body language is definitely a great skill"

    "Stop trying to convince me. Reading body language is even more useful in battles or in sports"

    "All I want is to ask you to come meet the people in our theatre. They will have a more credible evaluation than me. I had chills when I saw you impersonating Shiroyuki-san and I trust my instincts" He tried to convince Kazuya.

    "Well that''s too bad. Even if I wanted to go, I have not the time to spare for such things. Exams are close, the nationals are after and a lot of other things I have to deal with at home"

    "I''m not in a hurry. I''ll wait when you''re free but you have to give me your word that you''ll go if you are"

    "I doubt I''ll be free but I''ll give you that much" Kazuya really didn''t have time because of everything he needed to accomplish. Just the addition of his new plan to make a company already overlapped with other plans so he needed to sacrifice a little time of his own development.

    "Great! I''ll take your word for it. Let''s exchange contact numbers" The two exchanged contact information.

    "¡­" Tomoyo stared at the development. She remembered she also was an owner of a cellphone but it was collecting dust in her bag. She wanted to exchange contact information with Kazuya as well. Kazuya noticed her stare and understood the look she was giving.

    "You want to exchange contact information as well?" he didn''t know that this girl had a cellphone until recently. With her acting as intermediary, he can send messages to Jirou via her. He didn''t find anything wrong with giving him his number since she wouldn''t be able to talk on the phone anyway.

    "Whoa¡­ you''re really good at communicating with her Kazuya" Takaya gave him a look of admiration. Other people have tried communicating with her but a nod was as far as all those who tried got.

    "Stop with the flattery. I won''t respond to useless messages. I may not look like it but I''m pretty busy most of the time so if you don''t have the patience to wait for a response, then don''t bother sending me a message because I will immediately block you if you spam me with messages" he warned.

    "Haha¡­" Takaya gave a dry laugh. He was definitely seen through.

    The three continued to hang out until lunch break was over. Kazuya noticed a few people paying attention to him but he couldn''t tell if they were observing them because of the attention grabbing S class member or if it was the usual observers. He figured that whoever commanded the Zako group now under his control had gotten wind of him going to school today.

    The three returned to the classroom where Kazuya persuaded Tomoyo to let Takaya take his seat because he needed to study important books quietly. She stared at the boy sitting next to Kazuya as if wanting to let the poor boy vacate his seat.

    "Go back to your seat" Kazuya told her but she ignored him. "I was supposed to give you the present I promised but since you won''t even let me study in peace¡­" he stopped saying anything after he got her full attention.

    "¡­" Tomoyo put out both of her hands and started at him with expectant eyes.

    "Do you promise to let me study in peace?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

    *nod nod*

    "Alright then, turn around and close your eyes. If you open them without me telling you to then I won''t be giving it to you today" he felt proud that he finally got her to listen without instilling fear.

    *nod* Tomoyo turned around. She felt a little nervous especially after sensing him touching her ponytail.

    Kazuya smiled and removed the bandage looking thing she used to tie up her hair. He took a shiny white ribbon from his bag and proceeded to tie her hair with it. The cloth itself was normal but it was inscribed with a spell to increase the wearer''s concentration. He figured that this would help Tomoyo in her training so that she can quickly get used to activating her potential.

    "Alright. You can open your eyes now"

    "Here Shiroyuki-san I have a mirror with me" Takaya followed up and gave her a mirror. A cute white ribbon was now round on her hair and it suited her quite well.

    "¡­" Tomoyo used her hand to touch the white ribbon on her head to make sure that it really was there. She didn''t expect to be given this kind of present because Kazuya always referred to her as a robot. She turned towards Kazuya to thank him but he was immediately startled.

    "So you can do it after all" Tomoyo was clearly showing a smile. Takaya and anyone who was facing her was taken off guard as well. This was the very first time they had seen this girl smile and it did not seem unnatural at all.

    "?" Tomoyo tilted her head and wondered what he was talking about. Unfortunately, the smile had already gone and no one knew if they were going to see it again. Everyone who witnessed this came to the same conclusion though, the key to all this was Kazuya.

    Because of the effectiveness of his present, Kazuya was able to peacefully study until school was over. Due to the upcoming exams, club activities have been banned. Kazuya was also taken home early because of this so he trained at home peacefully.

    It was at night that he proceeded to his study to participate in the release of the game where the future of his upcoming company depended on. He remade the character he used in his previous life and felt quite nostalgic. He couldn''t wait to meet his old friends again. This time he wouldn''t start out as one of the people they helped but as a peer.

    "It really is a different experience if you have a suitable machine" he sighed. He was able to quickly complete the tutorial and was now standing in the starter village where various people who also just started out.

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    He scanned the names of every player he saw as he went to complete the quests. He even went as far as taking the secret quests that even beta players failed to discover to improve his progress speed. This way, he can help the people he was indebted to by helping them in this lifetime. It was still early in the evening so a lot of people were playing. In order to not let his level get too high, Kazuya remained in town and started increasing his crafting proficiency.

    [FriedKandule: Proficiency leveling? What a scrub] Kazuya noticed a person talking in general chat. His eyes narrowed as soon as he saw the name. This was the very first name he discovered that he knew. He had not met this person before but he heard a certain story about his friend''s first day of logging on.

    Kazuya had mixed feelings. He was glad that he had run into this person but worried that his presence may have changed what was supposed to happen so he quickly stopped and used a skill to hide himself. The class he picked was a quiet rogue that reflected his own reserved personality in his previous life. He then turned the character into a ninja for its second class but he had other plans this time around.

    [Fried Kadule: Hmph! What a coward] the bulky swordsman character laughed and left the area. He didn''t know that he was already being followed by the person he just insulted.

    Kazuya didn''t know when the people he was looking for would eventually play the game. The only reason he logged on now was because he heard of this story several times before. The first game his friend ever tried made her almost give up on it because of the bitter experience. It was only after a while that she decided to give the game another try.

    He didn''t want to miss the opportunity to meet today. The person may be an anonymous person playing an online character but he treated her as a real friend. He considered himself lucky even though the first character he was familiar with was repulsive. After watching the person and following him quietly, his perseverance finally paid off. He found the nostalgic name of the friend he looked forward to seeing.

    "I finally found you, [Autumn Mist]"

    .

 42 Online

    .

    Although Kazuya was glad that he found Autumn Mist, his eyebrows couldn''t stop twitching. He finally understood why people like FriedKandule messed with her. She donned herself in items that could only be obtained by buying the premium access to the game combined with a fashion pack that was so overpriced that even veteran gamers refused to get it.

    "Really this girl¡­"

    He remembered this girl to be quite picky about what equipment she would use. She would always scold him if he wore different types of equipment that didn''t match and he would have arguments with her for not wearing better equipment just because she didn''t like the way it looked on her character.

    Fried Kandule''s character looked like he noticed the girl moving on the field noobishly as well. Her character was supposed to be a close combat mage but she was casting spells from a distance and running away as soon as enemies came close. Being a normal player who couldn''t afford such luxurious things, Fried Kandule of course thought that it was a waste to that newbie have those kinds of items.

    Kazuya hid near the trees as Fried Kandule approached Autumn Mist and the monsters she was attacking. The bulky swordsman gave a helping hand and eliminated the stray goblins that were attracted by her AoE attacks. He was experienced and the enemies were weak so the battle ended pretty quickly.

    [Autumn Mist: Thank you for your help!]

    [Fried Kandule: No need to thank me little missy. Are you new to this game?]

    [Autumn Mist: Yes! this is my very first time playing this game]

    [Fried Kandule: do you want to know a secret? You can get stronger by removing the newbie protection icon at the lower right portion of your screen]

    [Autumn Mist: Really?]

    [Fried Kandule: That''s right. You''re given a protection when you start the game that lasts until you''re a few levels higher. The protection itself acts as a limiter to reduce your strength so you can get a good grasp of the game. Removing it will enable the full power of the spells you''ve learned]

    [Autumn Mist: I was wondering why my spells were so weak as a magician. So that was the reason! How do I remove it?]

    [Fried Kandule: first you need to right click on the shield icon. Then you should choose to deactivate it]

    [Autumn Mist: Give me a moment]

    She of course trusted this seemingly helpful experienced player. This was very much unlike the person who was skeptical over trusting new players she met. Kazuya smiled and moved his character to stop in between the two. He started typing quickly to make her stop the mistake that cost her to not play the game for a while.

    [Winter Fog: Please don''t be fooled. If you deactivate your newbie protection, not only will you lose protection from being killed by other players, but you also lose any bonus experience you get from doing quests]

    Since this was a game, he really wasn''t able to see if the person got the message so he watched the shield icon when he analyzed her character. It was still present so he glad that she hesitated.

    [Fried Kandule: Hey who are you? Why are you trying to fool other players?]

    [Winter Fog: Fool other players? The descriptions of the protection buff can be found if you read the website. Also, your name has been mentioned in the forums for victimizing new players and ticking them into removing the buff to kill and rob them. I''m sure you will be suspended or banned soon enough]

    Fried Kandule''s character remained motionless. He must have checked the forums to find out if what Kazuya said was true. He did indeed trick a few new players but didn''t think they would go as far as make a big issue out of it in the forums. Being a beta player, he had much to lose if his account gets suspended.

    [Winter Fog: Please be careful of people like this in the future. You can always double check by looking up information on the official site or the forums. You were lucky I was nearby to hear this or you may have lost some of the expensive items on you]

    He talked to the silent warmage. He knew that she had been observing since the idle icon still hadn''t appeared.

    [Autumn Mist: Thank you for your help and advice. I almost fell for it because of my stupidity]

    [Winter Fog: Don''t worry about it. We all have our own starting point. This is my first day playing as well but I did read through some of the things I wanted to make sure of. It''s people like that guy that make new players not want to play so I hope you''re not discouraged]

    [Autumn Mist: because of your timely help, I think I can continue to try. Thank you very much]

    [Winter Fog: No problem. Your name reminds me of a book I read so think of it as me doing it for myself]

    [Autumn Mist: The spring petals bloom, Summer rain washes away gloom¡­]

    [Winter Fog: The autumn mist makes them fall and the Winter fog envelops all]

    [Autumn Mist: You''ve really read that book¡­ this is amazing!]

    [Winter Fog: Aren''t you exaggerating? Reading a book isn''t something amazing]

    [Autumn Mist: you dummy! I wasn''t referring to reading a book. I was amazed that you like that same book and even based your name in this game off of it!]

    Kazuya smiled. He confirmed that this was the same girl he met. This was the second time he''s had this conversation and she reacted in the exact same way. He was happy, he still had doubts that the original owner of such an account may have given it to the person he met so he was glad that this was the same Autumn Mist in his past life.

    [Fried Kandule: You son of a @#@%^! You were one of the people who reported me!]

    After checking the forums, the swordsman was once again active and tried to swing his sword at Kazuya''s character. He was of course repelled instantly because of the protection buff.

    [Fried Kandule: F@#% you! If you''re a man face me!]

    [Autumn Mist: Don''t do it winter. He can''t do anything to you unless you remove your protection]

    [Fried Kandule: Shut up you noob! Just because you have your protection doesn''t mean I can''t do anything. I can always show up and kill all the monster you even try to attack. You''ll be stuck in the newbie village for a long time and when your protection is gone I''ll make sure to get the items you don''t¡ª]

    The swordsman''s continued threats were cut short as a short blade pierced his chest. His hit points immediately plummeted to a dangerous level and it was only then that he understood that he had chosen the wrong person to provoke. The rogue didn''t even need to use a skill and another attack immediately sent his character falling to the ground.

    [Winter Fog: I don''t have time to harass you but I will kill you every time I see you. You like to rob and threaten others? If I ever hear from my friend here that you even came close to her then I will hunt down every single person associated with you]

    He picked up the equipment the swordsman dropped and walked back to the warmage.

    [Autumn Mist: Wow you''re pretty strong!]

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    [Winter Fog: Not really. It''s my weapon that''s pretty nice. I practiced a few crafting skills to make weapons for myself. Speaking of that¡­]

    Kazuya initiated a trade and gave her a spear he made for her character. She had very nice equipment but her weapon was still of a newbie.

    [Winter Fog: Think of it as a present for our very first meeting. This will help you get stronger and do quests faster]

    [Autumn Mist: Are you sure? I really don''t know how to thank you]

    [Winter Fog: It''s just one of the few items I made to practice crafting. I''m not a warmage so I have no use for it so it would be more useful in your hands. If you need any help don''t hesitate to contact me]

    Kazuya added her a s friend and she accepted quickly. He wanted to spend more time with this friend of his after a long time but decided not to push it. she might feel overwhelmed if he acted like he used to and scare her off. He decided to go back to town to do quests while keeping an eye out for people he needed to find.

    [Autumn Mist: Wait!]

    [Winter Fog: Do you need something else?]

    [Autumn Mist: Umm¡­ Are you busy?]

    [Winter Fog: Not really. Why do you ask?]

    [Autumn Mist: Do you have other friends who play this game?]

    [Winter Fog: Not really. I can only play at night because of how busy I am during the day. You''re the very first person I''ve talked to here]

    [Autumn Mist: That''s great!]

    [Winter Fog: ¡­]

    [Autumn Mist: Err¡­ I don''t mean that you didn''t have any friends that''s great¡­ I was referring too you not being busy and me being the first person you talked to. I wanted to ask if you wanted to do stuff with me or something]

    [Winter Fog: I see¡­]

    [Autumn Mist: Please don''t think I''m weird or anything. I''m really not used to playing these kinds of games and I only tried this one out because it was given to me for free. I''m happy to have met a person who read one of my favorite books and even named their character after one of its most interesting chapters]

    [Winter Fog: I really don''t mind but¡­ you may surpass me since I only play during night time]

    [Autumn Mist: You don''t need to worry about that! I can only play during night time as well. So we''re pretty much the same right? It''s weird¡­ it''s like this isn''t a coincidence]

    Needless to say, Kazuya had succeeded and the two hit it off. He showed her the ropes and even gave her advice about playing the game. It felt like old times only he was the one who was doing the teaching. He didn''t consider himself to be one of the top players when he played, but he was knowledgeable enough to play through the game''s content until a few years later.

    The two played together every night. Kazuya had kept an eye out but the game was too big for him to find one of them soon. New games always have high attendance when they are released and it takes a while before those who were just here to try it out were gone. It took him three days until he was finally able to find one of the targets.

    This person''s IGN (In Game Name) was Void Android. He was a person who made it big but at a great cost. No one believed in the technology of artificial intelligence. As a person who mastered in both psychology and programming, it was his dream to develop an AI system that would respond like a human would. This dreamer was known in the future as the father of human-like androids.

    In his autobiography, he confessed to have sold all his assets including his house just to fund his research. His wife had left him because of it and married another man before he could get a company to support and release his research. This was his biggest regret.

    He played an online game to go back to his roots and to think a about why he started his project in the first place. It was due to the community of New Gods online did he never give up on his endeavor and finally made his own company with the help of donations he received through the generous people that heard about his story.

    [Autumn Mist: What''s wrong Winter? Are you tired?]

    [Winter Fog: Sorry, I was just thinking that we''re reaching the point where we have to party up with people to get through the game faster]

    [Autumn Mist: Do you have people in mind?]

    [Winter Fog: I only have you in my friend list so not yet. We can always help people out and ask if they want to join us]

    [Autumn Mist: Don''t you have friends at work that play this game too?]

    [Winter Fog: Work? Sorry but I''m still just a student]

    Kazuya hesitated before entering the last message. He knew little about what Autumn Mist did in real life. She would always make a clear separation between game and real life and hardly ever mentioned it but this version of her initiated an inquiry about Kazuya''s life outside of the game.

    [Autumn Mist: A student!? (?¦¤?¡Î) Me too!]

    [Winter Fog: Then why are you asking me about work?]

    [Autumn Mist: Hehe¡­ You give the feel of being older (?¦Ø?)¡«¡î]

    [Winter Fog: I''m just a six year old kid you know]

    [Autumn Mist: Hmph! If you''re six then I''m four! ((?(`¦Ø¡ä¡É)]

    [Winter Fog: Then please call me Onii-sama]

    [Autumn Mist: Dream on! ( £þ£Þ£þ) ]

    Kazuya was telling the truth but he didn''t mind her not believing him. He may appear to be a six-year-old but his mental age was a lot older. The person behind Autumn Mist wouldn''t meet with him in the real world anyway so he didn''t mind it at all.

    [Void Android: Excuse me! Are the both of you looking for party members?]

    Kazuya almost forgot about this person. Since they were near a dungeon, a lot of people were gathering up so Void Android chose to approach the two of them since they were the only ones missing a member. The first dungeon could be completed by one or two people but there would be more rewards if there were more people. Kazuya and Autumn Mist already cleared this dungeon so they were not in a hurry to try again.

    [Winter Fog: We were actually just discussing finding new friends since we''ve only been playing with just us two. Since you''re a healer, then it would help us a lot if you joined us]

    [Void Android: It would be a pleasure. Though you should rethink it if you want to party up with me for a long time. I only play during nights because of my research]

    [Autumn Mist: That''s perfect then! We also play during night because of our schedules. That''s why me and Winter hang out a lot]

    [Void Android: Do you mind if I ask you a strange question then? It''s just a something I ask people to see what they think]

    [Winter Fog: Go ahead]

    He had a feeling what the question would be. It was also mentioned in this person''s autobiography that he asked various people''s opinion about his project.

    [Void Android: What do you think about programs that could interact with humans like a normal human would?]

    .

 43 Online Talents

    .

    [Winter Fog: Like I said before, the gaming world can experience more realism if we can make a program that can induce a humanlike personality or response. The concept may sound simple but it''s actually not. Humans are very simple yet very complex beings. They have a lot of similarities to programs themselves]

    Kazuya took a few words he agreed with from the book he read and continued to explain.

    [Winter Fog: I''m still a student so I don''t really have such access to all the studies about human psychology but every single on them has to be taken into account when trying to make an accurate artificial intelligence program that will know how to respond accordingly]

    [Void Android: You sound like you''re dabbled in making one yourself]

    [Winter Fog: I hardly call it trying. Since I have no access to such resources, I''ve only tried designing system that could map out the responses and categorize them by using myself as an example. If I come across with a question or situation I have not experienced before then a proper reaction would be nonexistent]

    [Void Android: Wait! You mean to say you''ve designed a process to map out and categorize commands?]

    Kazuya was smiling behind the screen. This was the most difficult problem Void Android encountered from his previous life and it was only solved due to the help of a famous hacker who released a program that would be widely used in most of the voice activated items in the future. Kazuya had seen this design before so he was confident in recreating it.

    The Kouzuki Corporation was a company that has yet to enter the growing business of modern technology. This was because the Kurogane Conglomerate had recently made a move in the business and would highly suppress them if they tried to enter the same field because of their sensitive relationship with each other.

    Kazuya''s plan was simple, to enter the market with products that would hardly make the Kuroganes move. He was going to introduce the future technology that they didn''t even think to engage on. He was confident that he could keep himself under their radar until it was already too late for the Kuroganes to make a move.

    [Winter Fog: I made a prototype. I have to wait until I have more knowledge of the field before I can make the dream come to life and perhaps build something that would actually be presentable]

    [Autumn Mist: Wow you''re pretty smart Winter! I believe in you so I''ll wait for you to make my dream come true!?(?`§ß¡ä?)? ]

    [Winter Fog: Hey! Didn''t I say that it still has a long way to go? What dream are you talking about anyway?]

    [Autumn Mist: My best friends! My plushies! I want you to install that program whatever thingy in them so they can respond when I talk to them every day! I don''t understand much about what you talked about but you''re going to make something like that right?]

    [Winter Fog: I am but¡­ Its not even close to be perfected yet]

    [Autumn Mist: I don''t care! Even if you can''t do it I want you to promise me if you do! (?¡ã§Õ¡ã) ]

    [Winter Fog: Aren''t you afraid of giving out your personal information? You''d have to tell me where you live so that I can fulfill my promise you know]

    [Autumn Mist: So what? I''ll have to send you my friend first so you''ll have to give me your information first anyway!]

    Kazuya was at a loss. This girl may have changed but her prowess in making him speechless was still there. This was different from Mei''s case since he knew what happened to make her have such a big change. He didn''t know what this friend of his experienced but he can''t do anything about it from behind the screen even If he knew.

    [Winter Fog: Listen, you shouldn''t trust people over the internet too much alright? It''s very dangerous especially if you trust the wrong person]

    [Autumn Mist: Are you telling me you''re a dangerous person and I shouldn''t trust you?]

    [Winter Fog: You shouldn''t. The only time we''ve spent with each other is for a few days so there''s no telling if I''m dangerous or not]

    [Autumn Mist: But you saying those words are not convincing me but actually convincing me more to trust you!]

    [Winter Fog: You stubborn girl. Don''t say I didn''t warn you if something bad ever happens to you]

    [Autumn Mist: Hey don''t be mad okay? I said I''ll trust you but I didn''t say that I would trust everyone else whose nice to me online]

    [Winter Fog: You tricked me?]

    [Autumn Mist: Hehe ????? Don''t be mad at me. You''re acting like a DAD]

    [Winter Fog: You..!!]

    Void Android who had been silent for a while had been deep in thought. He couldn''t believe such a coincidence. Meeting a person who just happened to have the missing piece to his life''s work had appeared after he himself approached him. He ruled out the possibility that it was someone tricking him because no one even glanced at his research and all the sponsors he approached deemed it as a dead end.

    He still couldn''t fully trust someone he just met so he decided to spend more time with the duo and they went on various quests and dungeons. He even sent Autumn Mist private messages inquiring about Kazuya in which she happily retold the stories about how they met and had adventures together. This was what changed his perception. It was more likely that Kazuya had joined the game for Autumn than for him. Both of them were students so it would make much more sense. He assumed that he was simply in the right place at the right time.

    [Autumn Mist: Okay I need to log off now. I''ll see you guys tomorrow!]

    [Winter Fog: Alright then. Today was fun, also are you fine staying here late. You said you were a student and its already exam season you know]

    [Autumn Mist: Are you worried about me Winter?]

    [Winter Fog: Just concerned. I indeed stay up late but I have a book beside me that I read when we''re not too busy you know]

    [Autumn Mist: I''ll show you! I''ll get a high score to shut you up!]

    She logged off before he could retort. Kazuya smiled and prepared to log off himself. He already laid out the bait and it would be up to Void Android to think about it.

    [Void Android: Hey Winter-san wait a second]

    [Winter Fog: What is it Android-san?]

    [Void Android: What if I tell you that I may have the resources you are looking for plus a program that will be a perfect match for yours in terms of implementing artificial intelligence?]

    [Winter Fog: I wouldn''t believe you. This program of mine couldn''t only be used for artificial intelligence. It can remake the whole market on voice commands once I complete it. I''m even on my way to making my own company so that I could put it on the market once I''m done]

    [Void Android: You''re making your own company!?]

    [Winter Fog: Yeah. A company that would be based on those researches that are shunned by today''s big companies. I give a big importance on innovation since I myself have ideas for the market that people want to see but those who can make it come only care about profits. No one wants to take such big risks but I believe that it''s people like us that always bring about a revolution in technology]

    Kazuya had hit the final nail on the coffin. He couldn''t see it but Matsumoto Kippei was shedding tears after reading his words. These were the words that he had been waiting for from his wife but she had left him instead. Kippei didn''t care if Kazuya was still a student who hadn''t graduated. He was already sold after hearing Kazuya''s vision.

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    [Void Android: Please let me help! I want to be a part of your company]

    Kazuya was a little surprised. He didn''t think that he would be able to convince Kippei so easily. Nevertheless, the said company still didn''t exist so he needed to stall for time so that this person couldn''t be lost.

    [Winter Fog: Are you sure? It''s just a small startup company. I haven''t even filled up most of the positions that are needed]

    [Void Android: I''d be happy to help. What do you need?]

    Kazuya thought about it for a moment. He recalled that this person had been asking questions to random people he''s met in the game. He remembered watching an interview saying that he had met some of the leaders in technology in the game so he decided to take a chance.

    [Winter Fog: I''m mainly dealing with the paperwork right now. I have considered the main positions in the company we can''t have just one department. I need like minded people to be part of this company so it will be a lot of help if you can tell me if you''ve met these people]

    [Void Android: I''ve met quite a few actually and they are in this game]

    [Winter Fog: Really? Please send me their IGNs and research topic and I''ll think about it before asking for an introduction. I''m still in the initial phase of making the company so I still need some time]

    [Void Android: that''s no problem. I''ll just continue like I always have until you''re ready. This may be the first time we''ve met but I have a feeling that fate is at work]

    [Winter Fog: please don''t say things like that. If I didn''t know any better I would think that Autumn Mist is behind you making you say these things just to make fun of me]

    [Void Android: Is she your girlfriend?]

    [Winter Fog: No. I just met her in the game. I have to warn you though, the company will be located in the H prefecture]

    [Void Android: I''ll make preparations to move any time]

    [Winter Fog: You sure know how to put one under pressure. You can send me the relevant information I''ll be sending via private message later. For now, we can just enjoy the game with Autumn Mist. Please don''t tell her about this or she''ll make fun of me or demand things again]

    [Void Android: Ah youth¡­]

    [Winter Fog: I don''t want to listen to you anymore so I''m logging off!]

    Kazuya logged off to go to bed. The next time he opened his mail gave him a big shock as most of the players he was searching for already came in contact with Kippei. This time he really was the one under pressure. He planned to get in contact with these guys slowly but now he had the chance to meet them right away.

    "It''s time to speed things up a bit" He murmured and went back to his room where Mei was waiting once again.

    "You''re arriving later and later Kazu" Mei turned to welcome him. Unlike the first time they discussed the secret collaboration, Mei was now sitting behind his desk looking over some papers. She was already reviewing the paperwork Kazuya produced and have pointing out some things she found to him.

    "I was finding the people who are going to be working in the company. I''m now under pressure since I found a lot of them while we haven''t even established the company yet" Kazuya said as he began changing his clothes.

    "Are you sure about these people? I already said that your company, helping out the kinds of researches that big companies turn a blind eye to, is very risky"

    "You Don''t need to worry about that big sis. I won''t give you trouble when it comes to that department. I''ll been studying various things and I''ve already reached a level where I could release things that would put the company in the market. There''s no need to worry about the progress of the people I am interested in because not only will I have a major hand in all the projects that will start the company up, I will make it so that everything can be used in harmony with each other"

    Mei didn''t know where Kazuya got the confidence from but from a person who has experienced the real world, she hoped that Kazuya wont experience too much hardship. She wanted him to always have this confidence because she liked this side of him very much.

    "Alright, since you''re so confident in it, I won''t ask too much about it then. Now for the most crucial problem, you''ve already found the people you want to work with so¡­ what about the workplace and more importantly, the funds" Mei felt hesitant to ask about this since she knew that the only way for Kazuya to produce that much is to borrow from Kyouko. If they did that however, there was no way she wouldn''t find out what Kazuya was up to.

    "We will go get it tomorrow big sis. Were you able to find suitable places we can use as our headquarters?"

    "Tomorrow? What about school?" She handed Kazuya a bunch of papers that contained the places she found.

    "You can use your powers as a guardian to inform them I''ll be out for personal reasons. Tomorrow is the only day we can do this without mom noticing" Kazuya knew that Kyouko was going to be locked up by a set of meetings she was preparing for the whole week.

    "Hey aren''t you taking advantage of your big sis too much?"

    "Not at all. Haven''t you already noticed big sis? This company is going to be yours more than mine anyway" Kazuya took out a stack of papers and handed it for Mei to read. This was a contract and it gave almost full control over to Mei as she was given a large number of shares and a more than generous salary.

    "Kazu you¡­"

    "I initially thought of the plan to let this company be under the Kouzuki Corportation in the future but I changed my mind as after I worked with you. With your capabilities, you deserve your very own company big sis. Our company will not be under mom''s corporation but alongside it" This was the decision he made after carefully considering different scenarios. It would be ideal if the two companies were seen as different entities but with close ties so that the Kurogane Conglomerate would be facing two united companies instead of one if they really did decide to launch an attack.

    "It may be a few weeks too early but Happy Birthday big sis Mei¡­ or should I call you Big Sis CEO now" Kazuya smiled from the bottom of his heart. He was finally able to fulfill the objective that he had from his previous life. Although it still wasn''t a complete gift just yet, he was confident of completing it with his knowledge. Mei would soon no longer be looked down upon by people but rather looked up to. She, who more than deserved to stand with Kyouko would be on equal footing after Kazuya had completed the first stage of his plans.

    .

 44 Kazuno Mei

    .

    Mei was taken aback by this sudden revelation. Being handed a company over on a silver platter was not just something someone would or could do on a whim. From Kazuya''s descriptions and explanations about the company, she figured that his vision had been unique and this was in no way going to be small company for long. If Kazuya''s plans were to succeed, it wouldn''t be difficult to stand in the lines of both the Kuroganes and Kouzukis.

    "I was going to surprise you about the initial funding of the company tomorrow but since I''ve already revealed the biggest secret, might as well reveal this one was well" Kazuya noticed the perplexed look on Mei''s face. He was worried that he would be rejected since a real person in the business considered facts more important and barely listened to ideologies or theories.

    Kazuya took out a newspaper and an envelope from his desk before handing them both to Mei. She was curious as to what gave this boy so much confidence about the funding that he hardly even considered it as a potential problem. A frown couldn''t help but form on her face as she opened the envelope to reveal a lottery ticket. The confident boy in front of her wanted to rely in such a unrealistic game of chance?

    "This is why I didn''t want to tell you about it until tomorrow. You haven''t even checked the second thing I''ve handed to you" Kazuya''s smile remained unfazed.

    Mei humored him and took a look at the newspaper. She didn''t expect anything out of it but she almost lost her wits as soon as she saw the winning numbers published. She couldn''t piece things together. She was approached by Kazuya before this lottery had even started but the winning numbers in the ticket matched those printed on the newspaper no matter how many times she confirmed.

    "This¡­ Kazu you¡­" her hands were trembling. In her hand was a lottery ticket worth over 400 million yen. All the doubts she had about the company''s funding was blown out of the water. She even recalled the words Kazuya said about this only being the ''initial'' investment.

    "This will be the initial funding of the company''s establishment. I''ll leave other things to big sis aside from the initial acquisition of some of the main researchers and projects the company will be working on. The company will be yours to manage and I will only be involved with some of the projects that will jumpstart this company into the scene"

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    Mei shuddered after hearing it again. Kazuya''s ambitions were clearly bigger than she ever imagined and this was prompted because he learned about the threat Kyouko''s company faced. She couldn''t help but feel envious of Kyouko for having someone go this far for her. What she still hadn''t realized was that Kazuya was also doing this because of her as well.

    She couldn''t help but sink into her thoughts. Mei had always held gratitude for Kyouko for all the help she''s given. Her treating Kazuya as her own kin and being overprotective of him was because of Kyouko as well. Mei didn''t know if she was worth it but this mother and son pair treated her more than she thought that she deserved.

    Kyouko had given her chance to break away from the harshness of reality. Now, her son Kazuya was giving her a chance to rise above and live in the clouds. A mere assistant like her would suddenly be able to walk alongside the boss she admired and always wanted to be like. This was the reason why she would always joke about marrying Kazuya. She wanted to be a Kouzuki just like her role model.

    If she was asked honestly, her attachment to Kazuya was mainly because of his mother. He was just a child and she found no danger in acting like she wanted around him. Her unique way of treating him was just a way to tease Kyouko and both of them knew it. She felt Kazuya could also instinctively tell as well which was why he always tried to avoid her before he lost his memories.

    It wasn''t until Kazuya had suddenly lost his memories did it all change. She found out the reason why he had been avoiding her and was genuinely touched. He cared for her more than she ever imagined and even went as far as bearing with abuse. This made her affection towards him more than just a way to mess with Kyouko.

    The way she saw Kazuya changed. He was no longer ''Kyouko''s son'' but a little brother named Kazuya. This little brother who treated her really well and always considered her with whatever he thought. This little brother also enrolled in her former school so she was worried about him after having bad experiences in the same institution.

    Like she noticed earlier, this little brother of hers had a knack for attracting all sorts of girls. She was worried that he would end up being like those arrogant rich boys she met while she was still a student so she used her status as his ''big sis'' to make sure that he wouldn''t stray towards that path. This obedient little brother of hers was really obedient and didn''t fail her expectations.

    Strangely enough, after she had moved to the Kouzuki household, she began to experiences some changes. She couldn''t quite put a finger at it but not only her health has improved, but even her physical prowess together with her senses. The weirdest part about it was that she would always feel a strange warmth and comfort whenever she came into contact with this little brother of hers.

    Needless to say, she considered the Kouzukis to be her lucky stars. Now this little brother of hers was giving her a chance to be like the person she looked up to the most. She would no longer just be Kyouko''s assistant but another person in the field of business with her very own standing. Being under Kyouko for so long, she was confident she would be able to do well since she did train under the best.

    Mei hesitated however. Could she just leave the Kouzuki Corporation just like that? She already moved to the Kouzuki household so how would she explain it if she just suddenly quit her job? What would be the reason for her to continue staying with them if they would keep this plan a secret? What about Kyouko? How would she cope without her around? These were some of the problems she thought about.

    "Kazu I¡­ what about boss? If I quit the Kouzuki corporation then I would have to leave this place¡­"

    "I didn''t say you needed to leave the Kouzuki corporation right away big sis. Didn''t you learn from mom? How does she find the time to be distracted by me while leading such a big corporation?" Kazuya''s statement made her give a dry laugh. She knew what he meant. "besides, the small company would be in the initial phase of research and development once it get''s established. By the time it would require your full attention, it would also be the time where we can tell mom what we were up to"

    What Kazuya meant was how most of Kyouko''s work was given to her assistants and employees. Mei was not Kyouko''s only assistant but the only one who could interact with Kyouko personally. Still being considered a newly established company, she can make assistants do most of her work for her after giving her own directives.

    "That''s a good plan. I''d need to train a successor to take over my position in the meantime"

    "Do you have someone in mind you can trust?" Kazuya was initially worried about this because Mei was her mother''s most trusted person. She had the power to sway her decisions and even have access to some of the company''s most sensitive files.

    "Fujiyama Yumi is a good candidate. She has talent in the field as well as interest. She will be graduating from Sacred Forest High this spring. She will be attending the college program and I can set it up so that she can be an intern at our company"

    "Fujiyama Yumi¡­." Kazuya barely interacted with this person so unlike her sister, he hardly knew anything about this girl at all. She was usually quiet but since Mei got along with her then she wouldn''t be considered as someone bad.

    "Yumi-chan said that she only planned on taking a short business course and immediately wanted to work. Giving her this opportunity won''t be bad for her at all. I probably need just two years or less" Mei seemed to have made up her mind.

    She couldn''t let down the expectations Kazuya has given her. This was also an opportunity she never thought she would have had since Mei never planned on withdrawing herself from the Kouzuki corporation.

    "I''ll trust big sis'' judgement then. Do you have any ideas about who to hire as your assistant?"

    "I do have someone in mind but I still don''t know what her status is. We''ll go meet with her tomorrow since we do have business with her" Mei gave Kazuya a piece of paper that wasn''t included in the file she gave him of the prospective headquarters for their new company.

    "This is¡­" Kazuya was surprised. This indeed was a good place for their headquarters. It was an old factory that was located between the school and the Kouzuki household. The only problem was the owner. "Is the owner the person you are referring to big sis?"

    "Yeah. She was an upperclassman of mine that attended Sacred Forest Academy''s business course. She was able to make the small business of her husband very successful but I heard that it closed down because he passed away. I wanted to see if she was still willing to work after we bought the place because it would be a waste of her talents if she doesn''t get out of the pit she fell in" Mei reminisced.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya had was hesitant. Although Mei told him of her recommendation, the person in question was not really unknown to him. She was the Kendo Club captain''s mother, the one who compelled her daughter to betray Kazuya.

    "Do you know her Kazu?" Mei noticed the hesitation on his face. She was confused since the two shouldn''t have met before.

    "I don''t know her but I do know her daughter. She''s the kendo club''s captain" He answered honestly. "The place is indeed suitable and the price is not that bad. I want to hear what she has to say about being big sis'' assistant though"

    "Oh? You''re worrying about your big sis?" Mei felt warmth knowing that she was not the only one being overprotective.

    "Of course I am. This person must have been talented in the past to gain big sis'' admiration but I have not heard good things about her recently. I want the contracts of big sis'' assistants to be extra strict so that whoever gets hired must be confident in not being able to betray you"

    "Is that really necessary?"

    "Yes. I plan on doing the same thing to the people I choose to hire. Keeping the company''s secrets will determine our success or failure in achieving our goals. I don''t want to take unnecessary risks"

    "You''re my little boss so of course I''ll listen to you" Mei knew that he was determined to do this. She really didn''t have any objections since it was quite reasonable for him to want to keep their secrets safe.

    "Please don''t call me that or I will start to call you differently as well Kazuno-san" Kazuya gave a mischievous grin.

    "Fine! I take it back! I take it back! Don''t call your big sis so formally again!" She didn''t know why but she felt a sense of loss the moment she heard Kazuya call her just like everyone did.

    "Then let''s go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow and it''s already late"

    "Are you asking me directly to your bed now?"

    "Would you sleep in yours if I didn''t?"

    "No! I don''t know why but I sleep better with you and feel energetic every morning"

    Kazuya gave a smile. He was glad that his efforts were paying off enough for her to notice the difference. It meant that she was growing faster that she''s able to notice the difference. The amount of work Mei was going to be handling together with being his mother''s assistant was nothing to scoff at. He worried that she wouldn''t be able to cope without his help so Kazuya wanted her to replenish her strength and enhance it as she rested.

    "I''m glad to hear that. I wouldn''t want my CEO to fall apart even before we release our first big product"

    "Do you know something about it Kazu? I really feel different ever since I''ve moved here you know"

    "It''s because granny always uses fresh ingredients. Your body is so used to food prom the convenience store that you can feel the different effects that fresh food has to offer"

    "Hmm¡­ Maybe¡­" she was feeling a little bit skeptical. She knew that the smile he was giving was the kind of smile that says he knew something but wouldn''t tell. "I''ll make you tell me what you''re hiding sooner or later" she tackled Kazuya into his bed and held him tight.

    "(Women''s intuition sure is formidable)" he sighed inwardly as he started circulating mana for the both of them.

    "Mmmnnn¡­" Mei was assailed with the comfortable warmth from him. This made her unable to resist the fatigue she accumulated for the day and fell into a deep slumber very quickly. "Hey Kazu¡­" she mumbled.

    "What is it big sis?"

    "Thank you¡­ for believing in me" Kazuya didn''t know if she was talking in her sleep or not but he wiped the tear that was trickling down on her face.

    "No¡­ I should be the one thanking you big sis¡­ for being here with me" Kazuya stroked her cheek gently and watched her sleep. He did this for a while until he finally decided to close his eyes to rest. What he didn''t know that as soon as he fell asleep, Mei''s eyes slowly opened again before she put both hands on her face to find it heating up.

    "I should just be embarrassed for being treated like this by a child¡­ right?"

    .

 45 Acquisition

    .

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    The next day was full of surprises for those the duo of Mei and Kazuya met. First was when they collected their winnings for the lottery. The people were stunned to discover that it was the little boy instead of her guardian who won over 400 million. He might as well be considered one of the luckiest boy for winning the lottery on his first try.

    Second was the bank where Mei helped him create a new account so that the one he created with Kyouko doesn''t reveal what he was up to. They were assisted with a trainee employee who treated him as just another child. She almost fainted when Kazuya had handed the check of their winnings over.

    "Big sis please take the card and the bank book" Kazuya handed it over to Mei as soon as they entered the car.

    "No. You should hold onto it for now. You should just give me half of it after I''ve finished registering the company" Mei rejected. She didn''t want to have access to all of the funds because she wanted Kazuya to leave some for himself.

    "I already said that this will only be the initial investment. Feel free to spend as much as you like for establishing our headquarters. I want this company to reflect the way big sis wants it to since this is your own company to manage" he of course sensed Mei''s hesitation so he insisted.

    "Kazu¡­" She was already considering ways to cut costs but Kazuya wouldn''t have any of it. She already had a vision of what kind of atmosphere the company would have but the final say wasn''t hers. "Are you really sure about this?" she couldn''t help but ask again. She thought of ways to think about how he could get another investment but the thought of winning the biggest lottery at the end of the year didn''t cross her mind.

    "I am. I already said that big sis can handle everything the way you want to and I meant it. I only ask that you don''t keep problems from me since I may be able to help"

    "Okay. I promise"

    The two arrived at the Warehouse that was owned by Mahiru''s mother. Kazuya got off the car with Mei and immediately sensed a few stares not too far from their position. He fixed his vision just enough to get a peripheral view of it and there he found a van that was heavily tinted.

    "That kid¡­" the young man sitting inside the van immediately recognized Kazuya.

    "What is it boss? Do you recognize that pretty lady?" the rough looking man behind the wheel asked.

    "Hmm?" he took a glance at Mei and was immediately mesmerized. "A fine woman indeed" he licked his lips. If Lee were here, he would immediately shout at this acquaintance of his for looking at Mei like that. "Looks like that guy Lee does have good taste" Kuuga couldn''t help but develop a smile on his face.

    "That''s one fine woman" the rough man whistled as he kept his eye on Mei. He totally ignored Kazuya who had already sensed them.

    Mei''s senses were already enhanced so she couldn''t help but frown after catching that disgusting feeling whenever someone looked at her with lust. Unlike Kazuya who was masking his point of view, she glared directly towards the van for a few moments before moving towards the entrance of the warehouse.

    "Did she just¡­ notice us?" the rough looking man wondered as Mei stared directly in is direction.

    "That woman is interesting indeed. No wonder Lee was so infatuated by her" Kuuga also felt a little pressure after Mei looked in their direction but shrugged it off. He didn''t think that a woman was any threat to them.

    "They went inside the warehouse boss. What do you think they''re here for?"

    "I don''t know that woman but I do know that Kid. He goes to my school and his club captain is the daughter of this place''s owner" he explained.

    "So he was the one that Hashiyama kid wanted to be taken care of? He looks fine to me"

    "Yeah¡­ that''s what bugs me. Anyway they''re probably here to talk about the incident and find out if the daughter''s betrayal had anything to do with Lee. Too bad for them that they don''t know a thing" he laughed.

    "But didn''t we send Ousame there to pressure the owner to pay her debts so we can buy this place for cheap?" The rough guy was confused. They ordered him to pressure Mahiru''s mother to pay her debts immediately because Kuuga wanted to use their land to set up his own base of operations.

    "That guy doesn''t even know I''m involved. All he knows is that he only needs to settle his own debts and this is the only way he can find enough cash to pay up"

    Ousame was indeed in the vicinity. As the Mei and Kazuya approached the entrance of the Warehouse, they heard a pair of voices arguing. One belonged to Ousame who Kazuya of course recognized and one was Mahiru''s mother.

    "Please leave. The debt will be repaid as soon as I conclude my business. The deadline is still not here so why are you pestering me this much?"

    "Listen lady, I''ve already lowered the price I''m collecting from you. Why are you being stubborn. If I didn''t need the money then why do you think I would come here to settle your debt?" The man sounded annoyed after being turned away.

    "You may have bought the debt from those despicable people but that doesn''t mean that you can just barge in here like you own the place. I''m expecting guests so please leave immediately" She didn''t notice that Mei had already arrived together with Kazuya and stood by the side quietly getting a grip of the situation.

    "Is there something wrong Sawada-senpai?" Mei decided she had heard enough and walked up to interrupt.

    "Kazuno? Is that really you Kazuno?" She was shocked to see her former underclassman looking like a real professional businesswoman. She remembered a serious girl who worked hard but just the level of presence of this beautiful young woman in front of her made her speechless.

    "It''s me senpai. Kazuno Mei. I called you earlier to set up an appointment. I hope you don''t mind me dropping by in such short notice" Mei completely ignored Ousame who was now wearing a frown.

    "Hey lady, it''s rude of you to¡ª" he froze as soon as he noticed the boy who walked up to stand beside Mei. His legs started trembling after remembering the hellish experience he was put through by this little demon.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh. The women''s'' attention was already on him because of Ousame''s reaction towards him. He really didn''t expect to see this guy here so he knew that there was no way he could give an excuse Mei would believe.

    "What are you doing here?" Kazuya couldn''t help but pour his frustration over this unexpected person.

    "S-s-sir¡­ p-p-please f-forgive me I really n-need to collect the m-money she owes me s-so I¡­"

    "Shut up and stand to the side until we''re done with our business here" since it was already too late, Kazuya thought of using this person''s presence to their advantage. "Sorry for that big sis. We can continue with what we came here for now"

    "Who is this child Kazuno?"

    "My name is Kouzuki Kazuya. You are Sawada Mahiru-senpai''s mother correct?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed and she immediately understood. This was the person they had conspired against.

    "I-I see¡­ please come this way then" She led the two inside an office inside the warehouse. She was nervous and felt guilty towards this boy who probably already knew what she and her daughter had done judging by the reaction of the Ousame.

    "What''s going on Kazu? Why did that man tremble when he saw you?" Mei wasted no time to ask him about the startling event outside the warehouse.

    "It''s a long story big sis. A story that says why I''m against purchasing this place" he then began to retell a different version of the incident that happened at the kendo tournament.

    He changed the story to the man outside being a loan shark who made Mahiru''s mother compel her daughter to throw the matches of the tournament to lessen the amount of debt she owed. He also mentioned that the guy outside tried to attack him so that he would pull out from the tournament but he beat him up instead,

    Kazuya looked straight into Sawada Matsuri''s eyes. She wanted her to comply with his story so that Mei wouldn''t be worried. The woman understood this and felt that she owed it to this clever boy to make her underclassman not worry too much.

    "I''ll rip that bastard to pieces!" Mei''s rarely got angry but her bloodlust oozed out and even surprised Kazuya. He felt touched that she would be this angry for his sake but didn''t want her to uncover the truth.

    "It''s already fine big sis. I beat him up enough to send him to the hospital. He has already suffered enough since I made him promise to only collect the minimum amount he could from the captain''s family" Kazuya tried to pacify her by gently rubbing the back of her palm as he held it.

    "So that''s why¡­" Matsuri couldn''t help but exclaim. This was news to her. She was always puzzled as to why the amount Ousame demanded of her went down by a lot. It turns out it was the doing of this seemingly innocent little boy that came with her underclassman.

    "Now then, It''s time we continue our objective for coming here" Kazuya looked at Mei wanting her to begin the talks.

    "No need, Mei''s expression grew cold" she wasn''t about to deal with someone who had plotted against her Kazu. She knew that not all of he said was the truth and they were mostly so that she wouldn''t worry about him.

    "Kazuno wait!" Matsuri tried to stop them. Mei already tried to leave while holding Kazuya''s hand.

    Matsuri already got a lot of offers for the land but most of them investigated her circumstances and tried to take advantage of her plight by giving her low offers for a place that was worth a lot more. She knew that an accomplished person like her underclassman wouldn''t offer such a low price so she had placed a lot of hope on this visit.

    "I have to say I''m really disappointed in you Sawada-senpai. I looked up to you and even convinced Kazu saying you''re one of the person I looked up to. Who would have thought that you have changed this much" her tone grew harsh. "I''ve heard about your circumstances but I never would have thought you would go as low as involving your own daughter in a plan to make her suffer the guilt of betraying her friends"

    "You may leave if you want to Kazuno but let me talk to this boy for a moment" Matsuri ignored the cold look Mei gave her and kneeled in font of Kazuya and lowered her head on the floor.

    "Senpai you¡­" This caught both Mei and Kazuya off guard.

    "I want to apologize for what I tried to do to you. I know I don''t deserve your forgiveness but I had been too preoccupied with my own problems to care for other people. I lost my husband and couldn''t even grieve because of the numerous problems that came knocking at our doors.

    I also want to thank you for telling that horrid man to lower the amount of our debt. I know that my daughter betrayed your trust but it was all my fault. Mahiru wouldn''t even look at me and would cry in her room before and after this happened so please do not blame her.

    If you''re interested in this place then as a show of my sincerity, you can have it at the price of our debt and an amount enough for us mother and daughter to move to another place. I only ask for my daughter to be forgiven. As her mother, I can''t stand her being like she is now and it was all my fault"

    In her anger, Mei had forgotten this person''s circumstances. She felt pity that this series of troubles fell upon her since she had been so happy after getting married to her husband before he passed. She turned to Kazuya who was wearing a neutral expression even after listening to the woman kneeling in front of him for forgiveness.

    "I decline your offer. I am interested in this place but I want to purchase it at a fair price. As for compensation for what you did, I will have you work at the company that will be built by using your land. You will be big sis'' assistant. She convinced me of considering you as her assistant because of your talent"

    "Kazu!" Mei wanted to stop him but she was ignored. She already gave up trying to get Matsuri as her assistant after hearing about what happened.

    "You can of course decline this offer and try your luck out with mediocre jobs you can find. If you do accept this offer, your efforts will reflect how you will be treated. Be reminded that I will NEVER forgive anyone who betrays me" Kazuya paused and waited for his words to sink in.

    "But Mahiru¡­"

    "I hold no grudges towards your daughter and that should already be me being lenient. If you accept this offer and happen to betray big sis then I promise you that it won''t only you who will be regretting it. Believe me when I say that If I can make that man outside tremble in fear at the sight of me, I have the ability to make sure that people who betray me would wish that they died so choose wisely"

    Both Matsuri and Mei trembled after hearing his words. Even Mei felt the seriousness of his words.

    "It will not only be limited to you. All those who are going to be hired and have access to the company secrets will have to abide by this rule. Anyway, we already know how much this land is worth so we want to hear how much you want to sell it for. You can think about accepting the position or not but the offer will only last until big sis finds another suitable candidate" Kazuya turned around to sit down. He already said more than he was willing to.

    "I¡­ will sell this place to you¡­"

    .

 46 Manpower

    .

    "Are you sure you want to sell it for this amount?" Kazuya asked Matsuri again after viewing the deed of sale. She was selling the warehouse and her land at a relatively lower price than what both he and Mei expected.

    "I am. You''re already giving me an opportunity to work for you and with all the trouble I''ve caused you, I can''t bear to ask you for more" She replied.

    "You still have to make the decision whether you want to join or not after reading the contract thoroughly. It isn''t your regular contract and the penalties for information leaks are severe" Kazuya reminded.

    "It does not matter. I need to repay you for your grace. You won''t be using the warehouse and will be reconstructing the place so I think the price is suitable" she made up her mind.

    "Alright then. Please sign the papers and will immediately send you the whole amount" Kazuya took out his phone and used it to transfer the amount for the purchase.

    Mei who hardly said anything was impressed. Kazuya may appear like a child to whomever looked at him but as soon as they talk to him, their perspectives would change. This boy singlehandedly handled the purchase of their future headquarters and even got a good price for it. She wanted to see him leading the company but unfortunately, he cannot legally take the helm.

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    "(If Kyouko were to see her son right now¡­)" Mei smiled. The scion of the Kouzuki family indeed lived up to his name. Kazuya was not only building his company from the ground, he was making it seem like any other child could do so.

    [Transfer Successful]

    "Please check your bank account" Kazuya showed the confirmation message on his phone. Matsuri called her bank with hers and confirmed that the transfer went to her account safely.

    "Thank you, Kazuno-san, Kouzuki-san. I will not let you down!" Matsuri didn''t need to read over the employee contract and immediately signed it.

    "Sen¡­ no¡­ Sawada Matsuri, Since Kazu has given you this chance then I will say nothing more. I admired you back when you were my upperclassman so I hope you haven''t gotten too rusty" Mei put on her usual cold demeanor as this had to do with business. "Read through your contract carefully. You may have signed it but it contains information that you need to know. Also, I may be the CEO but Kazu''s commands are above even mine since he''s the owner of the company"

    Matsuri wasn''t really surprised by this. She already knew that Mei had been very successful and was sitting at a high position in the Kouzuki Corporation. It didn''t take a degree in rocket science to connect the boy to the corporation since he had the surname ''Kouzuki''.

    "Understood" Matsuri''s demeanor also changed. Even though she was dressed normally, she had the demeanor of a professional.

    "Now that we have obtained our headquarters, I can officially register the company" Mei turned towards Kazuya. "We still need to visit contractors and designers for the company so that they can begin construction immediately"

    "Before that¡­ Sawada-san can you please call that guy waiting outside here?"

    "I¡­" she hesitated. She remembered she still needed to settle the debt with Ousame.

    "No need to worry. Your debt aside, that guy will not dare to bother you anymore after this" Kazuya reassured her.

    "I will bring him right away Kouzuki-sama" she bowed politely and left before Kazuya could refute her way of addressing him.

    It didn''t take long before Matsuri came back with the stiff Ousame behind her. She was impressed by her little boss since this person had been very aggressive towards her. He was like a tiger who had reverted to a kitten in the presence of Kazuya.

    "Y-you called for me young master?"

    "I already heard the part about you needing to pay your debts earlier. You will get your payment soon since I have already bought this place" Kazuya noticed the relief in Ousame''s face despite the fear he still held. "I just have a few questions for you"

    "You can ask me anything young master" after learning his lesson the first time, he wouldn''t dare keep anything from him.

    "Are you connected to the underworld?" Kazuya looked straight at Ousame''s eyes.

    "I¡­" Ousame hesitated. He then saw the eyes of the boy slowly narrowing accompanied by an unknown pressure assailing him. "I used to be¡­ but I was fired for not being good at collecting money. They said I could just establish a loan company so I can get used to it and come back if ever I wanted to. It was their way of telling me I wasn''t needed anymore but didn''t cut ties so I can be of use to them if there came a time"

    "I see¡­ then do you want to come back?"

    "N-no. I found that being away from all the trouble suits me more and my ''brothers'' think so as well"

    "Good. You should completely break away from them" Kazuya smiled. "I''m going to offer you and your most trusted brothers an opportunity. Work for me"

    "Work?" This was the last possibility on his mind. He assumed he was going to get asked to do something like gather information but this offer was unexpected.

    "Indeed. If you''re really serious about cutting ties with the dirty dealings of the underworld then I''m offering you an opportunity"

    "W-what kind of work?"

    "Security for the company I will be building here and not the regular type of security that wears those silly uniforms. All of you will be expected to work like those professional security companies working with modern technology"

    "This¡­" Ousame didn''t know what to say. Ever since he met this boy, he had nightmares of being alone on the room with him and experiencing the torture he went through again.

    People who didn''t have the opportunity to go to universities like them were often left to fend off for themselves doing menial or shady jobs. Ousame met his people with the same circumstances and treated them as brothers. The boy in front of him who he always thought was the devil was now giving him the chance to break free from the life they never thought they would get out of and have occupations that they would be proud of after taking their pasts into consideration.

    "Of course, you already know my policy when it comes to betrayal right?" The amount of pressure Kazuya released almost made Ousame throw up everything that was in his stomach. He needn''t be reminded of what would happen if he as much as got on this boy''s bad side.

    "I¡­"

    "No need to give an answer now. I want you to talk to your brothers about it. Of course, I wouldn''t be doing this just because I felt like it. You, like every other employee that will be working in this company will be compelled to sign a contract that will be akin to making a deal with the devil" Kazuya grinned.

    "And of course, like a deal with the devil, all you need to do is perform your responsibilities well and you will be compensated adequately. Break it however¡­ hehe I believe you can imagine it since most stories told had similar ends" Kazuya didn''t give up making the last part very clear.

    His choice of initial employees wasn''t really something someone would consider but the amount of fear Ousame had of him would lessen the probability of being betrayed. Their company was going to be a full of sensitive technology so he needed to take precaution seriously.

    "The amount I owed has successfully been sent to your account Ousame-san" Matsuri stood behind Kazuya and respectfully informed him. She was no longer afraid of this person because she was now a person employed under Kazuya.

    "Sawada Matsuri already signed a contract and she will be my future wife''s assistant" Kazuya added.

    "I see¡­ I apologize for my earlier rudeness Sawada-san" he bowed politely. He didn''t care about his pride anymore since Kazuya was involved. "I will discuss this with my brothers young master"

    "Good. You may leave now" Ousame wasted no time to turn for the exit.

    "I will be excusing myself then¡­" Kazuya then had a thought.

    "Hold on. You came with some guys riding a tinted van, right?"

    "Y-yes. They were the ones I owed money to"

    "Tell them to watch who they stare rudely at. I''ll personally pluck out those things they call eyes if I ever catch them looking at my fianc¨¦ lustfully again" Kazuya took advantage of Ousame''s fear to make sure those people had no funny ideas about this place. He already had a feeling that the sudden pressure Matsuri and Ousame were in was due to their interest in buying her property for cheap.

    "I-I will"

    "You don''t need to tell me if you decide to accept my offer or not. You and your brothers only need to report to the Shiroyuki dojo if you agree. I want your real capabilities to be judged and trained a bit. I will be there to see if I indeed made the right decision" Ousame was finally able to leave. The tension in the room lessened as Kazuya retracted his dominating presence.

    Mei, who was silently observing from the side was in awe. His ability to lead and gather subordinates even surpassed Kyouko''s. He may have been very forceful but he was right in doing so since the more she learned about the company, the more she understood the need for confidentiality. She didn''t understand it but her heart was racing and despite her cold expression, she couldn''t calm down.

    "(What''s happening to me?)" she unconsciously put a hand over her chest trying to calm herself.

    "Kazuno-san?" Matsuri noticed her being distracted and called out. She wanted to know if what Kazuya said about Mei being his future wife was true but it looked like she wasn''t going to get an answer.

    "We''re done here so we should go to our next stop" Kazuya turned towards the two women behind him. "Sawada-san, it would be useful if you could come with us to meet with the contractors since you know this place better than us"

    "Alright. I''ll go get changed and recover the blueprints" she wasted no time and left the duo whose trip was a complete success.

    "Big sis?" Kazuya noticed Mei''s distant expression as well and called out to her. She didn''t respond so he decided to sit and wait. He assumed she was thinking about a lot of things concerning the company so he shouldn''t disturb her.

    Outside the warehouse, Ousame approached the van and faced the rough looking man who stepped out. Kuuga had remained in the back and watched through the tinted glass. He was curious as to how it went especially since there were unexpected visitors.

    "So did you get the money?"

    "I did¡­"

    "What!?" the rough man was surprised. He was expecting Ousame to come up with nothing and then they would come and offer a low price for the property but the plan had gone down to smoke.

    "I got the money so we only need to go to the bank for me to be able to pay you"

    "how did that woman get money to pay you? Are you sure she transferred the money to your account? She may have just told you that to trick you!"

    "No. She had the money. This place has already been sold"

    "What happened?" Kuuga couldn''t help but frown. this had been completely out of his expectations. "(Did those two from earlier purchase the property right under our noses?)" he didn''t want Ousame to know about his goal so he could only think about it.

    "I don''t know but the lady had an appointment with people who arrived when I was asking for the money. She gave in after they arrived so I have it now" Ousame didn''t want them to know about his relationship with Kazuya since these were the same people who recommended he buy off Matsuri''s debt from her deceased husband''s family.

    "Tsk¡­ you better hope that you did get paid. I expect that money to be in my office tonight" the rough man was in a bad mood. They wasted their time in coming to this place.

    "With all due respect, I may have already left the family I used to work for but among the different groups I''ve been involved in, everyone held pride in the words and promises spoken. I know that you may have had your circumstances to ask for repayment earlier but I never intended to renege on my debt. I am a man of my word and I repay every debt so I do not understand why I am being treated like this" Ousame was not happy with the way he was treated after successfully collecting the money.

    "Are you saying I''m being dishonorable?" the rough man got even more agitated.

    "People in our line of business have a bad reputation but none can deny the validity of our promises. I''m only reminding you of that"

    "You¡ª" the rough man was about to attack when he was suddenly pulled back by Kuuga whose hand touched his shoulder just in time. Kuuga himself had been insulted by Ousame''s words since it was him who concocted the plan to buy the Sawada property but he remained calm. Ousame may have been retired but he was in charge of a group of brothers that were formidable in their own right.

    "Before I leave, the young man who visited told me to remind the people riding this vehicle to be careful of who they stare at with their lustful eyes. He wanted to pass on the message to go relieve yourselves with your hands or he might just pluck your eyes out for being disrespectful to someone''s wife" Ousame smiled after adding a little bit to Kazuya''s warning to vent of his frustration. He left the two who silently stood there trying to swallow what message he was asked to pass to them.

    "Young master¡­ should we¡­" the rough man wanted to barge into the warehouse and beat the kid up. He might not have known who he just threatened but it was a threat nonetheless.

    "No. That boy is the scion of the Kouzuki household. Even my old man wouldn''t dare lay a hand on him" Kuuga clenched his fists. He wanted to beat the kid himself for daring to insult and threaten him but that would implicate his whole family and possibly ruin it with their retaliation.

    "The scion of the Kouzuki house!?" the rough man''s mouth gaped. He immediately understood what would happen if they implicated themselves. He would have died even before the boy''s family retaliated for making such a blunder.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya huh¡­ you are really beginning to interest me"

    .

 47 Gathering and Warning

    .

    A few weeks passed and it was dinnertime at the Kouzuki household. It had been unusually quiet for the past few dinners they had so Kyouko was a bit concerned. Her assistant who would usually bother her son to no end had actually been behaving properly. She thought that it was because of the recent exams that Kazuya was preparing for but it that was already over and there still wasn''t a change.

    "Mei?" Kyouko called out but Mei had been deep in thought about her collaboration with Kazuya that she didn''t notice. This was the reason why she couldn''t spend her time fooling around.

    "Big sis" Kazuya''s call however made her respond instantly and made her turn to him. "Mom is calling you" he gave a wry smile.

    "What is it Kyouko?" Mei looked at her boss while continuing to eat. She had to use her time effectively.

    "Did you happen to get a lover recently?" Kyouko''s question almost made Mei choke on her food.

    *cough cough* Mei almost choked on the food she was chewing after she heard what Kyouko said.

    Kazuya immediately moved to pat her back. Although he knew the reason his mother asked the question, he couldn''t help but praise her imagination for coming up with such a conclusion. Mei had been busy enough as it was that without him continuously maintaining her health, she would have collapsed because of her own dedication.

    "What the hell!? Where did that assumption come from!?" she felt insulted. Although her boss didn''t know it, both she and her son had been working hard for Kyouko''s sake.

    "You''ve been acting really weird these past few weeks. Always sneaking off whenever you have free time to who knows where. I appreciated the fact that you left Kazuya alone when he was about to take exams but I see that it wasn''t the exams that made you change"

    "Are you calling me unfaithful? You don''t have to worry about that since Kazu and I have been closer than ever! He even started snuggling to me in his sleep!" Mei proudly declared and caused Kyouko''s jaw to almost drop.

    "Stop using my son as a body pillow!"

    "Too bad! Kazu always soothes my fatigue and lets me wake up fresh every morning! He even invited me to go out tomorrow!" even though he did, it was mostly because of business.

    It had been a while but these two began bickering again. Kazuya silently excused himself after he had his fill and entered his private study next to the house. He logged on to New Gods Online earlier than usual because he had an appointment with a few people.

    Kazuya logged on to his Winter Fog account and met with the people inside their guild house. He successfully created a guild called ''Midnight Wanderers'' which was a created in honor of his old group. This guild was mostly made up of those who Kazuya had intended to recruit to his company.

    With Void Android''s help, he was successfully able to gather a lot of people that would eventually make their own names in the future. Of course, he did avoid those who were successful but only took credit for the works of others. He decided to hold an early meeting to give them an announcement as well as to avoid the presence of Autumn Mist who still had no idea that he was recruiting these people to build his own company.

    [Void Android: There''s already so many of us boss. How are the preparations going?]

    [Winter Fog: Have all of you already moved to H city?]

    [Void Android: Of course! Some of us even moved in the same apartment complex. You haven''t answered the question yet boss]

    Although he gathered quite the number of people, some of them didn''t adhere to the strictness of the contract. Kazuya already thought he might lose some of them because of his harsh requirements but he didn''t hold it against them but Kazuya''s knowledge of their research and the amount of manpower he had was all he needed to recreate those people''s ideas.

    The number of people who signed without complaints were already more than he expected. They even recommended their talented companions who have been tested by Kazuya and Void Android themselves so their capabilities were guaranteed.

    [Winter Fog: We''ll meet soon. The company has been established on paper already and the construction for our headquarters is going well. It won''t be long now]

    [Void Android: We''ve already gathered and met and like you said, started collaborating our ideas together. It''s possible to integrate our different ideas together but we''d need your help the most to make it happen]

    [Winter Fog: I assume so. Everything should be ready after new years so you guys better enjoy your last days as members of the unemployed because all of you will be stuck working on your projects both separately and together]

    Everyone laughed. All of them did not look forward to seeing their workplace as much as they wanted to meet with this mysterious boss of theirs. He always reminded them not to be too surprised when they met him which was now a running joke in their guild. Everyone knew that Winter Fog and Autumn Mist were students but they really didn''t mind since he acted pretty much like one of them.

    [Winter Fog: I''m serious. Also, I want to tell everyone that since I''m still as student, you will all have to answer to my future wife which would be the CEO. She''s scary when she''s mad so don''t mess with her]

    It was as if everyone had lag issues. The amount of dots flooded the chat made Kazuya laugh out loud. It was with these people that he could openly be himself. It would be a lie if he said that he wasn''t afraid of being found out as a child so he expressed his own personality as much as he could so to give these bunch the shock of their lives.

    [Void Android: Since everyone is afraid to ask¡­ Is little miss Autumn our little boss now?]

    [Winter Fog: (?_?) ]

    [Void Android: She''s not?]

    [Winter Fog: Of course not. We only met through the game]

    Everyone spammed the [ ¦²(?§¥?) ] emote this time. The guild was mostly made up of the future employees of Kazuya''s company but they still welcomed Autumn Mist since she was been with Kazuya ever since they met him. They only talked about business whenever she wasn''t around and played the game normally.

    They were quite a popular guild since even though their primary objective was just to play during their spare time, Kazuya''s knowledge everyone''s progression to even rival the gamers who worked hard to test out information he already had in his memory.

    Many people wanted to gather information through their members but which member didn''t get interviewed by Kazuya himself? He actually shared this knowledge to test out of any information would leak out. He was the boss so he didn''t need to explain himself when providing information. The credibility of Kazuya''s information made them trust him more which led to a big factor in accepting his terms upon employment.

    [Squid Buddha: This legend only has one important question; will there be women employees? I know most of the people in the guild and most of us are guys! The guy to girl ratio is an important matter!]

    Kazuya sighed. This person was a well-known hacker who eventually invented the programs he was going to use to help with the projects that will help his co-workers in the future.He found him by chance when he was exploring a high leveled area with Autumn. He was going to be in charge of their network security.

    [Winter Fog: That will be dependent on the amount results you guys can come up with. The CEO refuted the suggestion of hiring more girls when I suggested it. We talked about it for a while and came to a consensus. We will start out as a small company so we don''t need that many employees. Most jobs will be shared by you guys including menial tasks]

    [Squid Buddha: What a ruthless wife you''re going to have!]

    [Winter Fog: However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we''re successful, our company will grow bigger and bigger. She promised to grant the request of hiring more female personnel as an incentive to you guys BUT¡­ all of them would have to go through me first]

    [Squid Buddha: You two are a match¡­ both ruthless]

    The other members were silent but they agreed. Everyone had experienced being interviewed by Kazuya so they all went through that unique experience. Those that failed felt bitter but those who passed didn''t make much of a difference afterwards. They understood why he had to do it. They realized how big his ambitions were just by how strict the interview process was but that didn''t stop them from feeling pity towards those who were going to go through that.

    [Winter Fog: Don''t say that. The only personnel that need to go through me are the ones that are going to have access to restricted areas. Don''t forget, if our companies get big enough, even interns would be lining up and it would be a great chance for you]

    All of them cheered. They really looked forward to the company''s opening. Most of them already moved and awaiting the construction of their headquarters to finish. They even went to the address to deliver their signed contracts in person and met up with Matsuri who was always at the scene. They were excited after seeing the building and the amount of security already present. From their perspective, their boss was indeed justified in being extra strict with his recruitment.

    [Void Android: Boss, since it''s almost the end of the year, we were thinking of having a gathering near the end of the year. It would be a good time for you to show up before us don''t you think?]

    [Winter Fog: A year end gathering sounds like a great idea. Hmm¡­ I would like to but I have no way of escaping my family once winter break begins. Most of you already know this but I''m keeping this company a secret from my mom until we make it big]

    It was true, most of them already knew this. They were impressed that a person as down to earth as him acted like a normal person that didn''t dare look down on them. Most young masters that were capable of establishing a company as big as the one he was planning would have rather recruited people from top universities or more marketable research.

    This was the reason they all appreciated and liked Kazuya. They not only gave them a chance when everyone else shunned them, he even treated someone like them who had very low standings as equals. They were truly thankful for meeting him and trying out this game.

    [Winter Fog: I''ll ask Matsuri-san to set something up. Even though I can''t probably come, it would be good for you guys to meet your CEO. I will warn you again, never have any ideas or even look at her rudely. You will be fired even before we launch the company. I''ve given her complete control over the matter]

    [Void Android: I never knew you were such an overprotective husband, boss]

    [Winter Fog: No¡­ I''m warning you for your own good. You''ll understand once you see her. Her senses are sharp so try not to get on her bad side]

    [Grace Wall: A young woman CEO. I really like your style boss. She''s a role model to us women]

    *FWOP*

    A notification then interrupted the conversation as Autumn Mist logged on. She always made it a habit to log off inside their headquarters so she was surprised to appear after a large group had gathered. She excused herself earlier than usual lately because of the recent exams so this was the day she finally got to log on without time constrictions.

    [Autumn Mist: Huh? Is there a guild event happening here?]

    Everyone felt hesitant in replying to her. They were just talking about the just confirmed fianc¨¦ their boss had declared and here came the girl everyone knew liked their boss except for maybe the person himself.

    [Winter Fog: You''re just in time. I''m about to discuss the strategy for the raid we''ll be doing]

    [Autumn Mist: What?! I haven''t been active much lately¡­ Also, although the exams are over, I can''t play regularly until winter break begins because I have to attend a competition]

    [Winter Fog: competition? What a coincidence, I''m also going to attend a national competition next week]

    [Autumn Mist: Huh? You''re going to participate in a national competition?]

    [Void Android: Boss is that true!?]

    There was a commotion amongst them. They wanted to support their boss and thought that Autumn would be in the same competition. The two meeting was juicier than any news they would ever hear from the game so they silently hoped that it was the case. Sadly, reality was not in their favor.

    [Winter Fog: I am. I''m part of a sports team. It will be held at the western prefecture this year so I doubt you guys will be able to make it]

    [Autumn Mist: Eh?! A sports club?]

    They were all surprised. This seemingly intelligent leader of theirs who wasn''t afraid to talk in code language was actually a member of a sports team. Kazuya was assumed to be the average intellectual type so what they just learned made him even more of an enigma to them.

    [Winter Fog: Can''t I be part of one?]

    [Void Android: You''re not suddenly going to tell us you can play musical instruments like a professional, are you?]

    This made him remember the music classes he had in his first life together with the music he learned from his journeys. He hasn''t tried playing an instrument in a long while but Kazuya was confident that he could do it. What he was confident in was his memory and the control of his own body.

    [Winter Fog: I don''t know anything about playing like a pro but I know how to play a few instruments]

    [Void Android: You''re too unbelievable boss]

    [Autumn Mist: Hehe¡­ I look forward to hearing you play now]

    [Winter Fog: I haven''t played in ages though]

    [Autumn Mist: You should play for us at the raid channel!]

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    [Winter Fog: Why? It''s better if we just use the bot to play music]

    [Autumn Mist: But everyone wants to hear it! right everyone?]

    The chat was spammed with different types of agreeing words to support Autumn. Everyone couldn''t help but jump at the chance to get back at their boss since no one in the group could make him suffer a loss aside from Autumn. She had nothing to lose by making fun of him.

    [Winter Fog: I could but I won''t =P]

    [Autumn Mist: That''s so mean! I''m not going to introduce you to SummerBreeze!]

    Kazuya froze behind his keyboard. This girl''s strange luck at finding or obtaining things that he wanted hasn''t changed since his last life. She was able to find one of the targets he had been looking for to recruit for their company.

    .

 48 Not The Right Time

    .

    The name [SummerBreeze] was legendary by the time Kazuya got to know a lot of people in the game. This was because the player behind SummerBreeze made it big by creating the system that allows a person to give specific commands by using their thoughts. This technology was instantly fought over by various companies but in the end, it was Stockton International that was able to sign him.

    Unlike Matsumoto Kipperi otherwise known as Void Android, Natsuhisa Akira got known at a young age after he presented his invention at a technological expo. Only Stockton International agreed to his request of being able to freely work on the stuff he was interested in and he did not disappoint anyone with the inventions he came up with.

    The names Void Android and SummerBreeze were famous in Kazuya''s previous life as they competed with one another. He hoped to being these two together so both of them could develop various technologies together so he was searching for SummerBreeze as hard as he could but could find no trace of him until now.

    [Winter Fog: You really found him?]

    [Autumn Mist: Of course! I even helped him with a few quests since he seemed so clueless]

    [Winter Fog: Introduce me]

    In New Gods Online, people can have the same name in the game. Each character is given a tag that is usually invisible until one accepts a person''s friend or guild request. This made people able to freely choose the names they preferred without any worries of having to think of a new one if the name had been taken.

    [Autumn Mist: Nope! You have to let me hear you play a song first]

    [Winter Fog: But I just told you I don''t have any instruments]

    [Autumn Mist: Fine! I can introduce you but you have to promise to send me one before the year ends]

    This was when an idea popped up in his mind. He was thinking of what other things he could do with Mei on their trip tomorrow. This gave him the idea of killing two birds with one stone.

    [Void Android: Wait! What about us? We want to hear it too!]

    [Winter Fog: Fine¡­ I''ll do it on the raid channel. BUT! I will not listen to all those who complain if they miss it since I''ll be asking a place to let me borrow their equipment]

    He told them the time he was most likely going online to put up with this strange condition. The most important part was him getting introduced to SummerBreeze. It would be great to establish a connection with him while he was still a student because he became famous just after Kazuya had graduated from middle school in his previous life.

    [Winter Fog: Take it or leave it. I''ll look for him on my own if I have to]

    Kazuya didn''t want this friend of his to take complete advantage of him in front of his employees so he put up a front. He really didn''t want to do it but he was confident that she would concede.

    [Autumn Mist: Okay¡­ I think I''ll make myself free during those times]

    [Winter Fog: When are you going to introduce me?]

    [Autumn Mist: He''s online right now. I''ll go and ask]

    Kazuya''s character inside the game didn''t show it but he was nervous. He wasn''t able to discover what happened to SummerBreeze because he was summoned to Edea but in just a year after he joined Stockton International, his name became known worldwide. The scale of their company''s development speed will depend on whether he will be successful in making a good connection towards this person.

    [Autumn Mist: He said he''s free so we can meet him in town]

    They went to the town''s tavern and Kazuya finally saw the familiar character he had only seen in the forums. He still wasn''t wearing the signature armors he was famous for but he could tell that the character was definitely created with the utmost attention to detail. There wasn''t a single preset that could be found and with his memory, he was confident of his assumption.

    [Autumn Mist: Heya Summer! This is the guy I''ve been talking to you about. Our names are kind of a set so we only need to find someone nice with Spring in their name to complete it]

    [SummerBreeze: Wow¡­ I never really believed that you knew THE Winter Fog but it was true¡­]

    [Autumn Mist: Hey! That''s rude! I told you I would introduce you, didn''t I?]

    [SummerBreeze: But even though you''re a member of ''Midnight Wanderer'', who knows what kind of position you hold right?]

    [Winter Fog: I''m surprised you actually know who I am]

    [SummerBreeze: Are you trying to be humble?]

    [Winter Fog: I don''t think so. I just created a small guild for people I get along with. I don''t even PVP so I don''t think I should be well known]

    [SummerBreeze: Are you serious!? Dude, even though you don''t PVP, has anyone been successful in PK-ing you?]

    [Winter Fog: No. I try to keep myself in safe zones whenever I''m not doing anything with the guild. I just leave my character crafting]

    [SummerBreeze: You don''t visit the forums, right?]

    [Winter Fog: Barely, I''d rather play with everyone else and my day is pretty packed enough as it is]

    Kazuya had all the knowledge he needed about the game until there were various other games released so he didn''t see the need to visit the forums like he usually did in his previous life for information. The only times he stopped by was to look for any signs of the targets he was looking for.

    Summer explained quite thoroughly how extensive his popularity had been with the players. It turned out that those players who were frequent PVP arena players were always taunted by the forum trolls to try their hand at ''Winter Fog''. Unfortunately for him, this only increased his character''s popularity.

    "(Looks like I might have to create a more subtle character whenever I don''t need to use my main one)" he thought.

    He spent some time with Summer to get to know him better. He was indeed a curious mind and liked to piece together puzzles. He wondered if this person really was Natsuhisa Akira because there were no signs of him being interested or even mentioning his previous theories despite the obvious hints he threw around.

    This was quite a common thing in online games. Account sharing is frowned upon by multiple people because of the risks it involved when it came to digital riches. Account selling was also a common thing especially to people who decide to move on to another game or simply quit. They would either give away their accounts or give them to acquaintances so that their work and time spent on the game will not be completely wasted.

    "(Maybe he still hasn''t gotten to that point yet I wonder)" Kazuya decided not to push it further. He still had a lot of time to wait for this person but at the same time didn''t want to alter the future by doing something that might change this person''s course.

    They spent some time doing quests and having fun with Summer until he excused himself. They decided to add each other as friends so that they can contact each other directly whenever they wanted.

    [Autumn Mist: That''s unusual. Why didn''t you make him go to the interview to join the guild? From my point of view, you were really interested in that guy]

    [Winter Fog: He''s interesting but he''s not quite there yet. Don''t mess with him too much and let nature take its course. The time isn''t ripe for him to join us yet]

    [Autumn Mist: Whatever. I still found him so you have to remember your promise. I''ll be expecting you to hold your end of the bargain tomorrow or I''m deleting you from my friend list]

    [Winter Fog: I haven''t broken a promise yet have I? Rest assured, I will make sure and deliver]

    [Autumn Mist: Good! Missing some practice time tomorrow won''t be a waste then]

    [Winter Fog: You''re just using me as an excuse to slack off. You''re quite weird sometimes you know]

    [Autumn Mist: That''s not what you should say to a lady!]

    [Winter Fog: Just my honest opinion. It''s like I''m dealing with two people whenever I talk to you. The way you switch gears still baffles me]

    He had a suspicion after spending some time with Autumn; although she was still different from the one in his memories, he can still feel the similarities between them at some point. Sometimes she would totally be careless and at other times she would be domineering like her old self.

    Kazuya had almost already achieved everything he could in the game now that he met with Summer so the only reason for him to log on now was to talk to this nostalgic friend of his. Void Android was already handling all the guild affairs and they had little time left before they started working. He was no longer pressured to log on with a specific agenda in mind.

    [Autumn Mist: Why did you suddenly go quiet? Are you AFK?]

    [Winter Mist: No, I was wondering if it was time for me to slow down. I really didn''t start playing this game to gain fame. I''ll probably decide to take it easy one of these days]

    [Autumn Mist: As long as you can keep up with me I don''t care. You were the one who made me stay in the game despite my intention of only trying it out on the first day. I would have quit the game if that scammer got his way you know]

    [Winter Fog: That shouldn''t be a problem. I can just stay in the private areas and become a character more focused on crafting]

    The two of them chatted for a while before calling it a day. Kazuya went back to his room to find Mei sleeping soundly on his bed. He felt a bit guilty for increasing her workload especially since she had to hide it from Kyouko.

    The times she had to work on their company was limited and this was one of the reasons why he convinced Matsuri into joining their team. So far, her role in supporting Mei had been going smoothly. The high regard Mei had for her was for naught but Kazuya was still left unsatisfied. He wanted his big sis to be able to work freely like Kyouko did.

    He told Mei that he didn''t mind if the establishment was delayed. Kazuya would rather delay the process than seeing her pushing herself, but he told her that it would only last until they got the company up and running.

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    "Really¡­ such a workaholic¡­ (You don''t have to support me in this life you know)" he sighed and took a look at the leftover paperwork on the desk.

    There were various issues about the budget. They both decided to not skimp on the necessities because they had to show the employees that they wouldn''t regret signing such a strict contract. Kazuya already got the lottery ticket for the end of the year lottery which was the biggest and last lottery he would need to enter.

    "Hmm?" he felt Kyouko''s presence slowly coming towards his room.

    He quietly stepped out of his room to meet her halfway. Mei was already sleeping soundly and he didn''t want Kyouko to quarrel with her for making herself at home in his room again.

    "Kazuya? Why are you still up?"

    "I was going to see if we still had some pudding in the kitchen"

    "Is Mei in your room again?" she was already used to her son spoiling her assistant so she saw through him right away. "You really should stop letting her be too selfish. What you did wasn''t your fault and Mei thinks so too"

    "It''s not that at all mom. I know you and big sis have been working hard so I want to do what I can to help" he honestly replied. Even though it may seem like he favored Mei more, her only advantage was that she acted more selfish than Kyouko when it came to himself.

    "I know that. Even though you''ve changed I''m still your mother you know" She led him to the kitchen and retrieved pudding for both of them. "So, does that mean that I can sometimes come and sleep with you too?"

    "If you want to"

    "Hehe, I''m glad to hear that. You used to come to my room all the time and sleep with me you know" she giggled. Mei''s position in her son''s mind didn''t seem to differ much from her at all.

    "Do you want me to? I can give you the massage you like so much too" this was a good opportunity. Ever since Mei moved to the Kouzuki household, his chances of enhancing his mother''s constitution was significantly lessened.

    Kazuya knew that he only had a limited time before his interactions with both ladies would change. He was still in a child''s body so it wasn''t strange that he slept on the same bed as them but once he reached a certain age, it would be strange for him to keep doing what he has been right now.

    "Really?" Kyouko''s eyes lit up. Even though both ladies were unable to perceive mana or even know it''s existence, both of them have already started noticing the differences whenever they were in a place with high mana concentration.

    They proceeded to her room after spending some quality time together. They had a lot of time to spend together because Mei was busy dealing with things she wasn''t aware of. This was mainly the cause of concern. Kyouko knew that Mei was hiding something but didn''t want to pry too much since she suspected her son might be in on it.

    Whatever it was, since Kazuya had a hand in it then it wouldn''t be anything bad. Her only concern was if her son was being inconvenienced by her assistant especially since the national tournament he was participating in was very close.

    "Hey mom" Kazuya continued his massage and decided to speak.

    "What is it?" Ever since she experienced Kazuya''s therapy, she hardly ever visited her usual relaxation areas and just headed straight home. He would always happily oblige to her requests and unlike the places she frequented, the results were almost instant.

    "Tell me if something is bothering you okay?" Even though he already said it a few times, he still felt that his mother hid things from him. This was obvious especially when it came to matters regarding the Kuroganes. He was curious about his father ever since he met her but it wasn''t to the point that he wanted or needed to know.

    Judging by his mother''s reaction, he knew that it was a sensitive topic. The curiosity Kazuya held towards the Kuroganes were more inclined towards their capabilities and history with the Kouzukis because he wanted to make sure what to expect especially when it came to psychological attacks.

    "I will but¡­ Kazuya, you have to understand mom''s point of view too you know" she looked directly at his eyes to show her sincerity. "I know that you care for me and want to protect me but that goes for me too. I don''t want you involving yourself in adult matters. I want you to enjoy your childhood and put these concerns at the back of your mind because your mom can handle it"

    "I really don''t care about who my father is or what capabilities their family has. All I want is to stay here with you, big sis and granny. I won''t let them ruin our family. I will do whatever it takes to do so" he held back saying that he would bring the Kuroganes down.

    "I''m glad to hear that" she was touched but felt a hint of guilt. Her son had really changed and was maturing by the day. She would be lying if she said she didn''t like it but she couldn''t help but miss the sweet child that innocently played in their house without a care.

    "Thank you, Kazuya. I still want to be able to hold my boy and make a lot more fun memories in exchange for those you''ve lost so don''t grow up too quickly, okay?"

    .

 49 Date

    .

    Mei and Kazuya left the Kouzuki household early to avoid Kyouko asking too many questions. Although Mei said that it was a trip between the two of them, it was more because of the company rather than fun. They stopped by the office that was under construction and used the facilities that were already set-up.

    "How are the preparations going Matsuri" since she was the boss, Mei stopped addressing her as ''senpai'' and directly called her by name. She felt it was awkward at first but Matsuri was the one who insisted because they were both professionals.

    "The documents have already been processed by the government office. We''re only waiting for the construction to be completed before the company can go operational" Matsuri showed the report prepared.

    "That''s good news. What about those people who are going to be our security? Do we have enough people?" Mei asked but Matsuri turned towards Kazuya since he was the best person to explain it.

    "Ousame''s brothers still weren''t enough to follow the security plan in my mind so I asked granpa Jirou if he knew people who could be trusted and were willing to sign a strict contract. He suggested some of the instructors and senior members of the dojo who were in need of a job" he turned back to Matsuri to continue.

    "Yes, I''ve already met them and briefed them of their responsibilities after they signed the contract. Since they were recommended by Shiroyuki Jirou as capable and trustworthy people, there shouldn''t be any problems even if they were to implement the strict security plan"

    The meeting took a while but so far, everything was going smoothly. Mei''s hard work didn''t go to waste as they were already ahead of schedule. At this rate, they could start operations as soon as the start of the new year.

    "Big sis, I almost forgot¡­ I''ve told the employees I hired that I''m going to let them meet their CEO via a party near the end of the year. I already confirmed your schedule with mom so I wanted to ask if you wanted to do it" Kazuya added after most of the matters have been settled.

    "Hmm¡­ That''s not a bad idea. I was wondering about the people you found. They''re going to be the core of this company so I''m very interested in meeting them" Mei couldn''t say she wasn''t because after finding out that these people were gathered through the internet, her doubts concerning the people Kazuya found were still lingering.

    She knew of Kazuya''s capabilities but he was still but a child. He still hasn''t experienced the real world or how harsh it can be. She was afraid that they were going to be scammed. The only reason why she told Kazuya do what he wanted when it came to hiring these people was because of the harsh contract and requirements they had to submit to the company. Mei thought that she was quite thorough but when she saw how strict this little boy was, her worries lessened a great deal.

    "Feel free to do with them as you please. I already told them to watch themselves because of your usual self when you''re at work" Kazuya smiled.

    "What did you tell them? Did you badmouth me?" her eyebrow raised.

    "I told them to watch themselves because my future wife may be beautiful but I have given her permission to get rid of them if they acted inappropriately towards you" His statement put a smile on Mei''s face. She browsed through the identities of the people Kazuya had recruited and some of them were pretty and talented.

    She couldn''t believe that people with such capabilities were left without jobs. Kazuya warned her that they were quirky or had researches that were deemed unprofitable but they were still too capable to be working for a company that was recently founded.

    "Aww¡­" She pulled Kazuya from his chair and put him on her lap once again. "Then your big sis will do it and make sure that they know who I belong to~ hehe"

    "Umm¡­ What about the venue Kouzuki-sama? Will you be attending as well?" Matsuri had gotten used to their antics so she ignored it to keep the conversation going. It was inappropriate for such a child to attend such gatherings because it usually involved alcohol or the people wouldn''t have any fun.

    "I won''t be able to attend. None of them have ever met me and I intend to keep it that way until I grow a bit more. Besides, I wouldn''t be able to hide it from mom if I attended"

    "Right¡­ What about the venue?" Mei asked.

    "I have a place in mind. I wanted to go there after we''re done with our other matters"

    Curious about what place he had in mind, Mei continued with the meeting. It didn''t take long before the duo finally finished discussing and deciding what needed to be done. Matsuri still needed to implement them so she stayed behind.

    "Matsuri-san, do you have any progress in getting more assistants for big sis?" Kazuya asked while waiting for Mei to pull up the car.

    "I''ve asked some of my old colleagues but they were put off by such a strict contract. My persuasion was not enough to get them to take the risk" she regretfully stated.

    "I see¡­ well, don''t tell big sis but send me some of the menial work she needs to do. I can help in double checking them so she only needs to sign. This should help relieve her from some of the troublesome work"

    "But that''s¡­" Matsuri hesitated.

    "Are you doubting my capability? Or are you hesitating whether or not to tell big sis? I am not sure as to the reason why you are hesitating" Kazuya inquired. He knew this woman genuinely wanted them to succeed.

    "I am stuck in a predicament. Kazuno-sama will get upset once she finds out but you will also be upset if I refuse your command" this was a common yet troublesome event that often happens in companies. The employees get themselves stuck in the middle and end up gathering the ire of both parties.

    "Then tell her it was me if she does find out. You can also tell her that I''m restricting you from letting her override my orders. She can take it up with me if she has any complaints" he decided to just take the blame of ever Mei found out so that Matsuri wouldn''t have to deal with it.

    "Understood. I will do as you instructed. I also am confident that you will be able to do it flawlessly since Kazuno-sama told me about the day you first touched your mother''s work. I have little doubt that we will stay a small company for long" Matsuri gave a confident smile.

    Kazuya took off and guided Mei to a specific part of the town that was not that far away from her place. It was a restaurant that was somewhat hidden but it was surprisingly not bad. Kazuya already called the owner earlier today and set up a meeting with him.

    "Good afternoon. You must be the person that called earlier?" the polite owner greeted the two of them.

    "Yes. I wanted to ask if this place has had any reservations near the end of the year because we might be interested in reserving the place for a small gathering"

    Kazuya couldn''t help but give a smile. The polite man in front of him looked a lot younger but this was one of his former bosses. This one was especially kind to his employees and even helped him avoid the strange customer Kurumi who would come randomly when it was his shift in his past life. This was why this place was one of the few places that left him a good impression among all the other places he took part-time jobs.

    "We don''t have any reservations near the end of the year. Have you already come to a decision or shall I show you around first?" The owner asked. Although he maintained his calm, he was very startled on the inside.

    Not only was this child very decisive, the beautiful lady beside him didn''t seem to have any objections. The call he made this morning has surprised him a bit because the person sounded like a boy. He thought that it was a prank but since it was an inquiry about reserving their place, he decided there was no loss in indulging him.

    "Sure, is the grand piano operational?" he asked showing great interest in the instrument.

    "Pardon me if this may seem inappropriate young master but I am quite confident in my memory and I am sure that this is the first time I''ve ever seen you. Why do you know so much about this small establishment?"

    "I looked it up on the internet. There was a blog I passed by that praised this place for good service and ambience. It would be perfect for a small gathering" he glanced towards Mei who immediately reacted to it. She explained the details as well as the number of people who might be attending.

    "I see¡­ Thank you for humoring me to satisfy my curiosity. Shall I begin showing you around then?" he gestured them to go inside.

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    "You go on ahead big sis. I''ll make a short call before joining you" he gave a look towards the polite owner who understood immediately.

    "Is Kyouko bugging you with messages again?" Mei frowned. Ever since Kyouko got Kazuya a cellphone she was like a possessive girlfriend who couldn''t help but send him a message whenever she could.

    "It''s for the staff, I''ll tell them that you agreed so that they can keep their schedules open for the end of the year gathering" he explained and moved near the windows and used his phone to log in to the guild''s raid channel.

    Mei followed the owner for a tour around the place. She was quite impressed because the place was unlike its outside entrance. It looked quite nice even to her who accompanies Kyouko quite often to meet people high up in the business circle. It was a restaurant that had its own bar so alcohol won''t be a problem.

    [Winter Fog: I''m here]

    [Autumn Mist: Just in time! I thought you weren''t going to show up]

    [Void Android: We''re here too boss!]

    The chatroom got spammed with people speaking and typing at the same time. Kazuya couldn''t help buy smile wryly and muted all the voice transmissions. He didn''t want Mei to hear these rowdy people.

    [Autumn Mist: How come I can''t hear anything?]

    [Winter Fog: I muted everyone so my phone''s battery won''t go dry before I even finish making preparations. I''ll be the only person that can speak in channel from this point on]

    [Autumn Mist: Great! What will you be performing?]

    This was a tough question. Even though Kazuya was confident in performing, the number of actual musical pieces he could play was severely limited. He paid little attention to the recent trends in his previous life and only listened to music that could help him study.

    "(Hmm¡­ these people shouldn''t be the type to understand these things so I guess I should be fine)" he tried convincing himself.

    The reason was because he had intended to play a song of the one artist he admired in his previous life. It was one of the few he knew by heart and it certainly fit the occasion. The problem was that it was set to be released much later in the future so he was unsure whether to do it or not.

    He was very fond of this specific artist''s songs. It had nothing to do with her looks because she was female but rather the way her voice and her songs resonated with him back then. For a guy who cared little about what he listened to or who sang it, Kazuya was a fan of this artist.

    [Winter Fog: None of you will recognize it but I hope everything you hear will be kept just between those present here. I''m sure everyone here knows how much I value trust so please make sure to follow it]

    He breathed in and moved towards the grand piano in the next room. He touched the black piano that was usually played by the owner in crowded nights. The regulars as well as himself always liked it whenever the owner played. He was a talented pianist who inherited the restaurant from his parents.

    Mei who was accompanied by the owner made it to where Kazuya was. Both of them saw Kazuya sitting in front of the piano. The owner smiled and pulled a chair to offer Mei.

    "Thank you. I don''t see any problems with the price but it seems too much for you to refuse other customers on the day of our reservation" Mei continued her conversation with the owner. She didn''t think much seeing Kazuya sitting in front of the piano because she thought that he was curious about seeing such an impressive one.

    "It would not be much at all. You are already giving us such good business. I only ask that you consider us again for such events or meetings" he smiled. Due to the location of his establishment and the steadily growing development of the city, less and less new customers notice the place.

    "The place is great so I would definitely consider it" Mei acted professionally. She had no qualms about what he said because she did like the place.

    "Then I shall go and help the staff prepare some food samples for you. Please don''t hesitate to call the attention of any member if you do need something.

    "Thank you. We shall wait patiently then" Mei turned towards Kazuya who was tinkering with his phone. "Interested in playing the piano Kazu?"

    "Big sis, that statement is not wrong but I intend to play using this instrument" he handed her a few files. "Look through these while listening. I hope I don''t disappoint you"

    Mei was able to come in contact with Kazuya''s hand as she took the papers from him. A grin slowly grew on her face. Despite the calm demeanor he was portraying, the boy who always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone was actually nervous.

    She wasted no time and read through the papers that were handed to her. Mei wanted to know what Kazuya was nervous about but little did she know that her looking away helped him calm down. Kazuya pressed the button on his phone and activated his broadcast. He took advantage of Mei being distacted by the papers and started his performance.

    Since the place only had a few people, the sound of the grand piano filled the room. It was at that moment that she noticed the small note that was placed at the end of the file.

    [Happy Birthday Big Sis, this is half of my gift to you]

    Mei''s eyes widened as she saw the stamped files that were already approved by the city. It was the name of the company that was supposed to belong to Kazuya.

    [Kazuno Technologies]

    .

 50 Birthday and Confession

    .

    Mei was shaken. She immediately looked towards Kazuya who was already fully concentrated in playing. This was when she realized that this was what he was nervous about. From her knowledge, this boy never had any lessons when it came to music because Kyouko didn''t want to force him to learn things he didn''t want to.

    Yet here he was, playing music using a grand piano. Each note seemed to resonate with her deeply. She was not the only one, the ones listening in on the performance from the guild despite being muted were silent behind their keyboards.

    They had the same reaction as Kazuya did when he first heard this song. This is the tune that helped him struggle with his fate. He looked forward and not backwards. He did not let his unknown past get in the way of what he had to do. In front of him, was the most important person in this world in his past life.

    Kazuya concentrated his mana and used it to help project his voice. He couldn''t copy the exact version in his memories so he tweaked the song to fit what he was capable of. This was the song that told of the artist''s hardships and to encourage those who were on the verge of giving up trying.

    [This melody is for the stronghearted you

    Who held on and remained true

    Here I am knowing how hard you''ve fought

    Telling you that it was not all for naught

    You are not on your own

    I stand seeing how much you''ve grown]

    Kazuya didn''t expect it himself but he felt very emotional. Slowly discovering his own history made him feel like his past self was like shell that had no soul. Like a puppet that looked for a soul, he wanted a place that he would be able to belong.

    Now here he was, slowly but surely getting attached to how things should have been. He not only wanted to protect what mattered to him in his previous life, he also wanted to prevent what would happen to the people he started to care about.

    His memories on earth wasn''t the only thing on his mind. Various people that died because of him showed up as his eyes remained closed. The true people who stayed by his side that ended up being casualties without his knowledge still weighed heavily on his mind.

    Even though he was busy with business on earth like school or the company, Kazuya still never failed to continue improving himself. Every second he spent after he realized he had returned was dedicated into improving himself. Even though he had every intention of protecting the people close to him like Mei and Kyouko, his main purpose remained never changed.

    He wondered if the him that died was watching him now like he watched his old self before he died and wondered what he would have thought. This put a smile back on his face as Kazuya imagined his older self mocking his current for being too emotional or cursing him for having achieved what his older self couldn''t even dream of.

    Kazuya opened his eyes after hitting the last note. He quickly grabbed his phone to log himself off from the eavesdroppers without even looking at the comments and messages that were flooding in.

    "Kazu¡­" he turned towards the tears filled face of his ''big sis''.

    "Happy Birthday big s¡ª" he got pulled into a tight embrace by a sobbing Mei.

    She herself didn''t understand why but after hearing the song she knew she heard for the first time, her tears couldn''t stop falling. This little guy was indeed too much. He not only named the company that was supposed to be his after her but he also seemingly made a song just for her on the birthday that seemed to have slipped her mind.

    "You can''t keep doing this to me Kazu, you just can''t" she continued sobbing. She tried to hide her face but he could feel the top of his head slowly getting wet.

    "Huh?" he was genuinely confused. "Keep doing what?"

    "Uuu¡­ some genius you turned out to be¡­ hmph!" she refused to answer his question.

    Mei couldn''t really blame him. To her, Kazuya only did whatever he could to make her and Kyouko happy. In her eyes, he was just a child who was na?ve and selfless but she couldn''t help but be moved and hoped that he wouldn''t change even if he grew up.

    Things were definitely changing and she was aware of it. She was starting to see this little boy not just as her benefactor''s son. He was slowly becoming an existence that was slowly growing close to Kyouko in Mei''s heart.

    "I''m so¡ª"

    "Don''t you dare apologize!" he got scolded. "If you haven''t done anything wrong, don''t ever apologize!" She cut him off and held him tighter.

    Mei had long been thinking about it. Today pretty much already proves her suspicions. Kazuya had been too good to her. She didn''t understand nor could find any reason why he would go so far. It was understandable if it was Kyouko but all she had been was just an assistant who happened to like him because he was her benefactor''s son.

    She felt guilty, Mei had never done anything for him but here he was giving everything to her. Even though the company got started because of the lottery, she knew that he would have found a way to start it and still get to where they were today.

    "Okay¡­ I won''t" he didn''t really expect her to react this way. He really couldn''t think much about why she would because he was currently having a hard time to breathe.

    It took a little while before Mei could finally calm herself down. She retreated to the ladies room to fix herself up without letting him see her in her current state. This embarrassed side of her was also new to him so Kazuya couldn''t help but smile as he sat down to wait for her.

    "I must say, that was a brilliant performance young man" the polite manager approached him while carrying the several food samples and served them one by one.

    "Thank you. Though I''m still nothing compared to you. People who I saw give reviews about your place always mention how it was always a treat to hear you play"

    "Shall I perform if the young lady decides to book our place for the event then?" he tried fishing for information.

    "That would be much appreciated. It''s a pity I won''t be able to attend because of my age. Rest assured, I''ve already decided to use this place. If the employees like it then we shall be your regulars" he replied.

    Kazuya was thankful towards this person so he decided that he should at least help him out since he has the chance to. Because of the numerous changes their town would go through because of the development, this restaurant would have less and less people visiting it. Having his company be a regular was a good way of helping out.

    Mei returned and found the two talking. She was a little relieved since she felt embarrassed about crying in public like that. She silently took a seat and got an introduction of the sample meals provided.

    "These are samples of the food currently available in the menu. Please enjoy and do not hesitate to call my attention if you have any questions" he bowed and excused himself. He didn''t want to mention it to embarrass Mei but he saw what happened and wanted to give them their privacy.

    "Kazu¡­ I have a question" Mei broke the silence as the two continued to try the samples.

    "The bbq here is nice. There''s also¡ª"

    "Not that! I really want to know why¡­ why are you so nice to me when I haven''t even done anything for you. I don''t think I can accept your gift unless you can tell me why. I don''t think I deserve any of this because I''m just your mother''s assistant" Although she was confident, she still thought that even though people resented her, those who do have the proper credentials have the right to do so.

    This was why she didn''t retaliate against them other than just treating them coldly. They had the right to be critical of her since they spent their time in universities while she skipped the years they spent getting the proper credentials for their occupations. She worked flawlessly to prove herself but that fact never left her mind.

    "You wouldn''t believe me even if I told you. In everyone''s eyes, I''m just a kid who seemed to have matured because of what I''ve experienced" he bitterly said.

    "I will believe it even if it was a lie. Otherwise there would be no explanation about why this unbelievable thing is happening. No matter how I think about it, you simply being fond of me doesn''t explain this much favor" Mei pushed. She wanted a clear answer.

    "You will think I''m crazy. Any sensible person would"

    "I won''t. I swear. I won''t even tell Kyouko"

    "Fine¡­" he sighed. "Let me think for a moment on where to start¡­" he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Kazuya truly didn''t expect that he would have to explain himself so he tried gathering his thoughts.

    He knew that he wouldn''t be able to tell her everything because she would end up not believing a single word. So he decided to just simply answer her question.

    "Please stop me if you think this is too unbelievable. I don''t want to embarrass myself" as intelligent as Mei was, he definitely knew that even he himself wouldn''t believe it if he was told everything.

    "Stop worrying and just tell me"

    "Does big sis still remember the dreams I told you about?"

    "How could I forget?"

    "It wasn''t just one dream... I even felt like I''ve experienced them first hand. It was about the future and it was before I woke up in the hospital.

    I don''t remember all of the details but like when I first woke up at the hospital, unlike what happened here, it was further into the future" he told her the story about what happened when he first woke up in his previous life.

    "Waking up alone¡­ injured¡­ having amnesia and not even remembering Kyouko?" she developed a frown. She instantly understood why Kazuya had been fearful about Kyouko leaving on a business trip.

    "My supposed trustworthy brother who was considered an adult and indicated as my legal guardian via legal documents took everything I should have inherited but refused to actually take responsibility of me aside from footing the hospital expenses. That only lasted until I completed my therapy and got discharged" he continued.

    "That sounds about right. I wouldn''t expect any less from that perverted bastard" Mei commented.

    "It was you who took me in big sis. But unlike the person you are now, you were very much quiet and kept to yourself. I assumed that it was because of my mom''s untimely departure that you ended up that way" he looked at her reaction.

    She couldn''t deny it. Losing Kyouko and having the Kuroganes bastard of an heir take over the Kouzuki corporation would indeed make her leave the company. Mei listened to Kazuya''s story and the amount of detail shocked her. It was as if he really was there instead of it being just a nightmare.

    "What about your grandfather? He should have been there right?"

    "I''m sorry. I don''t have memories of grandfather then or now. I only remember that you mentioned that he disappeared after a trip with his friends to go exploring somewhere"

    "That''s¡­" she was speechless because even if he didn''t have memories of his grandfather, she could see those circumstances actually happening because she knew just what kind of person Kouzuki Kou was.

    "Even though we weren''t related by blood nor legally, you took me in without a word. Even though that version of big sis was cold, you were very caring. You helped me get used to life and even got me admitted to Sacred Forest Academy''s middle school" he continued to tell her what happened.

    "Even though I was stupid, I still understood what big sis had to go through. I have a better grasp of it now since I know how much you''ve helped mom. You were my world and I didn''t want to disappoint you so I chose to dedicate my future in repaying you by making you happy" he confessed. This caused Mei''s face to blush like a ripe tomato.

    She had gotten her answer. This explained and answered so many questions in her mind. If he really did have such a realistic dream then how could he not change?

    "I thought my future was set and I devoted myself into making it a reality. I didn''t know what happened but before I graduated from middle school, you told me that you decided to abandon me" Kazuya didn''t know that he had already satisfied Mei so he continued with the story.

    "Was this the reason you asked me the question about me abandoning you back at my apartment?"

    "Yes. I couldn''t figure out why such a thing happened. I assumed you were tired of taking care of me and chose to go with Lee instead. You deserved better than taking care of me so even though my world fell apart, I accepted it and lived on my own"

    "Stupid Mei! What an idiot!" she cursed herself. Even though both of them already knew why she did what she did, she still couldn''t help but curse herself for not even giving him a proper explanation.

    "Don''t curse yourself big sis. We both know that you did that because of me in the end. That version of you wasn''t the type to explain anything to me in the first place and¡­ did she even owe me to be given one" he bitterly smiled. Even though it was already cleared up, remembering it still left him with a bitter taste.

    "I can''t help it! My future self was too insensitive! She let you suffer too much!"

    "Wait a minute¡­" it felt stupid for actually realizing it too late. "You believe me?"

    "How couldn''t I? the amount of detail leaves me with little to refute. My only problem is with that darned future self of mine!"

    "Future self?" he tried to confirm why she referred to her own self as such.

    "It probably wasn''t a dream but a premonition. I think that if you didn''t lose your memories and had this premonition, you would have still avoided me and when the accident happened, it would have turned out like it did" her quick wit actually left Kazuya speechless this time. She had accepted it all too quickly and seemed to have believed everything he said.

    "I see¡­" he replied halfheartedly. He was still processing how she could have just accepted such an absurd thing like that.

    "Thank you Kazu"

    "What for?" he tilted his head in confusion.

    "For telling me the truth" she gave him a genuine smile. His heart skipped a beat because this was the most honest and most beautiful smile she had given him. He felt that his earlier worries were for nothing.

    "Has my answer satisfied you big sis?" he tried to change the topic while calming himself down.

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    "Not only have you convinced me, you gave me a reason to work harder"

    "Work harder? Why?"

    "Your plans involve strengthening the Kouzuki corporation''s standing against attacks not only from it''s biggest rival but also from bigger ones like the one that weird little girl will inherit one day"

    "Stockton International?" he really didn''t think that far but after considering it, this was indeed true. He was proud of his big sis for seeing things farther and knew that he was giving the company to the right person.

    "It was only an example. Besides¡­ if what I''m thinking is correct. Then you probably already prevented the accident that will happen in the future"

    "Huh? I already did?"

    "Think about it¡­ from your memories, who benefited the most after Kyouko¡­ passed away"

    "Are you saying¡­" he swallowed hard as his eyes narrowed.

    "It was probably orchestrated by people from the Kurogane Conglomerate"

    .

 51 Weakness

    .

    "Are you sure big sis?" Kazuya appeared calm but murderous intention kept leaking out of his body. he already thought about this but didn''t think they would go as far as causing an accident to get rid of him who supposedly had Kurogane blood in him as well.

    "It''s just a conjecture. I may be biased but I wouldn''t doubt if you told me that it was old geezer from the Kurogane''s orchestrated it" Mei bitterly smiled. She already noticed the change in Kazuya''s mood and was slightly startled.

    "I see¡­ I will keep that in mind for the future as well" he calmed down a little. It wasn''t that he didn''t believe Mei, it was that she had the most reliable opinion aside from Kyouko herself.

    He wouldn''t be able to tell his mother everything like he just did with Mei because he still didn''t know how she would react. It would be good if Mei shared it with his mom of her own volition and he wouldn''t take it against her but it was likely that they shared the same opinion about keeping her in the dark.

    Either way, he would leave it up to Mei. Unlike everyone else around him, even though he cared a lot for Kyouko, he still hadn''t quite gotten to know her as well as everyone did. Even though he was her son, the time he spent with her has been limited compared to everyone else he recognized. Mei who had been by her side longer should be able to judge more accurately if Kyouko needed to know or not.

    "Kazu, now that you''ve told me this, there''s something that''s been bugging me¡­" Mei who had already calmed herself suddenly had a realization.

    "Hmm? What is it big sis?" He tilted his head.

    "About the investment funds¡­ did the lottery numbers come from your dreams of the future as well?" Mei''s eyes stayed on his. This was how she would usually look at him if she wanted to tell if he was hiding something. This hasn''t changed from his previous life.

    "Errr¡­" Kazuya was caught off guard at the sudden change of topic. Moreover, it was such a topic.

    "Your reaction tells me what I need to know" Mei giggled. "It''s still too early for you to try an keep things from your big sis" she triumphantly smiled.

    "It''s not that accurate at all big sis. The lottery numbers have already varied after I won the first time" he decided to come clean. She was trying to confirm the accuracy of his dream and immediately caught the right method to do so.

    "But the remaining money for investment will come from the year end lottery right?"

    "Correct. How did you know?" he was puzzled. She had just confirmed how he did it but immediately uncovered his next plan.

    "It''s simple really. You already showed me where the first investment came from. After hearing what you just told me, it would be the easiest way to get a big amount of money without Kyouko ever finding out"

    "But didn''t I just say that the numbers from my dream aren''t that accurate?"

    "That''s only because since you''ve won in the Lucky 7 lottery, history changed. It''s only one of the few lotteries we have but the biggest is still the year end lottery. It shouldn''t be affected by that"

    "You''re really amazing big sis" her analysis was very close to his. He couldn''t help but admire her more. The Mei he knew from back then was quite the unrestrained slob at home but seeing her working and having discussions like this with her thoroughly impressed him.

    "Hehe~ yes, you''re big sis is amazing" she was trying to hide the embarrassment she felt. It felt weird that she was affected by someone as young as him but after learning what she already did, her perspective of Kazuya already changed to the point that she herself hadn''t realized yet.

    "Although I''m confident, there still isn''t a hundred percent guarantee that everything will go as my dream did so please don''t expect too much" Kazuya wanted to make this clear because he himself didn''t want to count on something that could be determined randomly.

    "You have a back-up plan in case it doesn''t work?" she was surprised. She already thought about it in her head and the current plans they had for the company involved spending a lot more than Kazuya''s initial winnings especially when it came to the equipment they needed.

    "Of course I do. Although I would like to avoid it, it should be another easy way to get money. Although it would be a lot slower than winning the lottery, it''s an easy way to earn quick cash" he grinned.

    "Don''t tell me you¡­" after thinking about it for a bit, she realized what he meant after all the hints he had already given.

    "It''s not a sure thing yet so please rest assured and leave it to me for now" he smiled.

    Both of them thought of the same thing and it was ''gambling''. With his knowledge of the future being proven accurate by winning the lottery, even if he only remembered the results of outcomes of major games, betting on them could only be seen by winning smartly.

    It was slower than winning the year end lottery but if the effects of him winning the weekly lottery already changed the course of the other lotteries then they both believed that switching to another matter would provide them with a better chance of success.

    After finishing the samples given to them, they once again talked to the manager and decided to book the place for the gathering. They picked out the food as well since Mei was impressed by the both the price and quality. It was good business for restaurant and Kazuya was glad that he was able to successfully help his old boss and workplace.

    Mei decided to stay for a little while longer and ordered coffee for the both of them. She had another thought that she wanted to discuss with Kazuya now that she already found out what he was hiding.

    "Kazu¡­ I know that you''ve changed a lot because of that dream and although it seems you have a handle on it I think I should tell you something¡­" Mei appeared both nervous and serious at the same time. She was still hesitant but she decided to talk anyway.

    "Hmm?" He had no idea what Mei was going to say. Seeing her anxious was a rare sight so she got his full attention.

    "Your dream¡­ or should I say vision seems to be accurate but I don''t want you to be consumed by it" She looked straight in his eyes and could see the calm boy being a bit shaken.

    "!"

    "I can tell from your confidence that you believe that the future you saw as definitely accurate and I agree with you in some aspects but I don''t want what you''ve seen to define you as a person you will turn out to be.

    The future you saw was already determined but this is not that place. I want you to understand that it''s not only you who care about us. We also care about you. Now that I''ve found out about this, a lot of questions I''ve been thinking about have been answered but some worries also arise"

    "Big sis¡­" Kazuya was speechless.

    "Seeing you become this mature and composed gives me relief that you can become whatever you put your mind into but I also think that you are losing out. Unlike your old self, you smile a lot less and although you still smile, we can definitely tell that it isn''t a genuine one" she spoke from experience.

    "I see¡­ a genuine smile huh¡­" he pondered but still listened intently.

    Kazuya had mixed feelings. He was happy to find out that they cared this much about him but also a little frustrated and guilty since he never thought that he was that easy to read. He always thought that he was the one always trying to let them feel reassured so it was a surprise to learn that it went both ways.

    "You may not like hearing it but the fact still remains that you''re a six-year-old. Don''t push yourself too much and you can leave some of the work which is supposed to be for us adults. Like you want us to be safe, we also want you to enjoy your childhood because you have plenty of time to think about the complicated matters of adults in the future.

    To be honest, Kyouko and I have been consulting with different specialists about your behavior. Although we turn a blind eye to your changes after the incident, we are still concerned"

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    "Am I really that easy to read?" he felt his confidence falling.

    "Yes" like shooting an arrow without hesitation, she replied with a smile.

    "ugh¡­" Kazuya frowned.

    "It''s not only because me and Kyouko know you well. Our assumptions are just more accurate because of that. We may not be able to read exactly what you are thinking but reading your emotions are as easy as reading a book"

    "My emotions¡­"

    "You project how you feel in your expression. Although at times, you hold back when you''re angry, the presence or aura you release makes it easier to determine. To be honest, I was quite surprised when you showed that much hostility to that bastard Lee but after hearing your story, I understood why you held that much resentment hehe~" she giggled since she was the reason why Kazuya was like that.

    Kazuya felt a little guilty. Mei didn''t question the stories he made up about Lee when he made up the excuse when he entered her apartment. He could tell that she didn''t doubt him even after learning about his secret.

    However, despite what he felt, Mei brought up a problem that he needed to address. He would put himself in a lot of danger of those old and experienced officials in both the church and kingdom read his intentions. He wasn''t able to notice it because he wasn''t able to observe himself but he knew that Mei was right.

    There were times that he knew that he was angry or didn''t care if he leaked out his bloodlust. He was confident that there weren''t many who could sense it in this world anyway but after hearing Mei''s opinion, he knew that there needed to be changes.

    If those who didn''t have that much sensitivity to mana could tell what he was feeling, then what of the people in Edea? Those politicians who spent their whole lives fighting for their power would definitely be able to read him like an open book. His revenge would be over even before it started if that were the case.

    "(Looks like becoming stronger is no longer the only thing I need to focus on)" he bitterly smiled to himself.

    *BZZT BZZT*

    Kazuya''s phone vibrated after receiving a message. He decided to put off the matter after reading the message from Kyouko that reminded him of today''s agenda. He glanced at the time and realized that he and Mei have been staying in the restaurant for quite a while.

    "Is it Kyouko?" Mei inquired with a frown. She knew that the overprotective son-con would disturb the quality time they had together.

    "Yeah" Kazuya quickly replied with a message."I told mom that we still needed to stop over one more place before we go home"

    "Great! Our date continu¡­" Mei stopped as she felt her face heating up. She teased Kyouko about this without any problems so why was she reacting like this now?

    "Big sis?" Kazuya wondered if she was feeling okay since she''s been acting a little weirdly. He reached for her hand to check the flow of mana in her body for any abnormalities.

    "!!" Kazuya''s sudden action paralyzed Mei as she stared at the boy who had his eyes closed while holding her hand.

    "(Hmm¡­ Aside from the accelerated heartbeat I can''t find anything wrong¡­ was it the food?)" he slowly opened his eyes to find Mei staring at him. "Are you okay big sis?" he asked innocently.

    "I-I''m fine! I was just curious about where we are going to next that''s all" she pulled back her hand and calmed down.

    "How about the look-out park?"

    "In this cold weather?"

    "It should be fine as long as we don''t stay there after the sun goes down. Besides, it should be my first date so I don''t think going by the book is too bad right?" Kazuya felt a little embarrassed but said it anyway.

    Mei stayed silent and tried to hide her raging heartbeat. She silently walked with him back to her car and drove to their next destination. Each of them had their own things to think about.

    They arrived and looked at the sky. The sun was almost setting so Kazuya pulled her along so that thye could make it to the look-out point. He was quite familiar with this place since this was the place where he went to after Mei had left him in his previous life.

    Today, he brought her here on her birthday. He wanted to ease the tears he shed in this place and look upon the view with her in joy rather than in pain. Kazuya didn''t expect telling Mei everything but he was glad that he did. This was why he looked forward to coming here with her more than ever.

    The moment they reached the top, Mei gasped. A few tents were set up and familiar faces welcomed them. A banner that couldn''t be covered by the smoke of grilling entered her eyes. Everyone lined up and said what had been written on the banner.

    "[Happy Birthday Mei]"

    "I''ve been tricked¡­" Mei said with teary eyes. She didn''t think she would be crying again so soon.

    She glanced towards Kazuya who smiled back at her. She didn''t expect a surprise party nor had she experienced one before. She declared that she could read Kazuya like an open book but failed to guess something like this would happen.

    "Did you think I would simply let you take my Kazuya without a reason?" Kyouko showed up behind them with a triumphant smile.

    "Say what you will Kyouko but the fact of the matter is, I already received Kazu''s first date" she wiped her tears and confidently retorted.

    "I already took that ages ago! We go on dates almost every week!"

    "Hmph! You don''t count since you''re his mother. You don''t know something that simple you son-con?" she mocked and pulled Kazuya over to the tents to meet with the rest of the group.

    Kazuya felt relieved. Seeing Mei genuinely happy was like a reward for him. This was what he wanted for her and hoped that it would never change. He looked over the sunset view and found her old apartment that he always stared at when he was here back in his first life.

    .

 52 Skill Required

    .

    It was the last week of school before the students'' much awaited winter break. Kazuya was silently pondering in his seat. He was still thinking about how to improve himself after learning what he did from Mei.

    He thought about asking her for help but she was already busy enough as it was especially after learning about what he was planning in detail. Kazuya thought of ways of training himself but as a child, he had no way of encountering such people currently.

    Tomoyo who wore her new signature ribbon observed him quietly. She knew that whenever he was like this, he had been thinking about something serious. He had been very busy lately and an influx of new students even came to their dojo via his recommendation.

    There was not much to do with the final week of school since the exams were already over so various sheets were passed around for the students to sign. The forms were for attending the sport events the students wanted to attend since their school participated in many winter tournaments.

    This of course included their very own kendo team who were both going to compete in the individual tournament and the team tournament.

    "Hey Kouzuki, why the long face?" Takaya nonchalantly entered the room and sat on his desk.

    The students of class B were already used to this special student''s presence. Ever since the day he met Kazuya, Takaya has been coming to school more and more and made himself at home at the seat behind his. They were no longer intimidated by this S class member especially since both their classmates seemed to have control over him.

    "You''re here again? Why aren''t you using your privileges like you normally should. The exams are already over and I already expected you to scram" the way Kazuya interacted with him was one of the reasons why their classmates were less afraid of Takaya.

    "There you go again you grumpy tsundere. Why can''t I come to school to see my good friend? You should be flattered since I plan on supporting you two on your tournament despite my upcoming major role during Christmas week" he proudly declared.

    "Then why don''t yo¡ª" Kazuya stopped and had an epiphany. His eyes looked seriously at the showy friend in front of him.

    "W-what? Why are you looking at me like that for?" he was startled. He had spent enough time with Kazuya to know what he was like, it was uncharacteristic of him to give him such a serious look so he felt something was up.

    "Come with me" Kazuya suddenly stood up and pulled Takaya out of the room without giving him any choice. Tomoyo wanted to follow but Kazuya gestured for her to stay put.

    He pulled Takaya all the way to the Kendo dojo where he knew that there would be less people. The nervous elite thought about everything he did to make sure he didn''t do anything to offend Kazuya. He was a little scared because he knew that Kazuya had gained a shocking reputation on his first kendo tournament.

    "W-why did you bring me here?" Takaya stuttered. He couldn''t think of anything so he asked since he wanted to know why he would be beaten up if he did get beat.

    "I wanted to discuss something with you since you asked what was bothering me" Kazuya''s words made Takaya relieved. He figured that since this guy was so secretive, he didn''t want others to hear about what he wanted to talk about.

    "What''s up? I''m not saying I will help you with whatever you need but I can at least be persuaded if you just give my proposal a shot" he regained his usual demeanor and wanted to take advantage of the situation.

    "Sure, but I want to discuss the ground rules" he replied without hesitation.

    "Don''t be so quick to reject my proposal so quickly now. I can offer up a¡­ wait! What did you just say!?" He stopped, blinked a few times and thought about what he heard and made sure that he heard the right thing before asking him in surprise.

    "I said I''ll agree to your proposal. But like I said, we need to discuss terms before I agree"

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    "Wait a minute, why are you suddenly agreeing to this?" he looked at Kazuya suspiciously. He knew that things were not a simple as it seemed. Kazuya never gave him a chance whenever he offered multiple proposals to get him on board but today was different.

    "Is finding out why more important than me agreeing to your request? I can just go to the drama club you know. The consultants from there are from your place as well as others so it would suit my purpose just as well. I only went to you first because you''ve been bugging me with this for quite a while you know" Kazuya grinned.

    This was a temporary solution he came up with. There was no doubt that he could learn a lot from the professionals from the Aokis place. Since one of their young master was willing to recommend him and offered him a bunch of privileges so he could join, Kazuya decided to give it a try.

    The Aoki theatre group''s reputation speaks for itself. There has been no idol or celebrity that didn''t improve their acting skills once they have joined one of their classes. They were well known for their theatre performances but because of the number of successful people who transitioned to stardom, they became a place where aspiring actors needed to learn from.

    Kazuya was like Takaya and looked the other up after they met as well. He was quite impressed by his new friend''s accomplishments at such a young age and was intrigued at what Takaya saw in him. He was never really interested in stardom especially after what he experienced in Edea.

    But after Mei revealed a fatal weakness, he knew he needed to improve his social skills as well. He was confident in his abilities but if he was a summoned hero who had all the advantages, he was still in the end, human.

    To avoid being used, he needed to play the whole game and not focus himself only on the battlefield like he did. This way, he would get a better grasp on what to expect or what plots were being formed. After thinking about it, he knew that learning how to act would not only improve his chances, but it would also allow him to observe and improve his ability to detect if one was acting or not. Although he appeared to be weighing out his options, he looked forward to learning what he could from Takaya''s family.

    "Ugh¡­ domineering as always. Fine¡­ although I''m really curious, I believe I''ll find out why you suddenly had a change of heart" Takaya sighed and gave up. Even though he felt like he was being tricked, he still finally got him to agree. It was rare for him to find a person he liked, even more so a person like Kazuya who didn''t care about his status.

    "I don''t really mind telling you. I was just fooling around to make you even more curious hehe" he scoffed.

    "You!!"

    "But I''ll only tell you after I really decide to join" he laughed. Kazuya knew how passionate Takaya was about what he did and knew that he was glad to have someone he got along with to join.

    "Tell me what you want then"

    "I want to focus on learning so I will reject every proposal to join any performances if I ever get picked. Also, you''ve tried to tell me that even though acting was not like kendo it still requires you to be in shape so I don''t think I will be needing that because the amount of training I do is something you won''t be able to imagine" Kazuya listed out the things he wanted that he could think of at the moment. He had not planned for this so he said most of the things that Takaya already tried offering to pull him in.

    "So many demands¡­ well¡­ since I was the one who offered most of them in the first place then I will try to make good on my word. I''ll talk to my parents about it. What about the schedule?" he was feeling excited.

    "The nationals will be this week so I guess we can start during winter break and see where we go from there"

    "Since you have so many demands, I want to ask you for something as well" Takaya was hesitant but he decided to ask since they were already at this point.

    "What is it?" he was quite curious what this shameless guy wanted to ask him.

    "Help me a bit with studying. You already know how high the bar is to keep my privileges" he looked a bit embarrassed.

    "Hahaha!" he laughed at Takaya causing black lines to appear of his pretty boy face. "I have no problems with that. Consider it done"

    "Did you really have to laugh that hard¡­" he sighed.

    "Of course. Here I thought you were going to ask me for something that might derail our deal" the boys reached a consensus and sealed the deal with a handshake.

    The two returned to the classroom after their discussion. The day went on like normal but Takaya had left earlier than usual to quickly report what he had achieved today. The ban on club activities were already lifted since exams were over so both Kazuya and Tomoyo headed for the kendo club.

    It slipped Kazuya''s mind after being away from the club since the previous tournament but he immediately remembered as soon as he felt her gaze as soon as he entered. Mahiru stayed in the kendo club.

    Although he went with Kyouko and Mei after the previous tournament, Kazuya learned that she resigned from her position and tried to leave the kendo club despite her scholarship through Miyamoto''s repeated interjections.

    He ignored her and shifted his attention to the four strangers wearing kendo gear together with Shiroyuki Jirou. They stood in the middle of the dojo and talked with Miyamoto who looked ecstatic to have them.

    "You''re finally here boy. Now we can start" Jirou grinned.

    "Start? Start what?" Kazuya tilted his head. He knew something was up.

    "Preparing you two for the nationals of course! These four are quite good on four different Shiroyuki style stances. We are here to help you guys train until the day you participate" Jirou glanced at his granddaughter and inwardly gave a sigh. She would have normally stood by his side by now yet she had been remaining where she stood.

    "Will this so-called special training continue until we go to the dojo?" Kazuya asked. Seeing the geared-up adults in front of him, he couldn''t help but let his intention to do battle leak out.

    He had been training alone ever since club practices were cancelled. Kazuya also didn''t go to the Shiroyuki dojo because of the arrangements needed to be done in cooperation with Mei. Sparring with someone was something that Kazuya looked forward to, especially ones that looked strong.

    "It''s good to hear that the exam period didn''t cool down that thirst to battle in you boy" he smiled. "I was greatly satisfied with your performance in the previous tournament so If you show me and your teammates here a satisfying battle against the four instructors, then I will grant the request you asked for when you first entered my Shiroyuki dojo"

    "You mean¡­" Kazuya was surprised, he didn''t think he would agree this soon after putting it off for so long.

    "It''s what you''re thinking. I''ve been personally training my granddaughter and thanks to you, she made tremendous progress. You even showed that you''re quite suitable for our Shiroyuki style like you showed in the match against her so I have no reason not to train a talent such as you myself" Jirou explained with sincerity.

    Kazuya was excited of course. He knew that Jirou was observing him while he was training at their dojo. It was curiosity at first but as he kept watching, he grew more and more interested in knowing about his true capabilities.

    It was only until the kendo tournament did he catch a glimpse of Kazuya''s hidden talents which he used in the matches against Akabane Ayame and his granddaughter. He truly wasn''t kidding when he said that he was only interested in fighting with him or the other instructors.

    "So you want me to fight against the instructors? Should it be against all of them or¡­" Kazuya tried to clarify.

    "You fool, of course it''s going to be one on one!" Jirou thought that he was absurd but even wanting to battle more than one enemy confirmed how reckless he was.

    "Haha¡­" Kazuya dryly laughed. He knew it was too early to ask for it but still gave it a shot.

    "Go get changed. You know that you would need to wear gear this time, right?"

    "I''ll wear all the equipment except for the headgear. The only reason I even wore it at the competition is because I would be disqualified if I refused. I have no intention on wearing it outside official competitions"

    "You''re aware that it''s for your own protection, right?"

    "I am. However, wearing it impedes my vision. It''s alright in a one on one competition but I would rather have my full vision because one on one doesn''t apply in real battle"

    "real battle¡­" Jirou crossed his arms and looked towards the instructors. "Fine. I guess they can take this as a handicap to try and not hit your head but I will immediately put a stop to it if you put yourself at risk" Jirou understood Kazuya''s point of view.

    He knew the boy was like his grandfather and never took competitions seriously. They would always bicker about competition rules whenever they would duel. Jirou would encourage them but Kou would always disregard them saying that there were no rules especially in life or death matches.

    "¡­" Kazuya didn''t want such a handicap but it couldn''t be helped. He would take what he could right now and immediately got changed. Tomoyo did the same as she was instructed to have a go after Kazuya''s turn.

    The seven participants would be focused on by these special guests to prepare for what they were going to face. Miyamoto had already reviewed their opponents since he was the one who drew lots for their placing in the nationals.

    The numerous members of the club were found surrounding the middle dueling area where Kazuya''s opponent was waiting for him in full gear. Jirou had already told them not to underestimate this young boy so unlike him, they wore their full equipment.

    "Good luck kid. I''ll still instruct you regardless of the results of the spars. The only thing that will change will be how I will be handling you"

    "(From what he said earlier, these instructors are supposed to be proficient in a specific Shiroyuki style move. I guess I would need to watch out for those in order to be a match for them)" Though it sounded simple, actual battle rarely was. Kazuya was quite nervous since this would be the first battle he wasn''t so confident in winning.

    Tomoyo silently watched close behind her grandfather who had taken the main referee position. She was not a stranger to this test since she was put through it multiple times. It was only that these specific instructors were quite capable and Kazuya still refusing to wear protective gear made her feel a bit restless.

    Kazuya breathed in deeply as soon as he got into position. He relaxed his muscles and focused his senses so that he could move at any moment''s notice. He didn''t know how long ago it was but he missed the tension he was feeling. Even though he was never interested in fighting, years of it forged him into having a warrior''s spirit.

    "Ready¡­ BEGIN!"

    .

 53 Current Capabilities

    .

    The kendo club was shut tight with no people aside from the guest instructors inside. All the outsiders were sent on their way and informed that the club would be in closed door training until the nationals. This was the excuse that was used to avoid information leaking out about what they had just witnessed.

    "Huff¡­ huff¡­" Kazuya tried hard to catch his breath.

    He appeared haggard and tired but still had a smile on his face. Kazuya''s and the deep breaths of the four instructors were the only sounds that could be heard in the silent kendo club.

    "Point and match goes to Instructor Yon!" Jirou raised his arm and declared Kazuya''s loss. His leg was out of bounds due to their last clash in which Kazuya had lost.

    "Thank you for the pointers instructor" Kazuya took a deep breath and straightened himself up before bowing politely to the victor.

    "Still got it in you to continue later at the dojo boy?" Jirou approached him with Tomoyo who handed him a towel.

    "I made sure to save enough energy for you later grandpa Jirou" he smiled with confidence.

    "I''ll look forward to that later kid" Jirou decided not to mince with words this time and let Kazuya start recovering his stamina for later.

    Miyamoto asked some of the members to give the instructors some water and towels before moving to stand with Jirou in the middle of the dueling area to face the club members.

    "I''ll be honest with all of you, this match was to show you what your two aces are capable of. You are all people of the same club and although rivalries for positions cannot be avoided, each and everyone of you should be aware of what your team can achieve" Jirou spoke to the remaining members, he especially looked at the 5 people who were going to be participating in the nationals.

    All of them couldn''t help but swallow deeply. The matches that Kazuya had just done in succession were deeply engraved in their minds. They were both in awe and little bit fearful of what they just witnessed. Who could have ever imagined that such a kid would be so ferocious.

    Kazuya won two out of four matches against the 4 instructors. It was a feat that Tomoyo who suffered continues defeats against them had not yet achieved. They felt like they weren''t watching a kendo match but rather a duel that they could only see on TV.

    Nishida and Tomoyo were especially pumped up after witnessing what they did. They were the two who trusted Kazuya the most and were the happiest when he won the seemingly impossible matches.

    "Even though I want to boost everyone''s confidence, I also want to remind you of something this kid Kazuya once told me. There is never a 100% certainty in battle. Anything can happen and although I want you to enter your matches with confidence, this is a reminder to never be too complacent" he continued.

    All of them glanced towards Kazuya a bit surprised. From the time they spent with him, they indeed believed that those words came from him. If he, with all the talent he just showed them had that mentality then all the more should they humble themselves.

    The instructors were split up as soon as they were able to recover their breaths. Two of them took two of the participants while the other two were responsible for Tomoyo and Nishida. Like the previous tournament, both Miyamoto and Jirou shared the same view that those two were important factors for the team battles.

    Kazuya was aware of what they were planning and he agreed with their opinion so he sat in a silent corner and concentrated on recovering as well as reflecting on what he had just experienced. He had lost two matches out of four yet rather than being depressed, he was in a very good mood.

    "(Truly different eras have a way of affecting how one fights)" he thought as he tried to replay his experience with his mind.

    Kazuya had chosen to use mana only to enhance his abilities so that he can match his opponents. He figured that he would improve his skills more this way. If he had used too much mana, he would have no way of explaining how he could overpower adults and he would have gained nothing for himself.

    Even if he were to use his mana without restraint, he at most, would only be able to win three out of four matches because he still had not improved enough. He would have likely fainted at the fourth match because of mana and stamina deprivation.

    "(Still not enough¡­)" he sighed. Thinking about his conservative expenditure, if he went up against a group of capable people, he would likely be forced to retreat or worse, be captured.

    What Mei said about the Kuroganes orchestrating the tragedy that changed his life was still weighing on his mind. If they were to send a direct attack, the current him would have little chance to protect his mother.

    He knew the chances of that happening were slim especially after they had just won a convincing victory and getting Lee kicked out of the Kurogane family. They would have no gains aside from gaining the enmity of his grandfather''s network of friends and acquaintances but he still couldn''t calm himself knowing that he was still incapable of doing it himself.

    "(Thankfully this is modern society and we are not in a position that could easily be bullied)" he calmed himself with the thought.

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    Kazuya wasn''t the only person reflecting on the matches that he had with the instructors. Jirou who seemed to be observing the members of the club also thought about how he should handle him when they reach the dojo later.

    His first victory showed how quick-witted he was. Kazuya took advantage of the limited vision of his opponent as well as his size to confuse the instructor into losing sight of him. This clearly showed that he was quick not only physically and adapted quite well to the situation he was in.

    His second opponent took what he observed from his colleague''s defeat and took precaution and didn''t let Kazuya take advantage of his vision by keeping a good distance from him. He used his body''s superior reach which gave Kazuya some trouble. This forced the boy to unleash his ferocity and forced himself despite the enemy''s tight defensive stance.

    His third and fourth opponents definitely had the advantage. Both were well versed with the counter defensive style of the Shiroyuki dojo so after battles of attrition, they were able to wear down the ferocious attacks and eventually connected with their counter attacks.

    After the battles, Jirou knew that he had still underestimated the boy. He knew that the boy was still holding back since he had felt it in the previous tournament. Kazuya was definitely using the instructors as whetstones to sharpen his skills.

    It was then that an idea popped into his mind. It would be something beneficial for Kazuya and his granddaughter as well. He tapped Miyamoto''s shoulder and excused himself before taking out his phone to make a call.

    --

    Kouzuki Headquarters, CEO office.

    Kyouko sat on her chair feeling restless. It has already been a while but the changes of her assistant have been becoming more obvious as the days went by. She had a bad feeling and she had complete confidence in her in intuition.

    "Hey Mei, be honest with me since it''s just the two of us here. What''s happening with you?" Kyouko looked at her assistant with concern.

    *Klak Klak Klak*

    Mei didn''t notice Kyouko talking to her and continued concentrating on her work. This made Kyouko even more concerned. Her concentration has been really impressive these days. It reminded her of when they first started working together.

    "MEI!" she raised her voice.

    "Hmm? What is it boss?" Mei''s fingers stopped as she turned to her boss who looked annoyed.

    "What''s with you? Are you sick?"

    "I don''t know what you mean? I''ve never felt healthier"

    "It''s just the two of us here so you don''t have to hide anything. Are you seeing someone?"

    "What!? That''s absurd! How can I betray my Kazu like that?" she felt the thought was ridiculous and almost laughed out loud.

    "But that''s what''s weird about it! I''ve been taking Kazuya these past few days to sleep with me and you haven''t kicked up a fuss like you would have if you were your normal self" Kyouko mentioned her strongest point.

    "I''ve just been really busy with a few things. Besides, it would be good for both of you if I let Kazu spend some time with you"

    "Huh? Why?"

    "We had a good talk when we had our date you know. I don''t think we need to worry about him anymore. You don''t need to continue consulting those doctors about him anymore"

    "What do you mean by that!? How come you''re only telling me this now?!"

    "I told you I''ve been busy. Anyway, Remember the dream Kazuya had? It was a lot more detailed than we thought and i''m sure it was the cause of his change"

    "Dream? That dream where he got abandoned?"

    "That''s the one. He told me about it in detail and I finally understood" Mei told her another version of the story Kazuya had told her.

    Kouzuki Kyouko was the complete opposite of her father. It was probably because of what her father was like that Kyouko turned out to be one of the most practical people Mei knew. She would have not accepted something such as a Kazuya seeing the future with his dream so she changed it to something Kyouko would accept.

    "I believe that the dream he had replaced the lost memories so it developed a fear in him. I already explained to him the differences between the dream and how it wouldn''t be possible so all he needs now is time. I believe that he would change as soon as he realized that it really is just a dream"

    "I want to say good job but you actually hid this from me until I asked!"

    "I told you that I''ve been busy. Besides, I couldn''t explain it all to you on my birthday, right?"

    "Ugh¡­ I haven''t given you a heavy workload so what''s been keeping you busy anyway?"

    "A few personal stuff and¡­ Yumi-chan is graduating soon and said she wants to learn from me so I''m preparing to take her in. With her capabilities, she would be a great help to you"

    "Yumi-chan? Why does it sound like you''re training a¡ª"

    *RING RING RING*

    Kyouko stopped and looked at her phone. Shiroyuki Jirou was calling and after looking at her watch, it was time for him to pick-up Kazuya. She wondered what it was about and picked up the call.

    "Yes grandpa Jirou? Did something happen with Kazuya?"

    ["Nothing happened but I called because of the kid. You already know that the nationals are in a few days right? I want to prepare the little guy for it so I wanted to ask you to let him stay with us until then"]

    "Huh? A few days?" Kyouko felt a little hesitant. She didn''t want to let Kazuya go.

    ["Right. People have been saying he''s too young even though he''s talented so I want to especially prepare him to shut those people up especially after he raises that championship trophy"] Jirou felt Kyouko''s hesitation and tried to stir her up.

    "They dare doubt my Kazuya! I agree!"

    ["That''s good news. This good son of yours will show them how strong the ties between our two families have haha!"] Jirou was so overjoyed that let a bit of this true intentions slip.

    "I''ll contact granny Fuji and have her prepare some things to send over later"

    ["Why don''t you join us for dinner too? It''s been too long and I''m sure Tomoyo would be glad to see you"]

    "Tomoyo-chan?" Kyouko paused. The silent girl barely paid any attention to her so she didn''t know where that came from. "Sorry granpa Jirou but I have to work late for a few days so I can watch Kazuya''s tournament"

    ["That''s too bad. I''ll won''t keep you since you''re working hard. You don''t need to worry about the kid. Kaori is quite fond of him and will take good care of him"]

    "Thank you granpa Jirou. I leave Kazuya to you. Take care" She ended the call and found Mei immediately in front of her with a questioning gaze.

    "You actually gave Kazuya to the Shiroyukis for a few days!?" she looked quite annoyed.

    Kyouko had been missing her interactions with Mei for a while and now she got it. Her decision to let Kazuya stay with the Shiroyuki''s invoked an argument that she had been looking for. What Kyouko didn''t know that this would last until Kazuya was once again in their midst.

    --

    Kazuya and Tomoyo were taken by Jirou immediately after his phone call with Kyouko. He took them to the dojo and left the instructors with Miyamoto to train the rest of the students. Kazuya was informed of the arrangements and asked to stop by his place to get a few things. He was surprised that Kyouko had allowed him to stay with them for a few days but couldn''t refuse it since it was a done deal.

    When they arrived at the dojo, Jirou excused himself to explain the arrangements to Kaori and took Tomoyo with him. This gave Kazuya a little time to himself. He decided to check up on Ousame and his brothers who were diligently training in the dojo building that was especially for their use.

    .

    "Y-young master!" Ousame shuddered at his arrival and immediately bowed. His brothers did the same although they didn''t have the same vigor.

    "Looks like you weren''t lying when you said that your brothers were quite capable Ousame" Kazuya patted his shoulder. Ousame''s brothers were quite startled because they already knew that Ousame had been respectful towards this child but he accepted being talked down on without as much as a twitch.

    "Big Bro! I can''t accept it! Why are you letting this kid talk down on you like this!? I know he''s the one who offered us a new leaf but he''s taking it too far!" the man with dyed hair stood up and complained.

    Kazuya recognized this person from the profiles he received. This was Ousame''s closest brother or his second in command called Mame. He didn''t take what was said personally but was rather glad that he showed such loyalty.

    "Sta¡ª" Kazuya raised a hand to stop Ousame from speaking. He walked towards the person who glared at him.

    "You got a problem with what I said kid?"

    "I do" Kazuya smiled at him.

    "What are you going to do about I¡ª" Kazuya kicked the man''s leg and made him fall to his knee. He gripped the man''s neck and raised it upward showing off his strength.

    "Looks like Ousame has yet to tell you the story of how we met. The fact that you people are training here means that you''ve signed the contract, yes?" Kazuya grinned at the person who was slowly losing air in front of him.

    "P-please have mercy young master! He was just doing it for my sake so please punish me instead" Ousame slammed his forehead on the wooden floor after seeing the color change on his brother''s face. He was running out of air and Kazuya didn''t care.

    The others who were thinking of helping immediately stopped what they were about to do after their boss lowered his head pleading. They had never seen him so fearful of anyone, not even when he was an active person from the underground world.

    Kazuya knew that Ousame genuinely feared him and gained his loyalty through that but his brothers were another thing. This was a great opportunity to show them how he handled things when it came to them so he did not hold back.

    "Because of my trust in you I will give you some face Ousame. Don''t disappoint me and educate your brothers properly. I won''t be this lenient if I see or hear them acting inappropriately especially towards Mei and the employees" Kazuya loosened his grip and threw Mame to the side.

    "T-thank you for your mercy"

    "You people are no longer people from the underworld so learn some manners. You can act this way with threats and enemies but never with allies"

    .

 54 Lesson

    .

    Ousame''s brothers were dead silent. They looked at Mame who had been gasping for air after he had been thrown to the side like a ragdoll. They didn''t expect such a child to act so ruthlessly and to display such strength.

    *wheeze wheeze*

    "Remember the contracts you''ve signed. I would rarely show myself in front of you guys but I''m still your employer. It wouldn''t do you any good if you judged me by how I look" Kazuya grinned and caused all of them to feel shivers down their spines. It was as if they had made a deal with the devil.

    "I-I sincerely apologize young master and I thank you for your mercy!" Mame lowered his head to the floor and expressed his sincerity towards Kazuya.

    He had no doubt that he would have died if Ousame hadn''t intervened on his behalf. His brother had already warned him not to mess with Kazuya but he ignored it as soon as he saw that he was dealing with nothing but a kid. The respect and fear his brother held for this kid was not without reason.

    "Good. Looks like you''ve understood. I like people who are quick to understand" Kazuya smiled and the oppressive chill everyone felt started to leave. Only then everyone started to relax.

    Kazuya was impressed by this. As expected from people who used to work for the underworld. They were quite sensitive when it came to sensing danger. He was glad that the gamble in roping in these people paid off.

    "What brings you here at this time young master?" Ousame decided to change the subject after sensing the danger passing. He was always on edge in Kazuya''s presence and with good reason.

    He didn''t tell his brothers about his experience with Kazuya for the same reason Mame reacted the way he did. None of them would believe what he had experienced and see him as a crazy fool. This was why all he did was warn them not to mess with him or there will be dire consequences and he wouldn''t be able to protect them.

    "I was going to tell you this over the phone but grandpa Jirou already brought me here. You''re all going to be meeting the people you will be working with, observing and protecting very soon. The company will have a end of the year gathering and all of you are going to be attending" all of their ears perked up after hearing what Kazuya announced.

    Unlike the regular employee''s contracts, theirs were different and even a little stricter. Their responsibilities differed especially because of their experiences and specialties. Not only were they security to protect from the outside, they were security from the inside as well.

    "A gathering with M-mistress Kazuno and Sawada-san?" Unlike the others, Ousame felt pressured. He already heard that Mei was pretty much set to be his future wife, hence his nervousness.

    "Correct. Also, since I''m already here, I want to remind you that although I told you to consider her words as mine, one command shall never be overwritten even by me. That will be that her safety is above even my own. No matter what she says, her safety if it ever comes down to it will be more important than anyone else''s. Do you understand what I mean?" Kazuya looked straight into Ousame''s eyes and expressed his seriousness.

    "Y-yes" he shuddered. Ousame understood that he meant that even if they had to die, Mei must be kept safe or they would be pulled down to hell.

    "Good" Kazuya nodded approvingly. "I''m not telling you guys not to enjoy yourselves during the gathering but you must remember your responsibilities and not get yourselves get carried away"

    "Understood. I will brief my brothers on their responsibilities"

    "I will be staying here for a few days so I''ll drop by and test you and your brothers if I have time" he turned towards the rest who shuddered at the thought. They all saw the color drain from Ousame''s face when Kazuya said that and they immediately felt scared.

    "Y-young master, can I ask a question?" Mame mustered up his courage and decided to speak up.

    "What is it?" Kazuya was impressed with this guy''s courage.

    "How are you so strong? I don''t mean to be rude but you''re really still just a child, right?" Mame looked at Kazuya with expectant eyes.

    "It''s because he can use internal energy" Jirou walked in with Tomoyo following behind him.

    "(Internal Energy? Is that how mana is called in this world?)" Kazuya pondered.

    This was mentioned in Natsu''s studies. There were various names and identifications on Earth but for them who had been summoned to Edea, it was mana. It was just with the small amount present on earth, only those who had real talent and trained would be able to feel or even use it.

    "I knew it was something like that!" Mame looked ecstatic. It was like what happened earlier never occurred. He looked reverently at Kazuya which made even him a little uncomfortable.

    "Such a thing really exists?" Ousame was a bit skeptical but he couldn''t deny it after seeing and experiencing it for himself.

    "Of course it exists. It''s something that can''t be explained by science nor something that people can use on a whim so skeptics such as yourself find it hard to believe. It normally needs to be trained and even after having some ability to use it, it would be at an age where people would shrug it off as adrenaline or muscle power.

    The kid in front of you is living proof of it. I don''t know how he did it but he is able to use it on a whim. You can ask him to give you another demonstration using yourselves to confirm it" Jirou laughed after seeing their startled reactions. He wasn''t eavesdropping this time and just arrived but it looks like the boy already did it.

    These group of people seemed a bit shady at first but after starting their training, Jirou felt that they really were trying to turn over a new leaf. Kazuya may have sent them here with his recommendation but Mei followed up to make it clear that they were aspiring security personnel that she was asked to take care of.

    "Then are you able to use it as well Master?" Mame asked with glittering eyes. He not the least bit skeptical since he had already experienced it himself.

    "It would be a too early to explain it to you but I will allow you to listen since all of you were already shown part of it by this kid I assume" Jirou turned to Kazuya who had remained silent. "Since you haven''t denied it, you admit to being able to use it right?"

    "I didn''t know it was called internal energy until now. But if you''re referring to this¡­" Kazuya used mana to enhance both his presence and abilities to make everyone feel a sense of danger towards him. "Then it would be correct" he cut it off after noticing Jirou''s startled expression. This crafty old man successfully tricked him.

    "You really can use it on a whim¡­ (I''ve really lucked out this time old Kou)" Jirou smiled and looked at Kazuya with excitement.

    Tomoyo who had been at the side remained quiet but tried to absorb everything she could. Kazuya had already given her tips on how to use it but he referred it as ''mana'' rather than ''internal energy''. Kazuya promised her that as long as she progressed, they would be able to spar for as long as she could use it.

    "Did you just want to confirm it granpa Jirou?"

    "No¡­ I already know you''ve been trying to teach my granddaughter. I was trying to think of a way to teach her in the future but you''ve already volunteered to take over so I''ll leave it to you. Your control over it should be better than mine anyway" he admitted it.

    "Don''t sell yourself short grandpa Jirou. You''re quite skilled in both detecting and concealing it" Kazuya startled the old man even further.

    "You can tell?"

    "I wouldn''t have stayed in this dojo for long if I didn''t. I was just waiting for you since I''ve already expressed my intention to exchange pointers with you when I first arrived here"

    "I see¡­ I''ve completely forgotten about that. No matter, I came here with the intention to grant that request myself. First things first, I want to ask you about what you think about your own swordsmanship"

    "My swordsmanship? Does that really matter?" Kazuya didn''t expect such a question. He learned everything from the otherworld and it was mostly due to his experiences so explaining it in words would prove quite difficult for him.

    "I would like to hear it from you. I will tell you what I think of it from my own perspective before anything else. I believe that thinking about it will help you improve on it more and hearing insights from another swordsman might prove useful to you" Kazuya couldn''t help but give a sigh since this old man was being so persistent.

    "My style changes depending on the enemy. Battles are always unpredictable so I use my skills to adapt to the situation. If you ask me for a specific style then I can''t answer you since I''ve learned a bunch" Kazuya decided to be honest even though it might raise a few questions. He believed that Jirou had a very good reason for being so persistent.

    Jirou tried to hide his surprise but he couldn''t. he didn''t expect such an answer because his description didn''t match what he had observed. He was glad that he pushed for an answer. He threw Kazuya the wooden sword he had been using in their dojo and took one out on his own.

    "I wouldn''t have expected such an answer from you because to me and the other instructors, your style is ruthless, wild, rough and unrefined. It''s a style that fits well with the same types of enemies but will be dangerous against people like myself who have a deep understanding in techniques and trained to refine them" Jirou confidently stated.

    Kazuya didn''t deny it or rather he couldn''t. He might have been a hero in Edea for 8 years but even though he used a sword, his actual training was more on actual battles. He only was able to learn the basics from the academy build by his predecessor before he was thrown into conflict.

    This was why Kazuya chose to remain in the dojo. Jirou and the other instructors were good subjects for observation so that he could refine his own swordsmanship. As a hero, he had the overwhelming advantage of having a blessing that made him overpowered and barely any enemy could withstand his hits.

    The demons weren''t exactly known for their skills except for a certain group who served under the demon king. Like Jirou had stated, these were the enemies he had the most trouble with because unlike the rough styles of most of the demons he''s faced, they were more experienced and Kazuya had only won because of his overwhelming advantage and the help of his former companions.

    "I''ll prove it to you" Jirou raised the wooden sword and took a stance to challenge Kazuya.

    He couldn''t help but smile. The pressure this old man radiated was no joke. Unlike the overpowering ones he''s faced, this was like a sword that could cut. Jirou hadn''t been lying when he said that he has trained and refined himself.

    Kazuya was still a bit skeptical when Jirou made it seem like he didn''t have a chance. He knew that he wouldn''t if it were normal circumstances but now he really was tempted to go all out. He might not be at his peak because he had reverted to a child but he had the weight of all his experiences with him.

    "Congratulations granpa Jirou. You''ve convinced me to try out my current capabilities without holding back" Kazuya raised the sword with one arm and used his mana without hesitation.

    Everyone who was around them immediately felt the tension between the two and moved to the walls. They knew that these two monsters were about to fight to their heart''s content without any regard for them. This was the first time Tomoyo saw her grandfather acting like this so she made up her mind to move to a safe place where she could watch the two people she liked the most and learn from them.

    "There would be no use for rules in this battle kid. Let''s fight to our heart''s content. You don''t have any objections, right? Your style is for actual battle after all" Jirou knew he was right after noticing the flicker in the boy''s gaze.

    Kazuya''s heartbeat started getting faster. He didn''t consider himself a battle maniac and would avoid it if possible but after years of continuous battles in the frontlines, he looked forward to being able to gauge his current capabilities with someone he didn''t think he could beat with certainty.

    "I just hope that you don''t stop halfway after saying all those things. I know that you have your worries about going all out but I only intend to stop until there is a clear victor" Both of them knew that getting hit with the wooden sword in their hands was inevitable. Jirou may stop if he gets a hit since he saw Kazuya as a boy so he wanted to make it clear that he had no intention of stopping because of a mere graze.

    Jirou nodded. He already knew that Kazuya had been itching to fight ever since he revealed his aura. As a swordsman himself, Jirou had a thirst to battle someone capable so this was good news for him. The opponent before him may appear to be a boy but he felt like a wild beast whose mere presence gave him a sense of danger.

    "(If he can refine his swordsmanship then¡­)" he glanced towards his granddaughter who seemed to have her whole concentration on both of them. A grin slowly formed on his face as he thought about the possibilities.

    Though the two were ready to battle, both remained silent. the onlookers could feel the tension and no one thought that the fight would last long once it started. They felt like they were on the edge of a cliff as the anticipation kept increasing.

    "(This old dude''s style is as crafty as he is)" Kazuya understood that Jirou had no intention of making the first move so he had no choice but to be the first one to test out the waters.

    Kazuya''s step was big yet silent as he disappeared from where he was standing. He appeared at Jirou''s side with the intention of hitting his side but his swing was blocked by Jirou''s sword.

    Jirou himself was startled because he almost didn''t have the time to react and the strike made him take a few steps back. He had underestimated the boy''s speed and strength as he planned to counterattack after parrying.

    Kazuya wasted no time and immediately dashed before Jirou regained his balance. He swiped upwards with the intention of disarming the old man but the old man used his imbalance to take a step sideways to evade and launch a strike of his own.

    Jirou was confident that he would get a solid hit especially since Kazuya''s strike upwards tore through the air like it was paper. He struck targeting the boy''s left shoulder but he was met with the boy''s sword instead.

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    "(Tsk! I forgot he could do this)" Jirou thought as the boy''s free hand held the wooden sword that was supposed to still be on the other.

    The impact of their strikes forced the two apart. Both of them had the same opinion. They had greatly underestimated each other''s abilities. Both of them thought that no matter who was stronger, their battle would not last long but they understood that they were wrong.

    Those who watched couldn''t help but feel chills. Some of them even forgot to breathe as they only realized it after both of them stopped to ponder on what just happened. It felt like they were watching a movie. They took a look at the girl who had been silently watching at the side and had the same thought as they shifted their gaze at their little boss.

    ""(If he could teach the girl then would he teach us if we do well?)"" the thought couldn''t leave their minds. Who didn''t want to be capable of such things?

    .

 55 Decisions

    .

    On Kazuya''s third and last night at the Shiroyuki dojo, he stood in front of the old man wearing a kendo uniform that would be more like rags than clothes now.

    "We should stop here. It won''t be good if you''re worn out for tomorrow''s competition" Jirou lowered his stance and took a look at his own state. He wasn''t any better than how Kazuya looked.

    Though it had only been three days, they both have had their clothes ruined many times. Unlike, wounds or injuries, clothes wouldn''t heal themselves and he was given earfuls by Kaori for showing up appearing as such.

    *tug* *riiip*

    Tomoyo who tried tugging Kazuya''s sleeve frowned after tearing it completely from his arm. She tried to fix it by clumsily tying it to another part of his sleeve but that part ripped as well. Kazuya glanced at her and took the towel in her arm since Jirou already had no intention of continuing.

    "Thanks" Kazuya thanked the girl who looked relieved after finally finding a part of his sleeve that was still intact.

    *nod* Tomoyo moved to give Jirou a towel as well but moved back to Kazuya as soon as Jirou received his.

    The grandfather couldn''t help but give a sigh after seeing his beloved granddaughter favoring Kazuya more than himself. Tomoyo''s attachment to Kazuya grew more during his stay since Jirou had arranged for Kazuya to sleep in her room.

    He would smile when he checked up on the two of them late at night to find Tomoyo clutching the sleeve of Kazuya who slept like a log in their sleep. This had been another reason for him to prolong and extend Kazuya''s sword fighting sessions. Making him have less of a resistance to Tomoyo''s actions.

    Unfortunately, Jirou now felt a little regretful since he was being ignored like this. Tomoyo herself grew a lot during these three days. She would train with the instructors but she would be asked to watch whenever Kazuya and Jirou sparred. Her understanding of mana improved a lot that even Kazuya couldn''t help but admit her progress.

    "Tell me grandpa Jirou, was everything just to prepare me for the Nationals?" Kazuya had to ask because he didn''t want things to end like this. It was true that Tomoyo was steadily improving but she was still far from letting him take her seriously.

    "I know what you''re worried about the kid so don''t worry. Training you for the Nationals was just an excuse for me to get a good grasp of your real capabilities. It won''t be as frequent as these past few days but I will spar with you and help you hone your swordsmanship" Jirou smiled. This kid had always been a bit troublesome to deal with so it was nice seeing him being tame like this.

    Three days may not have been enough to make much progress with Kazuya''s capabilities but it was enough for him to realize what Jirou had been trying to point out. He had definitely been lucky to have survived as a hero with how much he realized his swordsmanship lacked. He plowed his way through the Mork continent with his power advantage and the demons'' lack of skilled individuals.

    This was like a cold ice bucket that has been poured directly on his back. He shuddered at the thought of him being summoned as a regular person instead. He had confidence because of his achievements but he had taken quite a few blows that rocked his foundations. This realization gave him a headache as he had to once again change his plans for the future.

    "(I guess things in real life really don''t go as well as they do in manga or novels)" he sighed and concentrated on recovering his stamina.

    Jirou observed from the side with a frown. He may have been kicking Kazuya''s ass for the past three days most of the time but he still couldn''t help but see the kid as a monster. This was most evident in his recovery speed. Being a child doesn''t explain how fast Kazuya recovers his stamina or how quickly his wounds heal.

    He once asked Kazuya how he recovers so fast when he returned on his second day without as much as a scratch or bruise left in their first exchange. He was nonchalantly answered with the ''youthful recovery'' excuse and would say it every time Jirou asked.

    To make things worse, her granddaughter has been taught by Kazuya and would act exactly like him whenever she tried to recover. Although Tomoyo''s recovery speed was not as fast as Kazuya''s, she still recovered her stamina abnormally fast. With her personality, she wouldn''t be able to explain it even if she wanted to so unless Kazuya reveals the secret, he could only be envious of the two children.

    He may have been old but he had keen eyes. He could see from his point of view the bruises on Kazuya''s body slowly begin to disappear. The boy despite being so young could take a hit without yelling out in pain like he expected so Jirou couldn''t help but give him his admiration. Despite this, the envious healing speed made him lose restrictions and stopped being fearful of hurting Kazuya.

    Kazuya didn''t make all his injuries disappear, he only healed them enough so they wouldn''t hinder his movements. He may have grown a lot since he first returned but relying on mana too much, especially on earth was something that he didn''t want to do. His body still needed to heal naturally to have some improvement.

    "You sure have a way of making an old man feel really old. Why don''t you teach me how you heal so fast so that this old man can get rid of his pains quicker" he shamelessly tried playing the sympathy card.

    "Teaching you shouldn''t be too much of a problem but I told this robot girl here that if you wanted to learn then it should be from her. She needs to master it first though" Kazuya stood up and moved behind Jirou before placing a palm on his back.

    "This¡­" Jirou could feel warm energy slowly circulating in his body. It felt soothing and the pains in his body slowly started receding.

    He hadn''t suffered much when they first started but it was already the third day. Kazuya''s improvement rate was astonishing and his battle sense was even more terrifying than his improvement. There were a lot of moments where Jirou couldn''t help but take hits hence his current state.

    "Sorry¡­" Kazuya removed his hand and stopped the treatment. "This would be the best I can do for now since I really would collapse if I expended more energy" he apologized and took a seat before closing his eyes to completely immerse himself in recovery.

    "It''s fine. This would be enough for me to move without pushing myself. I''ll go and fetch some clothes for you to change into before Kaori sees us and scolds me again" Jirou excused himself and left Kazuya to recover. Tomoyo remained and picked up the wooden sword on the ground and began to train by herself. She knew that Kazuya wouldn''t be going anywhere anytime soon.

    --

    Inside the large western mansion of the Stocktons, Kurumi was inside her room watching the various videos taken by the people her father sent to the last regional kendo tournament. She was amazed at how much the boy who was brave but frail had changed. He really was not the Kazuya she knew anymore and felt like a new person especially since he didn''t have the smile Kurumi was used to seeing.

    "Kazuya-kun¡­" she hugged her pillow. She felt his existence getting farther especially after seeing the cool looking girl who always stood by his side in the videos.

    Kurumi had already noticed Tomoyo and Mahiru at the start of the videos. She paid little attention to Tomoyo because it was justMahiru that was communicating smoothly with Kazuya. This changed when Mahiru had disappeared later on.

    Even though Mahiru had gone, the silent girl Kazuya had not been talking to remained by his side as if it was the natural order of things. Kurumi was informed that the girl was called Shiroyuki Tomoyo and she was the granddaughter of the head of the kendo dojo that Kazuya had joined.

    "Shiroyuki Tomoyo¡­" Kurumi felt envious after seeing her getting praised for winning her match with a gentle patting. She would have been the one getting patted on the head if he didn''t lose his memories which was why she was really mad at the person responsible for Kazuya''s amnesia.

    She paused the recording to study the features of the person that replaced her. Unlike her cute features and foreign blonde hair, Tomoyo had more refined features and silky black hair that she was quite envious of. Both of them were doing the same things and with such a person beside him, Kurumi couldn''t blame Kazuya for getting along with her.

    "So this is the girl that Ka-kun has been hanging out with?" the sudden comment startled Kurumi as she tried to quickly reach for the remote. It was grabbed just as she was about to get it by the intruder who was grinning at the screen.

    This tall and a bit tanned girl was the very person Kurumi and her father didn''t want to inform about Kazuya''s situation. The reason was simple, she was very selfish and did everything she wanted with little to no concern of what people thought.

    "Maron¡­" Kurumi was startled. She didn''t want to let this cousin of her know where Kazuya had been else who knows what she would have done.

    "Don''t look so scared Ku-chan. I''ve known for a while where he was. One of the people he beat up in that tournament tried to threaten him by using me. Ka-kun didn''t have any memories so of course he wasn''t scared" the girl grinned as she pressed play button and continued the recording.

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    "That''s right¡­ he doesn''t even remember me, so he probably doesn''t even know you too" Kurumi gloomily hugged her pillow.

    "You''re too soft as usual Ku-chan. If he doesn''t remember, then just let him remember" her long and messy hair swayed as she put a fist right above the image of Kazuya''s head making it look like she was hitting it.

    "No! You can''t hurt him! If you think that he''s the same person you once knew then you''re wrong" Kurumi had already seen and heard enough to be confident in her words.

    "Hoh¡­ is that so?" the grin on the cocky girl''s face grew wider. She watched the rest of the recording together with Kurumi and she grew more excited.

    Kurumi wasn''t lying when she said that he changed but him changing was an understatement. What Maron witnessed was like a complete transformation. The most noticeable was Kazuya appearing to be leading and encouraging his fellow teammates who looked at him with respect.

    "(This is ''that'' Ka-kun!?)" she found it hard to believe. She looked at her cousin who was admiring what she was seeing yet looking lonely at the same time and couldn''t help but give a sigh.

    She knew the friendship the two had and she was dragged into it as well. Maron supported this handful of a cousin of hers and developed a liking to the boy who seemed to be a perfect friend for her. It was only until she heard about him getting sent to the hospital for having internal injuries did she feel a little bad about how roughly he treated the boy.

    Maron was initially afraid that she was the cause for him being sent to the hospital. She was always rough with him because she couldn''t stand how he and Kurumi were so alike. Kurumi was the stocktons'' princess so she could only use Kazuya as an example for how frustrated she was with how both of them were.

    Kazuya was even dragged by her to join the basketball team so she could at least toughen him up a bit. He was average at everything which was why seeing him doing so well in kendo and hearing about it from the people in their school was so shocking.

    She hadn''t heard a peep about it from Kurumi so she knew that it was deliberately being hidden from her. Maron wasn''t surprised about this because she knew how she had been acting around him. She didn''t believe Kazuya really had amnesia and thought that it was an excuse that his parents used to get him transferred. She thought that he was transferred because he tattled on how roughly he had been treated by her.

    "Ku-chan. Tell me what you know" she looked at Kurumi seriously and made her understand that she wouldn''t be taking no for an answer.

    "But¡ª" Kurumi hesitated.

    "I can always ask him myself you know" Maron gave a threatening smile. "I''m asking you what you know so I don''t have to go to the trouble of going myself after the effort you and uncle made to keep me in the dark"

    "I-I''ll tell you... just don''t go to Kazuya-kun and make trouble for him" Kurumi folded easily and explained everything she knew about the situation. It really wasn''t that big of a secret anymore since it caused the tension of both the Kouzuki and the Kurogane families to grow even more cautious against each other.

    "I see¡­ so it turns out to be caused by his adopted brother" Maron breathed a sigh of relief. She had been secretly worrying about him. She thought that Kurumi didn''t discuss his disappearance with her because she had been the cause of everything.

    "Was he really threatened? They used your name to threaten him?" since everything was out in the open, Kurumu asked the question that had been bugging her when Maron declared that she knew about the situation.

    "The upperclassmen he eliminated from our school told me about it. They tried to make it sound like Ka-kun didn''t see me as anything but after beating them up, they confessed. If it had been the old Ka-kun then that would not have happened" she confidently declared.

    "Those people¡­" Kurumi was annoyed. They could have mentioned their relation and that would make him avoid her even more. She already assumed that the bad feeling Kazuya mentioned when they met was because of her cousin so she thought that she still had a chance to clear things up with him after she successfully transferred to his school in secret.

    "I''ve already taught them a lesson for using my name and threatening Ka-kun" Maron proudly declared. "No one aside from me has the right to do that" she threw a punch in the air.

    "Are you really going to leave Kazuya-kun alone?" Kurumi wasn''t convinced. Maron looked at her and felt a little disappointed that her beloved cousin''s trust in her was close to non-existent.

    "I won''t but¡­" she thought for a few moments. Maron knew her cousin and well what her next step would be. "I plan on transferring to Sacred Forest Academy" she gave a smile that caused Kurumi a headache.

    .

 56 Before the Nationals

    .

    *tug tug* *shake shake* Tomoyo tried waking up Kazuya who was still asleep.

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    From the first day Kazuya had stayed with them, he had always been the first person to wake up early in the morning. Tomoyo who would only wake up later adjusted her own body clock to train with him in the morning.

    He may have been given an early rest by Jirou because of their tournament today but Kazuya used that time to catch up on the work he''s left piling up because of how worn out he had been after his prolonged matches with Jirou.

    "¡­" Tomoyo stopped and stared at his sleeping face and thought about letting him rest more since he had still been seriously doing things with the computer he brought when she fell asleep.

    Kazuya, Tomoyo and Jirou took a flight in the evening and arrived at the western prefecture. They came half a day later than the rest of the club members as Jirou wanted some extra time with Kazuya and Tomoyo in the dojo. He was given free time as soon as they arrived at the hotel where he stayed to catch up with everything he''s been neglecting for the past few days.

    "Mmmm¡­ where have you been¡­ big sis¡­" Kazuya mumbled as he grabbed the small hand that was tugging his sleeve and pulled it.

    Tomoyo was immediately thrown into Kazuya''s bed as he followed up by putting his arm around her back and locked her body against his. He had gotten used to sleeping with Mei that he unconsciously hugged the girl who he thought was sneaking into his bed.

    The innocent robot girl couldn''t make of anything he was mumbling nor could she. Kazuya''s sudden move took her off guard and she didn''t know how to react to her current situation. When he slept in her room, the most she had done was holding on to his arm or sleeve when she was falling asleep.

    "¡­" Tomoyo had been observing and staring at him a lot but this was the first time she could do so this close.

    Her pupils slowly moved as she looked at his sleeping face. She felt a little nervous since he had never taken such an action for them to be close before but from what she was taught, people can start off by being bitter enemies but after a while, they would naturally grow closer. This was the first time she was experiencing such a thing so with the combination of what she learned, she thought it was natural.

    In some respects, she was right about this. Even Kazuya himself hasn''t realized it yet but just by sleeping so peacefully with Tomoyo in the room, he had already acknowledged her existence. He had lowered her guard against her enough to even mistake her for someone else.

    It may have been his fatigue or accumulated stress that caused it but whatever the reason was, Kazuya was already holding the robot girl so closely and the innocent robot welcomed it. She even gently tried to fix his hair to get a better look at his features.

    Kazuya, who was still sleeping felt it. It was one of Mei''s habits to tease him in his sleep so he reacted as he usually did and snuggled his face closer to Tomoyo''s body to protect his head.

    "!!" Tomoyo froze as Kazuya snuggled himself closer. she could feel her face heating up but couldn''t understand the reason why.

    Her heartbeat accelerated as his scent entered her nostrils. She touched her face and was surprised on how much heat she radiated. Tomoyo was puzzled by her own reaction but knew that the cause was the boy that was holding her tightly.

    "Ka¡­ zu¡­ ya¡­" she carefully put her hand on top of his head and gave him a gentle patting. She always liked it whenever she was praised this way by him so she thought to return the favor.

    She was very thankful because even though he was tired after dealing with her grandfather, he would still spare some time for her. He wasn''t the only one who grew. Tomoyo''s skills and especially her mana control has gone up a notch.

    Tomoyo couldn''t bear to wake him up now so she just continued to pat his head until she fell asleep again.

    In the venue not too far from the hotel where Kazuya and his teammates stayed, Miyamoto had just finished attending the meeting to determine the placings the various different schools will participate in in the team matches.

    The Kendo national tournament was a joint event with the middle school division. It will be divided into two days. The team matches for both divisions will be for one day where the middle school students will be in the morning and then the elementary division will be in the afternoon. It will be switched on the next day where the individual tournament for the elementary division will be held in the morning then the middle school division in the afternoon.

    Miyamoto was feeling good since the defending champions were on the other block. He wasn''t as confident as the individual competitions because although he had many talented students, they were very far from Kazuya and Tomoyo''s level. One misstep and they could be eliminated.

    He knew that he had to carefully consider what their strategy would be since Tomoyo and Kazuya''s fame had reached the ears of those participating in the nationals. Even though Tomoyo did not participate in last year''s national tournament, both she and Kazuya were still the youngest people to have seats in both the individual and team matches.

    Kuronuma Ayame''s fame from her results in last year''s tournament made other teams wary of her. She was the reason that there were a lot of scouts in the regional championships. Some of them didn''t take note of Kazuya at first but since the battle between him and Ayame was inevitable, videos of his matches were now in the hands of various schools.

    Without Kazuya''s knowledge, he had been labeled as the biggest and most unpredictable factor in this year''s competition.

    Miyamoto rushed back to the hotel to tell Jirou about the good news. He was informed that he and their teams'' two aces arrived last night. The tournament was going to be held in the afternoon so there was little time for them to develop strategies now that hey know who they will be facing.

    "!" Miyamoto froze in his tracks as soon as he entered the hotel. He immediately recognized the two women who made him feel breathless. One was identified as Kazuya''s mother and the cold one was referred to as Kazuya''s future wife.

    "You''re Kazuya''s teacher, Miyamoto-sensei right?" Kyouko recognized Miyamoto and greeted him as Mei was inquiring with reception about their reservation.

    "Y-yes, It''s good to see you again Kouzuki-san. What brings you here?" he asked. Miyamoto was not privy to Kazuya staying at the Shiroyukis so he didn''t know what they were here for.

    "We came to watch the nationals. Grandpa Jirou said that he would bring Kazuya here so we made reservations here as well" Kyouko explained.

    "I-I see¡­ I''ll go and get Shiroyuki-sama then" Miyamoto was a bit surprised at the way she addressed Jirou but shrugged it off. He couldn''t afford to make a fool out of himself in front of a student''s parent.

    "Kyouko-chan you''re here?" Jirou showed himself in the reception area before Miyamoto could do anything. He was looking forward to at least get a conversation off of the girl who just joined them while holding a key card in her hands.

    "Where''s Kazuya grandpa Jirou? We haven''t seen him for days and want to see how he''s doing" Kyouko wasted no time to ask.

    "It''s a good thing the three of us stayed in the same room. From the looks of it, you''re going to take him with you after the daily competition" Jirou laughed. He expected this to happen and booked a room for the three of them but he stayed over at a friend''s place when he arrived and left the Kazuya and his granddaughter to have a good rest.

    "My Kazu stays with your granddaughter!?" Mei reaction startled the two men.

    "Yes, is there a problem with that? They are still children after all" Jirou asked. Mei didn''t know how to reply since what she thought was still unconfirmed. Due to Kazuya''s explanations, he had spent a lot of time as a teenager in his visions. Others may see him as a child but for her, he may have already developed a mentality of one going through puberty or even more.

    "Don''t mind her grandpa Jirou. She just misses Kazuya as well. Can we go see him now?" Kyouko was relieved that me didn''t answer the question and intervened before she could.

    "Here is the key. Since Miyamoto is here, he should have the listings for the competition so we need to discuss plans for it" he handed Kyouko a keycard. "They are in room 214. Kazuya is an early riser so I reckon he should already be up and about" Jirou excused himself together with Miyamoto who was still thinking about how Mei had reacted earlier.

    The two ladies wasted no time and took the elevator to meet with Kazuya. Kyouko used the keycard and opened the room and carefully opened the door to give her son a surprise but what they witnessed surprised them.

    ""!!""

    In the spacious room with two beds, Kazuya was sleeping soundly while snuggled up to Tomoyo''s chest with his arms around her back. The usual emotionless girl was sleeping soundly as well but had a smile that was never seen while she was awake.

    Mei''s eyebrows shot up at the sight. She didn''t doubt Kazuya since this was the usual position he would take when they slept together. She instead glared at the girl who dared to take her rightful place and took advantage of the sleeping boy to pose as her.

    "(Who!?)" Kazuya could feel a growing bloodlust and it immediately roused his peaceful sleep.

    He didn''t waste any time and extended his senses to cover the room. He kept still to be on the safe side since the hostility wasn''t directed at him. It was only after he felt the two presences and identified them that he was able to calm himself.

    He slowly opened his eyes and realized that it was still dark. It felt like his head was leaning on a wall covered with a curtain but he was startled when the wall seemed to be breathing. Kazuya quickly realized that why the familiar presence was hostile almost immediately.

    "This thief actually tried to pose as me while my Kazu was sleeping!? Unforgivable!" Mei couldn''t hold it anymore and tried to step forward to break the two apart but was stopped by Kyouko.

    "Calm down Mei!" she didn''t want her son to be disturbed since this was the first time she saw him oversleeping ever since that incident. His training must have taken a lot out of him.

    Mei was right on the money with her guess and Kazuya was a bit glad that she didn''t misunderstand. It was probably his fault that this happened because Tomoyo would be satisfied by just grabbing his sleeve in her sleep.

    He loosened his hold on the robot girl and moved so that her sleep wouldn''t be disturbed. It would have been trouble if Tomoyo woke up in front of Mei who was acting like this. Kazuya sat up slowly and looked at the two who entered their room.

    "Good morning mom, big si¡ª" Kazuya was immediately grabbed by Mei and taken into her arms.

    "I knew letting you stay with them was a bad idea!" Mei was still annoyed especially since she could smell another girl''s scent on her Kazuya. This made Kyouko who couldn''t stop her assistant sigh.

    "Let him go Mei" Kyouko missed her son as well and wanted to hug and talk to him but this was hardly the place to do it since another child was sleeping.

    "No! I have to get rid of that girl''s scent!" she refused.

    "How is Kazu going to get his things so that he can move to our room then?" Kyouko persuaded her with something she couldn''t refuse, she wanted to leave the room quickly before Tomoyo''s rest got disturbed as well.

    "Tsk! Fine" Mei reluctantly let go of Kazuya. It was only after she let him go that she realized what she had done and turned away to calm her own nerves. She had too many thoughts in her head previously, but it was all overshadowed the moment she saw Kazuya on a bed with another girl.

    The two women took Kazuya to the room they reserved on the higher floors. He knew that the two missed him and he missed them as well, so he spent the whole morning with them. They stayed in the room where they had room service provide everything as the two didn''t want to separate from him until it was time for the competition.

    Mei who had been quiet as she watched the mother and son catch up felt vexed. She did miss Kazuya especially since his 3 day departure was so sudden but ever since his confession, a thought had been plaguing her mind.

    "(If Kazu had that vision then would that make his mental age actually older? Until how old was he before he woke up?)" she would always think about this which was why she refrained from visiting his room while he was still awake after her birthday.

    "Big sis?" Kazuya sat beside her thinking she was still mad about Tomoyo. "Are you still mad?"

    "No¡­" she pouted. "I''m just your big sis who can''t compare to girls your age right?" she was a little nervous about what his answer was going to be, but this was a test to see how he would respond.

    Even though he had come clean with her about a lot of things, Mei knew that he still holding back something. She knew that even if she asked him, it wasn''t guaranteed that he will tell her. She understood that he had to wait a bit more if she wanted to ask. For now, she could only observe and come up with everything based on what she''s observed.

    "How can that be? Isn''t big sis going to be my wife? That hasn''t changed and will not change in the future unless big sis doesn''t want me anymore" he looked straight into her eyes to show he wasn''t lying.

    Her intentions ended up backfiring as Kazuya ended up confusing her more. She definitely didn''t think he was lying but her mind was in disarray because of what he said. This was the same Kazuya who reassured her previously about his relationship with other women and established a fine line between them and her.

    Mei could only grab him and place him on her lap while placing her chin on top of his head to avoid letting him see her face. This lasted until the three of them headed to the stadium where the competition was going to be held.

    They took a cab to the venue and as soon as Kazuya entered the large gymnasium, The three of them frowned after they saw the new name of the gymnasium. [Black Steel Hall] was engraved on a large wooden block at the entrance. They all had a bad feeling but they were already here and there was no way Kazuya was going to stop because they didn''t like the name of the venue.

    Kazuya immediately noticed gazes directed towards them from various places. He was still wearing his casual clothing so he doubted a few would recognize him as a participant. He hid a grin by looking at the shiny wooden floor. With the name and now the stares, he was more convinced that he wasn''t going to be bored in this competition.

    .

 57 Whisper

    .

    Jirou brought the instructors that taught the team and had them escort and accompany Mei and Kyouko in the audience along with those who were sent by Sacred Forest Academy to cheer for their team. Kazuya was glad that he was able to notice the subtle change as well.

    If one were not to notice the meaning behind the name ''Black Steel'' which was literally translated as ''Kurogane'' then the logo engraved and located on various areas of the venue was a dead giveaway. The Kurogane conglomerate had acquired this place.

    Kazuya found this move quite normal since the Kuroganes made a move to delve into the sports industry. For them to acquire a famous venue was within expectations yet one could not help but be a little cautious since it was the potential masterminds of his past life''s biggest tragedy after all.

    Miyamoto was lucky to have drawn block D for the team because they were separated from most of the seeded players and the defending champions. He informed Kazuya of the teams he needed to watch out for so Kazuya would observe the teams that Miyamoto had mentioned.

    "[Hey Kouzuki Kazuya]" a familiar voice rang in his ear.

    "[What do you want na?ve girl?]" he looked at the team who was competing and found Ayame sitting on her team''s side.

    "[Looks like you haven''t cut off this type of communication completely]" he could see a smile on her face.

    "[I can disable it but it requires me to intentionally think of closing it. I forgot all about you after that day hence how you''re able to communicate with me now. I have to say, I''m quite surprised, you''ve improved. Seeing that you''re able to let me hear your voice without eye contact shows that you''ve been working on controlling your mana]" Kazuya nodded approvingly.

    "[Mana? My grandfather calls it internal energy for some reason. The way you call it is more like a game. It fits so I''ll call it that too]" She was glad to have been praised and recognized for her hard work. "[Have you taught Shiroyuki-san how to use it as well?]"

    "[No. I don''t plan on teaching her ''whisper'' unless she learns how to speak properly first]" Kazuya answered honestly. He already considered this since learning the whisper skill can increase her mana control skills but that would let her depend on the skill rather than speaking out so he decided not to do it.

    "[Then I''m the only one who can talk to you like this?]" Ayame was quite excited since it seemed like a private communication line that only they shared.

    "[Not for long. I plan on teaching this to my fianc¨¦ soon]" Kazuya smiled. The referee was already calling Ayame but she was concentrating too much on their communication that she was not able to hear them.

    She was quite annoyed with the disturbance and made quick work of her opponent before she took a seat to continue her conversation with Kazuya. "[Were you talking about that older woman who held your hand when you entered?]"

    "[That''s her. Looks like you still need to work on your awareness. This skill may be useful but while using it, you should still be aware of your surroundings. It''s like using a cellphone, being inattentive will lead to accidents]" He added.

    "[She''s a lot older than you. What''s so good about her? She may be pretty but I''ll grow up to be even more beautiful!]" she kept note of his comment but focused on asking him about Mei.

    "[It wouldn''t matter to me even if that were the case. You wouldn''t even be pestering me like this if I had chosen to completely conceal my mana. That''s one of the biggest differences between you two. She would have taken me even if I were the most pitiful person in the world]" This was a fact that he wouldn''t be convinced of otherwise. His previous life had already proven that.

    "[That''s not true! I might have not noticed you at the entrance when our teams met but I would have definitely noticed when our teams clashed for the first time!]" Ayame''s loud declaration rang in Kazuya''s mind. It was usually not possible to shout in whisper but when the right conditions are met, it was doable. She really believed in her words.

    "[Don''t push it. What happened already happened. If you persist on your initial intentions then I really will permanently close this way of communication with you]" Kazuya didn''t want to because people naturally being able to be aware or even control mana is rare enough. He was at least open to getting along with her because of this peculiar similarity.

    "[Fine... As long as you give me a chance. Do you know who to watch out for?]" She decided to change the topic since he already made himself clear.

    Kazuya informed her of what Miyamoto told him about the teams. Ayame was more than happy to share some information and insights of her own since this wasn''t her first time participating in the nationals.

    Even with her strength, Ayame only placed second in the previous nationals. She was the favorite to win this year because her rival had already moved on to middle school but the appearance of Kazuya had thrown all predictions into disarray.

    She had little concern for the team matches and focused on telling him about those people who had the ability to challenge her. From her explanations, Kazuya surmised that the people she mentioned were natural athletes that were able to naturally increase their abilities because of their strong will and passion.

    "[Will? Passion?]" Ayame was confused after receiving an explanation from him. She felt a bit envious since Kazuya explained all of this whilst making it look like he was concentrating on his match.

    "[Would fighting spirit be an easier term for you to understand? You''re a rare type that has high control and sense so this doesn''t apply to you. It is also something you lack since you are able to use mana even before understanding it]" Kazuya continued as he got the match point.

    "[Didn''t I show it off when I fought against Shiroyuki-san?]"

    "[So you finally understand. Yes, that would be a good example of it. You were able to increase your potential more because of that]"

    "[But I still lost to her though]"

    "[That was only natural. It was me who taught her after all]"

    "[Hmph! Full of yourself aren''t you]"

    "[Well you weren''t able to use it against me right? Your concentration was elsewhere and that ended up being your downfall]"

    "[Hey you were being unfair as well. You treated the match with Shiroyuki-san differently. Both my match and hers were for her benefit. I''m your friend now so you have to treat me the same too]"

    "[You sure are fond of skipping steps. You are merely an acquaintance and hardly a friend yet. Besides, I don''t think I''ve considered anyone as my friend yet]" now that he thought about it, among his acquaintances, he hadn''t truly accepted anyone he could call a friend just yet.

    "[You''re lying. From the way you favor Shiroyuki-san, no one would believe that statement. Going as far as letting her improve by using a championship match]"

    "[Believe what you will. I care little about winning or losing. I only joined this competition as a way to find people like you and to fulfill the requirements of grandpa Jirou so that he can continue to help me keep and sharpen my battle senses]"

    The two continued to converse as the team matches continued. Miyamoto and Jirou''s strategy to alternate Kazuya and Tomoyo along with Nishida to secure victories early worked as they climbed to the top of their block.

    However, due to their long conversation, people who have been watching them from the sidelines noticed that both of them have been looking at each other and have been exchanging gestures for quite some time now. Tomoyo was the closest person to Kazuya physically and it would have been even weirder if she didn''t notice.

    "¡­" she tried to block Kazuya from looking at Ayame by standing in front of him and looking at his eyes instead.

    "[Looks like she finally couldn''t stand it and tried to interfere. Not like it matters if she blocks our vision. I''ve gotten the hang of this skill by talking to you for a long time now]" Ayame giggled. She felt good to have gotten an advantage over Tomoyo.

    Although Mei didn''t particularly like Tomoyo today, she was glad that the girl stepped in when she did. It was however a futile move as Kazuya''s expression remained unchanged as if he was seeing through Tomoyo as he continued his conversation.

    "It''s no use robot girl. The na?ve girl can talk to me with her mind because of a skill she can use with mana" Kazuya looked at Tomoyo and shared this with a thought in mind.

    "!" Tomoyo looked towards Ayame who smiled at her as if she had already won. Tomoyo turned back at Kazuya and gave him an expectant gaze. Her expression wasn''t unfamiliar to him since she would look at him this way whenever she had a move that she was interested in.

    "I won''t teach you this skill unless you learn how to communicate with your voice. Teaching you this would be useless otherwise" Kazuya looked back at her and Tomoyo understood that he wouldn''t be swayed.

    "¡­" Tomoyo sat back down and sank into her own thoughts. Kazuya didn''t know what she was thinking about but completely, but it was most likely about what he just said.

    "[KAZU! You better not be flirting with that girl with just your eyes!]" Kazuya was startled as he quickly turned towards the audience stand to look at Mei.

    He was shocked. It was mentioned in a class he took in magic that the very first people to come up with the whisper skill developed it by accident. It was due to sheer will of relaying a message that triggered the phenomenon. Mei did just that and unconsciously let Kazuya hear what she wanted to say. She even did it without eye contact unlike when Ayame discovered it.

    "[I wasn''t flirting at all big sis]" Kazuya smiled at Mei''s direction. He knew that she could see him because of her vision.

    Mei immediately stood up in surprise and started to look around to look for any devices that could have been the cause for Kazuya to transmit his voice. It was only a few moments later that she remembered that she hadn''t said anything out loud.

    "[Did you really just read my mind and respond Kazu?]" Mei transmitted another message and looked a bit skeptical.

    "[Congratulations on learning the ''whisper'' skill on your own big sis. I''m not reading your mind, but big sis wanted to send me a message badly, so I was able to receive it. Think of it like a telepathic message]" he explained while smiling at the different changes in her expressions.

    Mei still couldn''t believe it, this was something that could only have come out of a novel or manga. She tried to pinch herself several times and could only stare at the stinging red mark that she left on her skin. It was then that she stared at the boy who nonchalantly just congratulated her as if it was something normal for him.

    "[You can freely use this skill at will?]" She looked at him seriously but wasn''t expecting a clear answer. Kazuya had been hiding too many secrets and she just discovered that what he told her had just been a tip of this iceberg.

    "[I''ve been able to at least longer than you, big sis. That girl you thought I was flirting with can use this skill as well. We were communicating like this earlier]" Kazuya explained.

    "[Would you have told me about it if I hadn''t discovered?]" she felt a bit threatened since a girl close to Kazuya''s age had suddenly shared a secret that she wasn''t aware of until now. He did say that they weren''t even friends and met only at the last tournament but their interactions today looked like they were having a harmonious conversation.

    "[I would have as soon as you were ready to understand. This is something I can''t just tell you out of the blue or I will really be seen as crazy]"

    "[I don''t care. I want you to tell me everything! Didn''t I believe everything you said when you told me about your premonition? You should trust your big sis more!]" Mei was upset. Now all the suspicions she had been having about the changes in her and Kyouko lately pointed her at Kazuya''s direction.

    "[It will be a very long explanation and I still don''t know how to explain it quite accurately. I thought that it would take a little more time before you were able to do this but it just shows how much talent you have big sis]" Kazuya smiled. He was glad that he could reveal his secrets to Mei little by little.

    "[Hmph! Flattery won''t get you anywhere. Weren''t you talking to that girl for a long time with this skill? Use that time to explain to me what you know instead!]"

    Mei felt pretty excited and forgot all about Ayame who had been ignored throughout their conversation. Kazuya had switched his attention towards Mei and started telling her about how she could better use the whisper skill. He also started to give her an introduction to mana.

    Ayame, who only received a message that Kazuya had something to do before immediately cutting off her communication with him couldn''t help but frown. She was pretty surprised that the woman she watched out for seemed to also be capable of using the whisper skill and stole all of Kazuya''s attention.

    "(That sly fox¡­)" she gritted her teeth and glared at Mei who immediately noticed.

    "(Now that I can do what you can, he won''t even have time to spare you a look little girl)" Mei triumphantly smiled at Ayame.

    They may have not been conversing through the whisper skill but the two girls could more or less understand what the other meant. Kazuya could feel the tension between the two of them but could do nothing because it was already his turn to go into the arena.

    Due to Miyamoto and Jirou''s careful planning, the Sacred Forest Academy''s team had made it to the top of their block. Their research and strategy had paid off and had secured a place in the country''s top four.

    Their school, who had been unable to participate in the last tournament, had swept through the competition and changed the rankings by kicking off the team who had placed 3rd in the previous year.

    "We should let Kouzuki-kun and Shiroyuki-san rest. They are participating early tomorrow morning and it wouldn''t be good if they are worn out by the other teams" Miyamoto felt proud about this achievement and was already satisfied. He wasn''t glad that the divisions changed on the second day of the finals but he couldn''t do anything about it since the schedule had already been set.

    "If you''re worried about those two''s stamina then I can assure you that it is a needless worry. I don''t need to say anything about the kid who''s like a monster, but my granddaughter can deal with a little more practice.

    "It''s not that¡­ It''s just that one of the teams in the final four are a bit¡­" Miyamoto''s gaze went towards the previous year''s 4th place contenders.

    Dokuyama Technical was notorious for prioritizing the individual tournament results. They would sacrifice any chance at obtaining the team championship by using their substitutes to injure or wear out the opponents who were a threat to their individual tournament participants.

    Miyamoto explained what he found out during his research about them and was afraid that they were doing the same thing because the patterns of their matches have indicated that they indeed had the same intentions like the previous year.

    "Interesting" Kazuya smiled. "Do they have people attending the individual tournament in their current roster?"

    "They do. Their pattern hasn''t changed and I think that they will send out one of them during the first match so that they could get an easy win. We haven''t placed you and Shiroyuki-san on the vanguard during the whole tournament so they would most likely let one participate as the vanguard"

    "Then I''ll be the vanguard this time. I want to see how they can wear me out" Kazuya volunteered and Jirou nodded towards Miyamoto to let him do as he pleased.

    "Alright then. I will place Shiroyuki-san as the fourth person. Just be very cautious Kouzuki-kun. They have a tendency to even cause injuries towards those who have higher chances of advancing through the individual tournament. They rarely succeed because of the skills of their targets but please be careful"

    "Thank you for your concern Sensei" Kazuya walked towards the dueling area. His opponent was a 6th grader who was most likely a person who was supposed to be in middle school already.

    "You''re the dark horse everyone''s talking about right? You''re quite unlucky kid" the big guy grinned at him confidently.

    "I agree with you. I''ve been given a very easy opponents so I''m quite disappointed" Kazuya took a stance and gave the big guy no opportunity for a comeback.

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    "(I think I know that reason why people want you hurt so bad. You''ve pissed me off so this is the end of the road for your participation in this tournament kid)" he grinned under his mask and prepared to strike as soon as the referee gave the signal.

    .

 58 Continuous Change

    .

    Majority of the people who were watching couldn''t help but shake their heads. The strategy of Sacred Forest Academy team had been effective so far but the sudden change may have just affected their chances at the individual tournament.

    Kazuya had gotten himself a good reputation because of his age and surprising win over the favorite this year which was Ayame. This was why they frowned when the decision was made for him to be the vanguard.

    No one could blame their analysis because it was normal for children to lose to people bigger than them. This was also the case since Kazuya''s opponent had been physically gifted. It was only the people from Sacred Forest Academy that remained unconcerned about the size difference.

    To all those who have spent time and witnessed Kazuya''s match with the instructors from the Shiroyuki dojo, this person would simply be a plaything for him. They were looking forward to the shock these people would experience because they were able to experience it themselves.

    "BEGIN!"

    The big guy wasted no time and immediately attacked. Kazuya gave a smirk under his headgear since the person who was supposed to wear him out turned out to be easily provoked. He usually didn''t mind these kinds of people but after being a victim of foul play himself, he at least wanted to do something about it now that he knew.

    He quickly stepped to the side and avoided the strike before it hit him. This caused the big guy who used his weight on the strike to hurt Kazuya, stumble out of balance.

    "Not bad, you were able to avoid falling out of balance because of your size" Kazuya commented as he stood behind his opponent. He didn''t strike which puzzled the audience. This was the perfect chance to score a point but he stepped backwards instead.

    "Take this!" hearing Kazuya''s mocking tone, the big guy got even madder and tried to swipe his sword behind to hit the nimble boy who yet again avoided perfectly.

    "Are you really a ranker for the individual tournament? I think you were probably just lucky considering this level of skill" Kazuya continued to wait for the next move.

    People were starting to think that he was going for a draw since he couldn''t get a good strike because of their height difference. It was already amazing that he was able to take advantage of his size to avoid the attacks so they didn''t expect him to do much more.

    "Kouzuki-kun is toying with him?" Miyamoto felt a little conflicted. The boy he knew would always want little to do with opponents his age since they were of little to no challenge against him so this was something new.

    "No¡­ he''s probably giving him a taste of his own medicine without letting them notice. Even though they were the ones who initially thought of the strategy, I can''t help but feel a bit of pity towards the boy''s opponent" Jirou shook his head. Their levels were too far apart and using such a strategy against Kazuya was obviously useless.

    Even though he said that, Jirou didn''t know what to think. Kazuya had indeed been confident but he was afraid that the boy would grow arrogant because he will continue to discover that no one in his generation would pose that much of a threat to him.

    It already happened to his quiet granddaughter who was suddenly pulled down to earth by Kazuya. He hoped that the boy wouldn''t go through the same thing especially since he was already very mature for his age.

    "You have 29 seconds left to make your move" this irked the big guy further because as he looked at the match timer, there was only 30 seconds left. Kazuya just declared that he would only need a second to beat him.

    "HAAAH!" feeling his pride had taken a hit, the big guy continued his flurry which hit nothing but air.

    *BAM!*

    "Point Kouzuki!"

    Kazuya had stuck right before the match had ended. He tried to make the strike look as awkward as possible to make it look like he was having a hard time. He didn''t want the other team''s coach to give up on the match.

    Despite what everyone else thought, no one knew that Kazuya was undergoing a change himself. When he heard about the other team''s strategy, he was reminded about the matches of his opponent that he was able to see. It reminded him of the gladiator he met in Edea. He would prolong fights for the audience and so that he could get a good grasp of his opponent''s skills.

    Most of the gladiators were made up of slaves or criminals and there would be only a few that would actively volunteer to fight in it. These individuals would mostly do it for money or their freedom and since most of them weren''t formally trained, they used the life and death battles as ways to train and steel themselves.

    The gladiator in Kazuya''s mind successfully made a style that was combined from most of the enemies that have lost their lives to the arena. What Jirou made Kazuya realize in the days they sparred together made him realize that he needed to refine his swordsmanship and it wasn''t a bad idea to mix what he''s learned, master it, and try and combine it with what he could learn from his world now that he has a chance to.

    It was not only that, Kazuya also wanted to have the ability to lead on his opponents especially since Mei had made him aware of one of his biggest weaknesses. It was only after he started thinking and reflecting about his experience that he had come to this realization.

    "BEGIN!"

    This time, it was his turn to attack. He didn''t plan on ending the match so soon so he limited his abilities to almost match his opponent''s. he launched continuous attacks that looked to have been quite desperate but very few people noticed that he did not give any chance for his opponent to do anything other than desperately defend.

    "This kid¡­" Jirou''s gaze narrowed. He immediately realized that his earlier assumption had been wrong.

    "What is Kouzuki-kun doing? He''s going to end up worn down at this rate" Miyamoto expressed his concern.

    "No¡­ you don''t have to worry about that kid running out of steam. He can attack continuously for the rest of his matches and he would still be in prime condition tomorrow" Jirou continued to talk but his eyes never left the boy.

    "Why is he doing this? He should have been able to end the match already right?"

    "The kid is evolving¡­ I didn''t think he would come to a conclusion so soon but he''s decided to improve not only his swordsmanship but also his style"

    "Style?"

    "His style had always been straightforward. Even though his level of skill is amazing, his style had always been like a battle without rules. From what I can see, he''s trying to change his current style by learning to control the match rather than ending it. He''s doing it poorly but he''s accumulating experience by doing it first hand"

    "That''s called poorly? I didn''t even notice" Miyamoto took another look at the match and didn''t know how Jirou could come up with that conclusion.

    "That''s because you haven''t fought the kid as much as I do with your sword. He''s making the most out of his live opponent and learning as much as he can. I''m afraid that even I won''t be his match if he continues growing like this in a few years" Jirou glanced at his granddaughter whose whole attention was on the match.

    *BAM!*

    "Point and match goes to contestant Kouzuki!"

    Kazuya once again got the winning point a second before the round was up. He tried catching his breath as he returned to his team''s side. All of the members looked at him awkwardly because they all knew that he was faking it.

    Kazuya''s opponent on the other hand could not stand on his own. His teamates looked at Kazuya with a hint of fear because not only was he able to beat a bigger opponent, he had done it so relentlessly with their own tactics.

    *tug tug*

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    Tomoyo handed him a towel and a sports drink after catching his attention.

    "Looks like in this team, only Shiroyuki-san believed your charade Kouzuki-kun" Miyamoto walked towards him and pretended to give him advice. He went with the act since Kazuya already started it.

    "Sensei, I¡ª"

    "You want to continue the rest of the matches as the vanguard right? Jirou-sama already told me you would ask"

    "He did?" Kazuya turned towards the grinning old man who seemed to have had an idea about his epiphany.

    He felt that he had truly underestimated this old man. Kazuya was used to not having such a presence around him so he didn''t know how to handle the elderly. He respected the seemingly kind king of Edea yet the old man only ordered him to do work that would eventually lead to his doom.

    It was the same for the pope. The seemingly selfless clergyman was behind the different torture that eventually led Gale to betray him. The plots of him and his church even earned the ire of the demon king who didn''t even put the human kingdoms in his eyes.

    This was why Kazuya had kept some distance towards Jirou. He still didn''t have full confidence to beat this crafty old man and he was definitely sharper than he let himself out to be. Kazuya was indeed still learning on how to hone his defences towards other people so he still hadn''t made up his mind to trust Jirou or not.

    From Jirou''s point of view, he knew that he still hadn''t broken through Kazuya''s defenses. Unlike his grandfather who was prone to being tricked and betrayed, he rather liked the grandson''s disposition more since it made him worry less about him yet he still had trouble interacting with Kazuya since he didn''t seem to realize how cautious he had always been around everyone.

    From what he has observed, the only exceptions were his mother, Mei, and surprisingly, his granddaughter. He didn''t know how Tomoyo was able to penetrate this kid''s tough defenses but he has clearly lowered his guard against her unlike their first meeting.

    As the tournament progressed, one person wasn''t the least bit pleased about the current results. The VIP lounge contained a boy who also wore Sacred Forest Academy''s middle school uniform who was frowning after seeing Kazuya winning his match.

    *CRASH* a chair was slammed to the wall.

    "Damnit! Those useless scum!" he cursed at the team who failed to even hit Kazuya once. He already offered their team an incentive for inflicting damage on his little brother but even though the match had him at the edge of his seat, in the end, Kazuya had still prevailed without as much as a scratch.

    Lee was already at the end of his wits. His dismissal from the Kurogane family had been kept a secret except for a select few so his time being treated as a young master would only last until the information was spread out.

    The guards who worked at the facility didn''t understand why Lee had been frustrated. He was from the same school so they were confused as to why he was mad after his underclassmen had won. They were afraid of losing their jobs in case he vented his anger out on them so they pretended not to see a thing.

    "Y-young master¡­" a nervous looking man entered the room to address the fuming boy.

    "What do you want?" Lee didn''t expect someone to interrupt him so he turned to the person who was responsible for managing the venue.

    "T-the people occupying the VIP lounge next door have complained about the noise that came for here so¡­" he swallowed hard before continuing. "I would like to ask the young master to please calm down"

    "You dare tell me to calm down!?" he immediately lost his temper. "Do you know who owns this place!?"

    "B-but young master¡­ the people occupying the room next door belong to the Stockton family¡­ Even if the family head were here, he would heed their words" the manager nervously continued his statement. He had chosen to pick the more powerful side.

    "Tsk¡­" Lee clicked his tongue and sat back down in frustration. He didn''t want to make them call the main house so he had to calm himself down. The Stockton family were people that even the head of the Kuroganes had to be respectful to so he understood that he had to calm himself or he would lose the opportunity to keep the only advantage he had at the moment.

    "T-thank you young master¡­ if you would excuse me¡­" he rushed out of the room and returned next door and addressed the guests which he was afraid of angering.

    "Did you take care of it?" the girl who was frowning opposite of the girl who was all smiles asked.

    "Y-yes young miss. There was just a small matter but the guest in the other room had promised to keep it down. I apologize for the inconvenience" he respectfully bowed.

    "Just make sure let whoever it is next door keep it down" Maron didn''t concern herself with the man and turned back to look at the screens that featured a replay of the match. Both of them paid no attention to the current match and looked a replay of Kazuya''s match.

    "Kazuya-kun worked hard!" Kurumi kept praising him as she looked at the screen. She kept glancing where Kazuya was sitting at below and was glad she made the trip to watch him live this time.

    "He only looked like he worked hard. His acting is so bad¡­" Maron on the other hand was confused. She suspected that Kazuya had been pretending to have been a weakling when they were together but seeing how unconvincing his performance was, she put the theory at the back of her head.

    "You should stop being so suspicious of Kazuya-kun" Kurumi frowned.

    "His opponent doesn''t even measure up to the two he faced in the regional tournament. Do you think he would have trouble with that ugly guy?" Maron crossed her arms and sat beside her na?ve cousin.

    "You''re right but¡­ nevertheless, Kazuya-kun is still amazing! He beat that big guy!" Kurumi gave a big smile as she looked at Kazuya''s teammate getting another victory.

    "You''re hopeless¡­" Maron sighed. She knew more than anyone how good Kurumi''s observation skills were so how could she not tell that she just wanted to praise Kazuya.

    "Do you think that his team would win the team championships?" Kurumi decided to change the topic.

    Maron looked at the screens and observed the current match. Kurumi wasn''t much of an athlete so she didn''t really know how to judge these kinds of things so she waited for what Maron had to say.

    "You probably won''t like what I have to say¡­ but since you asked for my opinion, I think that their chances of getting the team championship is very slim" Maron looked at her cousin. "Sacred forest academy will probably win this match but won''t be able to take the championship."

    .

 59 Tons to Do

    .

    It was dinner time but unlike the usual lively dinner, there was complete silence at the table where Mei, Kyouko and Kazuya were sitting at. The three of them dined at one of the local restaurants where Kyouko looked at her two companions that seemed to have been occupied with their own thoughts.

    Unfortunately, Sacred Forest Academy was only able to place second in the team matches and it was Ayame''s team that had taken the championship. They were able to strategize accordingly and predicted Kazuya''s vanguard participation.

    They sent out members to lose to both Kazuya and Tomoyo while Ayame picked up a victory against Nishida. It was a close battle but the matches ended up with Sacred Forest Academy''s loss. Even though the audience was looking forward to the matches between Ayame and the two people that were able to beat her in the regionals, they had to wait until tomorrow to witness it possibly happening.

    Mei on the other hand was thinking about how to get to talk to Kazuya alone. She very much wanted a private lesson from him about her discoveries today and forgot all about Kyouko who wouldn''t let him out of her sight. She couldn''t think of any other way to learn from him and she realized that using the skill continuously throughout the day had already taken a toll on her body.

    "Don''t worry too much about what happened today, Kazuya. Second place isn''t too bad considering the result the academy got last year. You should be proud that you were able to go this far for your first tournament" Kyouko tried comforting her son.

    Her guess was completely off because Kazuya was thinking about something entirely different. He already knew that the team battle was somewhat like a game of rock paper scissors. He didn''t worry too much about it unlike what everyone assumed.

    He was more worried about another matter. Since his thinking had begun to change, the team matches he didn''t take too seriously made him realize that there were some things that were out of his hands. This made him uncomfortable since he would literally be against the world once he stepped back into Edea.

    Kazuya had been a hero, but during the war, he went ahead and left commanding the armies by his side to others. This was the reason why he was surrounded at the end of his previous life by the same army that was supposed to be on his side.

    "I''m not worried about that at all mom¡­" he looked at the worried face of his mother and smiled at her.

    Kazuya just felt stupid for failing to realize this even after all the time he spent witnessing his previous experiences. He was now only beginning to accept that even though he did have the advantage of getting a second chance to relive his life, he was still very far off from what he needed to become to even be able to have a chance at getting revenge successfully.

    "Then what is it? You can tell mom everything you know that, right?" Kyouko held his hand. She was a mother that always wanted her beloved son to smile so she wanted to hear about his concerns.

    "It''s nothing much. I''m just reflecting on what happened today, even though I knew that winning the team matches depended on the winning majority of the matches, I realized that I did very little to actually help the team win" he confessed.

    "You shouldn''t be worrying about everything you know. You can''t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Your coach and the other people in charge should be worried about that. It''s their job, while yours should be focusing on winning the matches ahead of you" Kyouko tried reassuring him.

    "Thank you, mom. I think you may have just answered a problem I was worrying about" he gave her a hug. He wasn''t lying when he said that because what she said made a lot of sense to him in more ways than one.

    "(Not alone huh¡­)" this made him think about the companions which had been lost due to his inability to perceive the ploy that made use of them and threw them away as soon as they served their purpose.

    "(Mom''s right¡­ I may have to change my plans¡­) today''s experience made him reflect a lot and affected his priorities.

    As a hero, even with all his advantages, it was still too much for him to face Edea alone. If he wanted to be able to return to this life of his on earth, he would have to not only consider his own development, but to come up with some kind of plan to solicit the help of people who he knew he could trust.

    Kazuya didn''t think he would have come so close to understanding these things so soon so he was very thankful towards them. He was getting used to having a family he could call his own and was slowly learning the happiness that went along with it.

    The only problem was, he realized that he had a lot more work than he had originally thought. He didn''t think that it was bad at all but Kazuya wished that the amount of things he had to deal with wouldn''t increase any further. He only had a little over a decade after all.

    He decided to stop thinking about these things for now. He was with Kyouko and she was always very sensitive towards her son. He still hadn''t completely gotten rid of his habit of retreating deep into his mind to think but because of the people around him, he was already being affected without realizing it himself.

    The three had their dinner and Mei still had not found the chance to keep Kazuya for herself so she just opted to save things for later, since he was going to come back home with them after the tournament anyway. She had more things to do and since she was currently free from doing anything for the Kouzuki corporation, she concentrated on the affairs of Kazuno Technologies.

    Mei used the time Kyouko had been distracted by her son''s presence to work quietly in a corner. Kyouko didn''t really mind this because she thought to take advantage to pull her son away from the powerful influence of her assistant.

    Kyouko was a little worried about her son so she let him rest early and pulled him to the big bed where the three of them were supposed to sleep together. This was one way of making sure that her assistant wouldn''t pester him in the middle of the night only to make him sleep deprived for the important matches tomorrow.

    -

    In a 5 star hotel that was a few blocks away from the hotel where Kazuya had been staying, two girls kept watching the replays of the matches. They were new to the sport and didn''t know who the popular people were or their capabilities, so they watched videos of the people that were mentioned as noteworthy.

    "What do you think Maron-chan?" Kurumi looked towards her cousin after they finished watching the matches of the last person on the list given to them.

    "What else can I say? There is no doubt that Ka-kun will win. The only reason I see him losing is if he doesn''t show up or something happens so you can stop worrying about him tomorrow" Maron turned off the television and prepared to go to bed.

    "Do you think I should congratulate him tomorrow?" she nervously asked.

    "Why are you asking me? I still can''t believe he''s the same Ka-kun I haven''t seen in just a short time"

    "I¡­" Kurumi hesitated. She still couldn''t forget the scene with Kazuya at the hospital from her memory. She was afraid that he would reject her again.

    "Just do what you want. I know I would" Maron sighed as she saw the indecisive side of her cousin rear its ugly head. "If you don''t do it then should I? I''m still curious as to how he would react once he sees me again" Maron grinned.

    "No!" Kurumi vigorously shook her head.

    "Heh¡­ I''m going to meet him once I transfer so it doesn''t matter to me. Once he wins this tournament, he''s going to be in a good mood so it''s up to you what you want to do. If you miss this chance, I don''t think you will have a chance to meet him until you pass the requirements that''s giving you a hard time."

    "Uuu¡­" Kurumi puffed her cheeks and didn''t want to listen to the unfiltered words of her cousin and covered herself with her blanket and forced herself to sleep.

    It was already quite late and the tournament started early tomorrow morning so Maron only giggled and didn''t argue with Kurumi. This cousin of hers was more like a sister so she couldn''t resist teasing her. She joined her on the bed and looked forward to what she was going to do tomorrow.

    -

    It was now the second day of the tournament and it was the elementary division''s turn to start early in the morning. The dueling area had far less people compared to in the team matches so it was easier to move around and look for people. He looked towards the audience area and located the other members of his team who were looking energetic after he entered.

    Unlike the team matches that needed draws, the individual tournaments had the top four players of each region, separated into four different brackets. They were placed at random but they wouldn''t be able to face people from the same region unless they make it to the finals.

    Tomoyo felt uneasy about the change since she wanted to watch and stay together with Kazuya throughout the tournament, but she was placed in block A while he was placed in block C. Ayame was placed in block B and Akabane Nanami was placed in block D.

    "K-kouzuki Kazuya!" a girl Kazuya didn''t recognize suddenly called and came up to him. The girl had a long ponytail and a beauty mark under her eye. It was because of that mole that he was able to tell who she was.

    "We meet again beautiful-san, I see you''ve donned a very lovely ponytail. It suits you very much" Kazuya was very fond of this person''s reaction so he couldn''t resist complimenting her as soon as he realized who she was.

    "Y-you recognized me?" She was still a little nervous when talking to him. It was mostly because she was afraid to talk to him inappropriately since she was not used to talking politely.

    "How could I not? You''re clearly the prettiest representative from our region so how can I not?" the beast race had always loved compliments so even though he had yet to realize it, his instincts told him to act this way.

    Nanami immediately lost her cool and blushed like a ripe tomato after hearing such a compliment. Kazuya called her pretty but she never expected that he saw her as someone who was even prettier than Ayame, who she felt was above her on both their talents and looks.

    Nishida and the others couldn''t help but praise Kazuya for being responsible of changing the notorious Nanami who even came up to him and acted tamely around him. Kazuya''s friend who had been seated near them leaned over and eavesdropped on the juicy gossip.

    "That Kazuya¡­" Takaya, who just arrived today, shook his head as he observed his friend who he immediately assumed was flirting with an older girl. "What a sadist¡­" he whispered.

    Takaya didn''t make it to the first day of the tournament because he needed to perform in place of a person who was injured. He may have been feeling tired from both traveling and performing but seeing this side of his friend he hadn''t seen before made him smile.

    Kazuya didn''t know but his friend had potentially spotted and realized something that could help him fulfill his purpose. He had already discussed Kazuya''s terms with his parents and they agreed to it because they were confident in being able to change the boy''s mind if ever he showed the potential their son bragged about.

    Takaya being here wasn''t only because of Kazuya. He also had gotten along with Tomoyo who didn''t mind his presence anymore whenever the three of them were together. Her changes were closely being observed by Takaya and both of them no longer treated each other as mere strangers.

    After learning of Kazuya''s purpose of trying to make her try to communicate normally, he didn''t think it was possible with just the two of them at first. It was only after seeing how she was slowly changing with their interactions did he come to realize that as long as she continued to treat Kazuya as she did, she would eventually have to speak.

    There weren''t really much change compared to the first day except for the single elimination matches that determined each individual''s advancement towards the finals. Like the first day, Kazuya had continued with his trend of only taking a point near the end of the round.

    This led to the expectations of many to end up in disappointment. The disappointment was even bigger for the ones who have seen the excellent matches he had when he won the championship in their region. Only those who were able to understand were looking at him expectantly. Aside from Jirou andMiyamoto, no one could tell what he was up to but they knew that he wasn''t showing everything he was capable of.

    Unlike Kazuya''s slow advancement, Tomoyo and Ayame moved smoothly. Ayame was one of two people close to Kazuya''s age that knew what he was doing but was worried that he wouldn''t have enough stamina when they eventually would face each other.

    Tomoyo on the other hand, knew of his monstrous capabilities and only silently watched over him. She also wanted to do what he was doing but Jirou stopped her before she could finish the thought. She was told that she had no need to do what he had been doing unless she understood the reason he was doing it on her own.

    Time passed by and the champions of the four blocks were finally decided. It didn''t come to a surprise that Kazuya, Ayame and Tomoyo made it without any trouble considering their abilities. The fourth person who made it however, eliminated Nanami and prevented their region from getting the final four position.

    This person was the successor of the person who beat Ayame and was the very first opponent that Kazuya would face before the final match where he would face the victor of the match between Ayame and Tomoyo.

    "I''m sorry but could you please concede this match? I know you''ve beaten Kuronuma-san once and I looked forward to facing you but after seeing your matches¡­ it will only be a waste of both our stamina if we fought" he confidently declared. This invoked the displeasure of most of the people who heard it.

    He didn''t lower his volume and didn''t care if anyone overheard him. Unlike those who were arrogant in front of him, Kazuya could tell that this person genuinely didn''t mean any harm and was purely interested in fighting interesting opponents.

    A smile slowly formed in Kazuya''s face because after taking a closer look at this person, he felt a strong will and passion for fighting. This was precisely the type of person who would unconsciously activate mana in a form of enhancement once they engage their battle. He was exactly this type when he first arrived in Edea and the only difference between them was that because of his blessing, mana was practically oozing out of him though he didn''t know how to use it at first.

    "Have you studied my matches in the regional tournament?" Kazuya couldn''t help but ask.

    "I have. I was very interested in you after seeing your matches. It is a pity that I was paired against you. I was interested in fighting against whoever would lose against in the other block''s match but sadly, the finals is not a round robin" he honestly replied.

    "Then how did my matches appear to be before the round robin in the final match?" Kazuya gave a grin as soon as his opponent realized what he was trying to say. Even though he didn''t plan it, he indeed didn''t need to show anything that would catch anyone''s attention until he faced Ayame and Tomoyo in the regionals.

    "Both contestants take your positions!" the referee declared as Kazuya quickly turned to take his place after wearing his headgear.

    The vigor of Kazuya''s opponent was renewed while his fighting spirit rose exponentially. He felt that he needed to apologize for underestimating his opponent but that would only come after their match. He wouldn''t let anyone take the crown that his upperclassman tried hard to protect.

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    "BEGIN!" the referee shouted.

    *BAM!!*

    Immediately after the signal was given, a sound echoed throughout the arena. The audience''s mouths gaped together with the judges.

    "P-point Kouzuki!" the head referee stuttered and looked at Kazuya who was already standing behind his opponent.

    "See what I mean?" Kazuya walked past his opponent to return to his starting point.

    .

 60 Rematch

    .

    *sigh* Jirou couldn''t help but shake his head after Kazuya''s opponent fell to his knees at the second round of their duel. He would have been considered a top contender since he had reached the gates of internal energy at a very young age, but he had unluckily encountered a unsurmountable mountain which was in a form of a younger person who he had underestimated.

    This mountain not only blocked his batch but completely broken the confidence he had built. Jirou couldn''t help but feel pity at Kazuya''s opponent. Kazuya finished the first round in a flash but the second match persisted until the last second. The flurry of attacks didn''t stop and it was as if his stamina had been swindled down to last only one round.

    "Winner, contestant Kouzuki!" the crowd rose to their feet to cheer. This time, it wasn''t just the people from Sacred forest academy, Kazuya''s domination had completely stolen the show.

    Nanami, who felt bitter about her loss was elated after Kazuya had won. She felt that he had shown intensity that was unlike any of his other matches in this tournament because she was eliminated by that person.

    *huff huff*"T-thank you for the match¡­ I apologize for my arrogance" Kazuya''s opponent was trying to catch his breath but bowed and apologized sincerely. He had truly learned a lot from this match and he couldn''t thank Kazuya enough for the tips he gave him.

    Despite Jirou''s sharp eyes, he couldn''t see that Kazuya had been talking to his opponent during the duration of their match. Only the two who were engaged in the battle were able to hear each other. Although it looked like Kazuya had launched a flurry of attacks for the duration of the round, he was actually giving his opponent some insight about his abilities.

    Kazuya learned this when he was in Edea and combined with his experience in teaching Tomoyo about mana, he gave a few tips to help his opponent grow much faster. He was reminded of himself when he saw what his opponent was so he couldn''t help but lend a helping hand.

    "I''ll be looking forward to our next match then" he smiled and headed towards the side where Miyamoto was. Jirou was by his granddaughter''s side waiting for their turn so the two coaches were separated.

    "Good work Kouzuki-kun. Only one match left, who do you think you''re going to face?" Miyamoto handed him a towel and a drink.

    "Thanks sensei. I''m not really sure since it has been a while since I last faced that na?ve girl" Kazuya glanced at Ayame and tried to get a feel of her improvement but he could barely sense any mana from her. This made him more confident that she was indeed a control type that would have troublesome abilities.

    "For you not to be sure means that they should at least be equally matched right?" not getting a clear answer from the only person aside from Jirou who Miyamoto trusted the opinion of made him a bit nervous.

    "They should be. Robot girl will have the edge if it comes to raw abilities but the na?ve girl had the advantage of craftiness and experience" Kazuya finished wiping his sweat and took a look at his state.

    "You should get a set of new clothes from the lockers. Your clothes have been hugging your body because of the sweat and you might catch a cold" Miyamoto urged.

    "Okay then, I''ll be right back" he turned and headed for the locker rooms without looking back. He wasn''t worried about the next match because he knew all too well what Tomoyo was capable of.

    Kazuya had been guaranteed at least second place. He decided to take a shower because they would proceed to the awards ceremony immediately after the champion had been decided. This was to make way for the middle school''s matches that would take place immediately after.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya frowned. There were hardly any people because Tomoyo and Ayame''s match was about to begin yet he felt multiple gazes locked onto him.

    He usually wouldn''t have minded but the hostility in those gazes on him were stronger than the ones he felt while he was participating in the tournament. There was even a presence that was obviously following him from closely from behind.

    "(Are they finally going to show themselves? It sure took them long enough)" Kazuya couldn''t help but smile inwardly while he intentionally slowed his pace down.

    He increased his vigilance as he led the person following him towards a path where there were less people. Glancing at the cameras, it was clear that them being deactivated meant that it was indeed a move from the new owners of the venue.

    -

    Meanwhile back in the arena, Tomoyo and Ayame stood across each other in the dueling area. This was the rematch that everyone had seen their matches had anticipated. Even though the match between Ayame and Kazuya was also anticipated, these two had fought very evenly that no one knew who would win if they fought again.

    "BEGIN!"

    Both girls wasted no time and immediately activated the mana that they have been practicing so hard to control ever since their last match. This was the deciding factor in their last match and both of them knew that it will play a major role in this match as well.

    *PAK* *PAK*

    Crisp sounds echoed through the arena as both of their bamboo swords continued clashing against each other. The judges were stunned since they only heard such clear and crisp sounds during intense matches that were at least in the high school level.

    The opponents that these girls'' defeated couldn''t help but accept their losses as inevitable after watching the two go at each other seriously. They were flabbergasted at Kazuya''s earlier performance but compared to his match, they couldn''t see how these two could have possibly lost against him.

    "(This girl got a lot better)" Ayame couldn''t help but admire the little girl a little. Compared to their match a year ago, Tomoyo was still far from giving her much of a fight. Their last match closed the gap and made her consider her as worthy opponent yet in an even shorter timeframe, this robotic girl was her match.

    Strike for strike, the two matched blows without care for their stamina. For both of them, this was the championship match. Their prize would be to face off against the one whose skills they both chased after. Ayame especially wanted to build a relationship with him because he appeared to be knowledgeable about the strange abilities they shared.

    "(This girl is so lucky¡­)" Thinking about how she had the privilege of learning from and being around him. However, this thought distracted her as Tomoyo quickly changed her stance to a tsuki. A lighting fast thrust made Ayame realize her mistake of thinking she still had the advantage over the two of them.

    "Point Shiroyuki!" The referee was amazed by the flawless execution of that thrust since they were warned before the finals that Tomoyo was once prevented from using strikes because of her strength and lack of control.

    -

    Back in the corridors, Kazuya immediately stopped after turning towards a corner. The cheers of the crowd filled the halls and he figured out that the first round was over. There would be a short interval before the final match so he only had limited time to deal with this matter.

    Not long after he turned, a shadow tried catching up after losing sight of him. Kazuya immediately blocked that person''s way to gain the element of surprise in case they really had other things in mind other than following him.

    "Kyaa!" a petite girl with blonde hair was surprised and jumped back. She fell on her behind but that was the least of her concerns, the boy who she was following was now standing in front of her looking like he had been disappointed to find her.

    "Why are you following me?" Kazuya looked at the girl who he had not seen for a while but couldn''t mistake for someone else.

    "I-I¡­" Kurumi felt like crying because unlike her expectations, him frowning just after seeing her made her feel like her world was crashing down.

    Kazuya''s frown deepened as he felt multiple presences starting to move towards them. He had led them to a dead end to deal with them but the appearance of this girl just complicated things a lot. He didn''t know he should do because he was confident in fending for himself but he was sure that he couldn''t fight them without letting this girl come to harm''s way.

    "It doesn''t matter why you were following me for now. You better get away from here as quickly as possible or you''ll be in trouble!" Kazuya helped her up and warned her.

    "T-trouble?" Kurumi looked at him and felt warmth that he was worried about her. Contrary to what he wanted, she made up her mind to stay with him unlike what she had done in the past so she stood her ground and made him realize that she was not going to leave him.

    Kazuya felt a headache coming on because he really couldn''t understand how this girl thought at all. They hardly knew each other so why was she being so troublesome? Didn''t she understand simple reasoning? Trouble is meant to be avoided and not chased after!

    "This is not the time to be stubborn Stoc¡ª" an idea suddenly popped in his mind. "Kurumi-san, you said you were my friend right?"

    "Y-yes, we were very close¡­" she what he said earlier in the back of her head and concentrated on answering the question. This a rare chance that was given to clear things up with him.

    "Then no matter what happens, do not tell anyone of your identity. I want you to promise me this. I promise that no harm will come to you" Kazuya tried to make a deal with her as the hostile presences came closer. He remembered what Miyamoto taught him and held her hand to press her for an answer.

    *thump thump*

    Kurumi couldn''t help feeling touched. She would have never thought that she would hear those words coming from him again. She was convinced that despite losing his memory, no matter how he seemed to have changed, he was still the same Kazuya-kun that she knew. This just proved it.

    "I promise¡­" she let herself be pulled behind him as a few rough looking men grinned after finding the two at a dead end.

    -

    "BEGIN!" the referee signaled the second round of the rematch between Tomoyo and Ayame.

    Once again, Tomoyo wasted no time to attack. This time however, Ayame sharpened her senses and stood still. The point she carelessly lost made her realize that one moment of carelessness could cost her the chance of standing in front of Kazuya in the grandest stage of this tournament.

    The first time she lost to Tomoyo, she didn''t really think much of it because she knew that she was still above her in terms of overall abilities. The two of them would have still met in this tournament so taking a loss wasn''t that big of a deal for her.

    Now that this was the final chance for her, Ayame removed the distractions from her mind and concentrated in the opponent in front of her. She knew that Tomoyo had already been doing it hence her initial point loss.

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    *PLAK*

    Ayame gripped her bamboo sword and parried Tomoyo''s powerful strike. Her eyes focused precisely at the point where Tomoyo''s strike would be most vulnerable and immediately struck. She reviewed the videos of her fight against Kazuya numerous times and used them to improve herself.

    She knew her strengths and weaknesses, this was where her real talent was. She wanted to pit herself up against Tomoyo to see how much she had improved since their last fight and had already gotten a good grasp of her abilities. There was no longer a reason to keep fighting at her terms because Ayame was not here to train, she was here to win.

    The parry caused Tomoyo to become a bit unbalanced. Ayame didn''t waste any time and immediately followed up with a counterattack. A thrust for a thrust, Ayame struck at Tomoyo''s throat and flawlessly connected.

    "Point Kuronuma!" the referee loudly declared. He was the same referee who judged the same match where she lost against the champion in the previous year. He looked proudly at the girl who had improved herself enormously.

    The crowd once again erupted into cheers. This round had ended with a single counterattack and there was no telling who was going to win at this rate. This was what everyone was expecting and this was what they got. The two girls looked at each other once more, both showing no intention of backing down. They truly wanted to win this match.

    -

    Back in the dead end where Kazuya and Kurumi had been cornered, She leaned on his back as she thought who would dare threaten him while she was here. Remembering what he made her promise earlier, she couldn''t use her identity to save them from this plight. This had always worked before and now she was felt troubled on how she would be able to help him.

    "Come with us peacefully and you won''t get hurt, kids" one of the men that had a big scar on his neck approached them arrogantly.

    "Let the girl go, she has nothing to do with this" Kazuya didn''t back down and faced the man without worries. This surprised the man but since he was facing a kid, he thought that Kazuya was a spoiled fool who didn''t know fear.

    "No can do boy. We wouldn''t want her telling on us right?" he scoffed and turned towards the other men who began laughing menacingly.

    "I see¡­ so not only are you dogs, you''re loli-con dogs" Kazuya didn''t hold back and provoked them.

    *BAM* the scarred man''s eyebrow twitched and he kicked Kazuya, throwing him into the concrete wall.

    "Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi immediately ran to his side after realizing that he had let go of her hand so that she wouldn''t be thrown along with him.

    *cough cough* "I''m alright. Remember your promise. Everything will be alright" Kazuya whispered to her ear as she tried to help him back up.

    "See? She clearly called you. You can''t say that she isn''t involved now" the man grinned. He was glad to have kicked this cocky kid.

    "Heh¡­ A dog quick to bark and bite. Those are the types that won''t last very long" Kazuya wiped the blood that trickled down his lips. This man really didn''t hold back against a kid.

    "Your courage is real, I''ll give you that" The man approached him again and gave him another kick. Kazuya pushed Kurumi away and crashed against the wall once again and coughed a few mouthful of blood.

    "Kazuya-kun!!!" Kurumi wanted to run towards him but was grabbed by one of the men. They wasted no time and gagged her with a piece of cloth.

    "Take them to the young master''s room. Make sure that no one sees them" the men picked up Kazuya who was weakly laying on the floor. Worried about what would happen to him, Kurumi started to shed tears while cursing herself for accepting such a promise.

    .

 61 Lees Purpose

    .

    *THUD* Kazuya was thrown into the floor. Kurumi was let go as well and she immediately went towards Kazuya and helped him sit up. The two of them looked at the young man who was arrogantly looking at Kazuya wearing a sinister smile.

    "We meet again brother. Look at you, why do you look so pitiful? Who dared to hurt my brother?" he grinned while looking at his subordinates.

    "It was me young master" the scarred man stepped up. "This kid wouldn''t accept your invitation peacefully and even had the gall to hurl insults at us.

    "I see¡­ good work! I''ll give you a little bonus later" Lee stood up from his chair and slowly approached the two.

    "Heh, as I expected, it''s you" Kazuya scoffed. He wasn''t really that hurt, even though he did sustain some damage from the kicks he received earlier, it was almost already healed up.

    "So what if it''s me? Wasn''t I someone who abused you to the point that you lost your memory?" Lee gave him a kick without warning and threw him a few steps backward where he crashed on a set of desks. "Shouldn''t I play the part well?"

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    "Stop! Don''t hurt him!" Kurumi tried to come between the two of them but she was slapped aside by Lee.

    "Who''s the girl?" Lee didn''t give her a second look and watched Kazuya slowly walking towards the foreign looking girl. He finally felt good after a long while.

    "We don''t know. He was holding her hand when we cornered them and we couldn''t risk her telling people so we brought her along" the scarred man answered.

    "Holding her hand eh?" Lee looked at the two of them.

    "Please don''t try to do anything. I''m sorry you got hurt but this will all be over soon" Kazuya tried to comfort this girl who got dragged along with him.Her cheek already had a mark that was caused by Lee and he felt guilty about it. He did promise to protect her after all.

    "Oh? You still have the balls to reassure someone in this situation little brother? You sure have the talent of telling lies"

    "Lies? Sending these men to kidnap me, kicking me, rewarding them for hurting me, where are the lies you''re talking about? Don''t play the victim ''Hashiyama'' Lee. Your hypocrisy makes me laugh" Kazuya stood up straight and looked straight into Lee''s eyes. He showed no fear which irked his former older brother.

    "You bastard! You were the one who spouted nonsense after you lost your memory! I haven''t done anything and even went along with your boring hobbies!" Lee angrily shouted as he grabbed Kazuya''s chest and pulled him up.

    "What nonsense did I spout? You only got along with me because you coveted my mother''s company so that you could increase your value with the Kuroganes?" Kazuya retorted. "Besides, you''re the bastard here. I clearly have the blood of both the Kouzuki family and the Kurogane bloodline while you''re just a stray dog that was picked up because they saw a disposable dog with some talent"

    *BAM* Lee punched Kazuya''s stomach and threw him to the ground. It was easy for him since he was bigger than him.

    Kazuya landed near the feet of the men who blocked any path to retreat. They cared little about what was happening since their only concern is the money they would be receiving after the job was over. Some of them even stopped Kurumi from going over to him.

    "Let''s see if you''ll still have that smart mouth of yours after I''m done with you"

    "Heh¡­ you really are as pathetic as I thought you were. A pig like you dares to have designs for my big sis? Ptui!" Kazuya spat blood at Lee''s shoes.

    "I''ll f*cking kill you!" Lee reached from behind and pointed a handgun towards Kazuya who already knew that he concealed such a weapon.

    -

    "BEGIN!" The third and final round had finally begun. Both competitors did not move after the signal had been given.

    Tomoyo knew that Ayame''s original and most preferred style was to counter-attack. Despite the differences both of them had, the way they approached this match was very similar. Tomoyo was now a lot more careful after being counterattacked quickly in the previous round. Both of them tested themselves against each other.

    The special training Tomoyo received these past few days was very different from her previous ones. The instructors focused on her while Jirou had spent his time with Kazuya. She would then receive tips from the boy until she fell asleep when he stayed in her room.

    The Shiroyuki style wasn''t an aggressive style like most people were led to believe. It was a well-rounded style that was meant to be learned by various individuals where each individual can bring out their full potential by focusing on what they were most proficient at.

    However, people like Tomoyo and Kazuya were amongst the exceptions to this because of their talent. They had the qualifications to learn and practice all of them because their potential deemed it so. This was why there were different classes in the Shiroyuki dojo. Even the instructors were separated as such.

    They all knew that both Kazuya and Tomoyo would eventually meet with Ayame somewhere in the tournament so Tomoyo had to prepare in the event that they would actually meet again because Ayame wouldn''t be taken by surprise again. Tomoyo''s style was clearly very straightforward and against an enemy like Ayame who had the same abilities and was proficient in counterattacking, she was clearly at a disadvantage.

    "(This¡­)" Ayame clearly noticed the stance Tomoyo took. This was her forte so how could she not notice?

    The two of them moved slowly towards each other. Inch by inch, those watching knew that even though nothing was happening, both of them could strike at any timeand the match would have ended before they knew it. This was not something that could be seen usually on this level.

    *SWOOH*

    Tomoyo delivered a lightning fast thrust. She barely made any movements before launching it so the speed wasn''t as quick as she would have liked. Ayame was startled but her quick response and Tomoyo''s reach limitations made her barely able to dodge it.

    Ayame didn''t miss the chance and tried to counterattack but Tomoyo had already jumped backwards since she expected it after her attack had missed. The expressionless girl made another thrust but Ayame had seen through it because her eyes were glued to every movement her opponent made.

    Time started to slow down for the two. This was the last round for both of them so they decided to give it their all. Both of the girls surpassed their physical limits and although there still wasn''t a clear hit, each and every strike or thrust made the judges almost want to raise their flags to indicate a winner.

    Each of their hits was powerful enough to end the match yet none of the attacks were able to connect. These two were evenly matched and it was hard to judge who was better than who.

    Jirou clenched his fists. He was proud of his granddaughter to have reached this level so quickly. His beloved granddaughter was now passionately enjoying kendo and it was apparent on the look in her eyes. She was no longer just doing it because of him or their family, this girl had the desire to win.

    "I really have to thank that kid¡­" he glanced around and tried to look for Kazuya. He was able to spot Miyamoto but the kid was nowhere to be found.

    *BUZZ* the buzzer to indicate the end of the round sounded.

    "Draw!" the referee loudly declared but the two girls were too engrossed in their fight to notice. He glanced towards the judges before he immediately moved in to stop the two.

    "Please take a minute to rest and go back to your positions" he stepped in as the two glanced towards the clock to confirm that they had indeed exceeded the time limit.

    "This is bad¡­" Jirou, who just got informed by Miyamoto that Kazuya was not around, whispered.

    "What''s wrong Jirou-sama? Did you need Kouzuki-kun for something?" Miyamoto asked but Jirou couldn''t bother replying to him right now.

    *huff huff* Tomoyo took off her helmet to catch her breath. Both contenders only had a minute to recover so Tomoyo took advantage of the time and used what Kazuya had taught her about recovering her stamina.

    She had not expected that the duel would go on for this long. Ayame was indeed a worthy competitor and she was the only one aside from Kazuya that was able to match her this much at their age. Tomoyo felt proud to have been able to let this opponent of hers take her seriously this time around.

    She glanced around and tried to look for the one who was mostly responsible for her rapid improvement. She wanted to know what kind of look he was observing with and secretly hoped that he would praise her after the match was over.

    "?" she frowned. She couldn''t find him at all. Tomoyo looked at her grandfather who was beside their coach and looked at him trying to convey a message.

    "Tsk¡­ why isn''t that boy back yet?" Jirou couldn''t help but feel bad as he shook his head to say that he didn''t know where Kazuya was.

    -

    What Jirou and the others didn''t know was the boy that they had been looking for was now staring at the barrel of a gun that Lee angrily pointed at him. Kazuya was the only one able to remain calm while the others, including the scarred man, felt that the situation had escalated into something that they hadn''t signed up for.

    "Young master, do think this through. We are in a public place filled with tons of people. Firing a gun here would only draw attention" the scarred man tried to calm Lee down. He didn''t want to be implicated along with him because he lost his temper.

    "You don''t need to worry about anything scar man. This guy is a spineless wuss that doesn''t have the guts to act openly. He can''t even admit that he''s a puppet sent by the Kuroganes and seeks benefits by using a kid like me"

    "SHUT UP!" the scarred man kicked Kazuya again and threw him towards another table.

    "Stop it you monsters! Don''t you dare hurt him anymore!" Kurumi shouted but allof it fell on deaf ears.

    "Tsk¡­" Kazuya didn''t expect a muscle man like this guy had some brains. He glanced towards the table he crashed into and slowly moved towards one of the legs. He knew that as long as the scarred man was there, implementing the plan he thought of would prove a bit difficult.

    Lee lowered the gun and smirked after seeing Kazuya''s predicament. He was rather fond of seeing him getting beat down. His confidence continued to grow after seeing the scarred man indifferent towards hitting a child. He was indeed as reliable as he had heard.

    "You are right my brother, I was indeed sent by the Kuroganes to get along with you. Though I must say that your imagination is too creative. The only reason they sent me was because of you. Those people wanted to know what kind of child you were since you did have the Kurogane blood in you"

    "Oh? So that means they just wanted to know if I was useful enough for them to acknowledge? Don''t take me for the fool you thought I was" Kazuya sluggishly stood up.

    "You''re right. I was sent to assess you but, in the event, that they didn''t think you were worthy enough to carry the name, I would use the relationship I formed with you to get advantages for them" Lee began flaunting the gun in his hands to make sure that his little brother knew who was in charge.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but smile after this confirmation. He was finally able to unravel a piece of his past that he had been wondering about. Lee spied on him and reported that he was unfit to bear the Kurogane name. as a person deemed worthless, Kazuya received no help after Kyouko''s accident that Mei thought the Kuroganes plotted. He then took advantage of Kyouko''s last will and gained full control of Kazuya''s inheritance while he was still in a coma.

    "Since you''ve decided to come clean, I also have something to confess to you" Kazuya seriously looked at Lee''s arrogant gaze.

    "Oh? You''ve finally decided to tell the truth? It''s too late. No matter what you say, I will¡ª"

    "I''ve told big sis Mei how you''ve been breaking into her apartment and stealing her underwear. She now sees you as the spineless swine that you are. Hehe" Kazuya mischievously laughed.

    The scarred man wasted no time to come at Kazuya again after noticing Lee''s trigger finger itching to fire at the kid for his provocation. What he didn''t expect was that Kazuya had been anticipating this and moved as if he hadn''t been injured at all.

    Kazuya jumped up and struck the scarred man with the table''s steel leg. All of this happened too fast as the sneak attack successfully ended with Kazuya standing above the scarred man''s unconscious body.

    "You!! Drop that weapon!" Lee was startled and immediately pointed the gun at Kazuya''s direction.

    Kazuya smiled and immediately dropped the weapon in his hands to calm the idiot a little.

    ""BOSS!!"" the goons wanted to go to their leader but because Lee was pointing towards their direction, they were hesitant to do so.

    "I advise you people to take scar man and leave. Did all of you know that this stupid former brother of mine has already been disowned and abandoned by the Kurogane Conglomerate? Are you willing to be implicated in the murder of the successor of the Kouzuki household for a person who doesn''t even have a speck of influence?"

    "SHUT UP!!" Lee rushed at Kazuya and hit him with the gun on his hand. Kazuya took the hit but his legs were steady.

    "I promise to let this matter go as long as you take your boss and leave quietly. Otherwise, you can let this fool shoot me now and try to get yourselves out of this mess" Kazuya ignored lee and turned his head towards the men.

    All of them may not have been as smart as their leader but they could tell from Lee''s reaction that what Kazuya just declared was the truth. All of them moved towards their leader and caused Lee to take a few steps back.

    "Stop, you lot! I''m not going to pay you if you dare leave now!" Lee madly shouted at them but it was no use. All of them understood that the Kouzuki household was scary and going against them without the guarantee of the Kurogane Conglomerate was practically suicide.

    "How can we be sure that you won''t go against your word?" one of the men who picked up the scarred man asked.

    "Do you know what the Kouzuki house is most famous for? It''s our word. I''m not even asking you to disarm or take care of this retarded guy because he should have already given you money" Kazuya smirked.

    His confidence shook them because the Kouzuki house was indeed both praised and criticized for this old-fashioned way of thinking. The men left quietly and only Lee, Kazuya and Kurumi remained. Kazuya turned towards the girl while ignoring the gun pointed at him.

    "Leave this to me and go"

    "No!" Lee moved towards Kurumi to prevent her from leaving to get help but Kazuya blocked him.

    "Do you even have the balls to do it?" Kazuya wasn''t fazed as Lee pointed the gun at him.

    "Stop it Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi didn''t understand why he kept provoking him. She trembled at the sight when Kazuya stepped forward and let the barrel of the gun touch his forehead.

    Lee didn''t know where this former brother of his got so much courage. His hands trembled when he thought about what the consequences would be if he really did pull the trigger. This was the only advantage that he had and yet his bluff was called.

    "This is over" Kazuya touched the gun and slowly pushed it downwards. He whispered something to Lee while he was doing so and before Kurumi could go near them. The cheers that could suddenly be heard prevented Kurumi from hearing what Kazuya said but there was one sound that she could not help but hear...

    *BANG*

    .

 62 The Fish and The Net 2 in 1

    .

    There was a short intermission before the final match to let the contestant that just finished theirs recover. What was supposed to be the match to determine fourth and third place was canceled due to the contestant backing out after witnessing the match that had just ended. He wanted to keep his pride rather than be pummeled by a girl and was very adamant about it.

    The crowd still couldn''t get over such a stunning match that they never expected to see in the elementary division. They were still pumped and couldn''t wait to see what the next match had in store for them. The next match was, of course, another rematch because the finalists were mostly from the same region.

    Tomoyo sat quietly and tried to regain her stamina when she was informed of the current changes. she couldn''t care less about anything at the moment. The only thing that mattered to her now was the next match. She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder and turned to see her grandfather with a gentle smile.

    "Don''t feel bad granddaughter. I''ll beat up anyone who dares say that you didn''t try your best" Jirou comforted.

    Tomoyo''s eyes started to tear up as she leaped towards her grandfather''s chest. She tried holding it in but after seeing her grandfather''s face, her tears just started falling. This was a moment where Tomoyo was glad that Kazuya wasn''t around because not only had she lost, but she was now crying about it.

    Yes, she lost. It was a close match whom even Jirou couldn''t tell who would have won. If he had to praise something, it would be Ayame''s excellent coping capabilities. She turned what would have been a loss to an excellent opportunity and won the match.

    "[The final match will begin shortly. Will contestant Kouzuki please report to the dueling area]" a voice announced.

    "Miyamoto, have you seen the kid?" he looked at Miyamoto who had just arrived.

    "No¡­ he wasn''t in the locker area. I tried asking around but no one seems to have seen him" he looked a bit worried. Kazuya would be considered to have forfeited if he didn''t make it back in time.

    Jirou''s brows furrowed. He left a little resentment towards Kazuya because he blamed him for his granddaughter losing the match. Tomoyo''s movements were a bit off in the last round because she kept splitting her attention towards the area to look for him whenever she could. This doubled the stress on her senses and even though it was Ayame who first lost out when it came to stamina, she was able to use Tomoyo being distracted to gain the last point.

    "That rotten kid. Fooling around at a time like th¡ª" Jirou suddenly remembered where they were and stopped what he was saying. His annoyance turned into worry and he fell deep in thought. "It can''t be¡­"

    -

    Inside the VIP area, Maron once again heard the paging of Kazuya''s name. A smile slowly appeared on her face as she glanced at the empty seat beside her. She felt that both their disappearances weren''t a coincidence.

    "Looks like Ku-chan has made some progress" she glanced towards the arena and saw the people clamoring.

    Kazuya made it just before he was going to be disqualified.

    *BLAM* the door swung open suddenly and Kurumi rushed into the room and looked around.

    "What''s wrong? What are you looking for?" Maron was surprised at the panicked look on her cousin''s face as she was ignored while she started tearing the room apart looking for something.

    "Maron-chan do you have my cell phone!? Nevermind, let me borrow yours quick!" Kurumi tried to check her cousin''s pockets and looked for her cell phone because she had no idea where she lost hers.

    "What''s going on? Tell me what happened?" Maron started to get a little worried. Her little cousin was genuinely panicking and rushed to grab her phone as soon as she found it on the table.

    "I have to make an important call! I''ll tell you later!" Kurumi didn''t want to waste any time and used the phone without as much as looking at Kazuya who had already entered down below.

    She glanced at the boy who was supposed to have been with her cousin and wondered what could have happened. Why was her cousin acting like this?

    -

    "I''m here" Kazuya had just arrived and stood near the dueling area. He wore the helmet and walked towards his starting position.

    Ayame was only barely able to recover her stamina. The match with Tomoyo had taken more of a toll on her than she expected. This was the harsh reality of the tournament and even more so facing an opponent she knew she couldn''t beat.

    She entered the dueling area expectantly. Although she knew she won''t be able to last as much as she did in the match against Tomoyo, she wanted to experience what the robot girl did in the final match against Kazuya.

    "[I was worried for a moment and thought you wouldn''t show up. I want to thank you for giving me a little extra time to recover my stamina. I hope that you can guide me as much as my stamina would permit]" Ayame tried to look at him through his mask but couldn''t as she activated her whisper skill.

    There was a short silence between them. The mood was quite solemn as the audience quieted down and waited for the referee to start the match.

    "[I have to apologize to you. The match you want is something I have to decline]" Kazuya''s voice sounded in Ayame''s mind.

    "BEGIN!"

    Ayame suddenly felt pressure on her body as soon as the sound of the signal faded from her ears. The boy who was standing in front of her appeared on her side accompanied by fragments of bamboo that once made up Kazuya''s bamboo sword.

    "P-point Kouzuki!"

    Silence. The voice of the referee echoed in the arena. Almost no one was able to see it but the noticeable tear in Ayame''s body armor that wasn''t there before told everyone what they needed to know. Kazuya was serious this time around.

    "T-time!" a tactical timeout was called so that both of them can have their damaged and broken equipment replaced. The referees checked on Ayame but other than the shock, there hadn''t been any injuries. None of them could understand what happened so they couldn''t take any measure.

    This was the championship match, they couldn''t cancel it and the next tournament was also waiting for them. Ayame didn''t seem to be hurt so they assumed it was a coincidence and that she was lucky to not have suffered any injuries.

    "Kid, what the heck''s wrong with you?" Jirou didn''t hold back and tried to scold him after Kazuya approached them to get a replacement sword.

    "Grandpa Jirou, I believe you know what to do after taking a look at this" Kazuya stealthily placed a pink cellphone in Jirou''s hands along with the broken sword.

    "What is this?" he knew that he couldn''t take out the phone until Kazuya reentered the dueling area or someone might complain that Kazuya had brought a foreign object that had nothing to do with the match.

    Kazuya ignored the old man and turned towards Tomoyo who couldn''t make up her mind whether to look at him or not. She was afraid that he would be disappointed in her and didn''t want to see him look at her disdainfully like he used to.

    "I apologize for not being able to see your match" Kazuya patted her head and apologized. "I heard the cheers and know that you did your best. Let me borrow your sword to finish this match okay?" Kazuya shuddered as the robot girl stood up to give him a hug. He didn''t expect such a reaction.

    "Thank¡­ you¡­" a soft and calming voice reached his ear. Tomoyo tried to hide the tears in her eyes as she handed him her bamboo sword.

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    "You have a beautiful voice. It''s a shame you don''t use it" he stopped patting her head and turned back. She was slowly speaking on her own and he was glad to see some progress in this seemingly hopeless endeavor.

    "The dueling area has been cleaned, both contestants please return" the referee announced. He was more vigilant this time and observed the match as seriously as he could and kept an eye on Kazuya who went back to his position.

    "[What did I do to you to make you mad!?]" Ayame''s voice once again reached him. He could see the displeased look on her face behind her headgear.

    "[You did nothing wrong. I''ll consider your proposition of giving you a chance of getting along since I will owe you. I can''t waste mana so I''m cutting you off now]" Kazuya turned towards the referee and was wondering what was taking him so long.

    Ayame was annoyed. He offered no explanation for doing things like this and selfishly said whatever he wanted. She didn''t want to let him have his way so she activated her full potential without a care for what will happen just so that she could prevent him from doing what he selfishly pleased.

    "BEGIN!"

    Kazuya once again moved without restraint. Ayame was ready this time and was barely able to dodge the strike. She felt a slight impact from the swift attack even though it didn''t even hit her. She braced herself because she knew that he wasn''t done.

    He stepped in once more and didn''t mind Ayame''s intention of counterattacking. Kazuya couldn''t help but praise this girl''s resilience. It was probably because of this that she was able to beat Tomoyo despite the robot girl having his help.

    "(Got you!)" Ayame anticipated the strike from below and began to move her sword to hit him before he could strike.

    "Sorry" his voice reached her ears this time. the intended strike never flew up as he threw the sword towards his left and used it thrust towards her throat. Because of his one-handed style, his free hand had been in the perfect position for it and as Ayame''s downward strike missed, the thrust successfully hit its target.

    "Point and match! Contestant Kouzuki!"

    The crowd stood up to applaud as Kazuya used the sword in his hand and placed both hands on the hilt and pointed the sword to the ground heroically. The referee who called the match rushed towards Ayame who had been knocked down by the last thrust to make sure she was okay.

    "I''m alright, I was just thrown off balance" She stood up unstably but the referee relented.

    "Please don''t push yourself and let us check your injuries" the old man persisted.

    "Injury? I have none. My opponent had been very precise about his strikes" Ayame took off her headgear but it slipped off her fingers as soon as she removed it.

    "No injury? Where did the blood come from then?" the old man pointed towards the drops of blood that was scattered both on the ground and her clothes.

    "This¡­" she quickly pushed the man aside to take a good look at the opponent who was being weird the whole match.

    The old man was confused. It was only until he followed the shocked girl''s vision did he understand what had been going on. A pool of blood was slowly forming around Kazuya who had been standing motionless ever since the match had ended.

    "KID!" Jirou jumped into the dueling area and took off Kazuya''s helmet before slowly putting him on the ground.

    The audience only realized that something was wrong after they saw what Jirou was doing. Paramedics rushed towards the dueling area with a gurney. Followed by Mei who was pulling Kyouko along with her.

    "Kazuya!" Kyouko shivered at the sight of her son who was covered in blood. Jirou immediately stopped her from coming close and led the paramedics to do their job. He already checked his wound and cursed the boy for being too reckless.

    "Let them take care of him, Kyouko. I know you''re worried but treating him is the first priority" Jirou could see that Mei was also trying to hold back as she trembled while trying to hold back her desire to rush to his side.

    "NO!" the loudest shout came from the most unlikely person. Jirou trembled and left Kyouko in Mei''s hands. He rushed to Tomoyo''s side and blocked his granddaughter''s vision by putting her in his embrace. He didn''t want his granddaughter to be traumatized again after finally showing positive changes, so he had no choice but to take her away from the arena and left Miyamoto and the other instructors to deal with the rest.

    "[KAZU! I won''t ever forgive you if you dare die! Are you going to let your big sis be a widow for the rest of my life!?]" Mei didn''t know what to do and tried to use the whisper skill to vent. To her surprise, Kazuya''s body shuddered after she did that.

    "[S-sorry big sis¡­]" Mei almost dropped to her knees in relief after hearing his voice in her mind. "[I''ll be fine so please take care of mom and don''t worry. This is just for show]" he tried to reassure her.

    "[For show!? Do you know how much blood you''re losing right now!?]" Mei immediately saw through it. Even his voice sounded weak in her mind so she scolded him immediately. "[What happened!? Tell me right now!!]" Kazuya could feel her powerful glare and felt a cold chill.

    "[I have to concentrate my mana so that I won''t be in danger. Find that weird girl Stockton Kurumi. She is a witness and can tell you what happened. The evidence you need is a pink cell phone that''s with grandpa Jirou but you can watch it at the weird girl''s social media. I really have to focus now so I''ll leave it to you to take advantage of the situation]" Kazuya cut off the connection as he was being taken away by the paramedics.

    Kyouko moved to follow but stopped because her assistant was looking around instead of moving with her. She grabbed Mei''s hand and thought that she was still in shock. Her assistant found the blonde target who was right where the paramedics were moving.

    "Come with us" Mei had no time to be picky right now and asked the two girls to come with them.

    The paramedics told Kyouko that two doctors were brought with them and couldn''t take additional passengers. The two girls had a vehicle waiting for them so both Mei and Kyouko boarded with them and followed along.

    "What''s going on Mei?" Kyouko knew that her assistant didn''t like this little girl, so it was very unusual for her to consider the Stockton girl in this kind of situation.

    "Paramedics don''t usually come with ambulances, but they brought two of them. There are very few influences that are able to do that. Their presence convinced me that they have something to do with what happened" after finding out that Kazuya was alright, Mei recovered her wit and spoke according to the information she received from Kazuya.

    "Is this true?" Kyouko turned towards the little girl who she was once apologetic towards. What Mei said indeed made sense. She once sent multiple famous doctors to help Kazuya.

    "Y-yes¡­" she lowered her head because she felt guilty after seeing her so worried about Kazuya. She had been powerless to stop anything from happening.

    "Is your phone a pink cell phone?" Mei followed up with another question that caught them off guard.

    "Y-yes but how did you know?" Kurumi didn''t expect such a question and looked towards the beautiful woman who she remembered was hugging Kazuya when she visited the hospital.

    "I saw Kazu handing it to Shiroyuki Jirou-sama during the match. Knowing Kazu, he must have done something with it if he took it from you" Mei handed Kurumi her phone.

    "This¡­" even Maron was a bit startled to see the wallpaper on the phone. They looked at Mei again and didn''t understand why she was showing them such a thing in this situation.

    "Use it to check your accounts. You should at least have it synced, right?" Mei urged. It wasn''t just because of Kazuya''s information; this girl had the privilege to have all the services that money could buy at her fingertips.

    "Use mine instead" Maron grabbed the phone and gave it back to Mei. She didn''t want her cousin to stare at Mei''s attempt to show her dominance.

    Kurumi didn''t understand what was going on but followed her instructions anyway. It didn''t take long for them to discover the video that had been posted not only on Kurumi''s accounts, but it had been posted publicly as well.

    They all watched the video to understand what was going on. Kurumi found that the video started when Kazuya was first kicked by the scarred man. Her phone was left recording when he stood up after the crash. It recorded everything that happened.

    "Lee¡­" Kyouko looked coldly at the boy. Kazuya, her most precious son was seen as nothing but a tool by them. They would recognize him if he was talented but they would discard him and use Lee if he was not what they wanted.

    "Wait a minute¡­ how did Kazu end up fighting in the match after he was shot then?" Mei tried to change the topic. Kyouko was usually kind-hearted but Kazuya was her reverse scale. She shuddered to think what might happen if Kyouko really got mad especially since Kazuya was able to get a confession about the Kurogane family''s plot.

    Kyouko was snapped out of it and realized this strange point and continued watching.

    -

    *BANG* Kazuya fell to the floor and lee dropped the gun on the floor while panicking at what had just happened.

    "I didn''t do it! He was the one who pulled the trigger!" Lee turned towards Kurumi who immediately ran towards Kazuya after kicking the gun.

    "Kazuya-kun! Wake up! Please wake up!" she couldn''t care less about what Lee had to say and continued shaking Kazuya to wake him up.

    Lee panicked and stumbled before running out of the room. The crowd''s cheers were able to mask the sound of the gunshot so there were hardly any people that were able to hear the disturbance. Sensing that the fool had already gone, Kazuya slowly opened his eyes and slowly sat back up. He had to concentrate his mana so that the wound wouldn''t let out too much blood.

    This was his first time doing something like this. Thus, he had to concentrate so that he could make his body function as it should while keeping the wound and the bullet inside him. He placed a hand on the bullet wound so that he could have additional control over it but the blood that leaked out slowly stained both his hands and his uniform.

    "(My mana won''t last long at this rate. I could die if I keep going with this plan)" Ignoring the pleas of the crying girl beside him, Kazuya used his mana to heal the major damage he suffered internally.

    "Kazuya-kun! Say something!"

    "Sorry. Everything is alright now. I still need to participate in the final match so if you really were my friend before I lost my memory, I hope that you can respect my wishes and at least wait until the match begins before calling for help. That should be enough time for me to end it" Kazuya struggled to stand up because of the wound that was left open.

    "Why¡­ Isn''t it just a competition!?" Kurumi didn''t understand. He was clearly in pain yet he still wanted to put more strain in his body and participate in the competition.

    "It''s because I want to see my mom and big sis'' smiles again. They were so happy when I won the last tournament so I want to see that again" Kazuya smiled at her.

    "To an amnesiac like me, I am more sensitive to their anxiety more than anything. I can''t do anything about my lost memories¡­ All I can do is work hard so that they can accept and realize that the new me is much better than the old one" That was the last image before the video had cut off.

    -

    The group finished watching the video after they arrived at the hospital. Mei volunteered to take care of the paperwork as Kyouko and the two girls waited for the results outside atthe waiting area of the surgical floor.

    "Kazuya¡­" Kyouko couldn''t help but cry after hearing what her son had to say. She was worried that that might have been the last words that he said that was meant for her and couldn''t help but shed tears.

    She always wanted him to recover his memories. What she didn''t realize that Kazuya was well aware of that fact and that prevented him from forming a closer bond with him like they used to. Kyouko agreed that his son was indeed more mature and talented but she still missed the sweet son of hers that would act spoiled around her. She realized that this was probably why he had a close relationship with Mei rather than herself. Mei accepted the current him. It may have been because this new him didn''t avoid her like his old self but this was why he was very attached to her.

    "Kyouko¡­" Mei arrived at the floor and called out to her to see if there had been any updates but after seeing her expression, she knew that there still wasn''t any news.

    "Mei, I want you to contact grandpa Jirou and tell him that he needs to keep Kurumi-chan''s phone safe. That is an important piece of evidence" The video was public and they were well aware of the Kurogane family''s connections. It wouldn''t take too long for them to put a plan into action so any piece of evidence had the probability of being lost.

    Jirou was the head of the Shiroyuki household and along with their family business, the number of their students in law enforcement wouldn''t be just a few. He was the person who could keep the phone safely.

    "Pardon me but I believe that I can be of some assistance" a blond and handsome gentleman wearing a suit walked up to them.

    "Dad!" Kurumi ran towards her father followed closely by Maron who remained silent. She knew that with him here, the matter will most likely be settled.

    "Stockton Jonson-san¡­" Kyouko didn''t expect to see such a person to show up unexpectedly. Today was an important day for Stockton International so he was supposed to be in another prefecture so he must have rushed all the way here after hearing his daughter''s plight.

    "Please, call me Jon. I''ve seen the video on my way here and Kurumi already called to inform me what happened. Those people dared to lay a hand on my daughter so I wish to help in order to get all the people responsible for this punished" he picked Kurumi up and tried to calm the crying girl.

    "We would appreciate your help but we don''t just plan on pursuing those responsible" Kyouko stood her ground against Kurumi''s father. She wanted to make it clear that she was going to make the Kurogane Conglomerate suffer for this.

    "I understand what you mean. I still owe a debt to Kouzuki Kazuya and it seems that it has doubled because of his deed today. I rather admire him and hope that he can regain his friendship with my Kurumi here"

    "What do you mean by that?" Mei''s eyebrow raised and stood at Kyouko''s side to face this intimidating man.

    "What I mean is, I have already given the order to cut off any of Stockton International''s collaborations with the Kurogane Conglomerate. This includes any of their businesses or subsidiaries currently residing in buildings or any property that we own. This should be more than enough to convey my sincerity upon this matter" he smiled at the two ladies.

    "This¡­" Kyouko was shocked. This was already quite a huge blow towards the Kurogane Conglomerate and this guy just said that it was only a token of sincerity.

    "How do you plan on assisting us?" Mei wasn''t fazed. She already knew that Kazuya planned to use their influence to deal damage to them and it was up to her to take full advantage of it.

    "I''ve already contacted several media outlets to let them cover the story. Not many people are aware of the adopted boy being disowned so even if they claim that they had already done so, it would already be too late" He was a little surprised that Mei had kept a cool head during all of this but he still continued. The Kouzuki family always had good luck with loyal talents and Mei seemed to be one of them.

    "What do you want in exchange then? I don''t believe that you''re going to be doing all of this without wanting something in return" Mei went to the main point.

    "About that¡­" Jon put down Kurumi who had finally calmed down. "I just want the boy to not reject my little princess''s friendship. She had taken quite the blow and has been depressed after her visit to the hospital at the time he lost his memories. To repay the debt to him for keeping my daughter safe, that is all I ask for everything" he smiled after seeing Kurumi hiding behind him. She was too embarrassed to face them after hearing what her father had to say.

    Kyouko and even Mei were surprised this time. The rumors that this person doted on his daughter too much was really underrated. Would he have lost enormous profits just for the sake of making them get along? Both of them couldn''t believe it but they couldn''t think of any other ulterior motive since he neither asked for profits or a contract.

    "We can''t speak for Kazu because we are not him. We do not want to force him to get along with someone he doesn''t like" Mei stepped up since she knew Kyouko wasn''t against the idea.

    "I know. That is why I just want a guarantee that you will not influence him against this friendship, Ms. Kazuno Mei. Let the two of them become friends. After this ordeal, I believe that Kouzuki Kazuya will realize that my daughter''s intention of seeking their old friendship is real" he continued.

    Mei didn''t really have anything against it. May it have been deliberate or not, Kurumi was involved in this incident and suffered some grievances. It would be irresponsible for him to not accept her friendship and she would scold him if he did.

    "Fine" she gave in. it would be up to Kazuya after he wakes up.

    "That''s splendid news. Now then, shall we begin the preparations for our attack?" he smiled.

    Jon may have said preparation but he had already begun. After hearing that his precious daughter was hit, he already called a lot of people to analyze each person that appeared in the video and have them and their associates located and observed.

    Maron knew what kind of person Kurumi''s father was and how much he cared about his daughter. The people who kidnapped her were already doomed from the moment she told him that she was hurt. He only appeared in the hospital and talked to Kyouko and Mei so that Kurumi would have a guarantee and would not focus on the bad experience she just had. This was the reason why she had been calm after he made a personal appearance.

    It was the Kurogane Conglomerate luck that they had disowned Lee before this incident happened. Stockton Jonson wouldn''t have stopped at only a small skirmish if he confirmed that they still supported Lee when this happened. He couldn''t care less whether they knew her identity or not.

    Needless to say, because of Kazuya''s move to release the video using Kurumi''s phone, everything went faster than he would have expected. Men that were involved were surrounded and arrested. They were confident after receiving the word of a Kouzuki but they did not think that the girl who was with him had an even scarier background. Kazuya promised not to go after them but he never said anything about Kurumi.

    Lee was found trying to board the train back to their prefecture. He was immediately taken into custody where he was adamant about his claim that he was not the one that shot Kazuya. He screamed and shouted that it was Kazuya himself that pulled the trigger. What made his story more unbelievable is the words he claimed to have been said by Kazuya before pulling the trigger to shoot himself.

    "You''ve taken everything away from me last time. This time, I''ll let you experience falling to the bottom without any hope of getting back up. Make sure you lock yourself up because if I ever see or hear from you again, you would have wished that you killed me when you had the chance"

    .

 63 Afterword/ Q&A

    .

    Hello everyone! Your friendly internet Author-san here! If you''re reading this then I would like to thank you for successfully making it to the end of Volume 1. This is my very first finished volume in a web novel format so¡­ Yay~ me!

    I would like to thank the people who''ve helped me develop the story and those who pointed out the errors I''ve made while doing this. Writing has been a fun, stressful, enlightening and other myriad of emotional experiences that I''m forgetting to mention.

    I also would like to apologize for the late releases at times. I sometimes forget to check if the chapters I''ve set for autorelease do come out. There was this one time that I needed to remake a chapter because it poofed when I clearly set it to be posted.

    Of course, I would like to give special thanks to the patrons who''ve reached out to me and went an extra mile. Hopefully, one day, I can just devote myself to writing interesting stories. Thanks again!

    Now then, to the Q/A portion.

    I apologize for the questions that won''t be included here by the time I post this. I want to be able to focus on creating Volume 2 so please do forgive me if I miss your concern. You can always try to ask them on Volume 2 if it doesn''t get answered by then!

    Please be reminded that I would have to refrain from answering anything that would have anything to do with spoilers but I will try my bestest!

    -

    Thot Slayer: Is this Inspired by revenge Isekai like NidoYuu or Arifu?

    A: No, It''s much older than that. A manga from Square Enix called Ubel Blatt got me hooked into the whole mystery revenge reincarnation genre and I added Isekai into the mix.

    -

    NineDeaths: Is he really an adult? (mentally speaking)

    A: Not by my standards. You can probably already tell if you''ve made it this far. But he''s like a manchild.

    -

    TheeUnkownSaint: So She''s an evil girl? (Tomoyo)

    A: No. She''s a robot girl.

    -

    Ahjin: Is the robot girl the picture on your *******.

    A: if you mean the current banner then as of the time I''m answering this then it would indeed be one of the concept art for Tomoyo.

    -

    iamyoungMasterL: Did the mc become a woman hater now?

    A: Somewhat

    -

    Bloo: When''s he going to the other world!?!?

    A: When it''s time for him to get summoned.

    -

    TheeUnkownSaint: How big sis will react when she finds out the truth?

    A: Please refer to Volume 1: Chapter 50

    -

    RabidHobo: Really, adult is censored?

    A: It would appear so in the comments section. I had no idea until I saw this though.

    -

    RabidHobo: In what world does a medical professional and a parent listen to a 6 year old on whether he should go to a hospital or not?

    A: Asia. Besides, Kyouko is a doting mother who is afraid of Kazuya hating her especially since he became an amnesiac who had no memories of her. As for the doctor, Kazuya already explained what he was up to (making gifts for them on a time limit whilst keeping up his current training regimen). He would have taken him to the hospital regardless of what he said if he found the need to treat him at a hospital. Home visits, home clinics are kind of a common thing here.

    -

    Twies: How do I join the novel''s discord channel? What is there?

    A: Download or get on discord and put this link on your browser [https://discord.gg/syUu3b3]

    People usually talk to me there and I put the artwork concepts or character designs there. People can also report typos or errors there and can reach me there the fastest.

    -

    GPIG: What is *******? How to use?

    A: ******* is a site that lets you become a [Patron] to content creators and the like. It is not something that is required but if you do want to help out any creators out there to reach milestones or help them with what they need to bring you more content or simply just let them drop whatever life they had so they can concentrate more to creating their content.

    -

    Anone: I really don''t understand what''s going on. You wrote the main character at first as a good person who got betrayed, but then what''s with his illogical maltreatment of the kurumu girl. He suspected they had history, but instead of knowing what was really going on he judged her and hurt her based on his stupid instinct. She''s a five year old girl, and he should at lest by twenty even if he''s in a kid''s body. It make''s him no different from the people who betrayed him, and to be honest it''s pissing me off. I hope you can reply and give some sort of explanation at least. His manner of acting was completely illogical. Yet you''re making the girl chase after him like some sort of lost puppy

    A: First, a short recap. Kazuya was betrayed and stuck inside the replay. He returned to a blank part of his life and met Kurumi a short time after he got back. He of course hasn''t even come to terms with his predicament and was still held up over the betrayal he experienced and witnessed multiple times. Being betrayed like that, how could it be easy to simply trust another person you barely even know. His memory dictates that she has been acting suspiciously around him but because of the effects of his recent "betrayal" he did not consider her intentions to be as noble as it would seem. Not to mention the way she made him suffer in his previous life. He merely didn''t want Kurumi to bring troubles towards his way again because he already has so much on his plate. Hence, his cold treatment of her. Unlike his expectations, Kurumi still intends to connect with him. Take note, they only met that one time ever since he came back and they still haven''t met again. It was only after a little while that he started to accept and gained interest in this new life of his. This was why he accepted the robot girl rather than his initial rejection of her. The "instinct" part in the earlier chapters was just an excuse so that he didn''t have to explain anything about why he didn''t want to be friends with her.

    -

    InfiniteSuns: i understand one thing mana makes you more powerful, but what the **** is with reaction of others 6 years old kid with a touch can break somebody else bones etc. and they''re oh what a genius what a ruthless boy

    A: Because Jirou is already aware that Kazuya can use mana (internal energy to him) which was why he wasn''t really that surprised.

    -

    LemonAid: So Mei is a shotacon?

    A: Is she?

    -

    Jbravs25: How many bonus chapters would it be if you rank on top 20?

    A: That''s a tough question. But I would probably try to change it to daily releases if I do go that far and kept it up weekly.

    -

    Grimmypoo: Are there going to be any time skips in the next 50 chapters?

    A: Yes

    -

    iGoo: Are you going to post your other stories in the site too?

    A: If I ever get my lazy butt to read and edit them for this format then just maybe.

    -

    Agit0: May I ask where can I find your other stories? Or what website I can read them?

    A: I''d like to keep the ones still existing to myself since I do cringe at the amount of typos when Ifound them in one of my hard drives.

    -

    SorrowGrave: Why do the reviews have to be so long?

    A: I actually prefer a lil bit more info but that question is best left to the webnovel staff.

    -

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    Plsd: Did you enjoy TI8? Who were you rooting for?

    A: I was rooting for EG vs OG giving us a dramatic finals but EG got dropped in the semis.

    -

    ZiniGansta: You write English well. Are you from the west? What do you do?

    A: No, I''m Asian who is a freeter.

    -

    Purrfection: Why is the novel''s rank so low when it has such quality.

    A: I don''t know how to give a clear answer on that. If I had to say, it would be because I don''t have a clickbait title nor does web novel separate real original novels from fanfictions.

    -

    NocturnalPulse: Tell me, Do you bleed?

    A: I see what you did there¡­ but this is the Q/A section so I''ll answer anyway! Yes I do bleed, I''m actually bleeding chapters right now.

    -

    Not_A_Heretic: Why do you do dis!?! Are you a sadist author?

    A: Please direct all that hate to Dal Young-sensei. I have suffered cliffs that literally has lasted for years

    -

    iGoo: Who is your favorite girl in the book?

    A: She has not made an appearance yet so I can''t answer this.

    -

    CloudRoeven: Who''s the cover girl?

    A: Concept Art for Kurumi

    -

    Ajhin: Are you going to sign with webnovel if they offer you a contract?

    A: I doubt that I will be offered a contract. If you ask me, I would prefer to keep everything free and if ******* can be enough then I would. Who knows? I''ll consider this if ever it comes.

    -

    CloudRoeven: I can''t be a patron. What else can I do to help?

    A: Like I said, don''t be intimidated by the ******* link. It''s just optional and for those who can afford to give a helping hand. You can simply help by giving the novel as much power stones you can spare. As I rank up, I get more exposure and as I get more exposure, I may attract those who can afford to be patrons.

    -

    Helloion: It''s Official. Author''s name is now Rurucliffer

    A: Not really a question but it caught my attention. You would not want that to be official. You guys already cringed so much at Chapter 61 already.

    -

    A shout out to the top voter: [Andrew05]

    -

    That''s all the time we have. Once again, thank you for all the support and I hope you''ve enjoyed everything you''ve read so far. We will resume the story when Volume 2 starts.

 64 SS1: The Kouzuki Corps Duo

    .

    Kazuya slept peacefully and was in the dark about the trouble that brewed after he had given his mother and his big sis presents that could protect them on their sudden business trip. Kyouko and Mei argued a lot but this was by far the longest argument they had. Both of them received such precious presents from Kazuya but the difference in one of the presents they received, ignited this quarrel.

    "hehehe~" Mei happily giggled as she kept on rubbing the ring that perfectly fit her finger. She kept showing it off to Kyouko who just put on the necklace her son had given her.

    "Hmph!" Kyouko was a little upset. Why did her son have to give this cocky assistant of hers a ring of all things? Now she would have to deal with Mei showing off for their whole trip.

    "What''s the matter mother in law? You don''t need to worry about Kazu because I''ll take good care of him in the future" Mei triumphantly smiled.

    "You? Psh! You can''t even take care of yourself!" she retorted. "Besides, Kazuya is just a child. He probably looked up popular pieces of jewelry and ended up with this so giving you a ring means nothing"

    "Don''t be in denial mother in law. Don''t you remember what the doctors said? Kazu''s a genius who thinks very maturely. He should know the significance of giving a ring. He even made it fit my ring finger at that" Mei argued back.

    "Being a genius doesn''t mean he knows everything. He may be knowledgeable about studies, but he is still a child who has yet to step into the world. This sort of knowledge is not included in that" she stood by her previous statement.

    Kyouko refused to believe that Kazuya was mature enough to know the sentiment of gifting a ring to a person of the opposite sex. He was but a child who has yet to hit puberty and hasn''t even taken home his first female friend yet.

    Mei, of course, has the same thoughts but she couldn''t resist teasing this son-con of a boss she had. Kyouko had a habit of thinking too much and trying to solve things on her own. This was probably genetic since Kazuya was showing the same signs himself. Since her son was the fastest way to get on her nerves, Mei would take advantage of that knowledge to stop her boss from stressing herself out.

    The two of them arrived at the business hotel where the conference was going to take place. They immediately checked in and called home to check with Fujiyama about Kazuya''s status. To their relief, he was resting as promised and seemed to be in a deep sleep so Kyouko didn''t ask him to be disturbed.

    Mei checked the contents of the envelope they were handed when they checked in. This was the schedule of their trip as well the other companies that would be participating. She passed it on to Kyouko after confirming and showed her boss the most important parts.

    Despite how they were usually when they were around Kazuya, the two of them was a well-known pair in the business scene. While Kyouko was a famous personage in the corporate world, Mei was not an unknown person. Because of how well the two worked together, Mei was the role model in which those in the know would compare their employees to.

    ''The Perfect Assistant'' or ''The Ideal Employee'' was how she was known. This gave both women a big laugh when they learned about it because both of them knew how Mei really was underneath her cold facade. This reputation of hers acted as a shield against all the people who looked down on Mei in the company.

    "The Aryaman group is here from overseas. They are probably here to stop our cooperation with the people from Corsair. Our partners from the Rutopia group seems to have been under negotiations with the Kurogane group''s PR team because they have set their eyes on the game ''New Gods Online'' that will officially be released soon" Mei reported these as well as other matters that needed to be said.

    The two of them were professionals. Unlike their usual selves, when it was time to deal with the matters of the Kouzuki Corporation, their cooperation was unrivaled. Kyouko may have other assistants that work for her but when if there wasn''t a need to bring any of them, only Mei was allowed to closely work by her side.

    "The Kurogane Conglomerate really doesn''t want to give us a break. How did they find out about our secret cooperation with NGO?"

    "I suspect that they have bought one of the senior executives. I''ve suspected him for a while and I''m becoming more certain that it was him"

    "I see¡­ this is troublesome. His father is one of the board members. It would be hard to get rid of him without any evidence. Keep your guard up since the executives only know that we planned on a cooperation. They don''t know that we played a big part in the development just so we can get the talent behind that game to collaborate with us"

    "Got it. Also¡­" Mei hesitated a bit. "Kurogane Nagisa will be attending the banquet tonight"

    "I see¡­" Kyouko couldn''t help but frown. "Looks like Lee''s significance wasn''t as small as I thought. She''s the most likely candidate that''s behind him" just hearing that name made her think of such a possibility.

    Kurogane Nagisa was no stranger to them. She was the woman who officially married Kazuya''s father. She was the one officially betrothed to him so she was hostile towards Kyouko who used to have a relationship with her husband. Other than the geezer who sat at the head of the conglomerate, she was the most likely candidate to have planned to hurt her child.

    "I agree. That b*tch would probably be proud of it too" Mei didn''t hold back her comments.

    The two of them talked about how they should handle the situation. They have been working for years and understood how each other thought. Although Mei did think her boss was a bit on the soft side when it came to sentiments, she did not share the same thought when it came to Kyouko and her work. She agreed with the fame this seemingly harmless mother at home had.

    "Let''s go" Kyouko walked out of the elevator wearing an elegant royal blue dress that made her look like an elegant young woman that wasn''t even close to being a mother. She proudly wore the red gemmed earrings and necklace her son made for her.

    "Time for battle" Mei giggled and followed behind her boss. She may have been following closely behind but the black dress she wore made sure that no one would think any less of her. The dress perfectly accented her figure and it was matched perfectly with the jewelry she didn''t use to wear.

    The two women turned heads wherever they went even more than they would usually do when they wore their corporate outfits. Tonight was a charity banquet for those who were well known in the business scene and would be the start of their battle to thwart the threat that has started slithering around.

    It didn''t take long for the two to attract the attention of every man that they passed by after they entered the banquet hall. Both of them weren''t strangers to the scene so a few CEOs and corporation heads that they had good relations with wasted no time to extend their greetings.

    Of course, they weren''t the only ones who joined in. Various other men also tried to catch their attention but aside from pleasantries, their attempts to woo these women failed.

    This was most apparent in Mei''s case where those who were able to get past her freezing demeanor would then find the noticeable ring on her finger. Who could have made this ice queen to accept such a present? Was the question not only in the minds of the men who admired Mei but to the women as well.

    When the two finally had some time for themselves, Mei didn''t waste any time to tell her boss about the results of their current situation.

    "The people from NGO said that the Kurogane people still aren''t sure about our collaboration but they''ve been trying to dig pretty deep. The project is already done so aside from public relations, any collaborations with them are doomed to fail. They probably only want to lay their hands on some part of it so they would have a small influence once they confirm if we do have any connection with them" Mei reported.

    "That''s good news. I''ve talked to the people from Corsair and they assured that they wanted to push through with our talks tomorrow. The Aryaman people have been trying their hardest but I already informed them that the foreign group has been collaborating with our main competitors lately" Kyouko gave her results as well.

    "I also have another thing I gotta report" Mei used a softer tone so Kyouko expected better news and smiled. "Kazu''s engagement ring is super effective!"

    "Wha¡ª" Kyouko was caught off guard. She didn''t think her assistant would say something like this now

    "Barely any guy tried to flirt with me now"

    Kyouko was about to retort when her gaze narrowed at the sight of the person who was arrogantly walking towards them. This was the woman who she definitely wanted to avoid but the other couldn''t help but want to stir up trouble when seeing her.

    "Well, what do we have here? A man stealer and her pet wearing cheap jewelry to attend such a banquet? Kurogane Nagisa didn''t hold back her voice and attracted the attention of the people that were surrounding them.

    Mei turned around and stood by Kyouko''s side while donning a cold expression that sent a shiver down Nagisa''s back. Both of them were immediately triggered because this shameless woman just insulted the one of a kind gift the sick Kazuya made especially for them.

    The people that attended the banquet weren''t strangers to the story of these two women. They pretty much put a lot of importance to gossip especially those in the same circle so they were interested to see how the conflict would end this time.

    Kurogane Nagisa would try and stir things up whenever she would meet with Kouzuki Kyouko but the CEO of the Kouzuki corporation would always shake off Kurogane Nagisa''s attempts. Most of them already knew the history between these two but such events were rare in their circle.

    "Not planning on running away today?" she continued to mock. "Have you found another man to ensnare? To even let your pet serve him as well"

    "Shut your mouth you human swine" Kyouko didn''t want to waste any time with this woman. The anger from her son''s plight that had been bottling up inside her was indeed stirred up when this woman insulted the gift she treasured.

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    "What did you¡ª"

    "Other than having the surname ''Kurogane'' attached, what right do you have to attend such a banquet? You don''t work, you don''t know the business, you don''t even have connections of your own so other than being a trophy wife that was used to connect your two families. What right do you have to speak to someone like me?" she looked at the woman with disdain.

    Kyouko could take insults directed towards her but when someone involves Kazuya, she immediately turns into a lioness that protects her cubs. She felt that she wouldn''t be able to wear the precious gifts her son gave her if she let this woman get away with her insults.

    Everyone was surprised and couldn''t help but take another look at Kyouko. She was one of the very few nice people that remained in the scene. She was dominant in the field but a very approachable person so her exerting her dominance like this was a sight to behold.

    "Should I contact the people holding the banquet boss?" Mei followed up. "I also share the same opinion. Political tools that have already lost their purpose shouldn''t be placed together with those who have the capabilities to attend this event. The minimum requirement should be that they should accompany someone who does have the qualifications to be here. This is a place to discuss business and not a place to spout profanities" Mei looked at Nagisa with disdain.

    "How dare yo¡ª"

    "That''s not a bad idea Mei. You can contact them on my behalf. Who here doesn''t know how the head of the Kurogane family does things? I indeed had a relationship with his son but what of it? Who here has not had a failed relationship or two? I usually wouldn''t put someone who has an inferiority complex against me in my eyes but I didn''t think that you would have the guts to show your face to me after your adopted son did to the biological son of your husband"

    "Lies! You''re using your own son''s misfortune to defame our name!" she knew what the repercussions would be if the people discovered what happened to Kyouko''s son so she denied it like Lee did.

    "I promise in the name of the Kouzuki house that my words have no fallacy in them" This was the final nail in the coffin. All those who have done deals with the Kouzuki house can use this as a failsafe in case they had doubts about cooperation or collaborations.

    This was why the Kouzuki house had been thriving and had nothing but praises from people of the same field that has collaborated with them. When they gave their word, you can be certain that they would uphold it to the best of their abilities. This was something that had yet to be broken so everyone did not doubt a single word that Kyouko said.

    "I haven''t looked for trouble because of what your adopted son did because I shrugged it off as his own doing but after considering how you and the family you reside in does things. I just might make a personal visit to that place again" Kyouko looked at the ugly expression on Nagisa''s face and smiled.

    "Boss, we still have matters to discuss. Let''s not waste time with used up pawns and get going" the two ladies excused themselves and headed back to their room.

    The banquet hall went back to usual after the two ladies left. It appeared that nothing changed but deep in all those in attendance''s minds was the side of Kyouko who they didn''t expect she had. They were quick to engrave in their hearts that they should never ever wake up the sleeping lion.

    Because of the events at the banquet, Kyouko and Mei were surprised to experience their business had gone smoother than usual. There were no hitches in their business trip aside from the squabbles they would normally have.

    .

 65 SS2: Fujiyama Sisters

    .

    The Fujiyamas have been alongside the Kouzuki family for generations. They were akin to a vassal family that served the main family. Even in today''s society, these two families worked in harmony together. Their head, Fujiyama Akane, directly served the main house of the Kouzuki family and trained her two granddaughters so that they can be familiar with the members of the Kouzuki family.

    "Grandma! Is the young master really a kid? He was annoying and talked to me like he was older!" Yui complained to Akane after her first run-in with Kazuya.

    "Don''t say that Yui. The young master has been through a lot. I am partly to blame for it too" Akane sighed. The young master indeed changed a lot from before. Although he seemed to have matured, his innocent cheerfulness had disappeared.

    "I know¡­ it''s because of that Lee right? He''s such a hypocrite and I can''t believe he''s one of the popular people in school" Yui couldn''t make her grandmother any sadder so she focused on insulting that disgusting guy.

    "You have to keep an eye on that monster. We cannot let the young master suffer in his hands again"

    "I know grandma. I''ve been keeping an eye on him. Although he glares at the young master a lot, he can''t do anything to him in school unless he wants everyone to discover what a hypocrite he is"

    "I''ll leave it to you. Your sister will be graduating soon so I don''t want to burden her with too many tasks. She may be hiding it but she intends to join the mistress'' company"

    "You know about it grandma?" she was a bit shocked to learn about it.

    "How could I not? Who do you think raised the both of you? Of course, I know if you girls are hiding something from me. I don''t really intend to hinder her from what she wants to do especially since she will serve the family in another way so you are the only one I can count on Yui" She looked at this immature granddaughter of hers warmly.

    "Me? Work here?" Yui couldn''t help but remember the little boy that called her short. She imagined making him eat meals that were purposely bad to get her revenge and tried to hold back her giggles.

    *BOP*

    "What are you thinking you, little girl?" Akane could tell what this mischievous girl was thinking. She was happy that the girl considered it but her reason needed to be fixed.

    "Ouch ouch¡­ I wasn''t thinking of anything bad granny¡­" she rubbed the back of her head. "I don''t really mind working here since the job is pretty easy and the pay is good but¡­" she hesitated.

    "But what?"

    "But since you''re here, does that mean I have to serve that brat?"

    *BOP*

    "Call him appropriately! He is the only child of our Mistress and the future head of the household" Akane scolded.

    "But didn''t you say you were worried about him being too average to take on the mantle in the future?"

    "That was until I found out how much he had been holding back. The young master might be the most talented person from the family I''ve ever seen" Akane smiled and felt proud of Kazuya.

    "Him?" she was doubtful and thought that her grandmother was only saying it so that she would agree to serve Kazuya.

    "You''ll see. It would be much better if you understand for yourself. Being by his side would be much better than working anywhere else"

    Yui Didn''t really take this to heart. The little young master that she was supposed to serve in the future left a bad impression on her. She would rather serve the beautiful and kind mistress rather than the brat who didn''t have the eyes to see beauty.

    -

    Despite Yui''s intentions of not serving the young master, she followed her grandmother''s instructions and observed Lee whenever she had the chance. Due to Kazuya''s words, whenever Lee would see him and glare at him from a distance, Yui would do the same and look at the young man who claims to have seen her before.

    She doubted his words because he would always be far away whenever Lee would do this. She took out her cell phone and tried to act like she was taking pictures outside. She used her phone''s camera to zoom in on her young master and she was shocked to see his gaze shift to her.

    "Bleh!" he stuck his tongue out for her to clearly see but he turned around before she could press the button to take the photo.

    "You..!!" she stomped on the ground in frustration. She was once again played for a fool as he really could see her from a distance.

    Kazuya laughed from a distance. He found Yui''s reactions funny and couldn''t help but poke fun at her. He knew that she didn''t like being treated like a kid so he acted like one and messed with her. What he didn''t know that was Yui planned on getting back at him one of these days.

    What he didn''t know that the day he attacked her wasn''t the first time Yui has met him. He was asleep at the time but Yui and Yumi saw him clinging to a half-naked Mei. He would have treated her differently if he knew that she was present after he fell asleep after crying too much.

    Yui on the other hand didn''t pay much attention to the details. It was only until her sister Yumi, who was planning on joining the Kouzuki corporation in the future had a little talk with her.

    "Hey Yui¡­ do you think grandmother will allow me to not work the main house and go for the company like our parents?" Yumi asked her younger sister since her graduation was approaching and she had yet to tell her grandmother about anything.

    "Yup" She replied nonchalantly.

    "What makes you so sure?" Yumi''s eyebrows furrowed. She thought that her younger sister wasn''t taking the conversation seriously.

    "We talk about it at times. She even tried asking Mei-chan about it"

    "What!? Grandmother knows?" Yumi looked panicked but felt grateful towards her grandmother. She looked up to Mei and hearing what she had to say meant a lot to her.

    "I didn''t tell her just so you know. Grandma knew for a long time and talked to me about it. She says that it was your choice and didn''t need to hide it from her"

    "W-what did Kazuno-sama say?" Yumi felt relieved after hearing that.

    "Mei-chan said that you have the aptitude for it but she would only show you the ropes only after you confront grandma about what you wanted. She said that you reminded her of when she was in high school but you lack a crucial aspect"

    "W-what is it?" Yumi felt hesitant since she didn''t know that Mei had evaluated her. She would lose her confidence if it turned out to be something that was impossible for her.

    "She said you lacked courage and boldness. People would look down on you especially if you''re young. I agree with her so I think you need to be a lot less quiet and say what you want with confidence!" Yui giggled because her sister was indeed very talented but she was a very shy person. She would emulate Mei''s business face but beneath it, she was just a shy girl.

    "I see¡­" Yumi pondered.

    "Well, because of your choice, grandma has been saying that it was up to me to serve the house. I really don''t mind since I''m pretty good at housework and the job is really easy and the pay is very generous. The only problem I have is with that brat young master of ours"

    "Don''t say that Yui. Kazuya-sama has gone through a lot and is very pitiful"

    "What!? You''re defending him?" Yui was surprised, her sister was the person she would always rant about whenever she talked about Kazuya. Yumi never said anything so she thought her sister was on her side.

    "You probably don''t know what he''s gone through so¡­" Yumi told her everything that she knew.

    Yui knew that he suffered from amnesia and it was caused by Lee. What she didn''t know was that it was that he bore it for a long time until it finally caused his predicament. The little sister was surprised at how much her big sister knew about their young master but she did feel sorry for their little master. She was amazed that he could still smile. She imagined what she would have done if she were in the same situation and shuddered at the thought.

    "So you shouldn''t be too hard on Kazuya-sama. I actually wouldn''t mind serving him if grandma didn''t permit me to work at the company" Yumi finished her explanation and smiled.

    "Really? I don''t really see anything good about that brat. Granny says that he might just be the most talented Kouzuki member but I don''t buy it" Yui felt a little guilty badmouthing him but she couldn''t accept her sister''s opinion.

    "I agree with our grandmother. Kazuya-sama is not only smart but he has a certain charisma that might even surpass his grandfather" Yumi smiled as she imagined it.

    "What a minute¡­" Yui felt something was amiss. "Since when did you refer to the young master with his first name?" she didn''t think too much about it but now that she thought about it, it was weird.

    "I-is there something wrong with it?"

    "Don''t tell me¡­ Mei-chan was actually right about you two being similar and¡­ you like that little kid too!?"

    "D-d-d-don''t be absurd! I-I can''t possibly like Kazuya-sama!" Yumi denied it but Yui was convinced. Her reaction was a dead giveaway.

    "If you don''t come clean right now then I''ll tell Mei-chan about it! Let''s see what she thinks about you now after she knows!"

    "F-fine! I like him! Is that a crime? Kazuya-sama will grow up to be a very handsome and amazing person just by seeing how he is right now. He is also very caring and brave! He cares about his family a lot! I believe in Kazuno-sama''s foresight because I see the same thing as well!" Yumi didn''t hold back and argued with this stubborn little sister of hers. She didn''t know how lucky she was to even see the rare smile from her young master.

    "That brat even seduced you!? I''ll get him for this!" Yui stormed out and left Yumi who was stunned on the spot. She was afraid of what her little sister would do after she confessed. She knew that she couldn''t do anything because her admiration for Mei trumped anything else at the moment.

    Yumi knew that this young master of hers wasn''t to be underestimated. Now that she knew a lot of things about him, she needed something clever to take advantage of him. She watched her elder sister help Kazuya happily when he was setting up one of the storage spaces for himself and vowed to let her sister see how annoying he really was.

    This came in a form of a video she recorded on her phone that she unexpectedly captured while spying on the guy who caused all of his grief. Yui heard the announcement as well and was surprised that Kazuya actually made it all the way to become the champion of the regional Kendo tournament.

    She thought that her grandmother, Mei, and her sister must have been seeing something she couldn''t. Yui tried to use the leverage she had but turned the tables completely against her. he didn''t forget to add a few insults which annoyed her to the point that she almost wanted to delete the whole thing.

    To her surprise, her young master insulted her with good reason. She had forgotten to think about the consequences for herself if she was careless with this piece of evidence. She remembered her elder sister''s statement about him caring about the people around him very much because he was able to think about her wellbeing when she didn''t even consider it.

    She had to accept that he really was an amazing little guy. If he wasn''t acting callous towards her, she would actually get along with him really well. He didn''t even want to take any credit for it and let her present her hard work to the adults. This was the day she started thinking about serving this young master of hers seriously in the future.

    Everything had been peaceful ever since that day but as Yui and Yumi waited for the news about their young master''s progress in the national tournament, a video link was sent to the sisters along with a message from their young master.

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    [You know what to do with this after watching. You don''t need to worry, I''ll be fine -Kazuya]

    The sisters were shocked after they finished watching the video. They immediately informed their grandmother and immediately went to work in spreading the video around. Both of them were very much worried but they trusted the message he left them.

    They waited anxiously for the news inside the Kouzuki household where they had to watch their grandmother. They were afraid that she would worry and cause her health to suffer so they shared the message Kazuya sent them.Akane felt proud of her young master for his quick wit and was glad that he had trusted her granddaughters to entrust such a task to them.

    News came of what happened afterward didn''t wait, and the sisters felt proud that the public knew about the incident even before the Kurogane could implement a media blockade. Kazuya''s intentions were realized by them and they felt proud to be of use to him. Yumi could barely do anything for her young master now because she was busy after Mei had finally taken her in to learn the ropes so she was happy to have been sent a message from him.

    It didn''t take long for them to see the reports about Lee being apprehended by the authorities. They wished to have been given a chance to beat that guy up because he was the source of everything that happened.

    Everything was slowly coming into place and it was only until they received a call from Kyouko that the trio finally relaxed.

    "Kazuya is in recovery and the doctors say that he will be fine"

    .

 66 Volume 1 Characters

    .

    Author''s Note: This may change in the future. I will be releasing it here and will most likely make one for each volume.

    .

    Kouzuki Kazuya

    Gender : M

    Likes: Mei, Food, Quiet

    Dislikes: Traitors, Lee

    Known and recognized as [Hero Gabriel] in Edea. He was summoned and took upon the role of a next hero in the kingdom of Zweifel. Suffering amnesia on earth at the age of 10, he lost his mother together with any of his previous memories. He was later informed by his own enemy against the conspiracy that would lead to his demise. He later woke up and found himself as his younger self after suffering through seeing his memories replay countless number of times.

    .

    Hellion Malum

    Gender: M

    Likes: Natsu, Battles, Daughter

    Dislikes: The Church, Human Nobles

    The ruler of the demon race since the time of Kazuya''s predecessor. Has a bad reputation of being extremely violent when it comes to solving problems in Edea.He was the one who informed the current hero of the conspiracy against him. He entrusted a few items to the hero so that he could prove his identity if he met his predecessor once he was convinced to return to his world.

    .

    Kouzuki Kyouko

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kazuya, Kazuya and Kazuya

    Dislikes: Her Father, Kazuya''s Father

    Kazuya''s mother and the CEO of the Kouzuki Corporation. She has a reputation of being one of the most successful women in the business scene and is a trusted figure in the cutthroat world. Despite her reputation, she is an extremely doting mother and is often called a [son-con] by her assistant.

    .

    Kazuno Mei

    Gender: F

    Likes: Food, Relaxation, Kouzukis

    Dislikes: Men

    Kyouko''s most trusted assistant and friend who was recruited to the Kouzuki Corporation after graduating from high school. She has a reputation of being an [Ice Queen] because of her demeanor when dealing with everyone. Contrary to popular opinion, she is extremely warm towards Kyouko and her son Kazuya who she treats as her younger brother.

    .

    Hashiyama Lee

    Gender: M

    Likes: Mei, Fame, Wealth

    Dislikes: Kazuya, Competitors

    Adopted by Kazuya''s father, he approached the Kouzuki family in hopes of investigating Kouzuki Kazuya. He is infatuated with Kazuno Mei and plans to take her as his woman in the future. He is a person who likes being the center of attention and plans to take advantage of his relationship with the Kouzuki Clan to elevate his status in the future.

    .

    Stockton Kurumi

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kazuya, Plushies, Flowers

    Dislikes: Strangers

    The princess of Stockton International. She claims to be a close friend of Kouzuki Kazuya before he lost his memories. Known as a troublesome girl who often caused Kazuya trouble because of her peculiar antics of appearing before him after taking an interest in his amnesia.

    .

    Fujiyama Akane

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kouzuki clan, Her Family

    Dislikes: Dirt, Messes

    Trusted caretaker of the Kouzuki household and is known to have served them from the time of the Kazuya''s great grandfather. She is the current head of her family which directly serves under either the company or their house. Referred to as granny Fuji by those close to her.

    .

    Shiroyuki Tomoyo

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kendo, Her Grandparents

    Dislikes: Blood, Losing

    Known as the [Robot Girl] From Kazuya''s previous life because of her emotionless expression and her unchangeable routine. She was known to have beaten Kazuya in his previous life without much of a reason which created his enmity towards her. Also the granddaughter of the current head of Shiroyuki Clan and considered a prodigy in the kendo scene.

    .

    Shiroyuki Jirou

    Gender: M

    Likes: Family, Kouzukis

    Dislikes: Surprises, Kou being annoying

    The current head of the Shiroyuki Clan and the master of the Shiroyuki dojo. He is a legend in both the kendo scene and training multiple individuals that have many accomplishments in the martial arts field. He is also a close friend of Kazuya''s grandfather and a doting grandfather.

    .

    Shiroyuki Kaori

    Gender: F

    Likes: Her Family, Kouzukis

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    Dislikes: Mess, Undisciplined Students

    Shiroyuki Jirou''s wife and Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s grandmother. She is the woman who manages the Shiroyuki house.

    .

    Miyamoto Shinichi

    Gender: M

    Likes: Teaching, Students, Women

    Dislikes: Unreasonable Women

    Kazuya''s homeroom teacher and serves as the kendo club''s advisor. He is also a self-proclaimed expert of women and strives to teach Kazuya the ways of understanding women. He is single and takes his job as a teacher seriously.

    .

    Sawada Mahiru

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kendo

    Dislikes: Arrogant People, Father''s family

    Kendo Club''s Captain. A student with a scholarship because of her talent in Kendo. Referred to as the long haired girl by Kazuya.

    .

    Sawada Matsuri

    Gender: F

    Likes: Mahiru, Mei

    Dislikes: Husband''s Family, Loan Sharks

    Mahiru''s mother and Kazuno Mei''s former upperclassman. She was a successful businesswoman who married early but because of her former husband''s condition, she experienced financial problems.

    .

    Domyouji Kuuga

    Gender: M

    Likes: Money, Influence, Connections

    Dislikes: Brothers

    A Student of Sacred Forest Academy. Takes on various different tasks for money and is one of Hashiyama Lee''s close associates. He is one of the sons of a clan that is well known for their power and influence in the underground society.

    .

    Fujiyama Yui

    Gender: F

    Likes: Her Big Sister, Kyouko, Cute Things

    Dislikes: Being Called Short, Kazuya(?)

    The younger of two sisters. She is Fujiyama Akane''s granddaughter and occasionally helps out with chores in the Kurogane Household. A temperamental girl who is very sensitive about her height.

    .

    Fujiyama Yumi

    Gender: F

    Likes: Mei, Kyouko, Kazuya(?)

    Dislikes: Suitors

    The elder of two sisters. She is Fujiyama Akane''s granddaughter and occasionally helps out with chores in the Kurogane Household. She is a talented girl who Mei sees as a good potential addition to the Kouzuki Corporation.

    .

    Kuronuma Komori

    Gender: M

    Likes: His Granddaughter, His Students

    Dislikes: Losing, Being seen as a lesser Jirou

    A consultant Kendo teacher for various schools. He is one of the friends inside Kouzuki Kou''s circle of friends and is also influential because of his prowess. Considered as one of Jirou''s strongest rivals when it comes to training apprentices.

    .

    Kuronuma Ayame

    Gender: F

    Likes: People that can use mana

    Dislikes: Meddlesome people

    Kuronuma Komori''s granddaughter and a girl with a natural affinity towards mana. She is usually indifferent towards people because of this and feels that it is some kind of strange power.

    .

    Akabane Nanami

    Gender: F

    Likes: Fighting

    Dislikes: Complicated Things

    A rowdy girl who is feared by most people because of her violent tendencies, she is forceful, blunt and cares little for the fact that she is a girl. Born and raised from a family that wanted a grandson.

    .

    Ousame

    Gender: M

    Likes: Money, Power, His Brothers

    Dislikes: Underground People

    A local loan shark who was formerly employed by one of the underground people. He left that occupation because of the people in his neighborhood he called brothers.

    .

    Stockton Maron

    Gender: F

    Likes: Basketball, Kurumi

    Dislikes: Complicated Things, People who use her name

    Stockton Kurumi''s cousin and a member of the basketball club. She claims to be Kurumi and Kazuya''s big sister. A girl who is aware of her status and is not afraid to flaunt it.

    .

    Alicia Von Lichtenstein

    Gender: F

    Princess of Zweifel Kingdom and part of Kazuya''s main party in Edea. She is one of the main conspirators in the plot to make use of Hero Gabriel for their own gains. She was engaged to the Hero and was set to marry him after the war was over.

    .

    Julia Tisdale

    Gender: F

    Royal Guard of the Zweifel Kingdom and Alicia''s personal bodyguard. She was assigned to protect the princess as well as make sure that their plans went smoothly.

    .

    Robert Britt

    Gender: M

    Head of the Knight Brigade of the Filodoxos Kingdom. He was sent as the representative of his kingdom to aid the hero''s quest in winning the war against the demons. He is one of the crown prince''s most trusted people.

    .

    Dwayne Mybber

    Gender: M

    A paladin from the church of the goddess of light. Like any other dwarf, he is highly susceptible to money which is why he was chosen to join the hero''s party. His belief is that all gold can bring him happiness so he joined the church where people showered it because of their beliefs.

    .

    Gale Valentine

    Gender: F

    The newly appointed saintess of the church. She was formerly the head of a random orphanage that was discovered by Kazuya in his travels. He sent her to the church of light because of her high talent in holy magic and later joined him as one of his main party members.

    .

 67 SS3: The Guild

    .

    Kazuya had been wondering what direction he was going to take in the game. His initial purpose was to assemble the people he knew that will be gathering here to recruit them for the company he was planning on building with Mei.

    He had already gathered quite a number of people and this was all thanks to Void Android. His weird tendency of using random people to validate himself turned out to be a blessing for both of them. The numerous amounts of people that Kazuya planned on looking for in the game unexpectedly passed by Void Android''s random questioning.

    [Void Android: Hey boss]

    [Winter Fog: Stop calling me boss. You haven''t even signed a contract yet so I have no right to be called that]

    [Void android: minor issues, minor issues. You''re the boss I want to work for and I''m already following your orders, aren''t I?]

    [Winter Fog: Do what you want then]

    Kazuya rather appreciated this person''s personality. If he had not known him from his previous life, he would have not trusted this carefree person. This was especially considering what he had been through. Kazuya''s trust was probably the hardest thing to gain for people he didn''t know well beforehand.

    Amongst the most popular people in his previous life, the most famous ones that had had a reputation to have been trustworthy were Void Android and SummerBreeze. This was the reason why he was looking to establish a relationship with these two quite early and they could have been found in this game.

    A collaboration with these two people could have only been a dream in his previous life so he wanted to make that possible in this one. He couldn''t think of any negative repercussions aside from the previous companies that signed them losing the chance. Not only would he save them from the rejections they suffered, he would also give them a better working environment.

    [Winter Fog: So what did you need me for?]

    [Void Android: I was just wondering what your plans were about the people we''ve been having talks with. You haven''t offered any of them a position in the company you''ll be making aside from myself]

    [Winter Fog: That''s because I haven''t even talked to them about the terms of joining my company. You should know how unbelievably strict it is. Besides, how could they just believe a random player offering them a job that they so much wanted after getting so many rejections in real life?]

    Void Android who was behind his keyboard cringed after having a few arrows hitting him. He was indeed the very first person who jumped into the pirate ship before knowing what he was getting himself into. The pirate ship was incredibly strict as he found out what the captain''s rules were and there would be no room for disloyalty.

    [Winter Fog: I intend to spend a little more time with them so that they get to know me a bit before I offer them a job]

    [Void Android: I believe that there will be a faster and more proper way of handling that]

    [Winter Fog: What do you mean by that?]

    [Void Android: I''m amazed at how like-minded or similar the people I''ve passed by were actually like. For both sides to come to an agreement, I think rather than approaching them slowly, you should take the initiative to make them come to you]

    [Winter fog: You''re referring to ''The Rise to The Call'' Quest?]

    [Void Android: Indeed, the guild establishment quest. This game has a unique system for it that involves challenging quests that the guild master needs to complete alone. This is a test that the game presents to individuals who want to establish their own guild]

    The Rise to The Call quest was a unique quest in NGO. Unlike other games that have simple level requirements and a fine, before a guild can be established in NGO, the guild master has to go through the quest. A quest that can be unlocked early but will be difficult to complete even in higher levels.

    From the game makers'' perspectives, a guild master must not only be charismatic but also skillful. Anyone who passed this quest had the right to call themselves a guild master and would garner the respect of any player who tried the quest themselves.

    [Winter Fog: I''ve actually been considering it but I still haven''t made up my mind]

    Of course, he had considered it before. It was just that like meeting Autumn Mist again, he wanted to meet up with his old guild as well. It was only after Void Android reminded him that he had no time to be selfish now. He was going to be in charge of the livelihood of a lot of people and not to mention the potential deterrent or possibly weapon against the Kurogane Conglomerate.

    "(I apologize in advance old friends¡­ I won''t be able to join you in this life)" he breathed in deeply before telling Void Android to focus on doing quests with Autumn Mist and the others to get their level up since he was going to take a shot at the quest.

    There were currently no guilds that have been formed on NGO yet. The guild quest was making itself infamous on the forums as its'' difficulty climbs along with the guild master aspirant''s level. The quest unlocks when a player reaches 25 which was the current average level the players have reached since the game''s launch.

    Winter Fog was already level 32 because of his advanced knowledge of the game. It needn''t be said that it was a piece of cake for him to complete the quest even though it was the first time he was doing so.

    NGO lived throughout the years as a popular game because of it''s unique and risky approach when it released. Unlike other games that released a lot of information about their games nowadays where players could plan their builds and classes throughout their entire playthrough, NGO only released the necessary information and allowed players to discover things for themselves.

    This provided people with a sense of adventure discovering a new world and its systems. Although not everyone was a fan of this, those who were, lasted and made the game thrive for a long time. Those who were spoiled in the recent games with all the information available to them didn''t last very long and moved on to other games which left the real people who wanted to play get along with each other due to their similarities and preferences.

    [Void Android: I really can''t believe this¡­]

    It only took a few hours, but Matsumoto Kippei rubbed his eyes while reading the system notice multiple times over. They had just finished the daily quests and were about to move to dungeons when the whole server stopped to read what they couldn''t believe.

    [System: Congratulations to player ''Winter Fog'' for being the first person to successfully establish a guild!]

    [System: The Guild ''Midnight Wanderers'' is the 1st guild to be established and will be rewarded with in-game currency, reputation points and a special prize from the game. Congratulations!]

    [Autumn Mist: So that was why he blocked all contacts! You should have told me it was the guild quest Void-san!]

    [Void Android: He said he wanted to keep it a secret because he wasn''t confident that he could finish it since he hasn''t tried, but as always, he never fails to deliver]

    [Autumn Mist: That guy never has any interest in the message boards. I doubt he realizes that people have been trying to do for days what he just tried and completed in a few hours]

    [Void Android: I agree with you on that. He said he didn''t care about it at all since he knew what he wanted to do next but those of us who check often see ourselves from people witnessing us completing dungeons that other people have a hard time finishing]

    [Autumn Mist: I don''t get why people find it hard though. We basically steamroll every new dungeon we try]

    [Void Android: That''s only because we have Winter in our party. You may not notice it much but him being with us makes the difference of being able to steamroll the dungeon or wiping out numerous times]

    [Autumn Mist: I don''t believe you]

    [Void Android: This is the first time that you''ll be doing a high-level dungeon without him right? This will be a good lesson for you then]

    If Void Android didn''t understand one thing, it was the presence of Autumn Mist. Winter Fog had never been interested in socializing with other players and only focused on interacting with those who he thought would be perfect to join the company yet this student with them who was basically a noob to online games was spoiled by him.

    Do they really not know each other offline? Was the question that has been on his head whenever he saw the two. His biggest suspicion was that his boss secretly liked this girl and that was why she kept her around but he could never prove it.

    That day, Autumn Mist experienced her very first death in-game and it wasn''t just once. This made her accept the seemingly talented and lazy player known as Winter Fog was truly a person who she could rely on and the game she rated as ''pretty easy'' was a lot harder without him around.

    -

    Needless to say, Winter Fog''s name went from being a mysterious pioneer dungeon raider to the guild master of the very first guild. His name went along with the likes of the famous players proving themselves in the pvp arena and those players who wasted no efforts in pioneering the creation of NGO''s player made encyclopedia.

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    However, what the players that got along with him didn''t expect, was that no one aside from Void Android and the mascot like Autumn Mist was invited to the guild. Even well-known players who applied to join the very first guild in the game were either ignored and rejected so their hopes to be invited went down further.

    They all thought that now that Winter Fog had made a name for himself, he would have no time to hang out with people like them who were also known as the rejects of society. What happened next was as Void Android ad expected, they were all offered interviewed thoroughly and given the chance to renew their lives with the research that made them shunned in the real world in the first place.

    Who could not be interested in such a proposition? Most of them would even think of signing a deal with the devil if they could turn their life''s work into something that could be funded and released to the public under their names.

    What they did learn next, however, made them think that signing an actual deal with the devil wouldn''t be so bad after all.

    -

 68 SS4: The Bad Friend

    .

    Aoki Takaya, 7 years old. The youngest son of the Aoki theatre group and a member of Sacred Forest Academy''s 2nd grade S class. Because of his family, he was trained as soon as he could speak in the ways of the family business. His siblings were growing whereas he had the talent to play the roles that they no longer could.

    The Aoki family was well known for their skills in training individuals the ways of theatre which in turn can be considered as the advanced version of acting because it was always live. Takaya had been trained in their arts from the ground up he didn''t have the change to learn much of anything else.

    Despite this, he really didn''t hate the family business all that much. His parents here strict but they were kind people when it didn''t come to teaching or training. He grew up pretty well but the downside of being in the acting business was that he needed to understand things that weren''t supposed to be learned by children his age.

    Because of a certain part that required him to be a child with the body of a certain teenage detective, he was taught the ways of being and reacting like a boy of that age should. Although it may have been just a role to most people, that specific series and character had affected Takaya more than everyone thought it did.

    Since he is a member of S class, he wasn''t really required to attend any classes unless he wanted to. What the envious students didn''t know however, was that they had stricter requirements for staying in such a special class. Takaya had to attend class a few times to get the materials that he needed to study for but he didn''t need to stay in the school afterwards.

    This was when he encountered a girl who immediately caught his eye. If he could name one thing that reminded him of when he first saw this grey-haired girl was that she was like a sword; emotionless, sharp, solitary. Of all the students that were scared or acted differently when they saw him, this girl merely passed by him as if she was passing by air.

    "Excuse me¡­" he tried talking to her and he made sure to let her see the badge on his chest.

    "¡­" the girl didn''t even bat an eyelid and continued on her way to enter a classroom.

    "2-B huh¡­." What an interesting person.

    He was even more intrigued once he asked around about the girl. No one had ever heard her voice before and she would religiously do things the same way everyday like it was some sort discipline. This was the first time that he couldn''t emulate a person despite all of his training.

    When he asked his parents about it, they said that it was going to be a challenge if he really wanted to do it but it was too early for him. This made him either observe or try to interact with the girl whenever he had the time to go to school. He was unsuccessful every time he tried getting a response from her that didn''t involve communicating with her head.

    This lasted until a certain day where he also met a boy that was sitting on the girl''s seat one day. He was a transfer student from the looks of it so he turned him away to make room for his subject. The boy was happy to oblige but aside from being polite, he didn''t seem that intimidated by him at all like the other students in their class.

    It later turned out that this mysterious transfer student had gained what he had been trying so hard to do. He was able to communicate well with Shiroyuki Tomoyo, the girl who he had been trying to befriend since he met. The mysterious boy intrigued him and Takaya felt a sense of camaraderie for some reason.

    When he looked the boy up, he was amazed at what he found out. He had the right and the privilege to become a member of S class but he decided to try and hide his identity for the sake of interacting with his peers. He finally understood why this boy made him feel like they were like-minded. Both of them didn''t think like the people of their peers.

    At least that was what he thought. Takaya still needed to prove it before he tried getting along with this person more. He was a bit prickly and a little hard to communicate with but it was much easier to communicate with him than trying to make the person her personally dubbed as ''robot girl'' speak or even react to him.

    "Hey Kouzuki, are you good with foreign languages?" Takaya decided to take a gamble and try.

    "What do you need to know?" Kazuya put down one of the books he was reading. It was another books about business.

    "What does it mean when it says ''Click here for free bewbies''?" he tried to look as innocent as he could but kept his eye on his friend.

    "Wha-?! What the hell have you been looking up?" Kazuya was of course startled. Being asked something like this by this child out of the blue almost gave him a heart attack.

    "Ehehe¡­ I was just joking" he was an expert at reading expressions so Takaya knew that Kazuya indeed knew the answer. He was able to confirm his suspicion and found a comrade.

    "Seriously¡­" he tried to shrug off his surprise.

    "Do you know what ''NTR'' stands for?" he followed up with another one which made his friend almost fall of the chair. Takaya was actually impressed that Kazuya knew something that took him a while to understand the concept of.

    "What the hell have you been looking up!?" he got a bit angry and pulled Takaya''s collar.

    "Ehehe¡­ sorry, I was just testing to see if you knew these kinds of things. It''s kinda lonely having a bunch of knowledge of interest but have nonone in my agegroup that understands you know?" Takaya began to tell him about why and how he knew about such things. He even confessed about his plans to test him.

    "Seriously¡­ what kind of roles are you playing to be learning these kinds of things" Kazuya shook his head. "I now have a clear picture on why you look and treat people like they are nothing. I thought it was because of your status but it turns out that you were raised to learn about things you shouldn''t"

    "What''s your excuse then?" He was actually curious about this. He didn''t expect Kazuya to pass his first test but he did, with flying colors too.

    "Experience" Kazuya grinned. It was his time to test and fool around with his Takaya for revenge.

    "You¡­" Takaya was stunned. He froze in place and the way he looked on this friend of his totally changed. "Teach me your ways oh master¡­" he let his acting skills shine and acted like an old servant should. He got on the ground and kneeled in front of Kazuya.

    "(What an idiot)" Kazuya sighed. He actually didn''t expect to meet someone like this but a bad friend is indeed better than a good friend who only plays the part. He knocked him on the head "I don''t want to take away that privilege from your teacher or whoever is teaching you these things. Do ask them if you want to learn" he ended the conversation and walked away.

    This was the day that the two stopped being careful around each other. Thankfully, Kazuya didn''t disappoint and even showed signs of being extremely talented in the world of acting. This person was exactly what he had been looking for. A peer that was neither family or a student of their family.

    Thanks to his friendship with Kazuya, Shiroyuki Tomoyo started to accept his presence around. He may not have been with them as much as he wanted but he came to school more often now. He would always try and convince Kazuya to meet his parents so that he could brag about the talent he found by himself but he would brutally get rejected every time.

    It wasn''t until a certain time before the winter tournament that Kazuya approached him to grant the wish he so desperately wanted. The conditions may have been a little harsh but it wasn''t anything that he couldn''t grant with his position. Takaya believed that he could convince Kazuya to drop his other conditions once he was able to experience the same things he did.

    Things were going well for him and he even got some time off his busy schedule to support his two friends. Reality however, always knew how to throw a curveball right into one''s expectations. Kazuya, who gained his admiration after striking such a finishing pose like a mighty general after a stunning victory, turned out to have been more like the standing death Benkei did in the famous battle against Yoritomo.

    A video that was spread not too long after the incident shed light to what happened immediately. It was at this moment that Takaya understood Kazuya''s intentions for seeking his help in learning how to act. Everything had been for his mother and family. He wanted them to be relieved of their worries in his own way.

    He now changed the whole plan he had for Kazuya''s learning process. Takaya respected his intentions and was happy to help him for his noble endeavor. Unfortunately, Kazuya was still in critical condition so no visitors were allowed to see him but Takaya was relieved to have found out that his friend had survived the ordeal.

    He returned home and immediately talked to his parents about what had happened. To his surprise, they were already aware of it because it was the talk of the country. They felt sorry for their son''s friend and knew what he was going to say to them.

    "Mom¡­ dad¡­ I know it should be difficult to ask but¡­" Takaya found it hard to ask them of this because he understood better than anyone how their family ran business.

    "You don''t need to worry about it Takaya. We will stop accepting people that are from the Kurogane Conglomerate''s agencies. Your mother and I already discussed the matter and after seeing what happened to your friend, we both shared the same opinion" his father placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

    "Your father is right. The Kuroganes always had a bad reputation for being ruthless in business but we didn''t expect it to be this bad. Besides, your friend really has amazing potential like you said. He was able to act so naturally and was able to set up everything despite his situation" his mother added.

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    They saw what happened like a play and explained it to their son. Not only had Kazuya remained calm in the situation, he was even able to extract as much information as possible to let everyone know what sort of people were really behind this. No one could deny how clever and brave he was to have been able to pull such a thing off at his age.

    "Just based on this performance alone, he is more than qualified to stand in stage already" his mother was truly impressed by Kazuya.

    "Then that means¡­" Takaya turned to his father for confirmation.

    "Yes. We accept all the conditions he mentioned. You may start teaching him however you like on your free time"

    Takaya was overjoyed to not only get the approval of his parents but also having them recognize the potential he saw in his friend. This was all that he needed to immediately let him learn the tricks of his trade.

    However, he had to wait until Kazuya was stable enough to be transferred back to their region. Even after he had been transferred, Takaya still had to go through a lot to get permission to see his friend. Stockton International truly had gone through a lot of trouble just to ensure that no threat would be able to touch this friend of his.

    "I feel bad for you Kazuya" seeing that they were alone in the room, Takaya didn''t even try to act polite towards this friend of his.

    "It''s not that bad. It gives me a lot of time alone and I actually prefer that"

    "Really? How are you looking up free bewbies then? Does this place have access?" Takaya mischievously smiled at his friend who couldn''t get up to hit him this time.

    "You better take advantage of it while you can" Kazuya narrowed his eyes. "I''ll make sure and get you back for every stupid thing that comes out of your mouth" he smiled menacingly which made Takaya feel chills.

    He was glad to see that his friend hadn''t changed a bit after going through that ordeal. He was afraid that his person would be like some of the parts he played and would be afraid of going out into the world anymore. He really was as tough as Takaya had thought or even more.

    "So what did you come here for? I imagine it''s about the deal we had?"

    "Yeah¡­ My parents agreed and even praised me for my evaluation of you after they saw the¡­ video that was spread around online" he hesitated a bit but Kazuya''s expression hadnt changed so he just continued after feeling relieved.

    "Well I won''t be able to do anything unless you begin the lessons here"

    "That actually won''t be a problem but¡­" he stopped to look Kazuya in the eye.

    "But what?" This guy had rarely been serious so Kazuya was a bit intrigued.

    "I''ve decided to change the lessons a little bit. I first want you to learn how to act like a child properly" This was the decision Takaya had made personally.

    .

 69 Peace

    .

    Kazuya lazily sat in the living room of the Kouzuki household. He had just finished his training and was watching TV while trying to recover. He switched the channels until he finally found the news where he was waiting for a certain report that he had been worried about.

    "[A boy is currently missing who is about the age of 18. Here is his most recent photograph, please inform any of the authorities if you have seen or have any details about his whereabouts, his name is¡­]" Kazuya continued watching the news and breathed a sigh of relief.

    "[Good news for all those who thought that artificial intelligence will never be available in this generation! The innovative and mysterious company has just released their demo for an artificial intelligence network that will allow users to interact with the company''s main mascot Rucy!] The male announcer said.

    "[Wow, you sure are fired up for this invention]" The female announcer giggled.

    "[Of course! I went to the technological expo myself and was quite skeptical after their announcement. Kazuno Technologies have been slowly gaining recognition with the numerous number of useful programs that we never even imagined would be useful. Who knew that everything was a prelude to something like this?]"

    "[What exactly did you see?]"

    "[It was exactly as they advertised it! Rucy-chan was so cute and even responded to anything I could think of perfectly! She also has the ability to connect herself with all the programs that Kazuno Technologies have collaborations with to even be more useful to their masters! Such a masterpiece]"

    "[Wow, a complete virtual assistant that responds to voice commands? Are you sure about this?]"

    "[I''m sure. Some may think that I''m being paid for advertisement but I assure you I''m not. I was the one who shamelessly used my identity to spend more time with Rucy-chan in the demo room just so that I could confirm more of my suspicions on my own. This just might be the invention of the year¡­ no the century!]"

    Kazuya couldn''t help but give a bitter laugh after hearing the excited news reporter. He was present at the technological expo that was held in their prefecture and was the one who permitted the journalist to extend his time with the demo. This was because this announcer was later revealed to be a closet otaku in the future.

    It turned out to be more than he expected as the company got free advertisement in the news because of him. Both him and Mei couldn''t show themselves to the public yet so he let the inventors themselves led by Void Android and Squid Buddha to present and supervise the demo for their company.

    This was one of the promises he gave his employees when he first tried to get them to join. They would be recognized for their inventions if they do so wished. It was because of this that made majority of them think that the strict contract wasn''t really a bad because the company was also risking itself for the sake of their seemingly hopeless inventions.

    "Kazuya! Where are your glasses?" Kyouko walked inside and immediately noticed the absence of the glasses she bought for him.

    "Err¡­ I just finished training so I haven''t worn them because of the sweat" he glanced around and found it sitting near the window.

    It had been a little over two years since the incident with Lee in the national tournament. Kyouko had become more overprotective of her son and would get him anything that she thought would protect him from any kind of harm. She recently watched a documentary about the dangers of radiation, hence, the presence of the glasses she always wanted him to wear.

    "(Mom¡­ even if it was severe radiation, that wouldn''t even faze me)" he thought in his mind before moving to get the glasses.

    "Good! Have you seen Mei?" She was looking for her assistant who was supposed to be slacking off.

    "Nope. She left early with Yumi-nee-san in the morning" Kazuya pretended not to know what they were up to.

    "Seriously¡­ she''s taking Yumi-chan''s mentoring too seriously. She''s been doing that ever since she started college and she''s already working now!" Kyouko complained.

    Yumi was hired as one of the assistants under Kyouko. No one complained as she was a Fujiyama and she directly learned from Mei which made her showcase her talents to convince everyone of her position. She was known as the Ice Queen''s successor or the Ice Princess.

    "Don''t worry about them too much mom. I''m here so I''ll play with you, okay?" Kazuya held her hand. He didn''t want her to worry about Mei and Yumi too much because everything they were doing was going to help her in the future.

    "Really? You''ve been really busy with your friend Takaya-kun lately so I thought it would just be me today" she snuggled up to her son. This would always calm her down and relax her especially whenever she''s anxious.

    She was happy. What Mei told her was correct. All her son needed was time. Because of the message Kazuya said at the end of the video when he was with Lee, Kyouko decided to let go of wanting his memories to return and just accepted him as he now was.

    As time passed, her decision yielded fruits as the usual Kazuya began to smile more and more and even let her spoil him like she used to. He was no longer the moody child he once was.

    "Mom, I''m still covered in sweat so let me change okay?"

    "Don''t worry about it. Your scent soothes me you know. It may not be long before I won''t have the privilege to hold you like this you know"

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    "Hmm? Why not?" he tilted his head looking confused.

    "Silly boy. Won''t you be embarrassed to be seen by people, especially girls to be spoiled by your mom like this?" Kyouko giggled at her son''s surprising innocence.

    "Why would I be? My mom the best among all the other girls. I wouldn''t be embarrassed by such a thing"

    "You promise?"

    "In the name of the Kou¡ª" Kyouko put a finger on his lips. "You shouldn''t say that so lightly. The future is still far ahead and you might regret making such a promise" she appreciated the thought but she didn''t want her son to be bound by such a promise once he starts to chance when he hit puberty.

    "You worry too much mom. I''ll always be your son and you''ll always have the right to give me a hug. I''ll just show you instead of being bound by a promise" Kazuya gave her a hug and kissed her forehead. He grew a lot closer to Kyouko especially after Mei had gotten a lot busier. He finally understood how it was like to have a mother care for him so he made sure to let his mother know how she was loved.

    "Uuuu¡­ I''m going to cry if it turns out you were lying to me" she held him closer and wished that his words really were the truth. He was growing up very quickly and she couldn''t carry him in her arms anymore.

    Kazuya had grown a lot taller in the past two years. He didn''t know how tall he was during this time in his life but he felt that he was taller than he should be because despite his average height during his middle school years, he was already taller than most of his peers.

    He wasn''t the only one. Tomoyo didn''t let his growth spurt catch up to her as the pat loving girl made it too obvious when she lowered herself just so he could pat her. This made him come up with his own theory about mana helping with the growth of earthlings who have the capacity to use them.

    Because of their growth spurt, Jirou now had a hard time whenever he would spar with the two. This was more apparent in the case of Kazuya who more or less already mastered every single style he was either taught or gone up against during his time with them.

    Since things were relatively peaceful for the past two years, Kazuya has had a lot of time to study the book given to him by the demon king. He even tried a few experiments on his own and added a few theories he felt should be added as well as tried a few tests to answer some of the questions his predecessor needed to do on earth.

    The Kurogane Conglomerate suffered a heavy blow from the collaborated attack from both the Kouzuki Corporation and Stockton International. They were not able to implement a media block because of the presence of the more powerful influence in the hands of the father of the girl which Lee involved in his revenge.

    That was not all. The conglomerate expressed very strongly that Hashiyama Lee had already been disowned by their family for his independent attacks against Kazuya. The gun Lee used was found at the scene and ballistics confirmed that the gun was registered to the Kurogane family which further implicated them to have been behind the attack.

    However, due to the lack evidence to support their actual involvement to the incident, Kazuya''s statement in the video which let him convince the men Lee hired actually helped the Kurogane family a little. That being said, the Kurogane family steered clear from any conflicts between the Kouzuki family now that they have Stockton International at their backs.

    *RING RING*

    "Your phone is ringing Kazuya" Kyouko reminded her son who didn''t seem to want to answer the call after seeing who it was trying to contact him.

    [Stockton Kurumi]

    *sigh* "I''ll go and take the call and get changed. We can go out to play or we can stay home if you want to" Kazuya excused himself.

    Kazuya never actually expected Kurumi to have been involved in the incident nor did he expect for Lee to make such a move. It would have been good if he did which was he had hidden his cellphone inside his kendo uniform. Kurumi''s presence the moment he put himself in a corner changed his plans a lot especially since Lee''s plans actually involved him showing himself.

    The girl who had a bad habit of showing herself whenever he least expected it seemed to have brought over this trait from his previous life. She could have potentially ruined everything he had planned, so after confirming that she indeed had relations with him before he lost his memories, he made her swear to never speak of it. This was a kind of test that he had set for her as well as a risk since there was not way of dealing with the situation without the other party getting her involved.

    Unfortunately for Kazuya, unlike his expectations, Kurumi had kept her word which made him realize that this troublesome girl and the weird girl from his previous life highly valued their lost relations. She never even showed signs of breaking her oath even after getting hit by one of the assailants. He didn''t know what her intentions were in both lifetimes but the fact that he now owed her a debt was real.

    To make matters worse, her father stepped in as he expected the moment she got involved. He even came up with a crazy condition that no one should interfere with their friendship. This put pressure on him to not to fully reject this girl like he initially intended. Stockton International went all out in their cooperation to help them suppress all the influence the Kurogane Conglomerate had to try and cover up this incident. They even suffered a financial loss to give them a warning that messing with them was not an option they could choose without repercussions.

    He had mixed emotions about how to handle this person. Kazuya thought that everything would have been much simpler if she had told in in his previous life that they were friends before he lost his memories. Even if she didn''t want to claim something like that, she could have simply told him that she wanted to be his friend. He would not have thought as much as he needed to or avoid her as much as he did if she had done so.

    "Hello?" he reluctantly answered the phone.

    "Good afternoon Kazuya-kun. How are you today?" She sounded a bit nervous but she always would at the beginning. Kazuya found this amusing because this girl had always been afraid that he might reject her calls at any time.

    "I''m the same as always. I just finished training and will be going to be doing things with my mom after I get a little rest and get changed" He replied while he picked out the clothes he was going to change to.

    Even though her father wanted the two to become friends, they actually haven''t up after he had gotten discharged from the hospital. This was mainly because he learned that she had the intention of transferring to Sacred Forest Academy.

    He encouraged her and didn''t find anything wrong with this idea because she was an upperclassman in middle school in the same academy much like Shiroyukl Tomoyo. But what he didn''t know that his encouragement made her even more motivated to study. Kurumi had to settle for making phone calls and sending messages for the time being.

    "Did you call because you had some trouble with your studies again?" he knew this girl would make such excuses to call so he wasted no time and asked her. Kyouko had been a little troubled with work lately so he wanted to help his mother to have a relaxing day off.

    In his first life, Kazuya had a cell phone that he used to contact work or contact Mei. He really didn''t have anything much to use it for. A full charge on would usually last him a few days but it was quite the opposite in this life. He would sometimes have a difficult time keeping his phone alive for half a day and would have to use his mana to charge it up at school.

    *BEEP*

    "Huh?" his phone reminded him that he received a message as he was in a call.

    "What''s wrong Kazuya-kun? Did something happen?" Kurumi started getting nervous again.

    "It''s nothing. I just received a message" he looked at his phone and it was another one of the culprits.

    Kurumi was fond of giving him calls while this person stuck to her nickname as a ''robot'' and started sending him messages as soon as she learned how to use a cellphone by herself. These two, combined with Mei and Kyouko would make him thankful for being able to discover training intricate mana control so that he could charge his cellphone conveniently.

    "It''s not that important so you can tell me what you called me for" Kazuya decided that finishing this call was more of a priority so he decided to ignore the robot girl for now.

    "Well¡­ I have good news! I''ve finally passed the transfer exam and will be transferring to Sacred Forest Academy immediately!"

    .

 70 Troublesome Girl

    .

    *tug tug*

    Kazuya was sitting on his desk when a familiar tug made him realize that he had been distracted. He turned towards the girl who looked at him with concerned eyes. He had been quite distracted after he had gotten that call from Kurumi yesterday.

    "It''s nothing. Just thinking about a few things" Kazuya reassured her because this girl also turned out to be a worrywart.

    He heard all about her episode when he was well enough to get visitors. This robot girl was one of the first visitors he had because she needed to see him well and awake more than anyone else. She jumped on him the moment she entered his hospital room and almost took out the stitches he kept on for appearances'' sake.

    Kyouko who was present at the time couldn''t blame her after hearing from Jirou what happened. Kazuya''s circumstances made the robot girl have an episode as she got reminded what she witnessed when she lost her parents after seeing so much blood coming from Kazuya. The girl who hardly showed any emotion cried out loudly after confirming for herself that he was alright.

    *nod* she sat back down obediently.

    The two of them were still in the same sports focused class even though time had passed and occupied the same seats as well. Though they were already in a year and some months away from stepping into middle school, the only thing that changed about this girl was she had started to use her voice in a few situations.

    This had been incredible process because both he and his annoying friend Takaya almost gave up in trying to make her speak. Kazuya didn''t really know what exactly prompted it but he knew that it may have been because of what happened to him two years ago.

    "K-kouzuki-san!" a girl who looked nervous entered their classroom and tried to approach him. Her friends waited for her near the door and kept on encouraging her to do her best.

    "¡­" Tomoyo''s eyebrows twitched and stood up to and released some pressure which stopped the girl from getting any closer. This was also one of the aftereffects of the incident which made Tomoyo react like this for strangers that tried to approach him.

    "What is it?" Kazuya gestured to the robot girl that it was alright. There was really no need for her to act like this but it sometimes helped when he wanted to avoid talking to a people at times.

    "W-will you come to the Judo club today?" the girl even felt more nervous as she was being stared at the person who was well known to have been his faithful robot.

    Another side effect to the matter that happened between him and Lee being made public was that his identity had no longer been a secret. It wasn''t only that, people made him out to be some sort of heroic and filial hero who fought bravely during the championship and won while he was critically wounded.

    He couldn''t help but sigh at such romanization but people loved such tales. it was because of this that his popularity surged in their school and there was hardly any people who didn''t know who he was. As someone who wanted to stay low key, this was a burden as he had not planned for any of this to happen.

    "Hmm¡­" he thought about the girl''s question.

    With his training progressing smoothly, he expanded his thoughts after getting lessons from Jirou. He started thinking about learning more about different styles for fighting other than with a sword. He did get the basics of fighting with the usual style of Edea but like his swordsmanship, he realized that he relied on the advantage of his blessing and made himself believe that it was enough.

    Kazuya started trying out different martial arts and the easiest way he could do so was by visiting the various clubs in their school and getting tips from their instructors. It may have been a little of a stretch to get something like a master of the art to teach him like Jirou but Kazuya was only hoping to learn everything that he could from them so that he can integrate it into his repertoire.

    He was already a popular figure in school anyway so he just rode the flow and used it to his advantage. The instructors who heard about him were more than happy to agree to help such a brave kid and let him be a motivator to the other members. Some of them even tried to poach him away from the Kendo club.

    "No Kouzuki-san should go with the Karate club today!" one boy entered through the door at the back of the room and stopped at a distance where he knew Tomoyo wouldn''t mind.

    The people from the Judo club complained from the background. They asked him first and the boy had went alone to try and steal away Kazuya. The boy remained unmoved despite their objections. He believed that it would be a waste of time for Kazuya to be going to the Judo club because these girls would just tray to talk to him most of the time.

    "Whoa! It sure is lively here" a voice came from outside the room. The students quickly made way as soon as they saw who the person was.

    The students from Kazuya''s class however, was already used to this person from S class making himself comfortable in their classroom. They even left his seat empty most of the time because he would usually just go to their class whenever he had time to go to school.

    "You sure are popular as usual Kouzuki" he grinned at his friend. They had gotten a lot friendlier over the past two years as he dropped all pretenses when dealing with Kazuya. The only reservation he had left was when Tomoyo was present.

    "Why are you he¡ª"

    "He''ll be joining the basketball club later so all of you can leave" A voice interrupted him as everyone turned to look at the tall and intimidating girl with the same pin as Takaya had. Everyone was immediately intimidated by this tall beauty who seemed to a middle school student.

    "And you are?" Kazuya''s brows furrowed. He knew who this girl was because Kurumi hadn''t failed to mention this cousin of hers during their talks for the past two years.

    He remained indifferent because from Kurumi''s description and the previous people who threatened him with her identity, she was trouble. This was Stockton Maron, Kurumi''s older cousin who deliberately let herself get held back in school to stay with her cousin.

    "You¡­" Maron was a bit surprised at his lack of reaction. She might not have been present for all the times her cousin talked to him on the phone but she knew that Kurumi definitely mentioned her to him. She wanted to meet him before her cousin did so she deliberately let Kurumi oversleep so that she could get a step ahead of her.

    "I apologize but I have not met you before. I have no interest in basketball so there would be no need to me to go there. I will be intruding in the Karate club today so I already have an appointment.

    The girls who invited him looked disappointed but they stayed. They wanted to see who this girl was and what she was going to do after her invitation was rejected. Maron had not budged and acted as if he did not hear his invitation.

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    "You really don''t know who I am?" Maron looked at him suspiciously but could not discover and hint of him trying to pretend he didn''t know her.

    "I have quite the confidence in my memory so I am sure that this is the first time we''ve seen each other. I believe my friend here is the same. He does not seem to recognize you even though you do possess the pin that indicates you are from his class" Kazuya turned to the person in question to let him take over.

    "He''s right. I''ve met every single one of the people in S class for both 5th and 6th grades. I have not met someone like you before" Takaya had not been intimidated since they were indeed from the same class.

    Kazuya now understood why it had taken so long for these two to transfer over. The test for transferring to their school already had strict requirements but it was even stricter for those who wanted to be in S class simply because of how demanding the results they needed to keep being in the class.

    The Kurumi from his previous life was a girl who remained in the regular classes so she was definitely forced to do more than she had done previously in this life. It was a sort of improvement for her but Kazuya was well aware of her reasons for doing so.

    "It''s because I just transferred today. The name''s Maron, Stockton Maron. I have to say Ka-kun, I''m really quite offended that you don''t remember me" Maron ginned as she moved in to get closer to him but was immediately stopped by a girl with a swinging ponytail who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

    Even Takaya was a bit startled after hearing her name. Who wouldn''t know who the Stockton''s were. There also seemed to be an amicable relationship between the Kouzukis and the Stocktons ever since the incident two years ago so they couldn''t help but speculate why this girl suddenly acted all familiar with Kazuya. Only Kazuya had remained indifferent because he already knew who this girl was.

    "And?" Kazuya remained unmoved. He already put this girl in the same category as Ayame. She was the same type who was selfish and did everything that she wanted so he wanted to have as little to do with her as possible.

    Everyone watching really couldn''t help but raise their admiration towards their hero. He was one of them and he didn''t even give in to such an intimidating person. It looked like there would be another page to be added in his heroic tales as the amount of sparkles in the people''s eyes made Kazuya''s mouth twitch.

    "What do you mean ''AND?'' You should have realized who I am and how we are connected by now!" she felt annoyed after seeing his unchanging expression when she declared who she was. She would have grabbed and hit him by now but Tomoyo had been silently moving to prevent her from even being able to take a step forward.

    "I advise you not to move any closer. This robot girl does not listen to what I have to say especially when she feels that I do not want some people to get close to me" Kazuya indifferently said and turned towards the boy from the Karate club to give him a nod to confirm his invitation was acknowledged.

    "Why aren''t you answering me? You should know who I am by now right?" Maron continued to frown. "Are you going to keep hiding behind a girl? You call yourself a man?" she tried changing her approach.

    "Are you trying to be clever by taunting me?" Kazuya turned to her and warmly smiled. He found such taunts to be cute.

    "I''m just speaking the truth. Why hide behind a girl?" Maron grinned back at him.

    "You have an interesting perspective. Let me ask you a question then; What do you think would happen if you attack me?"

    "She would defend you"

    "Correct. Now what do you think would happen if she lets you attack me? This robot girl herself has never won a single bout against me you know" Kazuya''s expression hadn''t changed but everyone else''s did.

    The people present had gotten used to seeing Tomoyo preventing anyone they didn''t know approach Kazuya that they let the fact about him being the champion of the individual Kendo tournament ever since he started participating slip their minds. He was right. What was this girl expecting?

    "This¡­" What was she indeed expecting. This wasn''t the Ka-kun she once knew. Her expectations were a whole lot different from what was actually happening. He may have looked the same but he was like a person she never even met.

    The school bell had rung before Maron could answer. The fact that Kazuya had talked back to her and even made her speechless still hadn''t sunk in. She selfishly took the seat behind him and the poor occupant was forced to relocate to another seat.

    The day moved on like any other day aside from the fact that Kazuya always felt a stare from behind him. Maron observed his every move and even took interest in the different types of books he was reading.

    "(Art of War? Military Tactics? Psychological Warfare?)" She became even more confused. Why was he reading such things and why were the teachers not saying anything about it?

    "Is there no one who knows the answer to this question?" one of the teachers of the next class asked the students. She thought that it would be a good time to get this guy in trouble so she gestured towards the teacher to call for Kazuya.

    "Kouzuki-kun? Would you mind helping your classmates out again?" the teacher didn''t know why this new student was making trouble for the student most likely didn''t need to attend class to pass exams so he decided to show her.

    "Sure" Kazuya put the book down on his desk before walking towards the front to make quick work of the problem that stumped his classmates. This was actually a higher leveled equation that was supposed to be answered once everyone had learned how to do it in the current term.

    "Splendid! Thank you as usual Kouzuki-kun. If you ever need to convince your mother to have you elevated to an advanced level, then feel free to ask" the teacher praised and felt that it was a pity that he was stuck in a grade that only served to waste his time academically.

    "Thank you sensei but I understand my mother''s intentions. I may have gotten better at interacting with people but I still have not gotten rid of many of my old habits" he excused himself and walked back to his seat. Before he sat down however, he looked at Maron in the eyes and muttered "Childish pranks fit for a little girl" before sitting down.

    "Wha¡ª" Maron was about to grab him but she held herself back as soon as she saw Tomoyo''s gaze land on her. Had this been their old school, she would have already wreaked havoc after being insulted like that.

    She had been warned beforehand that the school had very strict rules. These rules were even stricter for members of the S class because they were supposed to be elite members of the next generation. Kurumi''s father had let Maron selfishly follow Kurumi to transfer but he set the condition that both of them must pass S class'' requirements.

    This was meant to be a way to control this troublesome girl''s personality. She would have to behave so that she could stay in this school because Sacred Forest Academy would not hesitate to revoke her status as a member of S class or expel her from school if she broke the rules that they were briefed about when they got accepted.

    "(Just you wait Ka-kun¡­ I''ll definitely get you back for this)" she glared at his back as her intentions were clearly felt by Kazuya who had grown a frown. He was indebted to Stockton Kurumi so he had to at least try to get along with her but this girl was another matter altogether.

    "(What a troublesome girl¡­)"

    .

 71 Welcome to S Class

    .

    Lunchtime.

    Maron made herself scarce before it was officially time for the break because her phone had been going off too much and she opted to answer it. Her departure loosened up the tension in the room as everything went back to normal.

    The relieved people from class 5-B didn''t know however, that Maron''s arrival was only the prelude of the true storm that was about to befall them. Kazuya was warned by the eye of the storm beforehand so he was already prepared to have a headache. He had actually prepared himself a long time ago but he was given two long years before the girl actually had gotten herself admitted to the same school.

    "Hey Kouzuki, did you know that today has been full of surprises?" Takaya wasted no time and immediately tried to open a conversation.

    "Do you mean that girl?" he turned to Takaya who was shaking his head.

    "No. Us members of S class have usually stopped by the classroom for members of the class so that we can check in. We don''t need to meet with the staff members because we use the pin that was given to us to activate the machine where it will confirm that it was us who used it. That room doesn''t really look like a classroom but more like a lounge for members of our class"

    "Rich people sure are weird" Kazuya commented. "What does it have to do with anything though?"

    "You hardly see anyone there because as what the S class members are most famous for is their absence. We just need to use that room to sign in and then sign out or in some cases, use the machine to ask some of the staff members to prepare the stuff we need" he continued.

    "Get to the point" Kazuya already started eating and really wasn''t interested in knowing more about such things.

    "I checked in this morning and you know what I found? Almost all of the members from S class were present. Even 6th graders were present as if they were waiting for something. I didn''t know what it was about but only after I heard the name of the girl who was here earlier did I understand" This time, Takaya''s explanation caught his interest.

    Kazuya pondered for a bit and gave a dry laugh. This was what Mei hated about this school. It looked like the members of S class were the people who were involved the most about these things. The arrival of the daughter of the head of Stockton International made all of them wait for her arrival.

    He hadn''t expected to encounter this sort of thing until he made it to middle school. It looks like either these children understood the concept of making connections with influential people or their parents made them do so. Either way, this was going to be Kurumi''s problem. She had Maron with her so he didn''t think there would a problem because from the way Kurumi described her, she was very protective of her.

    "Maron-chan! I can''t believe you actually left me at home while you went on ahead to meet Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi puffed her cheeks as Maron arrived to meet her in front of the school building.

    The boys who were passing by couldn''t help but stare at the two eye catching girls who were standing in front of their building. They wondered why they haven''t seen such students until now. Even though they were wearing S class'' pins, these two were not the ones they were already familiar with.

    "You can''t blame me, you were the one who couldn''t get to sleep because of excitement. It''s just going to another boring school" Maron laughed.

    "But you left me and went on your own! You made me come half a day late already! Dad called home and scolded me for oversleeping too¡­" Kurumi sighed. She really couldn''t put all the blame on her cousin since it was true that she couldn''t sleep after imagining different scenarios when she finally met Kazuya in person again.

    During their phone conversations, she would often ask him about random things like his preferences and such. Kazuya didn''t try to hide anything and answered most of her random questions. What Kurumi didn''t know that although he answered, his current environment would affect most of his answers since he really didn''t focus much when he talked to her.

    One example was when she tried asking him if he preferred girls who had long hair or short hair. Back when they were in second grade, she kept her hair short so she was disappointed when Kazuya that he preferred girls with long hair since he was with Mei at that time.

    "I know you''re excited to meet up with that annoying guy but you still remember we have to stop over that room everyday right?"

    "Yeah! Let''s go!" Kurumi couldn''t wait to see Kazuya so she urged her cousin to quickly get it over with.

    "I hope those annoying people aren''t there anymore" Maron murmured. She didn''t like the people who tried to suck up to her when she checked in for attendance. If it were her old school, she would have already beat them away but this school had too many restrictions that it made her feel troubled and worried for her cousin.

    "Annoying people?" Kurumi tilted her head.

    "You''ll see" Maron led the way and both of them entered the luxurious looking classroom that only looked like a classroom from the outside. The inside was like a VIP lounge that didn''t look the least bit like their other counterparts.

    What bothered Maron right away was that not only did the previous people not disappear, the number of people wearing S class pins increased instead.

    All of their eyes landed on the two girls who entered the room. Most of them stood up and walked towards the two to welcome them to their school. Kurumi immediately understood what Maron meant when she said ''annoying people'' as these kind of people were what her father wanted her to avoid when he allowed her to go to a regular school.

    Though these kinds of people weren''t at all nonexistent in normal schools, there were a lot more carefree people compared to this one. These students intentions were clear enough as the members of S class had a reputation for only going to school when it required them to do so or if they had their own agendas to attend to.

    Kurumi hid behind her cousin after they started introducing themselves. She felt extremely uncomfortable around these people. She could tell that they were not being genuine and their smiles were the same type of smiles that people flattering her father had.

    "She''s already late so move aside and let her check in" Maron didn''t care for what they thought. She already met some of them in the morning but could care any less about their intentions. She tried to push through the crowd and led Kurumi to the device.

    "I say, aren''t you being too overprotective Stockton Maron-san?" One of the girls who were sitting near the device spoke as soon as they came close. The two girls knew this person''s identity as she was always present when they attended banquets together with Kurumi''s father.

    This girl was called Muimina Ringo. The eldest daughter of Ringo corporation, one of the most popular companies when it came to computers and cell phones. They have been trying to collaborate with Stockton International so that they could release their products more conveniently internationally.

    "I have to agree. All we wanted was to politely introduce ourselves. We are in the same class so don''t you think you''re being too rude by simply brushing off your classmates?" A boy who was the same as Ringo, made his way through the crowd and stood beside her.

    Although he was not at the same level as Ringo anymore, it was only because of the events of the recent years that his family had undergone a setback. This person was known as Kurogane Suzaku who belongs to the same family that both the Kouzuki and Stockton families collaborated against.

    Maron of course was on guard against this person since they were already warned about dealing with people who had special influences before they transferred. This person specifically had motive to get back at them for letting his family experience such a setback. The Kuroganes were known to be very vengeful and would resort to means that were heavily frowned upon so she had her guard up against this person.

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    "Classmates? You lot? Do you take us for fools?" Maron frowned. Truly a model for both shamelessness and hypocrisy. The S class had never been assembled like this and they were not only of their grade. One would be a fool to believe such wordplay.

    "I have to agree with Suzaku-kun on this" Ringo spoke again. "We may have the reputation to be students who are the most divided but we do not fail to recognize people of our own circle. We gathered here to welcome the both of you and you seem to not put everyone in your eyes. Is this how a big international corporation sees us local companies?" Ringo frowned and looked at the rest of the students who seem to have become dissatisfied with the two.

    "Tsk¡­" Maron frowned. These people were truly of a different breed. She could be considered older than most of them but the way their brains worked were not as simple. All of them may not have been truly rotten but it only took one or two rotten apples to influence the lot.

    This was their first day and she already wished she could deal with them like she usually would. The two were successful in making them look like the bad ones. She only wanted to protect her shy and na?ve cousin and yet she could not help but consider giving into them to avoid trouble for now.

    *CLAP CLAP CLAP* the tense situation suddenly got a sudden interruption. Maron, who was about to give in, turned towards the crowd to see someone familiar who she did not notice before because of the cell phone hiding his face.

    "I have to applaud you people for ganging up on these two ladies. Truly my disdain for having to do anything with this class like the rest of you is not without reason" The boy stepped up. Maron recognized him because he was the one who stood beside Kazuya when she went to his class earlier.

    "Aoki Takaya, What do you mean by that?" Ringo frowned. She knew that this person was troublesome to deal with.

    "First of all, let me point out that you and Kurogane Suzaku do not have the right to refer to yourselves as classmates of us 5th grade S Class students. Was I not informed that both of you got held up a grade and brought shame to those who are known as elites?" he grinned. He actually didn''t want to participate in this but his friend gave him a reason that he couldn''t say no to.

    One, he could act cool in front of the Stockton girls and possibly save them. Two, he would owe Kazuya a favor so he immediately jumped at the opportunity because it was very rare that he could ask him to do something.

    "You¡­" from the others reactions, she could tell that they did indeed forget and just realized that the two were indeed not in the same grade as the Stockton girls.

    "Why are you trying to turn everyone against the Stocktons? Can you take responsibility for everyone else here if they really do retaliate after this ploy of yours to gang up on them goes south?" Takaya then turned towards Suzaku. "You of all people should know what happened when you touched the Stockton''s princess right?" he grinned mockingly.

    Suzaku couldn''t retort and just glared at Takaya. Their family had still yet to recover after Lee''s actions implicated them and he was well aware of how the Aoki family contributed to this. He felt wronged that his family had to pay for some bastard''s mistakes and the people who were involved didn''t bat an eyelid even if they were aware that it was Lee''s independent action.

    It was because of his intense glare that he noticed a small earpiece that was barely recognizable on Takaya''s left ear. This was the moment he realized that this boy''s appearance was suspicious and too coincidental. He was not part of the business scene but the entertainment scene. He may have been from an influential family but it was from a different category. He should not have been that knowledgeable about what happened to them.

    Suzaku''s suspicion was dead on because Takaya was not acting alone. Kazuya, who was eating peacefully with Tomoyo was providing him what he needed to point out while leaving his friend to use his skills to appropriately improvise with his presentation. This was indeed successful as Takaya''s acting skills made the people understand a bit about what they were doing.

    The rest of the S class students knew that even the mighty Stockton corporation wouldn''t be able to shrug it off if all their families worked together to make trouble for them. What Kazuya wanted to let them realize that even though they did gather together for the same purpose, they almost had little to no interactions with each other.

    It wasn''t only that, even though they come to a consensus, there would be no guarantee that their parents would. Come of them were even rivals of the same field so a united front against Stockton international would not only be impossible but also complete suicide.

    Some of the students silently dispersed and hoped that the girls wouldn''t look them up. The others that already introduced themselves, apologized before backing out. This left only Takaya, Stocktons and the duo who started trouble for them.

    "Like I said, a fruitless endeavor" Takaya shook his head and turned towards the girls. "You can check in without problems now" Takaya gestured towards Kurumi who smiled after confirming that there was indeed a piece of equipment in his ear. She felt happy and knew who was behind this.

    "Thank you to both of you" Kurumi whispered before letting Maron lead her to the device. Maron took another look at Takaya before giving him a nod and leading her cousin away.

    Takaya was satisfied after getting such approval. Even he himself felt that he had acted cool and saved two damsels in distress. This was much more satisfying since it was not an act. He turned to leave butSukazu was one step ahead of him and blocked his path before moving in closer.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya should be on the other end right?" Takaya tried to retreat but stopped when he heard what Suzaku had to say. He was planning to play it off since Muimina Ringo heard their conversation.

    "That''s right, it''s me" Takaya decided to play the part after getting confirmation and tried to imitate Kazuya''s voice and gestures.

    "Are you trying to monopolize Stockton Kurumi''s influence to your advantage?" Suzaku made sure to keep their voices down since he did not want the girls to hear their conversation. Ringo on the other hand moved in closer to hear what was going on.

    "Monopolize? Don''t bring me down to your petty thinking. I merely owe Stockton Jonson a promise and Stockton Kurumi a debt. I''ve helped her today so my debt with her is paid." Takaya was improvising using how he knew Kazuya so he couldn''t help but act overbearingly.

    The debt Kazuya meant was his failure to protect Kurumi from getting hit after he promised her that she wouldn''t get hurt. He was glad that he could write off this debt so soon and didn''t care what a guy from the Kurogane family would think.

    "I approached her to get a chance to soothe the relations between our families because of the incident with that idiot that had nothing to do with us. Are you going to keep that from happening because of our families'' past misunderstandings?" Suzaku never met with Kazuya before so he was quite irritated at how Takaya was acting.

    "As long as you don''t do it in a place where I am present then she would not be able to ask for help" Takaya was surprised at Kazuya''s reply since he assumed that he and Kurumi were friends after suffering through such an incident together. "But let me give you a warning"

    "Warning?" Suzaku couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. The only reason the Kouzuki Family had been able to make them suffer such damage was because of Stockton International. He felt that Kazuya was being too arrogant but still wanted to hear what he was about to say.

    "Don''t give me a reason to go against your family again. I am not Stockton Jonson, I don''t intend on stopping after a few skirmishes. I am not the type of person who will stop until my enemies have completely been taken care of"

    .

 72 Encounter

    .

    "Don''t give me a reason to go against your family again. I am not Stockton Jonson, I don''t intend on stopping after a few skirmishes. I am not the type of person who will stop until my enemies have completely been taken care of" Takaya didn''t know what Kazuya was thinking but he tried to deliver the message as best he can with a dominating atmosphere.

    "(Did he just threaten the Kurogane family?)" Ringo couldn''t help but put a hand over her gaping mouth. This Kouzuki Kazuya was quite bold to have just said such a thing.

    "I have no reason to be amicable with you since you are no stranger to the friction between our families. You claim that your family had no part to play in the attempt to kill me two years ago but your family also did nothing to stop or reprimand Hashiyama Lee after his mistakes have been discovered multiple times.

    Need I mention the gun used against me that was traced back to your household? Speak honestly, would the Kurogane family have reprimanded him if he had not been caught?"

    "I¡­" Suzaku could not speak. He knew very well that his family would do whatever it took to cover it all up. They might have even pinned the crime on Kazuya and killed Kurumi if they could have.

    "You talk big for someone who has the support of Stockton International" Ringo interrupted. She was disappointed at Suzaku for not being able to retaliate so she chose to intervene.

    "Who is the little girl talking? Err¡­ oops my bad" Takaya accidentally repeated the question Kazuya meant for him and looked down on the girl before realizing his mistake.

    "Her name''s Muimina Ringo, the eldest daughter of the Ringo Corporation. A member of S class of the 6th grade" Takaya held his ear and explained.

    "Little girl? You have a lot of gall calling me that from afar" she was of course irritated after being called a little girl by someone who was younger than her. She knew about Takaya''s talents so she knew that he definitely asked that question the same way Takaya had acted it out.

    "I have no reason to go to a place I''m not interested in. I assume you are this guy''s friend since you''ve collaborated with him earlier so because I don''t have anything against you, I would advise you to either discourage your friend if he has absurd ideas of taking revenge or steer clear from him if you discover he does" Takaya resumed his act and turned towards Ringo.

    "Like I said, stop being so arro¡ª"

    "I don''t need to explain myself to a little girl like you. The Ringo Corporation is not the Kurogane Conglomerate so I doubt Stockton International would make a move if you don''t involve their princess. I don''t care if you both team up but I have already given my warning. I''d like to enjoy the rest of my lunch so I hope you two are smart enough to know what to do" Kazuya broke off the connection that made Takaya sigh. He didn''t understand why Kazuya even provoked Ringo.

    "Aoki Takaya! Is that kid really like that!?" Ringo couldn''t help but stomp her feet in irritation after being treated like that. She was the eldest daughter and most likely successor to the Ringo corporation that she was named after. How dare Kazuya threaten and treat someone like her like this?

    "Yep. He''s really not a bad guy. The way he speaks tends to get on people''s nerves" he sighed again.

    "Are you really going to side by him?" Ringo looked at Takaya seriously. Both of them knew that she meant if he would stand with him if she were to go against Kazuya.

    "Let me give you a piece of advice ''senpai'', I''ve hung out with Kouzuki for a while and he has not failed to do whatever he said that he would do. It would be in both of your best interests to do as he said and do what you need to do with the Stockton girls when he isn''t around. That way he wouldn''t be compelled to act even if you apply pressure to them.

    It would not be wise to go against him because after I got to know him, I would dread to be in the opposing side of him" Takaya shrugged and turned to walk away without turning back. Kazuya instructed him to get out before the two could ask him to show them the way.

    "Huh? Where''s that boy?" by the time Maron finished teaching her how to use the device, there was no one left in the room. She let Kurumi try out the machine by herself since to make sure that she could do it by herself and checked the outside of the corner where the small room hosting the devices was.

    "All done!" Kurumi went out after the screen indicated that everything was set. She wanted to go to Kazuya immediately but as she looked for Takaya to guide them, all she found was a spacious room that seemed so stuffy just a while ago.

    Takaya successfully made it to the place where the three of them would hide from students. It was an empty room that used to be an old library before a new one was constructed. It was located on one of the top floors of the elementary department so not many students bothered to come. The key to this room was held by Takaya who used this room to study or rehearse his lines whenever he bothered to go to school.

    "About that favor¡­" he rubbed his hands together and looked at Kazuya like a debt collector.

    "It was but a small favor that you were also happy to accept. I''m not accepting any of the previous offers to play the parts you want me to play" Kazuya knew what this friend of his was thinking because he has never failed to try and convince him whenever he had a chance to.

    Kazuya was surprised that this guy, as carefree as he seemed to be was able to figure out why he asked to learn the Aoki family''s trade. Takaya had been a lot more intelligent that he was given credit for. Nevertheless, even if he started to trust this friend of his, he had no interest in actually joining the entertainment scene.

    "I''m not asking you to play the main roles I''ve asked you before" the grin Takaya showed made Kazuya instantly have a bad feeling.

    "Then¡­" his eyes narrowed and his presence even startled Tomoyo who was silently enjoying her lunch.

    "¡­" she looked at Takaya who she knew that made Kazuya accept and threatened him with her own presence as well.

    "I-I''m not going to let you two intimidate me with your bloodlusts!" Takaya didn''t know anything about mana but from all the books and movies he had to watch, he made the assumption that this was what he had felt.

    "Tsk¡­" Kazuya clicked his tongue. This used to work on Takaya before but he had slowly grown accustomed to it because he never actually did do anything to this troublesome friend.

    "It was a small favor a small part!" Takaya believed that Kazuya only needed to try and he would immediately have the interest.

    "What part? I really don''t like being in front of too many people" ever since realized that everything about him being a hero was a lie, Kazuya felt that he had disappointed all those people who believed in him. They may also have been fooled by the rulers of their kingdom or the high ranked clergymen but he felt that he had let them down.

    This made him feel uncomfortable when he was the center of attention. He was fine with the competition because he only had to focus on the opponent but awards ceremonies always made him feel a bit stifled.

    "I still haven''t decided! I''ll ask my parents if there are any ones that are a good match!" he was so excited that he jumped in celebration. "You don''t need to worry to much. I won''t deliberately make things hard for you"

    To Kazuya, he wasn''t comfortable about owing people debts. This was why he took the chance to repay the one he had with Kurumi. This way, he was able to repay it on his own terms. He was a bit relieved after getting a little consideration from Takaya though he was a bit skeptical.

    Takaya settled down as soon as he realized that he had yet to have any food. The three of them had a peaceful lunch together. This had been pretty much the usual for the three of them. Kazuya and Tomoyo would sometimes go to the cafeteria to eat but that was when they didn''t bring lunch and Takaya was not present.

    "Hey Kouzuki, why did you provoke them?" the sudden topic was raised.

    "I didn''t provoke them though. Besides, since I''ve been watching through your phone, I already noticed that the two of them had a relationship that was not just of acquaintances.

    "You mean they got together?" Takaya was a bit startled.

    "You forgot who I am. Our side has been expecting a counterattack for a while now. They are just biding their time and still recovering from their previous loss"

    "You mean a political connection?"

    "It wasn''t confirmed information until now. The Kuroganes have set their sights on the technological market and have been trying to thwart our family from getting a solid foothold on it even as they were trying to deal with the aftermath of the incident" Kazuya explained.

    "I see¡­ so they plan on joining hands with the Muimina Corporation with those two" Takaya really didn''t think much of it. For people like them, this was a common thing. He even considered the two of them to be lucky since they already know and get along with each other.

    "You''ve already had a glimpse of how they do things. I would eventually have to deal with them so I took the initiative since an opportunity presented itself" he knew that Takaya did not think like people of his age so he wasn''t uncomfortable discussing things like this with him. Their lives were basically those that would be exaggerated in the movies or stories he plays so there was little reason for him not to get it.

    "Yeah¡­" The two shamelessly tried to approach the Stocktons and even wanted to get along with them after what they just pulled. He was even worried that those two would try to pull something to get the girls to go against Kazuya so he knew that they had to be cautious.

    "Your family still plans on venturing into the technological scene while knowing that those two forces are working together?" Takaya found this strange. This was not something Kouzuki Kyouko would do. He had already done his homework about the Kouzukis because Takaya wanted to understand his friend''s situation better so this seemed inconsistent with what he learned.

    "No. We already have half a step in and mom decided that we would stay in that state until we get a chance. The news about the two joining hands in the future makes it harder for us to make a move compared to the past so things will remain as is for the Kouzuki Corporation"

    "Then why did you provoke Muimina Ringo!? Isn''t that just making things harder for your mom''s company?"

    "I said that that Kouzuki Corporation will keep the status quo. I never said anything about myself" Kazuya''s words shook Takaya. What was this guy planning this time? The expression Kazuya had on his face was something he had grown to fear. He was definitely up to no good immediately entered his thoughts.

    Takaya thought about it and found no way for him alone to affect things that were going on in the world of adults. He may have been an intelligent person whose schemes grew as time went by but Kazuya was still powerless to affect anything.

    "(Unless¡­)" cold sweat poured from the top of his head. There had been one incident that Kazuya had been involved in that moved the seemingly unmovable mountains and set a new playing field. It was the very incident that almost cost him his life.

    "Don''t think too much. Just wait and see" Kazuya smiled. He was appreciative that this guy worried about him but Takaya''s guess was considering the Kazuya of two years ago. He had already grown and learned a lot since then.

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    "I''ll cooperate with you but I want your word that you will not endanger your life for your schemes" he made himself clear. He was worried this friend of his would do something reckless again. He did not want to experience the same anxiousness he felt back then.

    *nod*

    Tomoyo who had been staying quiet moved in between the two to express her opinion. It need not to be said that she intended to protect him because she had been trying to do so ever since she got him back. To her, it was her responsibility to do so.

    "Are you guys worried about me or think that I can''t handle it?" he could only dryly laugh at their reactions. He felt a little happy inside and hoped that these two would never change but in his mind, he still saw them as children who would eventually open their eyes to the real world one day.

    "You''re probably the only person that doesn''t think that going against two powerful corporations by yourself is nothing" Takaya shrugged his shoulders. He knew that this friend of his had his own plans and he didn''t even bother to ask something so scary. "Stop changing the topic and say the words of guarantee"

    *stare*

    The two of them of course were no stranger to the promise of a member of the Kouzuki family. This was something that would assure them without worrying after all. All those who have broken this before were cast out the by family no matter who they were, they would lose the right to bear the Kouzuki name.

    "You guys win¡­" Kazuya raised his hands in surrender. "I promise in my name as a member of the Kouzuki Family that I will not do something that will cause my death in my struggle against those two members of S class and their families" he put his right fist on his chest and hit it before looking at his two friends in the eye.

    The two were finally satisfied. Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh inwardly after the two stopped thinking about it. Although he had understood how heavy the promises were when using the Kouzuki name, that didn''t mean that he couldn''t use wordplay. He was pleased that his ploy worked but was a little worried about the two''s sensitivity to details.

    The three of them finally went back to their classroom. Kazuya waited until the last second and only entered when the school chimes started sounding so that he could avoid dealing with the two transfer students for now. However, things have started getting complicated once again and it didn''t only mean it was for Kazuya.

    Tomoyo was the very first person to notice the quest state of the room as soon as she entered. The two boys were wondering why everyone in the class was looking at the robot girl. They only realized the cause of the awkward atmosphere when they followed Tomoyo''s gaze who started to release a small amount of pressure unconsciously.

    From the time they left for lunch, there had been one unique change in the room; A person was sitting on the seat that Tomoyo had occupied since Kazuya arrived. The seat Kazuya was occupying was left empty and so was the seat in front of him that belonged to Takaya.

    "Welcome back Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi smiled happily and waved at Kazuya that immediately made the room feel cold despite the unchanged expression on Tomoyo''s face.

    .

 73 Conflic

    .

    "Welcome back Kauyza-kun!" Kurumi whose smile was like the sun to the boys of class 5-B called out to Kazuya who seemed to have garnered a bit of enmity.

    Kazuya was not a stranger to this because this was what the past Kurumi caused him to experience during his time in middle school in his past life. It was fortunate that not every boy from the class realized that they were getting attracted to this weird and troublesome girl but that was the least of his concerns at this moment.

    "¡­" Tomoyo had released her presence unconsciously which made Kazuya feel a slight chill. It was rare for this girl to show any emotion, much less hostility.

    He could understand her being frustrated because he too had grown used to this girl sitting on his right side. He would have this quiet robot girl side beside him rather than this seemingly nosy and talkative girl who would only disrupt his learning.

    As Kazuya thought of a solution, Tomoyo wasted no time and moved towards her seat. She stopped right beside Kurumi and stared at her while waiting for her to move.

    "Hmm?" Kurumi tilted her head looking a bit puzzled. Maron on standby and was ready to move if ever there was a need to. "Siroyuki Tomoyo-san right? I''m pleased to meet you, my name is¡ª"

    "Move" a soft but mesmerizing voice suddenly silenced those who were whispering around. Everyone couldn''t believe what they had just heard and turned to look towards the pony-tailed girl who they had never heard speak before.

    "(This is a bit interesting)" Kazuya who was about to step in stopped. He did not expect Tomoyo to speak at a time like this.

    "Huh?" Kurumi was confused at the atmosphere including everyone''s reactions. One moment, the people all seemed to pay no mind to where she was sitting but the moment this girl spoke, it seemed like they were all expecting her to transfer as if it were the natural thing.

    From what Kazuya knew, these two never really had anything to do with each other in his previous life. They were like two sides of the same coin. Kurumi was like a sunflower whose personality was bright and radiated with a smile while Tomoyo was a moonflower who remined quiet, elegant and bloomed only when the presence of moonlight.

    Their paths crossed in this lifetime which could only be said that with their personalities, it was quite a surprising turn of events. The only similarity they both had in their past lives were their connection to Kazuya who was the one observing by the side this time.

    "My seat¡­" this confirmed to all those who were still skeptical about whether they heard anything or not. All of them assumed that Tomoyo was as she was called, a robot girl who didn''t have the ability to speak. They did not realize that this robot had been experiencing an upgrade after she met and hung out with Kazuya.

    "Oh¡­ I finally get it but¡­ didn''t you know that this pin gives us the right to sit anywhere?" Kurumi didn''t plan on giving the only seat that was next to Kazuya away. Although she did hear Tomoyo, from the reports she received, Tomoyo had been said to be a quiet girl aside from her beautiful voice, Kurumi thought that this was not a big deal.

    "¡­" Tomoyo heard it but remained unmoved. The coldness around her began to expand as both of them had no intentions of yielding.

    "Not necessarily" Takaya wanted to break the tension. "A person from S class only has the priviledge to ask for a seat they want to occupy whenever they choose a class to attend. The real occupants do have the right to refuse" he explained. He has been a member of the class for years so he was already very familiar with the rules.

    "This¡­" Kurumi was a little surprised. Takaya helped her out earlier and didn''t expect him to favor Tomoyo over her, she felt a little embarrassed.

    "Alright everyo¡­ huh?" Miyamoto entered the room and immediately felt tension in the room. It came from an unexpected source as there never had been an incident with Tomoyo but he immediately realized what was going on as soon as he saw the girl sitting in her seat.

    "G-good afternoon sensei. I''m a newly transferred student and wanted to attend class here but¡­" Kurumi greeted Miyamoto who just arrived awkwardly and glanced towards Tomoyo who was still waiting for her to move out of the way.

    "Ah the new S class students. The teachers have already received a notice about it" Myamoto acknowledged their presence. "You are free to attend this class id you want but please do not forget to follow the rules"

    Kurumi and Maron were speechless. They both didn''t expect that even the teacher would be on Tomoyo''s side. They heard about how things worked at the school and it had been accurate, there had been no incident where a student from S class did not get what they wanted because the students had been tactful enough to let them have their way.

    "Y-yes¡­" She turned away and instead sat down gloomily in the empty seat in front of Kazuya''s. This left Takaya with no choice but to move to the seat beside Tomoyo. She tried taking a glance at Kazuya who moved to take his seat after their teacher had arrived but what she saw shattered her fantasies of the events that should have happened today.

    *pat pat*

    Kazuya patted the head of the girl sitting beside him as if praising her for successfully making Kurumi vacate the seat beside his. She felt envious of this and felt even gloomier because she was supposed to be in Tomoyo''s position.

    Maron who was also watching from behind them couldn''t help but frown. This scene reminded her of the past where three of them hanged out together. Even though he lost his past memories, his old habits were still present but they were directed towards a new person. She felt that he was being too insensitive and if they weren''t in class, she would have already tried to teach him a lesson.

    Kazuya on the other hand didn''t mind the two''s gazes. He was feeling quite good because of the unexpected actions of this robot girl. She let out her voice in a manner that could be heard by various people. It was an achievement that came out of the blue yet it was an achievement nonetheless.

    Miyamoto looked at the situation and couldn''t help but shake his head with a sympathetic smile over Kazuya. This student of his has learned a lot for the past two years and given gave him a bunch of scenarios. However, those didn''t include this kind of situation and he focused more on telling him about dealing with a single woman. He didn''t think that he would have to experience this at this age.

    "(Sorry Kouzuki-kun. I thought you didn''t even need to think about this kind of thing this early)" he felt a little apologetic because these children are going to be in conflict while the person causing it will most likely deal with it in the wrong way.

    Though Miyamoto who proclaimed himself as Kazuya''s teacher when it came to women held on to a bit of hope. His student has changed through the years and he was not as nervous when dealing with the Kazuya anymore. He was more approachable than he was and although he still talked like someone who was older than he was at times, he had been growing to be more sensitive towards what he should say in a situation.

    Classes went through as intended in the afternoon. Kazuya spent most of his time reading different kinds of books as always and Tomoyo sat silently beside him and listened to the class. It was only after the final chime had rung that there was another change.

    *grab*

    Tomoyo grabbed Kazuya''s hand immediately after the signal to class sounded. Kurumi who was still feeling gloomy breathed in deeply only to turn around to a scene where Kazuya left the room while holding hands with girl who had been getting in the way of their reunion from the beginning.

    Kazuya didn''t mind getting pulled along because he had already gotten used to this. Tomoyo would do this whenever there were people trying to invite them over to their clubs. This would let him not deal with Kurumi at the moment so he did not object to the robot girl''s actions.

    "Are you going with me to the Karate club?" he asked her after they slowed down and he was set free.

    *shake shake*

    The Karate club and Kendo club were very close to each other so Tomoyo did not find a reason to do so. Her grandfather also taught her martial arts and she was not Kazuya who tried everything that interested him so she passed this time.

    Back in the classroom, a conversation had been taking place. Takaya was unsuccessful in following the two and was stopped by Maron who targeted him in the first place. What they now want was information that came directly from someone who was involved.

    "I say, I''m finding it more and more understandable that Kouzuki has no problem avoiding dealing with the two of you" Takaya spoke as he was starting to get annoyed.

    "Maron-chan¡­" Kurumi tried to convince her cousin to stop after seeing the annoyance on Takaya''s face.

    "What are those two to each other?" Maron ignored both what they said and focused on getting what she needed.

    "Is this how you two show gratitude? I really should have just minded my own business back then" Takaya shook his head and showed that he was not intimidated by Maron.

    "You¡­" Maron remembered what he did and felt a little guilty. She knew that she was indeed in the wrong.

    "I would have answered your question if you had done so in a proper manner" Takaya turned to Kurumi who felt ashamed of her cousin''s actions. "So I will refrain from answering anything until both of you learn how to do things the ''right'' way" Takaya moved past Maron who was trying to hold back this time.

    "One piece of advice¡­ both of you better not think that his place is like your old school. You may be part of an influential family but there are no shortages of them here. Your parents cannot protect or save you from the rules of the school"

    Takaya had not lied. Sacred Forest Academy had a record of not caring whether one was influential or not. If there were rules that were broken, there would be no exceptions if it were proven. This system may not be perfect but it gave those who were not as influential a sort of protection against those who were born with privileges.

    "Sorry Ku-chan¡­ I acted impulsively" Maron apologized after Takaya had left the room.

    "I understand. Transferring here needs some adjusting to. I was a little surprised myself so I think we need to think about a lot of things after today"

    "Yeah¡­" Maron agreed. Nothing that both of them wanted had gone as planned. "I still need to drop by the basketball club. What about you?"

    ""I¡­" Kurumi remembered what happened earlier and was a little afraid that some of the students that wanted to get close to her would come. "I''ll come with you and watch" this was what she had done in the past so she only felt that it was natural to do so. Both of them planned to ask Kazuya to try basketball and see if it would trigger some memories but they failed before they could ask.

    The two of them headed for the gymnasium where the basketball club was. Maron''s presence alerted those who were members of the team while Kurumi''s attention was drawn towards the wooden plaque across the gym''s entrance.

    [Karate Club]

    She looked around and noticed that there were hardly any people who weren''t involved in clubs remaining so she quietly went to peek at the club. An amazing scene immediately showed itself as there were various students laying on the ground.

    *BAM*

    "T-thank you for showing mercy" the boy who invited Kazuya to their club stood from the floor and tried to shake his hand despite the pain he was feeling.

    "Mercy?" Kazuya felt a bit puzzled.

    "For only using Karate moves. I know that you are versed with other forms of martial arts as well"

    "So it''s that¡­ You don''t need to thank me, it wouldn''t be fair if I was the only one who benefitted after you welcomed me to your club" Kazuya smiled at the boy for noticing this. He felt that what he had been doing would go unnoticed but this boy was rather observant to have caught on.

    Kazuya felt a gaze on him and glanced towards the direction to see Kurumi who tried to hide. She tried to calm herself but in doing so, she failed to notice her blond hair that could be seen from Kazuya''s direction.

    "Do you need something from me Stockton-san?" Kazuya was already done with practicing with the members. He wanted to talk to the instructor and ask him for some more insight but this girl had started her habit of following him around again.

    "(Looks like she was better at this in middle school)" he was the only person who could have made such a comparison so he let out a dry laugh before looking at the shy girl and comparing her to the cryptic version of herself who pretended to be interested in his amnesia instead.

    "T-thank you for helping me earlier with Aoki-kun" She bowed down politely and tried to hide her face. She wasn''t expecting to be noticed so she had no idea what to do or talk about.

    "I really got busted as expected huh¡­ Well I did owe it to you from my mistake last time so that should make us even" he didn''t beat around the bush. He really didn''t understand much about this Kurumi or the Kurumi from his past life. The only thing that he was able to confirm about them so far was that she was his friend before he lost his memories.

    When Kurumi heard that, she was a little happier. She never thought that Kazuya would still think about the experience they shared and would want to forget it but he saved her after feeling guilty about her getting hurt. This gave her a little warmth that Kazuya was not intending to give.

    "(Girls are so weird¡­)" he thought. Rather than understanding that he was only paying a debt and was not really saving her, she taken his words in a manner he couldn''t predict.

    "M-Maron-chan and I also didn''t expect to make such a scene earlier so I would like to apologize about that as well. Maron-chan told me how you rejected her offer to go to the basketball club but she''s not very good at explaining things" Kurumi tried to explain.

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    "Why the basketball club?" he didn''t think that there was a purpose.

    "We thought that m-maybe you can recover some of your memories after playing a bit. Y-you really liked to play so maybe¡­" Kurumi stopped as Kazuya''s smile faded and turned into a clear frown.

    "I see¡­ It''s really a pity" Kazuya shook his head. "Looks like your father''s efforts of asking for a condition had gone to waste" Kazuya stopped shaking his head and looked directly into Kurumi''s eyes.

    "Sorry Stockton Kurumi-san, we may not be meant to get along after all"

    .

 74 Faul

    .

    In the Stockton''s western mansion, Maron had just arrived. She was only able to read the message that Kurumi went on ahead of her after she successfully took over the basketball club. Her previous mood turned good after she met and discovered many talented teammates so she couldn''t wait to tell her cousin about it.

    "Maron" the familiar voice called her after she passed by the living room stopped her on her tracks.

    "Uncle Jon? Why are you home so early?" She felt a bit puzzled since he was supposed to be busy.

    "I made some time to ask how your first day after transferring went" he frowned. "Looks like it didn''t go as expected? I have just arrived myself and received work that Kurumi locked herself in her room again. What happened?"

    Maron didn''t intend to keep it a secret and told him everything that happened. Jon was a bit disturbed at how aggressive the other students of S class were but he understood their intentions. Especially the two who tried to instigate a conflict. They were quite brave children to orchestrate something like this.

    Jon couldn''t really interfere too much since this was a matter that involved children alone. He instead saw this as a chance for Kurumi to get used to the atmosphere. She was his only heir after all. Maron was confined with the strict rules of the Academy so she would need to find a way to deal with such people soon.

    "Can you call Kurumi? I think something else should have happened for her to leave without saying a word" Jon asked one of the servants who immediately left for Kurumi''s room.

    "Dad¡­" Kurumi gloomily entered the room.

    "Maron already told me most of what transpired. Can you tell me what happened after you left her to join the club?" Jon tried to comfort her by patting her head. This action made Kurumi a little gloomier because she couldn''t help but remember Tomoyo who had been at the receiving end of Kazuya''s patting.

    "Kazuya-kun said that¡­ we may not have been fated to get along after all¡­" her eyes became moist as she repeated his words.

    "WHAT!?" Maron didn''t expect that Kazuya would have been this cowardly to approach her cousin while she hadn''t been around.

    "Keep calm Maron. I want to know exactly what happened. That boy must have had a reason for this" Jon stayed calm. His knowledge about Kazuya was not limited to what these girls knew. From his understanding of him, he shouldn''t have done something like this without a good reason.

    "I was¡­" Kurumi didn''t understand what happened either. She locked herself in her room trying to think about what she had done wrong aside from trying to take away Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s seat. Her father was a lot smarter than her so she didn''t hesitate to tell him what happened and hoped that he could tell her what she did wrong.

    "So that''s what happened¡­" Kurumi finished her story after Kazuya turned around and didn''t look back at her direction even once after that. He also gave no reply after she mustered up her courage to ask him what she did wrong. Maron couldn''t help but think that he had been too mean to her and wished that he was right here so she could beat him up.

    "I see¡­" Jon sighed. He really couldn''t put the blame on Kazuya after hearing what happened. Rather than being upset at him, Jon''s impression of him grew more.

    What happened made Jon even more convinced that he was indeed the perfect candidate to be Kurumi''s friend because unlike those who coveted a connection with Kurumi and their family, Kazuya couldn''t care any less and threw the potential connection without batting an eyelid. He was not like those who would pamper and cling to his daughter because of her status.

    "Uncle! Ku-chan did nothing wrong! I want to beat that guy up!" Maron stomped her feet and looked at Kurumi who stared at her with eyes that didn''t agree.

    "No, you''re wrong Maron. Kurumi only has herself to blame for this" Jon stood up and led them to his study before turning on the computer that was on his desk.

    "Uncle what do you mean by that?" Maron was getting impatient and so was Kurumi who followed because she was curious about the answer.

    "I applaud that boy, to be honest. He chose to be patient and show gratitude by getting along with you for two years Kurumi. I also hoped that you would be able to convince him by yourself which was why I asked his guardians for such a promise when he was at the hospital"

    "What do you mean dad?" This time it was Kurumi who reacted. Maron fell silent and tried to think about what he meant.

    "He gave you a chance but you failed. Simple as that. You of all people should have understood since you were with him back then but you forgot" Jon turned the screen around and played the video that reconnected the two together. He began to play it near the end when Kazuya was being stopped by Kurumi from going out.

    ["To an amnesiac like me, I am more sensitive to their anxiety more than anything. I can''t do anything about my lost memories¡­ All I can do is work hard so that they can accept and realize that the new me is much better than the old one"]

    His words from two years ago immediately made the two girls understand what went wrong. Kurumi was indeed in the wrong. She spent two years trying to get along with him under the assumption that she had always been his friend. These words made her understand why he chose to end their connection the moment she told her why they wanted him to try visiting the basketball club.

    "It was my fault¡­" she clenched her fists and felt guilty. The resentment she felt towards him should have been directed at herself instead.

    "It''s good that you understand" Jon gave his daughter a warm smile. He too felt a bit guilty since he knew that he had pampered this daughter of his too much. She needed to start learning how to understand people more so that she would be able to choose trustworthy people to accompany her in the future.

    "What do I do dad? I¡­ don''t think apologizing will make things any better"

    "Sorry. I already helped you solve this one problem but I have to leave it up to you to solve it. You are my daughter and it''s about time I start letting you figure out and solve things on your own for the future" Jon patted her head before leaving the room. He would probably give in and help her if he saw how troubled she was so he simply left.

    "!" Maron was dumbfounded. Her uncle would usually give Kurumi all the answers. She wondered what happened to him to leave Kurumi to solve her own problems.

    -

    Downtown, Inside one of the restaurants in an upscale hotel, a dinner between two families were taking place.

    On one side was Muimina Ringo and her parents, on the other was Kurogane Suzaku accompanied by his aunt; Kurogane Nagisa. The two families started to regularly have meals like this so that they would not forget the agreement and connection that both families started with each other.

    The Kurogane Conglomerate may have suffered these past two years but their influence still couldn''t be denied. They were on the way back up with the help of Ringo''s parents and their Corporation that had been widely been popular in the country for a couple of years now.

    "How was your visit to the school today? Were both of you able to clear the misunderstanding with that Stockton girl?" Nagisa opened up a conversation. Both families suggested that they get a connection with Kurumi so that they could both clear up the past misunderstanding and potentially use that connection in the near future.

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    Suzaku and Ringo both frowned after being asked that question. The adults of course had not missed anything and looked at them wanting to hear their explanations.

    "We were unable to get in her good graces¡­ sorry aunt" Suzaku apologized.

    "It was not that we didn''t try but our approach was interrupted by people who seem to have other motives" Ringo followed up before Nagisa could speak. She knew that this person was only here because she had been the only one in the Kurogane Family that had time to spare.

    That didn''t stop Nagisa from doing what she wanted in the least. She would often scold Suzaku if she had the chance to which Ringo did not like. Though that was the case, she had been tasked this by higher ups of the Kurogane family so they could disrespect here because that would mean disrespecting the Kurogane family as well.

    Suzaku''s parents were stationed overseas to make sure that their companies products would smoothly transition without any problems but it was a slow process because they lacked the proper connections for it. Having good relations with Stockton International was beneficial for both companies since the Ringo Corporation has been eyeing the international market for some time now.

    "Interrupted? Who dared intervene?" Nagisa''s eyebrow twitched. She wanted to know who had been reckless enough to go against their plans.

    "Aoki Takaya was the one that physically interrupted but it was Kouzuki Kazuya who was directing his actions" The two names Ringo mentioned immediately raised even her parent''s attention.

    "That kid¡­" Nagisa''s frown deepened. She was still bitter over the last time she met with Kouzuki Kyouko. She was publicly shamed and ever since then, she had been assigned by the family to do errands like this so that none may be able to repeat the same insults towards them again.

    "Did he do it so that he can monopolize his family''s connection to them?" Ringo''s father directed the question towards Suzaku. He was a bit displeased that the boy needed the help of his daughter to handle someone like Nagisa so he gave him a chance.

    "I don''t think that would be the case. He encouraged us to try again only¡­ he asked us to do it in a way that Stockton Kurumi wouldn''t have to get him involved. He didn''t give Ringo any face even after knowing who she was and even threatened both of us and our families to not think about ever going against him" Suzaku clenched his fist and played the part. He wanted to deal with Kazuya but it would be better do it with the help of Ringo''s family.

    "Is this true Ringo?" her father asked her with an eyebrow raised. He knew about the feud between the two families so it and he already suspected that Suzaku was trying to use them to help them with their revenge.

    "Yes. He said that he doesn''t care even if both families team up. That boy even said that as long as our family doesn''t involve their little princess, Stockton International wouldn''t move a finger to help them if ever we decided to go against the Kouzuki family ourselves" Ringo confirmed and followed up with what Suzaku said. She was also displeased with what happened earlier so they changed the warning into a threat.

    "What an arrogant kid" Ringo''s father was rather displeased. Their family may not have been one of the oldest and most reputable but he was proud that he would be able to stand on par with them if it came to current prestige.

    "Like mother like son it seems" Nagisa chided in. "He sure can talk just because that little girl was unlucky enough to be involved in the last incident. To not know his place truly is like that shameless mother of his"

    "I have to disagree" Ringo''s mother who had been silent all this time spoke up. "I find the boy interesting and think that his words are more of a warning than a threat" she looked at Suzaku directly in the eyes which startled the boy. "Suzaku-kun did mention that Kouzuki Kazuya said ''if'' we think about going against him"

    "He''s still a cocky little brat. What does he know? He''s but a kid who still has milk on his lips" Unlike his wife, the father was definitely displeased at what Kazuya had said.

    "Don''t do it dear. He is the heir of the Kouzuki Family. Although we may not fear them, the sheer backlash of going against them will not bode well for us since we do have collaborations with companiesthat have close ties with their family through Kouzuki Kou"

    "Hmph! I''ll just make sure that his Kouzuki family won''t ever have two feet over the line in the technological industry" his declaration put a smile on Nagisa''s face. The son Kyouko was so proud of just ended up crippling her chances of expanding her business even more.

    It was thanks to the Muimina family that the Kurogane family had a smooth transition to the technology industry. Through their cooperation, it was mostly because of Ringo Corporation''s efforts that Kyouko had been stuck in her current progress right now. Kazuya was aware of this that was why he did not hesitate to tell Ringo that he was not afraid of going against them.

    "Speaking of which, how do you plan on dealing with them?" Nagisa wanted to hear more so that she would be prepared the next time she met with Kyouko.

    "I''m eyeing a few companies that have been growing these past few years. After acquiring some of them, I plan on integrating the innovations they made and make it exclusive to Ringo Corporations products"

    "That would be a great idea. I use your products so I am interested in what new features you will be adding to your products" Nagisa flattered. She didn''t even remember if what she was using was one of Ringo Corporation''s cell phones or computers.

    "One of them was featured on the news lately. That AI character that is going to be released soon. That company focuses on things that were never considered but they are surprisingly popular"

    "Oh? Which company is it?"

    "It''s a new company that has been around for about a year or two. Kazuno Technologies is what I believe it''s called"

    .

 75 Caution

    .

    The next morning, at the New headquarters of Kazuno Technologies, a few heads of the research department and some people from the security department were sitting on the conference room. They were waiting for two people to join in. The mysterious CEO who barely shows up and the even more mysterious owner of the company who hasn''t showed up since the company began.

    "Hey Matsumoto, do you think Winter''s going to show up?" Matsumoto Kippei, otherwise known as Void Android was asked by the head of network security who was known in game as Squid God.

    The two of them have been with the company since the beginning. Even though they preferred to bury themselves in their works, they were very concerned about the company, especially when it involved their benefactor and the future wife that he left to take the lead.

    "Probably not. It''s already rare enough that he joins conferences like these. He''s a research nut like me so he''ll only show up when he really needs to. I wouldn''t even be here if it weren''t needed" he replied.

    The pioneer members of the company were still very much interested in Kazuya but from the start of the company to the present, their schedules have not allowed them to have time to be distracted. The passionate workers Kazuya was able to recruit, completed their tasks non-stop and helped the company grow at a pace that even Kazuya had not expected.

    They assumed that Kazuya had buried himself in research because he was always one of the main contributors to all the research projects that were released. He always played a key part while taking none of the credit for everything they released which everyone found strange.

    Since Kazuya had taken care of some of the key parts of their research, he felt no need to take the credit away from the original developers. This was the reason why he remained in the background while helping them with the projects they would eventually complete even if it weren''t for his help.

    Due to his help, people were free to help with the other researches which increased the productivity of everything they had been working on. Of course, the main projects still needed to be perfected and their releases needed to be timed correctly so the company had been releasing some of their minor projects which have been gaining popularity that no other company had expected.

    "Hey Mame-san, how about you? Have you met with the big boss? and I don''t mean the CEO" Squid God who was known as Muni Ika in the real world asked one of the security employees that were with them as they waited. "I heard that most of the members of the special security personnel were tested by him"

    "I have but¡­ I cannot disclose anything about the young master" Mame shook his head. It was already a known fact that Kazuya had been young but only the ones recruited by Kazuya knew who he was. This gave them a sort of superiority over the researchers who were supposed to be recruited by him as well.

    "Damn¡­ Winter is really a thorough guy. I wonder if I should just hack him" Ika grinned. He was usually busy with handling the systems, helping with the programming or goofing off with games so it was only at times like this when he wasn''t on the game with the Kazuya did he think about his real identity.

    "Don''t do it. You''ll only get yourself in trouble like last time" Kippei warned this former hacker friend of his.

    This impulsive guy tried testing the waters and attempted to infiltrate the server that Kazuya used to send large amounts of research data to the research center. He was curious as to where Kazuya was doing his work so he tried tracing the source of the information but the system found out before he could do anything and Ika almost got his personal computer fried.

    [Get Back to Work] was the message appeared on his screen before his computer really broke down and it made him learn his lesson to not mess with the big boss.

    Of course, this was also his own handiwork from Kazuya''s past life. This was one of the most ruthless anti-hacker programs that he sold to one of the biggest security firms in the world. It was what protected Kazuya''s connection and the main files of their company. It would not have been that merciful if the connection came from an unknown source.

    "Ugh¡­ aren''t you curious? Winter has been responsible for most of the successes of all the main projects while still being in school. I don''t think even I would have the time to develop such a ruthless security system while doing all that research and attending school at the same time" Ika raised a point which made Mame look up to Kazuya even more.

    "(You guys are going to faint if you find out how old the young master is and his capabilities in martial arts as well)" he tried holding back a laugh.

    "No one should be more curious than me. You should know that when everything started, I was the very first person who joined him out of curiosity. I would probably still be locked up in my old apartment trying to make sure a cup of ramen would last me for a day if I haven''t come across winter and Autumn that day" he reminisced.

    Two years had already passed since they met. No one expected that a bunch of people who met up in an online game would successfully form their own company. Most of the researchers have already lost hope when they stubbornly held onto their respective projects that were deemed unprofitable but the appearance of one ''Winter Fog'' changed the course of their lives forever.

    "You haven''t asked him to meet yet?" Ika asked. If there was one person in their group who could make Kazuya meet them then it would be Kippei.

    "I asked at last year''s end of the year gathering. It took a little while to make him come clean but the real reason he can''t attend such gatherings is because of his mother. The big miss has already confirmed it as well. Her mother-in-law doesn''t let her son go during that time"

    "For real!?" Ika who couldn''t believe such juicy gossip had eluded him for a long time reacted. Before he could ask for more details however, the doors of the conference room opened and Mei who had just arrived came in with her assistant who everyone was most familiar with as the one who has the most authority when Mei wasn''t present.

    "Apologies for the wait" Mei looked at them with her usual cold demeanor before sitting down at one of the two seats at the head of the long table.

    *Blip Blip* she immediately pressed a series of buttons on the table in front of her and the chair beside her started to make sounds. A hologram appeared soon afterwards which showed the character avatar of Winter Fog who every researcher was familiar with.

    "Is everyone finally here?" the avatar that represented Kazuya looked around the room and confirmed that everyone that had been called was present.

    He was currently inside his storage room turned research space located in the Kouzuki Household. The technology he was using was a prototype that they were developing that was designed for disabled children or those confined in the hospital to be able to attend classes at a regular school from where they were.

    Kazuya used the appearance of Winter Fog to appear because they have still yet to develop the system to replicate one''s complete appearance. This was also the most recognized appearance of him to the researchers so he simply used this form.

    "I hope everyone has been well these past few days. The release of the ''Rucy-chan Project'' is almost here so I hope that everyone is looking forward to this as much as me" Kazuya spoke. His image was being broadcasted throughout their building so everyone paid attention since it was rare for them to hear from the real person behind the creation of Kazuno Tech despite it being named after their CEO.

    "I''m here today to talk to everyone about the recent incidents that I have gotten word of. This should not have been an issue because all of you are well aware of the contents of the contracts that you have signed to join the company. I am here to give everyone a report on the current situation because I expect that this matter will most likely escalate" Kazuya turned towards Mei to take over the broadcast.

    "Good morning everyone. As all of you are aware, our company has been growing at an unexpected pace. While it is good news for this to be happening, it does come with a few troubles. With our fame rising, the big companies have started to turn their eyes towards our direction.

    Yes, they are the same companies that have labeled the projects which made our company grow ''unprofitable and useless''. These companies have already tried prying into our company''s projects and capabilities. While all of it is indeed normal, some of them have already been trying unscrupulous means to gather information about our main projects.

    One such example is with the research head of the Rucy-chan project. Though we encourage those who want to be known for their accomplishments to step up whenever there is a release, please be reminded that letting your name be known will also attract this sort of attention" Mei turned towards Kippei who turned towards the camera that had shifted towards him.

    "I have been receiving calls from numbers that are both familiar and unfamiliar to me recently. Those who I am familiar with were the ones that I have once in the past memorized. I memorized them because at some point in my life, and I''m sure that at some point of my other colleagues'' as well are the numbers we''ve waited on when we were waiting for our inventions or research work to be evaluated.

    These were the numbers that made me wait anxiously for weeks to months only to receive a call telling me that I should give up on my life''s work and find something else that is more useful or profitable to society.

    These people have tried contacting me after recent attention that my project had gained ever since it''s announcement and demo. Some of them tried inquiring about the company and some of them even tried to blatantly asked how much it would take for me to take my project and move it over to their company. I find these people repulsing and I feel insulted that they would think that I would just take their offers after what they said to me and how they judged my research that is now getting the attention it deserves.

    Most of you already know me here. I have been one of the very first people who joined before the company officially existed. I may not think I''m a very good person but I am not an ungrateful person. I don''t need the contract to remind me that I would never join them no matter how much they offer" Kippei finished and turned over to Mei who had been surprised at how passionate and serious he had been. Kazuya told her that most of the people he recruited from the game were from the ''visions'' he had of the future so this gave her a lot to think about.

    "This is not a single incident but one of the many that we have been hearing with for the past couple of weeks. Even some of the project heads responsible for our previous releases were approached by such people.

    We are informing everyone of this because we want you to be prepared in the event that they ever try and approach you to initiate such transactions. This reminder is also to congratulate everyone, we had done it, we have proven them wrong and the work and passion that everyone here has been ridiculed for in the past was not useless as they have declared.

    Our company will continue to grow and it will not be long until we are able to stand in line with those companies by using the research they had deemed unprofitable in the past. This has been one of the goals that the people that started this company set and we are on the fast track to completing them. We want everyone to be able to stand by their own creation and tell the companies that shunned them that they were wrong and look enviously at the company that was created to cater to passionate researchers such as yourselves.

    With that, we have implemented additional security measures that will be discussed by a leader of your group and department in the coming days. We have also placed additional people and functions in the living space that the company has for our researchers. Please do not be afraid to inform any of your leaders or security personnel if you have experienced or encountered some of these incidents.

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    Thank you for all your hard work and we hope that there won''t be any people that would be blinded by greed enough to break their contracts" The broadcast ended with that and everyone in the room was finally able to relax.

    "Good job Kazuno-sama" Yumi who come with Mei served a glass of water. She was not a stranger to existence of Kazuno Tech because Mei had already informed her that she would be taking over her position as Kyouko''s support.

    Yumi was initially shocked to find out that the person she idolized was going to leave her post. It was only until Kazuya agreed to share the secret with her that she understood why Mei was doing it and calmed herself. She found out that the evaluation she gave Kazuya on her mind was underestimating the capabilities of her young master. She was flattered that Kazuya had agreed to let her be Mei''s successor while also sharing the secret that only Mei had known.

    "Thanks" Mei took a sip and turned towards the hologram. "Now then, what do you plan to do?"

    "First of all, I''d like to inform everyone here about my recent discoveries. Although we shared the incidents happening to give them a vague reminder that we are aware of the bribes going around, I''m not really worried about major information leaks because the levels of secrecy are quite strict. They would only dig themselves a deeper pit if they reveal identities or even more sensitive information.

    I''m here to remind everyone to remain vigilant because there is no limit to human greed. It can turn close friends and even families against each other. I am sure that even if people are aware of the consequences of breaking the contract, sweet words from companies offering enough money and the guise of protection will be enough to sway some of them to think that they will be safe enough" Kazuya spoke and turned towards everyone slowly. The members attending the conference were the people leading their own teams so they would be able to pass on the message.

    "You don''t need to worry about the security here young master. You can count on us" Mame declared. He looked up to Kazuya the most so he spoke with confidence and honesty.

    "Oh believe me, anyone who betrays the company will find out that the repercussions of breaking their contract would be the least of their worries"

    .

 76 Caution 2

    .

    "Oh believe me, anyone who betrays the company will find out that the repercussions of breaking their contract would be the least of their worries" the smile on the Avatar that Kazuya appeared in sent shivers down the backs of Mame and Ousame.

    Ousame was the person who led the delinquents to beat Kazuya up two years ago. He approached Sawada Matsuri, who was the mother of the former captain of Kazuya''s kendo club to make her daughter lead him to a secluded place to fulfill their plans.

    When these delinquents found out that Ousame had started working for Kazuya, they gave him a reminder to never think about betraying him. They repeated the exact words that Kazuya said that day. Kazuya''s words today made him understand that the contract was merely a means to make people hesitate about betraying the company. The real punishment was when he actually got his hands on them.

    "That being said, I want to inform everyone more details about the incidents that have been happening" he turned towards Mei since she was the CEO. His presence here was only to make them take this seriously because the two of them rarely made personal appearances. Both of them attending a meeting was a reminder that they took this matter seriously.

    "Though there are various big companies that have been trying to gather information about us, not all of them have bad intentions. There are some that are offering collaborations while there are some that are intending to buy us out.

    In the business world, this is not uncommon. The big companies always try to devour the small companies while they take all the good parts and discard the rest. A bigger company doesn''t always mean a good thing. The first thing that they will do if they acquire our company is retain the name for the sake of the current employees while they evaluate the projects they deem will be profitable while slowly replacing the people they think will not be of use or simply re-assign them to projects they would be useful in" Mei explained.

    "Most of the researchers here know why I risked making this company. That is why I would rather let this company go bankrupt than to leave it in the hands of those who only know how to decide whether something is profitable or not" Kazuya followed up. This was to make everyone understand that even if Mei was from the business scene, he wouldn''t let her have her way if she considered things like those from the same world.

    "Although there are various companies that have taken an interest towards ours, I only need to mention the most important ones. There are currently three types that we''ve taken attention to, those that are trying to gather information, those who are interested on collaborations or integrations and those who are merely trying to take over.

    Those who are trying to collaborate with us or have already collaborated with us are Atomsoft, KIMPARK, SUNY, and gaming companies that are interested in the technology that Matsumoto Kippei-san developed that involves Rucy-chan and how she works. We might start collaborating with them once negotiations are successful.

    Those who are trying to gather information about us however are pretty big companies such as Stockton International, Wawey, Shao Me, the Kouzuki Corporation and a few others who have only been keeping their ears open. They are trying to get to know our company more before they try to decide what to do next. Depending on what they learn, they will either make a move or keep on staying neutral.

    Lastly, the companies that we have found that are responsible for trying to poach our employees, learn our secrets or have plans to take over the company are the Kurogane Conglomerate, Drumpf Organization and the Ringo Incorporated. The second one is more interested in our real estate but they are still trying to poke their noses to where they don''t belong"

    This news came as a surprise because they never expected to gain the attention of such big companies. Some of them were even international companies while some are those that dominate the country''s market. What they paid more attention to the most however were the ways these hostile companies have been trying to infiltrate their company.

    A lot of people trying to sneak in have already been apprehended by the security. What the outside companies were not aware of was how much time Kazuya had spend designing a system that would be hard for people to infiltrate. Even those who were trying to pose as food delivery would only be able to make it as far as the reception desk even if they really were called or not.

    "Hey boss, how about you let me do some reverse infiltration on their companies" Ika made a suggestion. He and his team were the first line of defense while the secret system that he would have developed in the future was the last means of protection. Kazuya designed it this way so that this employee of his that couldn''t stay still would have things to keep himself busy with.

    "As long as you can guarantee that you won''t leave any traces and do it without using any of our company''s systems then you can do what you want in your spare time" he tacitly agreed to the suggestion since he had been listening to their conversation way before Mei arrived.

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    "Are we just going to let them keep trying to infiltrate our defenses?" Kippei was concerned that some people would eventually give in to greed and betray them. He was outraged by the news ever since he knew about it and he was not the only one.

    Mei was satisfied with their reactions. She was worried that they would be tempted because of how demanding their contracts were so seeing them react as such made her feel a little relieved over the matter. She had a plan to thwart their competitor''s plans but it would have been for naught if most of their employees wanted to jump ship.

    "Do you think I would be the type of person to let anyone try to bully us just because we don''t like to mingle with the crowd as we continue our success?" Kazuya turned towards Kippei.

    This made him feel like he asked a stupid question. Winter Fog has been their guild leader in the game and as the guild''s vice leader, he of all people should know how he handles things. The big guilds who try to poach their members or try to make things difficult for them for not complying to their requests would only end up running whenever they would see their guild.

    "Though we do trust our own employees, I would like the help of the department heads to make sure that everyone knows how to handle such problems if they are approached by individuals whether or not they claim that they are from those companies. We will take additional security measures on our end and want to make clear that we will not be lenient on any people that choose to break their contracts" Mei reminded. They were at a very sensitive time right now and their company''s future will depend on the success of the major projects they will be releasing.

    "We will handle the matter about the counter-attack so I hope that everyone will coordinate with the security team on how we can prevent information from being leaked. Mine and Mei''s identity are one of those secrets let me remind you. Her current status is as most of you are aware of, one of the members of companies that have been observing us and waiting for information" This was the question that had been on some of their minds when they heard the name of the Kouzuki corporation because when they looked Mei up, her name was synonymous to Kouzuki Kyouko, the owner and CEO of the Kouzuki Corporation.

    "I''m sure that most of you are hesitating to ask it because of my position here but I assure you that while I am the assistant of the Kouzuki Corporation''s CEO at the moment, I have been making preparations for a peaceful transition over here. This girl who came with me will be taking over the position there" She presented Yumi who bowed respectfully at them.

    "Make no mistake, Mei is one of us. I also will not hide it from you that we have been thinking about collaborating with the Kouzuki corporation in the future because they are the most reputable company out there that we can collaborate with" Kazuya followed up after Mei. The researchers were not aware of his real identity yet but those who were, knew that the Kouzuki Corporation would rise up as soon as the secret was revealed.

    "Are there any questions for me? If not, I would be leaving the rest to everyone who is in charge. I still have classes and I am already running a bit late" he turned to look at everyone who remained silent. He nodded before looking at Mei who showed a rare smile in front of everybody.

    "Take care, You can leave everything to me. I''ll be seeing you tonight" Mei grinned at him. She didn''t care what everyone else thought, but she had recently started a new habit that would test Kazuya''s reactions.

    Kazuya maintained a poker face because he was still in front of everyone. He didn''t know that everyone was very envious to have heard those words from such a beautiful and talented woman like Mei. He wouldn''t have been able to hold it in like usual and would have reacted in a way that Mei had grown fond of. He instead nodded and let his avatar disappear.

    "Now then. As usual, I would be refraining from coming here too much. I don''t want these people suspecting my involvement in the company. This is also to prevent implicating the Kouzuki Corporation. Matsuri will be in charge and I will continue taking care of my responsibilities from my end" Mei took over and these were the last words that were transmitted to Kazuya.

    He took his gear of and turned towards the silent girl that was silently waiting for him. Tomoyo was no stranger to Kazuya''s research center and she would spend some time here with him whenever she came over.

    "Sorry for the wait. Let''s go" the two left the room after Kazuya finished locking it and went over to Jirou who was waiting while anxiously drinking tea.

    "What took you so long?" Jirou looked at his watch and frowned.

    "Big Sis called and needed me for a few things. She may need to hire a few more people since the company is getting bigger" Kazuya smiled at Jirou since he was one of the few people that they needed to include in their secret. He was in favor of Kazuya''s plan but wanted Kyouko to be told of it as soon as they could afford to.

    Jirou''s cooperation was said to be one of the wisest moves Kazuya made. It was beneficial for both sides to have cooperated because Kazuya was able to ensure the quality of his security personnel and Jirou could provide more options for employment for those who have completed their training in the dojo.

    The quality of the personnel that Jirou recommended actually made Kazuya make the first subsidiary which was Kazuno Securities. It was a security firm that Jirou started to secretly handle. He had already handed the Shiroyuki businesses over to his sons and focused on the dojo but after managing a big company for years, he still had a small desire to handle something of a lesser scale so he was perfect for the job.

    "I see¡­" Jirou crossed his arms as he led them towards his van. He was already aware of the recent threats that have been looming around the company so he cooperated with Kazuya and discussed the countermeasures that was now being discussed within the company.

    Though Jirou was in the know about Kazuno Technologies, he attributed everything about it as Mei''s accomplishments. Both Kazuya and Mei didn''t bother correcting him about his misconception because it would save them the trouble of explaining things because even they admitted that Kazuya was indeed quite an enigma. Mei decided to spare him from the puzzle that she had found interesting to solve herself.

    "I''ll reach out to that old bat and ask him if he has a few reliable men that can keep their mouths shut. The company is growing more and more. I cannot produce that many trusted talents that can pass both of your standards you know" He started driving as soon as he confirmed both children had their seatbelts on.

    "By old bat you mean¡­" Kazuya''s eyebrows twitched. There was another change in the past two years that he hadn''t accounted for.

    "Yes, it''s the grandfather of the girl who you prevented from taking the individual kendo championship from ever since you entered the competition. It''s the grandfather of that Kuronuma Ayame who joined your school''s middle school" Jirou sighed.

    He thought that Tomoyo''s future competition for this boy would have lessened now that Ayame was out of their division but Kuronuma Ayame transferred over to join the Sacred Forest Academy''s middle school department and unexpectedly showed up in front of them on her first day.

    The only consolation was that since she was three grades ahead of them, she would be in high school by the time both Kazuya and Tomoyo joined the middle school department. Jirou was worried for his granddaughter since she and Kazuya were already inseparable whether she realized it or not.

    "I see¡­ I''ll leave it to you then grandpa Jirou. I just hope that we don''t need to tell him more than what he needs to know" Kazuya understood that Jirou wouldn''t go to him if he had any other choice but regardless of what they felt towards Ayame and her grandfather, protecting the company was more important.

    The two of them discussed how to handle things and as usual, Tomoyo listened quietly. This lasted until they arrived at the school where the two had to run for it so that they could make it. There weren''t any students hanging around anymore so Kazuya''s attention was immediately caught by the strange sight of two students talking to a teacher leisurely at the side of their department.

    "They are¡­" the two student''s identities didn''t register to him right away because he was only introduced to him via their profiles and voices yesterday but the staff member they were talking to and flattering them, he was familiar with.

    It was already suspicious that many members of S class attended school yesterday. Aside from Takaya and a few other exceptions who liked to attend school, Kurogane Suzaku and Muimina Ringo were truants who only attended when the school required them to. To snobs like them, talking to people like teachers were something that could have been done though messaging or calls.

    For people like them to actually personally talk to people that aren''t influential alerted Kazuya. It was extremely fishy behavior and the specific person they were talking to made it even more suspicious so he assumed that they were discussing something that should leave no traces.

    "(The two of you and your families seem to have some kind of ill-fated relationship against me. I was trying to think of how to take care of that guy for a while so it''s good that scum of the same pile stick together)"

    .

 77 Congratulations

    .

    Lunchtime. There weren''t any unexpected disturbances in class so Kazuya was able to peacefully read his books. Kurumi sat peacefully in the seat she occupied yesterday which made Kazuya feel a little weird. He expected her to continue pestering him but she seemed to be thinking about a couple of things while trying to steal glances at him.

    It was quite difficult for her to look at him since she sat right in front of him but that didn''t stop her from trying. He almost couldn''t maintain a poker face as he was quite sensitive to stares.

    "(What is this girl up to now?)" Kurumi''s actions somewhat reminded him of when he first encountered the robot girl sitting beside him so he just shrugged it off and hoped that she would eventually get tired of it.

    *tug tug*

    "Hmm?" Kazuya turned and found a sandwich that was cut triangularly with it''s pointed end toward his mouth.

    *stare*

    "You made sandwiches again?" he tried looking at the sandwich and it''s contents.

    *nod*

    "Did granny Kaori teach you some more?"

    *nod*

    Kazuya smiled wryly. He found nothing visually wrong with the sandwich in front of him. He didn''t know why but the robot girl''s grandmother suddenly took both of them away from training one day and started teaching Tomoyo about cooking. She shook her head and tried to decline but when Kaori said that she needed to learn it so that she could make some food for Kazuya to eat, she accepted the tutelage.

    He wondered why he was also asked to go with them but it turned out that he was there to try the ''food'' that the robot girl had produced. It was the first time that Kazuya had started to think about how robots or machines still couldn''t replace the people that cook the food that is commonly sold in convenience stores.

    The taste was of course bad. Tomoyo had zero sense and tried to mix all the things she considered delicious and made him try it. Even though he was now spoiled by the delicious home cooked meals that the Fujiyamas served him, he still appreciated simple foods like cup ramen or bento boxes commonly sold today like he did in his previous life. So he was confident in labeling the sorry excuse she served for food really inedible.

    Apparently, Kaori did not prevent him from eating it so that Tomoyo could learn that not everything that tasted good would taste good if she merely just mixed them all together. Tomoyo looked very guilty after seeing the reaction Kazuya had when he tried eating so that prompted her to take Kaori''s lessons seriously.

    *stare* Tomoyo stared at him who still hadn''t taken a bite. Kaori already made preparations and contacted Akane to tell her that she didn''t need to prepare lunch for Kazuya today so he would have no way to avoid his current predicament.

    "(Is this girl trying to force Kazuya-kun to eat her sandwiches?)" Kurumi who was watching quietly held onto her pencil and small notebook. She was observing them intently while wishing that Kazuya would decline her offer.

    "Fine¡­" Kazuya finally gave in. This robot girl would be extremely talented with a sword in her hand but she was very clumsy when it came to things like cooking and would make simple mistakes. He could see some scratches on her hand so he would feel bad if he at least didn''t try it. This robot wasn''t as unreasonable as she was in his previous life and was now very understanding and sensitive towards his feelings. She wouldn''t force him to eat food that he didn''t like and would take away any food she made that he didn''t like.

    *SNAP*

    Kurumi unconsciously broke the pencil in her hand after Kazuya took a bite from the sandwich that Tomoyo held. She wished that he would find it disgusting and would spit it out.

    "You made this?" Kazuya asked her after he swallowed the food.

    *nod*

    "By yourself?"

    *n¡­od*

    "Really? Why did you hesitate?"

    Kurumi was dumbfounded at how smoothly the two communicated. Kazuya had been the only one talking so far but it looked as if they were having a smooth conversation. She didn''t understand what Tomoyo meant but she could tell that the girl wasn''t moving her lips.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya took the final bit and ate it with gratitude. "Congratulations. This one is quite acceptable. You''ve come a long way" he reached out and patted her head.

    The two of them ate harmoniously as Maron approached Kurumi who hadn''t noticed that she wasn''t even trying to hide how she was closely watching the two anymore. Both of them didn''t bring any lunches so they had to go to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.

    "(Phew they finally left¡­)" Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief after the Stockton''s left the room.

    Kurumi tried to act secretly but Maron who was watching from behind didn''t hide the multiple changes to her emotions throughout the day. Things have been quiet for now but things were starting to change ever since these two disrupted the flow that had been going on for two years. Kazuya''s failure to understand the two made him feel uncomfortable because he had other and more important things to worry about than playing with these stubborn children.

    It wasn''t that he wasn''t thinking about it because he tried to analyze why Kurumi acted how she did back in his previous life by using the information he had now. He thought that it would have simply ended if the Kurumi from his previous life simply just explained to him how they knew each other but instead, she took a route that made him want to avoid her as much as he could.

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    He felt a little weird interacting with her because he was not convinced that a girl of her standing would see him as a potential love interest. This was actually his theory at first but he experienced the life of a young master in this life. Kyouko and Mei even explained to him the complexities of being a member of a well-known family so he dropped this theory.

    That was not the only reason he dropped the theory though, Kazuya took a look from his memories his own standing and appearance before he was summoned to Edea and given a huge transformation with the help of the overflowing mana that fixed his leftover flaws from the accident he suffered. He was not as na?ve as he was before and even examined the Kurumi from his memories. There were clearly no signs of affection but rather sheer curiosity. Her reaction was akin to a child trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle.

    This was the difference between Kurumi and Tomoyo. The robot girl of the past was very similar to the robot girl he first met in this new life. Although she had undergone a complete change now, he more or less understood that their families were quite close and from his understanding on how she used to think, it was probably her doing whatever she thought was right.

    It didn''t matter what her motivations were for doing what she did but he had a rough understanding of the robot girl now so he couldn''t really stay mad at her for something that he had already prevented from happening. He was much more satisfied with this version of her because this one had been more empathetic towards him and the other people that mattered.

    Kurumi was fundamentally different in Kazuya''s eyes. Although he already knew that they developed a friendship in the past, he gave her a chance because of how she was able to help with the past incident as well as Kazuya''s own curiosity towards why the past version of this girl acted the way she did. Unfortunately, she was stuck in the past version of him and attributed the older version of her to be more or less the same. He was not interested in someone who only looked at who he once was and not who he is now no matter what kind of influence she might have.

    "Hmm?" A presence Kazuya tagged was approaching their classroom. The edge of his lip slowly moved upwards to form a grin that made Tomoyo realize that something was going to happen.

    "Is student Stockton Kurumi and Stockton Maron from S class here?" a teacher abruptly entered the room and gained the attention of the students who remained to eat their lunches.

    This was Ono Masahiro, the homeroom teacher of the class 5-A. This was the person who initially wanted Kazuya to join his class due to his results in the transfer exam. He got into a debate with Kazuya but he eventually backed down after Kazuya revealed his prowess and his origin. He was the person that he noticed were talking to Ringo and Suzaku in a flattering manner.

    Despite his decent looks and demeanor, he was a pervert that Kazuya encountered in his previous life. This kind of teacher was especially slippery and cleverly hid the perverseness that Kazuya was able to unfortunately encounter in his previous life. This was the person who those two had instructed to do their dirty work for them.

    "You" though he knew who Kazuya was, he called out to him in a rude manner. Kazuya chose to ignore this and went on to enjoy more of the sandwiches which Tomoyo was glad to share with him. She had brought plenty and this was the first time that he asked for more helpings.

    "I''m talking to you" he stood in front of Kazuya who continued to chew despite the attempt to intimidate him.

    *gulp* "Yes? Uh¡­ may I ask who were you again?" he gave Ono a taste of his own medicine. The students who remained tried to hold their laughter because who didn''t know who these two were?

    "You¡­" Ono almost choked . He was successfully rebutted by this kid two years ago and here Kazuya was doing the same thing to him. Though he initially feared the kid because of his identity, the scandal from two years ago made him realized he had been tricked. Though Kazuya did indeed have blood that connected him to the Kuroganes, they didn''t see him as one of them.

    "Nevermind, where are Stockton Kurumi and Maron?" his wariness against Kazuya greatly lessened after being tasked by both members of the Muimina and Kurogane families. He was promised benefits from them after all.

    "No idea. Even if I did know, I wouldn''t point some strange man who doesn''t even introduce himself towards the direction of two young girls" Kazuya shook his head and some of the students couldn''t hold in in and stifled laughter filled the room.

    "Are you making fun of a teacher? I can have you called in for counseling and punished for such behavior"

    "You were a teacher? Really?" Kazuya innocently looked towards his classmates trying to get an answer. "The teachers in the academy I''ve met before were nice and fair, they wouldn''t threaten a kid after failing to identify himself or the reason he wants to look for pretty girls" Kazuya was intent on labeling him as a pervert that he was.

    "That''s it! Come with me! I''ll have you know what it means to make fun of the teachers of this academy!" Ono completely lost his temper and slammed the table in front of Kazuya with his palm.

    Tomoyo immediately stood up and glared at Ono. She tried moving but Kazuya held her and gently pulled her back to sit down. He really didn''t know what to do with this overprotective and brave girl who would have attacked Ono if he hadn''t stopped her.

    Ono was startled. Even though it was only a moment, he was scared by Tomoyo whose intentions were clear enough to cause him to take two steps backward. Kazuya remained calm and took out a cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number.

    "Hello department head? This is Kouzuki Kazuya" Ono was shocked but he didn''t believe that the boy actually called his boss.

    "What can I do for you? Are you going to ask to leave early again today?" the voice on the other side was only heard by him so he decided to try to make it look like he was acting badly.

    "I wish to report someone barging into our class asking about the location of two girls from class without identifying who he is. He looks suspicious and threatened me while posing as a teacher but still refused to tell me his name. he wants me to come with him" He truly did have to give credit to Takaya for increasing the number of weapons he could use.

    "What!?" The department head was surprised and almost spat out the coffee that he was having in his office. "Are you okay? What does he look like?"

    "He looks like a pervert that''s trying hard to look decent. He looks like a person who would depend on the influence of his relatives while not amounting to much in reality. I''m afraid to go with him so I called the director to confirm this person''s identity because he does not seem to be worried that I called you" Kazuya''s description made Ono''s expression grow ugly. He wondered how this kid was guessing or he really did look like that.

    "Is it Ono-sensei¡­?" the department head could only think of that person from Kazuya''s description. He didn''t want to think poorly of his subordinates but if it was indeed a staff member, he could only think of Ono.

    "You''re really a gutsy kid. Do you think bluffing me with that baldy is going to make me scared? I''m going to make sure you regret the words you used to describe me" Ono''s shrugged off Kazuya''s evaluation and focused on thinking what kind of punishments he could make this arrogant boy do. He was thinking on how to create trouble for him since he was asked to do it if he could so he was thankful for getting the chance as soon as they met each other.

    "You hear that director? I believe I won''t need to bother my classmates to testify for me after what you just heard" Kazuya grinned towards Ono. He couldn''t believe how this guy just buried himself deeper into the trap that he fell into.

    "I''ll be confiscating that phone for being used to insult and trick a teacher" Ono reached for Kazuya''s phone.

    "Oh good, the director recognized the voice and knows who you are anyway. He asked to speak to you" Kazuya handed his cell phone with a smile. Kazuya pressed the loudspeaker button before the device left his hand.

    "Did you really think that I would fall for such a¡ª"

    "[So you think you can use your authority to bully students huh?]" the irritation on the voice of the department head almost made Ono drop the cell phone.

    The department head was not really mad that he was called a baldy. He was infuriated because the head of the academic class was trying to use his position to punish Kazuya, who was not only the gem of their department, but also the victim of kidnapping in the past. He had given the boy his own personal number so that he would be able to contact him if ever there was any problems he encountered.

    This was because he felt partially responsible that Kazuya went through the incident two years ago when he was supposed to be under the protection of the school. The school never had an incident like this before and the perpetrator turned out to be from their own school as well so how could he let this matter slide after personally hearing Ono threatening Kazuya?

    "Sir¡­ I was just¡ª" Ono looked at Kazuya who was patting Tomoyo for what she did. He couldn''t believe that he just got played.

    "[Get your ass back in the staff room this instant!]" Kazuya''s phone startled the girls who just returned to the class bringing a set of bread with them.

    "Y-yes¡­" Ono''s shoulders slumped and his face turned pale. The call ended and he put Kazuya''s phone on the table and avoided looking at him before trying to leave. He couldn''t face the kid after what just happened.

    "You send my sincere congratulations to Muimina Ringo and Kurogane Suzaku. They have successfully given me a reason to stay true to my words. I just hope that they won''t regret their decision"

    .

 78 Unexpected

    .

    Ono left the room quite startled at what he just heard. He wondered if he just sided with the wrong people since the tables were immediately turned against him. He just remembered that on the day this kid transferred, he proclaimed himself a genius who would have attained a higher level of education if he hadn''t chosen to follow his mother''s instructions and go through school normally.

    This blunder made him hold a grudge as he strode out of the room. He almost crashed into the two girls he was looking for because he was too embarrassed to remain and had to think about what he should say to be forgiven. He was looking forward to a promotion that his uncle has been setting up for him and this might have just ruined his chances.

    "What was that about?" Maron asked one of the members of class.

    "Ono-sensei was looking for both of you and tried to ask Kouzuki-san about it. He wanted to make trouble for Kouzuki-san because he didn''t tell him anything but Kouzuki-kun refused to budge"

    "Huh really? Why was he looking for us?"

    "I don''t know. He never really got the chance to say it but knowing Ono-sensei¡­ he probably wants to convince you two to go to his class. He tried asking Aoki-san a few times when he found out that a person from S class was attending here"

    The two of girls were a bit surprised. It didn''t make sense that Kazuya would give up a chance to get rid of them. He acted like he didn''t want anything to do with them so why did he give up such a chance?

    "(Is Ka-kun¡­ ''that''?)" Maron began to think of something she learned when she came to this country. It was a type of person that she never thought existed nor was there any concept of it in her home.

    Kurumi on the other hand had another thing on her mind. She wrote down her thoughts on her notebook and ate the bread she bought with Maron as they both kept their attention towards Kazuya who was now thinking of ways to handle the situation.

    -

    Kouzuki Headquarters; CEO''s office.

    Kyouko has been looking at Mei who was busy working for almost 10 minutes now. She was waiting for her assistant to realize that it was already time for lunch but it seems that her busy assistant hasn''t realized it nor gave any signs of noticing any time soon.

    "Mei!" She finally lost her patience and decided to call her out after waiting for another minute.

    "Hmm? Did you need me for something boss?" Mei glanced over to her boss who wasn''t doing any work and her eyebrows twitched.

    "What are you looking at me like that for? You''re usually the first one to notice but you''re starting to act weird again" Kyouko commented.

    This wasn''t the first time that she called her assistant out for this kind of behavior. They weren''t especially busy with anything but there were times that her assistant would appear to be busy like this. She had suspicions that Mei was planning on doing something with her son again since their relationship has been especially weird lately.

    They would sometimes go out and Mei would successfully use the excuse that she had already done her work in advance so Kyouko couldn''t stop them. She didn''t know what they were up to and her son would just tell her that they went out to have fun. This worked for the past two years since the two were successful in hosting Kyouko''s surprise birthday party in a small restaurant that she had never been to before where the owner treated them like regulars.

    "Oh right. I didn''t pay attention to the time" Mei inwardly sighed. She had been too focused because Kazuno Tech was in a very critical time and they couldn''t afford to mess up now. Kazuya already warned her about making Kyouko suspicious and she knew it herself but work had always been the perfect place where she could focus.

    "You''re not planning on taking Kazuya away again are you? You''re always like this when you''re planning to take him out for a day and don''t tell me what you''re doing or where you''re going" Kyouko looked at her assistant suspiciously. She always looked forward to spending time with Kazuya on weekends but ever since Mei moved in, they would fight over spending time with him whenever the boy wasn''t busy with his increasing number of activities.

    "Hmm¡­ maybe. I don''t think I''ve done enough work to afford slacking off yet" Mei smiled mischievously. She was relieved to find out that hers and Kazuya''s distractions over the years have been working.

    "Hmm¡­ I should give you more work then" Kyouko crossed her arms to start thinking. "We haven''t really been making progress with our current plans of expansion so I think we should put that on hold and focus on attracting more partners" she seriously considered this which totally startled Mei who had bluffed.

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    "Do you really want to abandon our plans for entering the technological scene? We''ve put quite the amount of work in it" Mei wanted to convince her otherwise because with the way things were now, her getting more work would split her attention too much.

    "I don''t think we''ll be making much progress now that Ringo Corp and Kurogane Conglomerate have announced their open collaboration and familial connections in the future. The Kuroganes haven''t been showing it but they are still quite bitter about us getting the support of Stockton International" Kyouko sighed. She really couldn''t believe that they were the ones feeling bitter about the incident two years ago. Her son was the one who almost died after all.

    Kyouko had mentioned this before but Mei didn''t think that she would be the one triggering her decision. She needed to think of something and she needed an idea fast.

    "Oh right, I was thinking about something you said to me recently boss. You said that I piled up quite a lot of vacation days right? I''m thinking about taking it before I lose the chance of ever taking my piled-up vacation days" this was the best she could think of at the moment.

    "WHAT!?" Kyouko was quite surprised at the sudden declaration. Mei was known to have never taken even a sick leave so this made Kyouko look at her suspiciously. "What are you up to? What do you mean by ''before you lose the chance''?"

    "Well¡­" she cursed herself for saying something so careless. "I just thought that since you said that we haven''t been really busy lately, I want to let Yumi-chan take the reigns without having me for support. This is going to test her capabilities since she won''t have me to clean up her mistakes" both of them glanced towards Yumi who also didn''t seem to have noticed the time.

    The two have delegated some work to her so that she could get used to the amount of workload Mei had to deal with. Both of them wanted to test this talented girl who wanted to follow the same steps as her parents and work for the company.

    "Is that really it? Why does it seem like you only thought of it now?" Kyouko still hadn''t dropped her suspicions because this really was something that Mei wouldn''t just say or do out of the blue.

    "You''re right" Mei admitted. "The issue with Yumi-chan and her work is just another reason" Mei changed her expression to a serious one.

    "What is the real reason then? I''m not going to allow this if you just plan on pestering my son" Kyouko crossed her arms. Kazuya was busy enough as it was with his school activities and his additional activities with his friends.

    "No. I plan on researching and doing some work about the expansion we''re talking about. I want to find a way to either get around the wall that our enemies have put in front of us or get us something to break through it" Mei didn''t lie. Taking some time off would let her focus on Kazuno Technologies that would be what Ringo Corp was to the Kurogane Conglomerate at the moment.

    "That''s not even a vacation!" Kyouko retorted. She really thought that Mei would do something that didn''t involve working so she felt appreciative and annoyed at the same time.

    "I won''t need to dress up and go here, I wouldn''t need to wake up early either. That''s quite an ideal vacation for me already. Besides, I get to focus on my own ideas and explore things that I may have missed while I''m here" Mei explained. "I might even get news about that mysterious company that Ringo Corp has their greedy eyes on.

    "You mean Kazuno Tech? Heh" Kyouko let out a laugh. She found it funny when she first heard about Kazuno Tech since it held the last name of her assistant after all.

    "Not that one. I was talking about the junk shop called Kyouko''s ''old parts''" Mei laughed out loud because they indeed received a report that Ringo Corp was interested in buying the land of an old junk shop with the name.

    "You!!"

    -

    Inside the Kuronuma Dojo, two old men were causing tension to fill the room and disturb the students. They knew this would happen the moment they recognized Shiroyuki Jirou who was not on good terms with the head of the dojo at all. They were like oil and water so they couldn''t think of any reason why this person would suddenly call and say that he was coming over all of a sudden.

    "Spill it. What does a busy and successful old racoon like you have to do with a humble old man like me?" Kuronuma Komori folded his arms arrogantly. He knew that Jirou wouldn''t have gone to him if he had another choice.

    Jirou actively working again wasn''t a secret. There have been talks since people in their line of work were not strangers to each other so the graduates that were hired in the new security company knew that Jirou had started working on something again. This of course reached Komori''s ears because some of the graduates from his dojo had inquired if he had a hand in it.

    "I''ll make it simple since I called a few of our other peers as well. I need capable people that can absolutely be trusted with secrets to work. The job is security as I''m sure you already know but the skills are secondary to the loyalty and dedication to the secrets that need to be kept" Jirou didn''t beat around the bush.He didn''t want Komori to have the advantage so he made it seem like he was in a hurry.

    "Is that the proper way to ask someone for a favor?" Komori''s eyebrows twitched. He didn''t expect Jirou to have plans to go to some of their other acquaintances since both of them knew that their dojos were the best in the prefecture.

    "It''s more like I''m doing you a favor so why do I need to act differently? I came here to offer help to those students of yours who have yet to find suitable jobs for them because my students recommended them but since their master is treating me like this¡­" Jirou turned around and headed for the door.

    Some of the instructors that already came close to their master looked on wishing that these two would just be honest with themselves. Their master was especially being stubborn so they stared at him and wished that their fellow graduates would be able to get a job from one of the most trusted people in their world.

    "Hold your horses you sly old racoon! I didn''t say that I wouldn''t be recommending some of my students!" Komori felt a little defeated. He wouldn''t have stopped Jirou if it were normal circumstances but it was his for his students after all.

    "Stop wasting my time and speak" Jirou turned around arrogantly. He was secretly happy inside after finally having the upper hand against this old rival of his.

    "As their master, I first want to know what they''re getting themselves into before I recommend them. What exactly is the nature of the business that you need to elaborate about loyalty and trust?" The two of them moved to the next room where they were served tea and observed by the ones who were interested.

    "As you know, I''m managing a small security company. I help capable people get jobs that would be good for them. Mind you, don''t think I''m getting jobs like security guards for malls or something like that but a real security detail for companies like my son''s or the parent company''s.

    I also work as a consultant for those companies that need advice in building security now and provide people trained in the systems and tactics in the company''s guidelines. Loyalty is a must because some of the companies or individuals have sensitive secrets that need to be protected.

    The parent company right now is in need of capable people because the employees are recently being stalked by a competing company. They have even tried bribing the employees to betray the parent company. So I need people that could protect the company as well as the employees.

    So far, the contracts they signed are protecting the company for any leaks but you and I both know that human greed can never be underestimated. Even if they signed a contract with the devil, people who don''t have enough principles can be bought. That is why I need trusted individuals that you can recommend that cannot be bought. They need to be able to keep the secrets they may learn even from you" Jirou continued explaining the details to make his rival understand and get the grasp of the situation.

    He now understood why Jirou called it a ''small project''. Loyal people are rare nowadays. Although they may be ones that could guarantee themselves, each person has their own difficulties to consider. Even the Shiroyuki dojo''s situation had changed because of Jirou''s project. Those that Jirou had yet to completely trust to send to the company had to replace the instructors he sent so that they could prove themselves to be trustworthy first.

    There were traps such as juicy gossip to test how tightly they shut their lips and those who passed could immediately be transferred to work for security details if they do so chose. They did have to sign a contract that Kazuya and Jirou collaborated with though.

    "I see¡­" Komori massaged his head after reading the contents of the contract. This was indeed another barrier that would put off people who weren''t confident if they could keep their mouths shut. Even though the employers could be lenient, if they do so discover a breach of some sort, the harsh penalties could be applied.

    Komori thought that it would be a simple matter but now he had to ponder a bit. This was probably not as simple as it seemed. It was not that Shiroyuki Jirou wasn''t trustworthy, it was just that he needed to think about whether he would want his students to risk themselves signing such a thing. All he could do for now was stall for time.

    "Speaking of which, have you heard? Old Kou''s heading back to gather us old friends together again"

    -

 79 The Room

    .

    Kouzuki household, Kazuya had just arrived home and headed for his research center after changing his clothes. He was dropped off by the instructors that went to pick him and Tomoyo up. Kazuya excused himself from going to the dojo today because Jirou was busy dealing with matters that needed to be settled.

    *sigh* "Should I just quit the kendo club?" he wondered. Since Jirou and the other instructors have been training with him regularly, he saw little purpose of continuing the activity.

    The only purpose his participation in the club had left was the expectations that people had of him. There hasn''t been people like Ayame or Tomoyo showing up so there was little point of joining the tournaments with the purpose of finding opponents that could give him a challenge.

    Kazuya thought about it as he moved one of the desks. He lowered himself and imbued mana on his fingers before tracing a pattern that slowly revealed a trap door that led to a stairway. This was something that wasn''t originally part of the storage building. Kazuya had spent a lot of time making this passageway along with the secret basement that he just entered.

    "This room should be strengthened enough" he glanced at the formation on the wall and touched them before nodding to himself. The room had no electricity or wires but the formations provided illumination by using the mana that was concentrated when it detected movement in the basement.

    The room was quite spacious and contained one desk that was placed on the side of the stairway leading back to the upper floor. The desk contained various stuff he has experimented with and this was where he kept the book that was given to him by the demon king.

    "Now I can finally have a place to practice without worrying about being seen" he smiled.

    The room was slowly built by Kazuya to keep the secrets he wanted to hide. It took two years to build this by himself with the body and mana he had but it helped develop both his mana capacity and physical prowess. The room''s real purpose was finally going to be taken advantage of today.

    "I''ve been out of practice for so long but I should have already cleared the amount of required mana to start practicing" he closed his eyes and started gathering the memories he needed in his mind.

    "Ember" he spoke in the language of the long eared magical race and controlled his mana precisely as he had been taught in his memories. This was not the first time he had tried practicing magic but Kazuya had always been nervous whenever he tried because even he cannot be completely sure that no one would notice especially when he tried to cast eye catching spells. This was the main reason why he thought of building this room beneath his research center.

    Magic was never his forte nor did he concentrate on developing his skills with it. He only used healing type magic throughout his journey and with the addition of Gale in his party, he never developed it further to the advanced category.

    He never really felt the need to. Though his predecessor was probably one of the most famous mages in Edea''s history, the demon race rarely had a magician that could pose a threat to him. Those that did, had been taken down by the teamwork of him and his friends which was the reason why Kazuya was less inclined to develop his magic skills rather than his sword skills.

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    In this life however, he held a different opinion. Though the demon race did not have much experts in the arcane field, the humans did. Kazuya knew that he had to prepare facing those who were not only clever, but also skillful magicians who knew better than him that they had to avoid a close confrontation with a warrior type like him. Having a concealed weapon would be better than having none.

    This was not the only reason he decided to learn and develop his skills and magic more thoroughly. The book that the demon king gave him also held some research on the spells the hero Gabriel had developed in his stay at Edea. Some were even labeled forbidden or kept secret because of the effects it had on people.

    "Flame" the ember in Kazuya''s hand grew stronger and he could feel the heat emanating from it. That was not all, magic was relatively different from physical type enhancements so the consumption of mana felt very distinct.

    He was a warrior type so he immediately noticed the difference. He may have not noticed it because of the enormous mana he held when he was summoned to Edea but now that his mana capacity was leagues lower, the discovery of this made him think about a lot of things.

    Kazuya wasn''t sure if the people or teachers from Edea noticed this because they were all born with a distinct affinity to mana. He felt that he could improve his control over mana even further if he figured out a unique way of controlling his mana to both his warrior skills and magic.

    "I should ask Natsu for advice about this when I find him. For now, I need to focus on learning all I ignored back in the academy he built" he launched the flame on his hand which turned into a fireball that hit the wall before disintegrating.

    "Phew¡­" he tried feeling the consumption. He smiled wryly because he remembered that the games he played always displayed HP and MP bars. There wasn''t anything to tell him how much MP he would have left to use magic with so he could only do it by feel.

    "Looks like I really have a long way to go" he looked disappointed after casting a few more spells. Though he had grown a lot these past two years, it was not even close to the amount of mana at his disposal back in his previous life. He realized that he had taken a lot of things for granted in the past now that he lost them.

    In his current state, he was not capable of practicing magic like he did with his physical enhancement or warrior skills. This was the difference between magicians and warriors; magic involved things like manifesting fire or water so it naturally had a higher cost than simply strengthening one''s self.

    "Hmm? Why is she here?" Kazuya felt a presence approaching his research area.

    "Kazu?" Mei entered the research area. She was already taught the method on how to enter so she could enter it unless an additional lock was cast inside. Kazuya didn''t think that Mei would be home before he was done so he didn''t bother to cast a lock spell from the inside.

    "What are you doing home so early big sis?" Kazuya emerged from the trap door and startled her. She had never seen such a door before and as far as she knew, there were no basements apart from the one in the main house.

    "I got a vacation from Kyouko" she told him about what happened earlier and how she got some time off.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya thought for a moment. "I guess I won''t have to worry about you overworking yourself too much big sis" a smile appeared on his face. He was actually a bit worried about Mei because of the increasing amount of stuff she had to deal with even with Yui''s help.

    "I won''t have to worry about that much since I have you to help me with fatigue right?" Mei smiled back.

    With her discovery of mana, Kazuya had explained to her a lot of things including the positive effects he was responsible for. He explained how he was relieving their fatigue with recovery magic through touch as well as improving both Kyouko and her affinity to mana in the process. He even made a file that made her understand how mana was used.

    "Still, you shouldn''t rely on mana too much big sis. I''ve already explained that there is such a thing as mana exhaustion right?" one thing Kazuya didn''t explain however, was the difference of mana available on earth compared to Edea. Mei was a resident of earth so she had never experienced or was even aware of such a world and Kazuya intended to keep it that way. Mana was one thing he could explain but the concept of other worlds was a whole other world of concepts altogether.

    "I know" Kazuya had always reprimanded her about anything that wasn''t good for her so she felt a little embarrassed because she thought that he was like an overprotective lover. "What is that hole on the floor? There isn''t supposed to be a basement in this building right?" she decided to change the topic before she dug herself in a deeper hole with her imagination.

    "A room I made" Kazuya guided her downstairs where Mei looked around like a curious kitten in a room full of swaying things.

    "This¡­ is all powered by mana?" she excitedly touched the walls that illuminated the room. She was baffled at how such a room was made because a lot of effort and equipment would have been needed to make such a sturdy room like this.

    "Yes. There is no electricity here. Everything is all thanks to the formations that gather mana in the vicinity" he explained.

    "I''m really interested in meeting that person you mentioned that taught you all of this. If we could incorporate this into technology¡­" Kazuya was quite impressed with her reaction. Mei immediately thought about how it could be applied in their current business which made Kazuya more confident that his big sis was capable of handling the matters of the company without his help and it would still flourish one day.

    "I''m still looking for him with the same intentions in mind. The problem is that he rarely checks any means of contact because of his concentration towards his research" this was the excuse he made towards whatever he taught Mei.

    Natsu, the person that seemed to have left no traces to let himself be identified was harder to find than Kazuya imagined. He was afraid that his predecessor was one of those recluses who chose to lock themselves up in a mountain after returning to their world. Kazuya didn''t stop trying to get in contact with Natsu through the help of the ever-expanding internet but he hasn''t had any luck so far.

    "That''s too bad" Mei sighed in disappointment. "So is this room made to research all the stuff you learned from him in secret?" Mei looked at the spacious room again and imagined all sorts of devices from what she learned.

    "No exactly¡­ it is indeed for research but this room is a bit more for practice" Kazuya smiled and took a few steps away from his big sis.

    "Practice? You already practice enough in school and that dojo" she assumed that she meant Kazuya''s obsession towards getting stronger.

    "Practicing this" Flames suddenly burst from both his palms.

    Kazuya had been thinking about how to better protect Mei now that questionable organizations have been eying their company. That''s why he decided to simply come clean and decided to show her magic. This would be like giving her a weapon that could be used to protect herself in case he wasn''t there. The jewelries he developed over the years gave him a sense of comfort but they were still limited to a few uses.

    "!" Mei gasped at the sight of the flames that burst from Kazuya''s hands.

    "This is¡ª" he stopped talking when he saw Mei take off the coat she was wearing and rushed towards him to attempt to put out the fire.

    "Huh?" Mei dropped her coat and grabbed his hands and tried to make sure he was fine. She wasn''t able to hear anything he said but panicked the moment she saw the flames bursting out of his palm. "Are you okay!?" she blurted out immediately after seeing that his hand didn''t have any damage.

    "I''m fine big sis. You don''t have to worry" he placed a hand on her cheek and stroked it to reassure her. He was startled that Mei panicked like that but he was filled with warmth after seeing her too focused about his well-being.

    "That was fire! Are you playing with fireworks or something!?" she calmed down after seeing that there was nothing wrong.

    "Umm¡­ that''s what I was trying to say. This room is something that I built so I can practice magic spells like that one" a small ember appeared on his palm so that she wouldn''t be as startled as she was when he used a stronger flame spell.

    "Magic¡­" Mei tried reaching for Kazuya''s hand once more but he retracted it.

    "Magic is pretty harmless to the user when it is made from the user''s own mana in the casting phase but it will affect anyone else normally so you should be careful big sis" he warned.

    "This is unbelievable¡­ this like, like something out of a manga!" her eyes were locked onto the flame. Kazuya could understand how she felt because he had experienced almost the same thing when he first encountered the concept of mana and magic when he was first summoned to Edea.

    "Would you like to learn how to use it big sis?" he asked

    "C-can I?"

    "Of course. I was trying to think of ways on how you can protect yourself if ever you are put in a dangerous situation with all the people that are eying our company. Since mom gave you some free time, some of it can be used to practice magic here"

    "What do I need to do?"

    "First you need to understand the basics" Kazuya moved to the desk and opened the lock by using his mana. He then took out a notebook which contained the basics of mana he had written for his own research in magic spells and handed it over to Mei.

    "This contains everything I know about the basics of magic as well as a few notes that you can choose to ignore if they are not helpful to you. I wrote this to improve my own understanding of magic so please don''t hesitate to ask me if you don''t understand some things" he showed her the notebook and began explaining the basics she needed to understand before she could cast her first spell.

    He wasn''t an expert in magic since he was not a mage but he could at least repeat all the lectures he took in the academy by memory. Mei listened attentively and did not hesitate to ask for clarification whenever she didn''t understand what Kazuya was talking about. She was already familiar with the concept of mana so it didn''t take her too long to understand the basic principles of magic.

    "I will be practicing on the other side of the room. For safety reasons, please only try to practice magic in this room. You are not allowed to use any spells outside this room unless I have cleared the spell you are trying to use. I will immediately stop teaching if you play around with magic okay?"

    "Do you think your big sis is a little kid?" Mei was a little upset over Kazuya''s worries since she was still officially older than him.

    "Hehe¡­" Kazuya let out a dry laugh. He was used to talking like this with all those he taught in his previous life and realized that it had become a habit. He scratched his cheek awkwardly and let Mei concentrate on digesting the amount of information he just shared with her.

    "(I don''t know if it is the right decision to let big sis learn magic but¡­ I trust her self-restraint and it will surely be a big help in case those scums try and bring her harm)"

    .

 80 Trying Ou

    .

    Two weeks quickly passed by. Summer was quickly approaching and there was currently chaos in the various clubs of Saint Forest Academy. This was caused by a certain student''s visit to the staff room one week ago.

    Kouzuki Kazuya, the student who was dubbed as a young general of the kendo scene met with the elementary division''s department head to ask if it was possible for him to join another sports club. He would still compete in the kendo tournaments but to train himself more, he wanted to take on a more rigorous sports activity.

    He was only asking for permission now because it took a few days to convince Jirou and Miyamoto to let him do it. Although both of them knew that there wasn''t anyone that would be a threat to him in the current tournament, they were worried that his skills would deteriorate. They compromised by not allowing him to leave the club to attend tournaments. They also asked him to seek permission from the head of the department because they were not sure about the rules of joining multiple clubs since it hasn''t happened before.

    Kazuya started focusing on his magic training so he changed his schedule around. He had to make time for training magic with Mei so in order to maximize the usage of his time, he decided to join a club that would provide a harder regimen than the Kendo club.

    "What did you say young man?" the director couldn''t believe what he just heard.

    "I want to know if it would be possible to join another sports club. I still haven''t decided which club to join but Miyamoto-sensei told me I could do it as long as I promise to attend the tournaments and ask for your permission" Kazuya repeated what he said and explained that he was doing it to train himself more because even though the training they had to go though in kendo was hard, he needed something more to develop further.

    "Have you thought this through young man?" the department head asked him. He had spent some time with Kazuya and knew that he wasn''t someone who would overestimate himself.

    "I have. This may sound arrogant on my part but the only reason I still considered attending the Kendo tournament is because I like seeing my family proud. I feel that my progress has come to a halt so I want to try and do something about it"

    "Is that so?" the director believed him. He believed Kazuya had grown a little to ask for other''s opinions because if it were the old him, he would argue and debate until he got what he wanted. This child was even successful into tricking Ono-sensei into displaying his true colors which caused the teacher to be demoted and suffer a pay cut.

    The director was a bit hesitant and thought deeply about it. He and most journalists that covered stories about Kazuya would agree that his skills was already beyond their department. Even Kuronuma Ayame, who swept the Kendo Nationals in her first year as a middle school student openly stated in various of her interviews that an elementary school student named Kouzuki Kazuya was the only person she was not confident in winning against.

    "Which club do you have in mind young man?"

    "I''m not sure yet. I don''t know how the other sports clubs train before I decide. I''ve only attended a few martial arts clubs but their training only has a little difference with the Kendo club so I''m leaning more towards the sports clubs"

    "So your purpose is only training right? Why not just get a personal trainer?"

    "Because grandpa Jirou picks me up along with the robot girl. I don''t want to disturb my mom because she won''t allow me to go home by myself because of the incident that happened two years ago" Kazuya sighed as he explained. He would have just gone home if he had the choice but Jirou didn''t want him to quit the club so he had to think of something else.

    "I see¡­" the director understood. Since there were still people connected to the Kurogane Conglomerate in their school, they indeed had to be very careful. Shiroyuki Jirou surely was a good deterrent against those who harbored ill intentions.

    "Is it against the rules director?" Kazuya asked. He knew some people who joined two clubs but they were usually one physical activity and one for arts, hobby or literature.

    "It''s really not against the rules but since it would be extremely physically demanding, I don''t know if I should approve of it"

    "I promise that I would stop if I can''t handle it director"

    "Fine¡­ I''ll allow you to look for clubs for now but you have to make sure that their schedules won''t coincide with your primary club. Joining another club would lose its purpose if you can''t participate in their activities after all" the director gave in with a sigh. He hoped that he wouldn''t regret this decision.

    "Thank you, director. I promise I won''t let you down" Kazuya gave his sincere gratitude.

    This conversation was heard by some of the staff members since the director left his door open. Some of them were in charge of other sports clubs so it didn''t take long before the news spread throughout the school. Everyone wanted to have Kazuya join their club in hopes of making use of his uncanny athletic ability and popularity.

    Unfortunately, the schedules for competitions for the various clubs were not available at the time. It was only a week later did the clubs whose scheduled competitions rejoiced when they found out that it didn''t coincide with the kendo club''s summer tournament. The baseball club in particular, lamented at the conflict in schedule since they were the most hopeful of using Kazuya''s sword skills for their club. Their coach in particular looked forward to seeing how he would fair against the future ace pitchers in the middle school level.

    It has been a week since the news spread out and now that all of the clubs were aware of who were eligible to invite him to their club, Kazuya had to deal with more people observing him other than the girl who continuously attended their class to silently observe him.

    "(I really should get this over with)" Kazuya sighed. He didn''t expect everyone to react like this. It was already disturbing enough that Kurumi had started acting like she did in his previous life. Now he couldn''t even tell who were the people observing him for Ringo and Suzaku.

    *tug tug* Tomoyo sensed his agitation and used her eyes to ask him if she should take care of them. It was already the end of class today and but she insisted on going with him so that she could find out which club he was going to join.

    This robot girl was the person who was against his decision to join another club the most. He already reduced the times he would visit their dojo after school and now that he was going to start attending another club, the time they spent together would be limited to the classroom. She did not feel too good about that.

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    It wasn''t until Kazuya told her that it would be a good chance for her to polish up her skills while he reduced his sword practice that she reluctantly agreed to the temporary situation. He explained that some time for themselves would be good since he was expecting her to surprise him in the next tournament where they would most likely end up going against each other again.

    Kazuya felt a little guilty about tricking this loyal little girl but he also felt some time apart from each other would lessen her dependence on him. She was already fundamentally different from the robot girl that he hated from his previous life so he held no more grudges against the robot girl and empathized with her instead.

    He used to lump this robot girl and Kurumi together but even though he met with Kurumi as well, the girl still acted like she did in his previous life. What was worse was that she was not as good as her version in the previous life and blatantly acted like a creepy stalker.

    "It''s fine. They''ll stop after I find a club to join" Kazuya smiled at the robot girl who followed along towards the area where the sports clubs were.

    "Hold it!" Tomoyo didn''t react at the sudden intrusion because both of them already knew that they were being followed by this person.

    "What do you want Stockton Maron-san?" Kazuya remained calm because he already expected this girl to make a move from her attitude all day.

    "You said that you will be joining a club that didn''t have any conflict with the kendo club''s tournament schedule, right? The basketball club is one of those clubs so you can try out for our club right away" she finally had a reason to drag him into the basketball club.

    "Sure" Kazuya immediately agreed which made Tomoyo stare at him. She didn''t expect such a quick response from him.

    "You should stay true to yo¡­ wait¡­ what did you say?"

    "I said I''ll give it a shot" Kazuya smiled. Maron appeared to have prepared for this so he didn''t give her a chance to make use of all the things she had been thinking about and immediately agreed. "Lead the way then" he gestured her to go ahead.

    Maron looked at him suspiciously and led the way while stealing glances to make sure that he didn''t run away. She thought that he must have been up to something because it wasn''t like the new him to agree with her without question. Though she did think that, Kazuya and Tomoyo followed her all the way to the gymnasium where the basketball courts were without any trouble.

    Kurumi remained quiet and walked alongside Maron. Even she thought that something was wrong because ever since they joined the class, Kazuya and Maron would always clash whenever they had the chance.

    As soon as they entered the basketball club, Maron was approached by her teammates. Kazuya was a little surprised that she was able to get along with everyone after only a short few weeks of joining but it seemed like they looked up to Maron. The clubs of Saint Forest Academy had a good reputation since the school would actively invite talented individuals to join the school so a lot could be determined just by looking at how she was treated.

    She may have been a member of S class but school activities were a different thing altogether. This is why rarely any members of S class joined any extra curricular activities. Coaches and consultants were instructed never to give them special treatment because what was more important was the results the team will have in the end. Kazuya heard that she was an old teammate of his so he wanted to see if her talk was good as her walk.

    "I''ll go change" He left Tomoyo to wait as he changed in the boy''s locker area. Elementary school basketball was unlike middle school and above where genders were separated. Both boys and girls could play together in the same court so it was an achievement for Maron to get the current Kazuya to play with her in the same court.

    Kurumi on the other hand was still feeling weird over the sudden change of events. The rumors that spread only said that Kazuya was considering joining other sports clubs that didn''t have any conflict with the kendo club''s tournaments but did not mention why he had chosen to do so. She questioned his intentions and thought that he was doing this because he felt guilty about rejecting her initial offer of playing with Maron for a chance to recover his memories.

    "I''m ready" Kazuya walked out of the locker room wearing the school''s track suit. One detail that Maron didn''t miss however were the shoes he was wearing. It was one of the pairs he used to wear when they played together.

    "Looks like you came prepared" Maron grinned at him.

    "Huh?" Kazuya tilted his head looking confused which irked Maron almost instantly.

    "Your shoes! Those are basketball shoes!" she knew her patience wasn''t long but Kazuya always pushed her buttons and made her immediately lose her temper most of the time.

    "Oh these? These types of shoes are nice for sports activities. They have good traction and are nice to use when moving around so I brought them along to try different clubs with" he said nonchalantly to indirectly deny any thoughts they might think about him going here on purpose.

    "Now we can play" Maron couldn''t wait to play with him and turned to their coach for the arrangements.

    "Wait a moment. Why are we going to start playing all of a sudden? My purpose for coming here was to see and experience what kind of training the sports clubs can offer so I can choose which one can make improve better"

    "Are you purposely trying to make me angry?" Maron thought that this was his play after making her all excited.

    "Why would I waste time with that?"

    "Are you looking down on us? You may be looking for a club to join but it will be up to us whether we accept you or not. You make it sound like you can just join us like that but for us, we need to see if you actually possess the skills for us to even let you join in our training" Maron retorted.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya smiled. The short tempered girl finally gave a good argument against him. She was right, even if people eyed him for his athletic ability, he still needed to show whether he was worth anything to their team or not. He expected a prideful member of a club to point this out but he never expected it to come from Maron of all people. This proved that she was indeed serious about this club of hers which he couldn''t help but compliment her for.

    "Looks like you finally understand" she gave a victorious grin. This was the first time that she had the last word against him and she couldn''t help but savor the feeling.

    "You forgot one thing though¡­" Kazuya scratched his cheek. "I have no idea about the rules aside from making the ball go through the hoop for points"

    .

 81 Did you forget?

    .

    Maron and each member of the basketball team''s mouth gaped open after hearing what Kazuya just said. If this was true then was he really just here to see what kind of training they went through?

    "I wanted to start training with everyone while gaining an understanding of the sport but it looks like the basketball team gets straight to the play part before the preparation part?" he really wasn''t sure so he tried to clarify.

    "Allow me to explain. Everyone do warm-ups for now" the coach stepped up and explained the situation to Kazuya.

    They were not aware that he was looking forward to the training part rather than the playing part so Maron suggested to make him experience the game first before anything else. They agreed to it since most people would be more interested in playing the game rather than training for it. Their plan seemed to have backfired so the coach took the initiative to come clean whilst giving him a short explanation of the rules of basketball.

    "Hmm¡­ I see¡­" Kazuya nodded and took note of the rules he needed to remember. He wasn''t a complete stranger to the sport but like when he first stepped into the Shiroyuki dojo, he didn''t think about the rules at first so he made sure that he would ask this time.

    "How about you try a one on one game with Maron to get the hang of the game first" the coach suggested. She knew that Maron wanted to play with Kazuya and would probably be the best candidate to bring out the comparative spirit that would make him interested in the sport.

    "Let him warm up a bit first coach" Maron confidently smiled. She was confident she would have no problems playing against a newbie like him no matter how athletic he was.

    "Can I borrow your phone for a bit while I warm up sensei?" Kazuya politely asked and immediately looked over a few videos of professionals online and studied while he got himself ready.

    "Here, let me show you a more amazing one¡­" The coach showed Kazuya one of his favorite compilation of plays. He was quite passionate and also explained the names of the moves that the video showed.

    "There''s no use in showing a newbie something like that sensei" Maron commented. She had finished warming up and waited for Kazuya to finish with a ball in her hand. She started telling him about the rules of a one on one basketball duel.

    "I understand. I will do what I can" Kazuya nodded and moved towards the court. Maron gave him first possession and chose to guard.

    "(Hmm¡­ this might take a little while to get used to)" he thought as he started dribbling the ball. He may have full control over his body but he was not omnipotent. He had zero experience with the sport so this felt very new to him.

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    Maron stared at him intently. She already started concentrating and looked at him like a hunter looking at her prey. She gave him little time to get used to the sensation of dribbling a ball but was a little surprised to see that he was taking the same form he used when they played together a long time ago.

    "The first one to get past 20 points win" Maron mentioned as she began her attempt to steal the ball.

    "!!" Kazuya was quite surprised at the sudden change he saw in Maron. It was as if she was a different person compared to the girl who always tried to argue with him.

    "Stolen!" Maron grinned confidently after she successfully stolen the ball from Kazuya''s careless stance.

    "(So she''s a natural physical type)" Kazuya smiled at this discovery. Maron was unexpectedly a person who had a certain affinity to mana. The activation of her enhanced abilities was proof that she really loved this sport.

    Kazuya was now on defense so he immediately focused his attention towards this girl. This was the first time that he had taken her seriously and this was because he could feel a surprising amount of mana emanating from her. He could tell that she was taking match against him very seriously.

    She quickly moved to the side and he immediately followed. He was more confident in his defense skills because he did not have to worry about carrying the ball.

    "Not bad. As expected from the reflexes of a person who practices Kendo" Maron grinned. She expected this much from him and was glad that he was able to keep up with her. She straightened her back but immediately leaned forward to once again try to get past him to the side.

    Kazuya immediately stretched his arm towards the direction she was heading but what he didn''t expect was the girl that was supposed to go to the side suddenly stopped and moved towards the other direction with a spin.

    *SWISH*

    Maron didn''t waste the opportunity and did a lay up to score two points. Her teammates cheered for her but Maron wasted no time and recovered the ball before moving back to position. It was her time to attack until Kazuya recovered the ball from her and she planned to finish the game without letting him score a single point.

    "A bit unexpected but you''re actually quite impressive" he commented. He didn''t mean anything ill by it but it was just his honest opinion.

    "Stop talking. It has no effect on me once we''re in the game" Maron remained calm and passed the ball for him to check it. Kazuya was even more impressed because although he didn''t mean anything by what he said, the girl actually remained calm.

    Kazuya''s opinion of this girl was slowly rising. Though she was not like Tomoyo or Ayame that showed tremendous amount of fighting potential, she made up for it with her skills in the sport. He tried following her movements by paying more attention to her movements. She unexpectedly quickly took a shooting position the moment he handed her back the ball which immediately prompted Kazuya to stop her attempt to shoot the ball.

    "Heh" she grinned at him after retracting her stance to move past him with ease. She successfully did a fake and was able to take another two points to add to her lead.

    This was the reason why all the members of the academy''s basketball club welcomed and accepted Maron as the new captain of their club. Her talent in the sport, especially when it came to offence was something that even their school could not ignore. She might have appeared as a haughty and outspoken girl outside the court but inside the court, she was like a seasoned warrior.

    Everything went as it naturally would have and Maron continued to make consecutive baskets. Kazuya had yet to recover the basket from his initial possession which did not come as a surprise to all those who was watching. Maron was very talented that their coach felt it was a shame that she was a girl. The sport wasn''t as popular as it was to females as they grew older after all.

    *TAP*

    A sudden change occurred just as Maron tried to make a drive for the hoop once again. Kazuya was able to tap the ball and wasted no effort in chasing it down. Everyone felt like they were standing on their toes as he was barely able to recover the ball before it went out of bounds which coincidentally made him clear the ball in his possession.

    "Not bad" Maron praised. While going against him, the quieter he got, the more trouble she encountered in trying to make a basket. She was amazed at how fast Kazuya was learning. He would have been a troublesome guard if she didn''t have any tricks up her sleeves.

    "(Hmm¡­ it should go like this right?)" Since Maron focused her guard from inside the three point line, Kazuya was able to get a few moments to get used to dribbling. He switched it in between both his hands and calculated the strength he needed to use for the ball to bounce at a height he wanted.

    He tried stepping in but Maron quickly struck to knock the ball away. Though they both tried chasing after it, Maron hit it too hard which caused the ball to go out of bounds. Kazuya retained his possession and adjusted the way he handled the ball. A skilled player was indeed exciting to go up against.

    *bounce*

    Kazuya wasted no time and attacked quickly as soon as Maron checked the ball. Kazuya tried to force himself left while Maron lowered her stance to make sure he didn''t get past her. The grin on her face faded however when her opponent spun on the other direction and got past her with ease. Though his ball handling was a bit crude, he had enough speed to cover the mistakes that would have caused him to lose the ball.

    *SWISH* Kazuya finally made his first basket. He was slowly adapting to handling the ball.

    Maron proved her skills as a defensive player as she gave Kazuya a hard time as he was still getting the hang of everything. The two of them dueled and forgot about the people who were watching. Kurumi felt a little disturbed because of the smile that had stayed in Kazuya''s face for a while now. She wondered what was going through his mind or if he was remembering what he learned previously.

    "One more to go" Maron smiled as the two smiled at each other. They hardly noticed the perspiration dripping from their faces.

    Maron scored 19 points and only needed one more baster to exceed the over 20 point requirement they agreed upon. She led by five points over Kazuya''s 14 and she still had possession.

    "Let''s go" he said in a low voice. Tomoyo''s gaze sharpened as she felt the sudden rise in Kazuya''s presence. Kazuya once told her to look out for people who gave her the same sensation like Ayame did, the two of them hardly found anyone outside of the Shiroyuki dojo.

    *SWOOP*

    He wasted no time and was able to steal the ball immediately after Maron dribbled it once. She tried to get it back from him before Kazuya regained his balance but he made the ball bounce right between her legs and turned to get it after taking her by surprise.

    *SWISH*

    "WHOA!" The coach almost dropped the whistle he was holding. Though it was roughly done, this was almost like the moves from the compilation he showed Kazuya.

    "You¡­" Maron looked at Kazuya who remained silent even after he recovered the ball. She knew that his focus was on the game and he was not planning on losing.

    "Check" he passed the ball and the moment Maron passed it back, he moved into a shooting stance. Maron didn''t believe he would take it because he had yet to try a three point shot. Even if he did, he would have needed a grasp of the range and other factors before be could make an accurate shot.

    *SWISH*

    "Wha--!?" Maron was flabbergasted. The ball didn''t even hit the rim and went in as if he had done this before. The image of his stance overlapped with a smaller version of him. His arm still remained in the air and this was a habit of the Ka-kun that she once knew when he made a lucky shot.

    A bunch of cheers echoed through the gymnasium. A crowd had already gathered to watch the two as many onlookers were curious as to which club Kazuya would end up joining. They were filled with excitement because at the last moment, Kazuya caught up and both of them only needed to score once to win.

    "Check" everyone grew silent after he said this. This was his winning possession if Maron couldn''t stop him. Everyone was rooting for the beginner to beat the ace player but Maron had no intention of letting that happen.

    "(Interesting)" Kazuya was a bit startled because Maron''s presence increased even further. She truly was like a warrior who had been backed into a corner. She was putting everything on the line as he could feel her observing every movement from his body the moment she gave him the ball back.

    "hup!" Kazuya immediately went into stance to shoot. Maron reacted instantaneously and prevented him from taking another shot. She didn''t expect anything out of his first shot and allowed it but she was not going to let this one pass after she got tricked once.

    "!!!" her uniform flapped as she felt the wind from her left side immediately after she tried to defend the air. It was at that moment that she realized that she was once again tricked.

    "Too bad" she heard the voice passing from her side.

    "NO!" she forced her body to stop from rising any further and immediately turned to go after Kazuya. She normally wouldn''t have been able to do so but all she could think of right now was stopping him from taking that winning shot.

    "Sorry" he already expected her to be able to catch up. Maron''s current state exceeded her current limits and her determination made her ignore the pain that her joints should be suffering from right now. Even Tomoyo couldn''t help but silently praise Maron from the sides.

    "!!" Maron''s mouth gaped as Kazuya stopped to immediately jump backwards. This was also one of the clips that their coach showed them.

    "Fade away!" the coach shouted. He forgot that he was the referee for their match was already too engrossed in the exciting match.

    "I''ll stop it!!!" Maron already saw this move many times and knew that she wasn''t in a position to do anything about it. She desperately jumped towards the trajectory of the ball.

    "!" Now this was out of Kazuya''s expectations. Maron unexpectedly touched the bottom part of the ball

    *roll roll roll*

    The ball bounced upwards after hitting the rim and rolled around it. Maron fell to her knees as soon as she landed on the floor but looked at the result of her effort. She couldn''t care less about her legs right now and was only interested at if she was successful in stopping him or not.

    "YES!" she shouted victoriously as the ball rolled out of the rim and fell. She stopped Kazuya''s vicious attack and she felt proud. She turned towards the direction where he took the shot to gloat after stopping his winning shot but he was nowhere to be seen.

    *SWISH*

    Maron turned to see him landing in front of the ring. Kazuya tapped the ball as it was falling and made it go through it.

    "You didn''t stop a buzzer beater" Kazuya turned to pick up the ball before passing it to the basketball team''s coach. "Right sensei?" he smiled at the coach who snapped out of his daze after receiving the ball. He was affected by Maron''s early celebration and thought that she had won as well.

    "K-kouzuki-kun wins!"

    .

 82 Figuring it Ou

    .

    Stockton House; living room. Jonson''s eyebrow twitched after arriving to find a scene he had seen before. Today, it was his niece Maron sitting all depressed and it was his daughter trying to comfort her. When he asked for an explanation, he realized that it was like his daughter and niece had switched positions. What was funny about the situation was, both the girls'' moods were affected by the same person.

    Maron''s legs were covered with medicine patches. The father and daughter duo haven''t seen her like this unless it was an important game. He was curious as how the game went since he himself also played the sport in his younger years.

    "It''s not like you haven''t lost a match before right?" Jonson tried to talk to his niece but she didn''t respond.

    "I have a video dad" the three of them watched the video after Kurumi connected it to the large television.

    "You lost to this?" the obvious sloppy play style Kazuya displayed made him wonder how his niece lost.

    "Wait for it" Maron responded this time. Her attention was on the screen as she tried to analyze everything.

    Jonson did as she said and continued to watch. Maron wasn''t the type to kid around and he saw in the video that she was planning on shutting the boy out. It was when Kazuya started to display his fast learning skills that his gaze sharpened.

    "I see¡­" he closed his eyes the moment he noticed something. "What a crafty kid. Sorry Maron, you were going to lose this match whether you blocked that shot or not"

    "Huh?" She watched the video with him but she saw that she had a fair chance. If she hadn''t gotten carried away and thought that it was a buzzer beater because of the atmosphere, she would have had another chance.

    "You wouldn''t have been able to continue even if he didn''t follow up with that last shot of his" Maron looked at the state of her legs and realized that he had a point. Even so, she couldn''t accept it because she only felt the pain on her legs after she had lost. Maron believed that she would have been able to continue.

    "Besides, that kid played very strategically. You went all out from the very beginning and the kid noticed it. He focused on making you consume your stamina while he got used to what you were capable of and how to play the game" he commented. He was impressed because he completely used Maron''s own personality against her.

    Jonson didn''t think he would be able to teach Maron a lesson like he did Kurumi but the boy made this haughty niece of his know of her mistake. At least, once she realized it. It was nice seeing this girl reflect on something.

    "I got played¡­" Maron clenched her fists. She was supposed to be the one to show him a thing or two.

    "Now that the boy has come up, how about you Kurumi? Did you manage to patch things up with him?" he looked towards her daughter who proudly took out a notebook to show him.

    "I''ve been making progress in finding out everything about the Kazuya-kun now. He''ll be happy once he finds out that I''ve been paying attention to the new him instead of focusing on the old" Kurumi proudly patted her chest.

    *sigh* Black lines formed on Jonson''s face. This daughter of his made a choice that was out of anyone''s expectations. He hesitated because he wanted to tell her that she was doing it all wrong and she could potentially chase away such a promising partner for her in the future but he already made the choice to let her make her own decisions together with the consequences so he steeled himself before giving a wry smile.

    "Why did Kouzuki Kazuya play basketball with Maron anyway? Did he quit the Kendo club?" he decided to change the topic.

    "Well¡­" Kurumi told her of the information that went around the school as well as what Kazuya said about the training part. "Do you think he''ll join the basketball club dad?" she followed up with a question. She trusted her father''s judgement because he was rarely ever wrong about these things.

    "Probably not" Jonson shook his head. "If his purpose really is training himself then there are other sports that would also meet the requirements"

    "He can''t! I need a rematch!" Maron tried standing up but her legs trembled which caused her to fall back on the couch. "Now that I know about his tricks I won''t be fooled again!"

    "No Maron. You have a higher chance of losing" Jonson looked at his niece seriously. This girl still hadn''t grasped everything yet. "Take a look at the video after your match. Where did he say he was going?"

    "[I''ll be heading on over to the next club. Thank you for the hospitality]" those were his parting words. Maron shuddered as she realized what her uncle meant.

    "I¡­" she looked at the state of her legs. She already knew what the problem was but she just couldn''t accept it.

    "You also need to realize that the boy is not who you used to know. He has grown leaps and bounds to even confidently head for another round in another club after the rigorous match you two had.

    "I''ll definitely challenge him again!" Maron declared as she made up her mind. Her eyes looked determined as she stood up straight. She had a lot of work to do now.

    -

    Inside the basement of Kazuya''s research facility at home, Mei was watching as he demonstrated various kinds of magic. The spells danced around before hitting the wall and dispersing. Even a beginner like Mei was able to see that he was steadily improving with his magic control. She had been with him from the start and would be either studying magic or working at the research facility when Kazuya came home so she was now able to cast simple spells like ember or recovery enhancement.

    Kazuya was pleased with Mei''s progress. Compared to the hero version of him in his previous life, she was making faster progress than him. This was proof that magic was definitely suited for her. She only lacked practice and experience as well as a larger mana capacity which could be fixed as she continued to practice daily.

    "Even though It''s been almost a month, I still can''t believe such a thing can be done in real life. So does this mean that the secret magic societies in western countries actually exist?" Mei started a conversation after Kazuya sat down to take a break.

    "I''m not too sure about that big sis. One thing is for sure, if they did exist, they know the importance of keeping these abilities a secret. Things from history like witch hunts tell that those who do not have such abilities would do anything to get rid of those whose abilities they can''t understand" he replied with a serious face.

    "What about those fortune tellers or spoon bending people? You''ve had a dream about the future that''s why you decided to change things right?"

    "I wouldn''t know about them unless I met them. I''ve already taught you how to sense these kinds of people so you can be wary of them if they sense you too. Though some of them may be real, as long as they don''t understand what they can do and control it like we''re training to do, people will remain skeptical about whether they can do what they say they can do or not"

    Kazuya didn''t forget to give his big sis a lecture on why keeping their ability a secret was important. This included a few tips on how she could hide or explain things if ever she was forced to use magic. A few devices were also given to her for such instances so Mei couldn''t help but understand how serious he was about this.

    "I''ve been wondering about something¡­" Mei glanced at him in a strange way.

    "What is it?"

    "You already told me that you''ve set up some of these formations around the property and can tell when intruders come. You also said that you can detect us right?"

    "That sounds about right" Kazuya nodded.

    "Then¡­ that means you can tell when I go to the bath?" Mei blushed after asking.

    "Wha-!?" Kazuya almost fell on his back after hearing such a question. He thought that it would be about formations but it turned out to be something unexpected instead.

    "T-tell me the truth! I w-won''t be mad even if you were spying on us while we''re taking baths¡­" her voice trailed off. Kazuya''s face immediately turned bright red because in his current state, his senses were heightened due to the magic enhancing them.

    "N-no! The detection formation only tells me of everyone''s location!" he quickly denied it before Mei''s imagination ran wild again. These questions have been going on for a while and he didn''t know when they will stop.

    "Really?" Mei looked a little disappointed. "You really aren''t using magic to peek on me?"

    "I can prove it by giving you access to the formation. Besides, why would I need to use magic to peek? Big sis already dresses too dangerously whenever you sneak into my room" He thought that what he said would get him off the hook but it only made Mei''s face redden.

    "Hehe¡­ you naughty boy. You''ve really been looking at your big sis. How was it? I told you that your big sis still has room to grow!" Mei''s smile blossomed.

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    His action and reaction today made her even more sure about the observations she''s been doing ever since he confessed everything to her. Though he was a nine-year-old now, due to the phenomenon he experienced, Kazuya was mentally a lot older. She didn''t know to what extent but it was at least old enough for him to enter high school from what he told her about that ''dream'' of his.

    The first time she realized this, she reflected on the number of times she left herself so unguarded against him. She really did see him as a little kid before she learned about everything but after Kazuya came clean, she couldn''t think so anymore and even tried to disprove of her theory just so she could save herself from embarrassment.

    As time passed by, she slowly started to change her mind. This was primarily caused by Kazuya''s reactions to her advances. He was trying so hard to play it off like it didn''t affect him but here were some ''reactions'' that couldn''t be helped now that he was growing at a fast pace. Mei grew fond of the way he acted even after he started getting along with that boy from school who changed his way of interacting with people.

    She tried to avoid him at first when she realized that he may not have been mentally the age he appeared normally but not only could she not avoid it, she also realized something that she could not accept. Kazuno Mei, for the first time in her life had taken a liking to someone and it was a child.

    "Err¡­" Kazuya didn''t know what to say. He scratched his cheek and avoided to meet Mei''s eyes.

    "How does the big sis from your dream compare to the big sis you taught mana to? Are our bodies still the same?" she mischievously smiled. She already knew the answer because even she grew taller with Kyouko which proves what Kazuya had told her about the effects of mana.

    -

    Kazuno Securities Main office; formerly a branch office of Shiroyuki Steelworks that had moved to another location.

    "Are they ready?" Jirou looked towards his new business partner and the one supervising training; Kuronuma Komori.

    "They are. All of them already know the rules and security plans by heart" Komori crossed his arms and stood beside Jirou as they observed the new recruits.

    "I trust that everyone here is aware of the contracts you signed" Jirou observed the changes in their expression when the contract was mentioned. "I also want to inform you that your master, this old bat right here also signed the same contract but it had an additional clause in it; he would also suffer the same consequences if one of the students he valued would go and break the contract" Jirou maintained a straight face and observed their flabbergasted reactions as they turned towards Komori.

    "That''s true. I signed such a clause because I believe in the students I picked and trust that you all will not betray me. You are all going to work for the main company responsible for giving us this opportunity so I''m willing to put myself on the line to prove to this old racoon that my judgement in selecting you all as my most trusted and talented students will not be in vain" Komori loudly stated and induced morale that could be felt throughout the large room.

    Both old men had already explained the current situation Kazuno Technologies was facing as well as their responsibilities. They were shocked to find out that big corporations were paying attention to a newly established company and already employed unscrupulous means before even trying to negotiate.

    The new recruits weren''t new to the Kurogane Conglomerate''s name because this was the name that had been taboo in their dojo whenever their master''s granddaughter was around. The little princess'' mood would worsen whenever she heard the name because it was the company that caused her to lose the last chance she had to fight with someone she couldn''t beat before she graduated to go to middle school.

    "YES!" the new recruits replied with a loud roar. They couldn''t say anything to their families about any secrets so they couldn''t tell their master''s granddaughter that they had the chance to get back at them a little for her.

    They were dismissed and would meet up again at the morning. The two old men entered Jirou''s office and sat down together after grabbing a drink from the small fridge in the corner of the room. Komori didn''t have to give respect to Jirou anymore since both of them were alone now.

    "You already involved yourself in the incident that ousted the Kurogane Corporation from any company that chose the Kouzukis over them two years ago. Wouldn''t they think that you''re going against them on purpose once they find out that you''re the one responsible for this security firm?" Komori inquired.

    "What can they do about it? Build their own dojo to compete with mine?" Jirou laughed. The Kuroganes couldn''t threaten him with anything because his and his company''s reputation spoke for itself.

    "Isn''t it time to tell me who''s backing you? You usually wouldn''t take such a risk"

    "You''ll be able to find out tomorrow. You''re going to meet Kazuno Tech''s CEO after all" Jirou refused to give any hints.

    "I really don''t understand all that tech stuff so I don''t really care about any secrets I would find out"

    "You''re mistaken old bat. The most important secrets the company holds that you will be able to find out isn''t about the technology. It''s about the people. Just knowing the key people inside the company would give those bastards a reason to tempt them with greed for information. You know how those people think"

    "The people huh¡­" Komori seems to have been reminded of an old memory.

    .

 83 Half a Step Forward

    .

    Another week passed by and things have relatively been quiet. Time went by peacefully as Maron concentrated more on improving herself after declaring that she was going to have a rematch with Kazuya. If there was anything, a small confrontation happened in the previous week when Kazuya chose to change locations during break times.

    *scribble scribble scribble* Kurumi continued writing on her small notebook as she observed Kazuya while hiding behind a tree in the school courtyard.

    *sigh* "I really don''t know what you''re doing but do you really think I haven''t noticed you''ve been observing and following me?" Kazuya turned towards the tree and could see the blond hair sticking out. He could feel Kurumi''s gaze and presence and ignored it but this girl had been doing it ever since he told her that he thought that they weren''t meant to be friends.

    "!!" Kurumi was immediately startled and stood up immediately examined herself and saw her hair sticking out the tree''s trunk from behind her. She reflected upon herself and walked nonchalantly towards the gymnasium where Maron was training herself.

    "That girl¡­" Kazuya couldn''t help but shake his head. Tomoyo already changed and wouldn''t be the same person he hated but Kurumi was slowly turning into that weird girl that showed up around him. The only difference now was, she still sucked at it and didn''t approach him at all. Kazuya didn''t believe he would experience the same trouble in his previous life because of how different he was now compared to before.

    Though Kurumi tried again when she got the chance, Kazuya would throw pieces of paper towards her direction that contained a [I still see you] note to make her go away. He believed that this girl would eventually get tired of spying on him once she learns that she wouldn''t be able to hide from him.

    Regardless of what the Stockton girls were up to, he really didn''tcare much anymore because he had already held up his end of the bargain to Kurumi''s father. It just so happened that it didn''t go according to what the person expected because of his daughter.

    What Kazuya didn''t know however, was that Takaya and the two girls weren''t the only members of S class who had recently started going to school more. He didn''t notice it because he had not seen them nor were they observing him, but Suzaku and Ringo had hidden themselves and were looking at Kurumi instead.

    "That kid wasn''t lying. He doesn''t seem to have anything to do with the Stockton girls" Ringo spoke as Kurumi had once again walked away from Kazuya''s direction looking disappointed.

    "More like he''s already done with them after using them against my family" Suzaku scoffed. "How are things going on your parents'' end?" he turned to Ringo and asked.

    "I told them about Kouzuki Kazuya''s message from Ono. It looks like it''s an empty threat. His mother hasn''t shown any signs of movement and their corporation seems to have already stopped their advances towards our market. She even granted that assistant of hers a long vacation" Ringo reported the information that she had gotten from her parents.

    "Nothing but a kid that''s all talk it looks like" Suzaku grinned. He was confident that Kazuya had only bluffed so that they wouldn''t intentionally look for trouble with him. It looks like it had the opposite effect instead.

    "Don''t be like your cousin. He underestimated Kouzuki Kazuya too much and look where he ended up" Ringo reminded. "That kid seems normal on the surface but he''s been slowly revealing his cards after what happened to Hashiyama Lee"

    "So you mean his intellect?" Suzaku scoffed. "So what if he''s good at exams? That doesn''t amount to anything especially in our world"

    Kazuya appeared quite normal when he first attended the academy but after the very first exam results were posted after his arrival, all those who paid attention to the ever-changing fight for exam ranking found out that the only rank they would be fighting for was the place below the name Kouzuki Kazuya.

    This fact had not changed along with his Kendo championship title. Ringo didn''t want to underestimate Kazuya too much but because of her pride, she still looked down on him especially since her family was the one responsible for stopping an established family such as themselves from entering the field that they controlled.

    "Don''t let your emotions take over. I know you bear a grudge against him but you and I both met Hashiyama Lee. He was like his adoptive mother. Both of them and Nagisa-san were better than us when it came to hiding themselves" Ringo reminded Suzaku of the shocking plot that was included in the video that prevented anyone from believing that they had no hand in Lee''s plans.

    "I get it¡­" Suzaku frowned. He usually didn''t get agitated this quickly but losing to the Kouzukis even with their overwhelming advantage was a hit to every Kurogane''s pride even if they did have the help of the Stockton family.

    "Did you finish finding more about him from your cousin?" What they lacked was information about the boy. They believed that Hashiyama Lee''s demise was because he had greatly underestimated Kazuya because of his proximity to him.

    Lee was sentenced to a stay inside a school that was for minors who could not be tried as adults. Suzaku had some strings pulled so he could visit his cousin and talk about the case. Ringo asked Suzaku to pay him a visit as Lee''s ''cousin'' and get everybit of information they could use under the guise of getting back at Kazuya for him and the damaged Kurogane family.

    "I did but¡­" Suzaku hesitated.

    "But what? He didn''t cooperate?" Ringo frowned.

    "He laughed the moment I said that we were planning to get back at the kid. He still gave the information we wanted. From what he said, Kouzuki Kazuya had himself beaten without fighting back on purpose. He even claimed that it was the kid himself that pulled the trigger" Suzaku shook his head thinking that it was a guilty person''s ramblings.

    "Hmm¡­" Ringo crossed her arms to think.

    "Don''t tell me you believe him? That guy is just willing to tell his story to anyone who will listen at this point. He even told me that Kouzuki Kazuya told him before pulling the trigger that he would kill him if he ever showed his face again" Suzaku laughed at his former cousin''s claims. He didn''t believe them in the least.

    "Most of it is most likely false but does not mean that everything is. Think about it, he had the capability of knocking out the leader of those thugs so why did he let himself get taken to the room where Lee was?" Ringo''s words made Suzaku freeze.

    She was right. Both of them assumed at first that Kazuya''s initial threat against them was violence. This was because of his fame as a student that was talented enough in Kendo to be able to compete in advanced divisions. Though he was six at the time, he was able to knock out an adult in one hit did he purposely get captured just to set a trap for Lee?

    "I don''t believe it. This isn''t the movies. Do you want me to believe that he also somehow knew that Stockton Kurumi would show up in front of him?"

    "No but¡­ if Stockton Kurumi hadn''t been there, the only thing that would have changed would be the involvement of Stockton International" Ringo didn''t want to believe it herself but they were afraid to think about the consequences if ever it were true.

    "How about we test it out?" Suzaku didn''t want to show fear towards Kazuya or any of the members of the Kouzuki family so he thought of something after talking to his cousin.

    "What do you propose? Our first attempt to use that incompetent teacher only let him know that we ignored his threats" Ringo frowned. Using Ono was suggested by Suzaku and they got nothing for it.

    "Lee said he had one conspirator that got off scot free after all this. He may be scum but that cousin of mine never attempted to implicate the family even after he was discarded. This conspirator was careful enough not to get caught by the police or the Kouzukis" Suzaku explained to Ringo about what Lee shared with him about the only one who was careful enough to get away even after introducing him to the men that were hired that day.

    "I see¡­ So it''s the high school department''s Kuuga-senpai" a grin grew on Ringo''s face.

    -

    In the end, Kazuya had opted to join the Tennis club. He chose it because he thought that it would be a good way to train his sight, body and concentration. It was a much more physically demanding sport that involved some sort of weapon and hitting an object that was moving at speeds that depended on his opponent so he was quite satisfied with this sport.

    "Let''s go" Kazuya saw Tomoyo who was hurrying towards him after she came from the Kendo club. The Tennis courts were closer to where Jirou picked them up everyday so he waited for her before they headed home.

    "I was against you going for another sport but you sure picked a suitable one kid" Jirou commented after they got on his car. It had been a while since he came to personally pick them up. Things have pretty much calmed down after his partnership with Ayame''s grandfather so he started going back to his old routine.

    "I''m glad you think so too grandpa Jirou" Kazuya was in a good mood since Jirou being here meant everything had went well and he was successful in getting more people to fend off the incoming dangers.

    "Let me ask you a question kid" Jirou already counted on one of the instructors to drive so he sat with them. "Do you have any memories of Old Kou? Errr¡­ I mean your grandfather"

    "No" Kazuya replied almost immediately.

    "I see¡­" Jirou was a little disappointed but he understood. He already expected as much because he didn''t have the slightest memory of his own mother when he woke up in the hospital.

    From Kazuya''s perspective, his grandfather didn''t exist. He didn''t know anything about the person because he wasn''t present in his previous life and his current one. The only thing he knew about Kouzuki Kou was that he disappeared along with a few of his friends even before he got into an accident with Kyouko. This was according to Mei when he asked her about his own relatives out of curiosity.

    "Why do you ask?" He didn''t even hear anything about the guy or if he was still alive at the time so to Kazuya, Kouzuki Kou was someone who didn''t exist.

    "I was just a little curious since I don''t think we''ve talked about him even once"

    "(Wait a minute¡­)" Kazuya just remembered something. He was currently nine years old and from what Mei informed him in his previous life. The last time the old man showed up was when he was nine years old.

    This thought made him take a look at Jirou once more. This old man has made it clear throughout the years that he''s close friends with his grandfather and the Kouzuki family and the Shirogane family had close ties with each other. Jirou even tried to secretly support the Kouzuki Corporation when they went against the Kuroganes. So then why was he not around to help in his previous life?

    "[Your grandfather''s name was Kouzuki Kou and he had not shown himself since you were nine years old. He returned and called a few of his close friends to explore a ruin that had been discovered. The man and his friends had never been heard from again ever since]" were the exact words Mei used in her previous life.

    This made a few things clear, Jirou must have been one of the friends that his infamous grandfather took with him. Following this line of thinking, he finally had come up with a reason why the robot girl liked to beat him up so much. The Kouzukis, or specifically his grandfather caused her to lose another loved one.

    "(Did something happen perhaps?)" Kazuya somewhat regretted not caring too much about what happened. Even if he was the last living relative of Kouzuki Kou, surely the other known families sent people to find out what happened to those who went along with him.

    Kazuya found it weird that both his mother and big sis have neglected to mention anything about his grandfather even though they once tried asking everything about his lost memories. He immediately assumed that they would rather not have anything to do with such a guy so Kazuya put him in the same category as the father he hasn''t met yet. Kou could have saved him from losing everything he had to Lee if he came back right?

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    His conversation with Jirou ended as he felt that Kazuya had started to think about things after he mentioned his old friend. He conversed with his granddaughter instead since he had been very busy lately and he was quite worried about her because he thought that she might have troubles adjusting to Kazuya''s club activity change.

    Jirou wanted to talk about his old friend more so that before he arrived, the boy who doesn''t remember him wouldn''t be too cold and indifferent as the boy usually was around strangers. He considered it a step further if he got the boy to think about his grandfather since even Kyouko avoided talking about her troublesome father.

    "(I''ve done what I could for you old friend. I''m sure your going to be happy as well as frustrated after meeting this grandson of yours)"

    .

 84 Aler

    .

    Kazuya looked at Jirou and then glanced at Tomoyo who seemed to have noticed his gaze and tilted her head. He decided to stop his supposed grandfather from involving the robot girl''s grandfather to prevent him from getting separated from his family.

    "If my grandfather ever asks you to go with him somewhere, please remember that there wouldn''t be anyone I can trust to handle the security firm grandpa Jirou" Kazuya reminded.

    "(Huh? Did he figure out something?)" Jirou was a bit surprised at the seemingly random reminder but he quickly recovered and gave the boy a nod.

    "Speaking of which, there were various people seen wandering around outside the main office building lately and some of them have been caught trying to sneak in at night. They claimed that they were wanting to see the prototype but there isn''t anyone stupid enough to believe that" Jirou complained.

    "Did you find out anything after? Were they sent from the Kurogane side?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed and waited for a response.

    "No¡­ With the help of your head of network security, he was able to find out that they weren''t from the Kurogane family but connected to the Muimina family instead"

    "I see¡­" Kazuya looked at the window and saw the Kouzuki house. "Looks like they''re really trying to test my patience" he crossed his arms as the vehicle rolled closer to the familiar wooden door.

    Though the Kurogane family had a bad reputation, the Muiminas and their Ringo Corporation had a neutral one. They had popular products because they focused on how their products looked more than the capabilities so a lot of people who weren''t that technologically savvy preferred their products.

    The addition of Rucy-chan program to their products would attract a whole new market of users if they could acquire it exclusive to their products so they have been trying all sorts of means to get some leverage on Kazuno Technology before it officially launches.

    "We''re here kid" Jirou reminded him that they arrived at the Kouzuki residence.

    "Come with me grandpa Jirou. There is going to be a change of plans that I need to discuss with big sis. The security team might have to increase their wariness if I do decide to go through with what I''m thinking about" Kazuya got off the van and Jirou followed along. He was a little worried after hearing that they needed to be more careful because this was something that the kid wouldn''t say if there really wasn''t a need to.

    "!!??" Kazuya''s face froze as soon as he entered the property. There had been a presence that he was not familiar with. What was worrying about it that it was moving slowly towards the mark that was indicated as Mei.

    Kazuya''s countenance changed as he immediately rushed towards his research center. It wouldn''t have been an issue if it were just a normal presence but the slow approaching intruder possessed mana that was even superior to Mei''s.

    "Kid!?" Jirou tried calling out to Kazuya who almost instantly disappeared as soon as he felt the presence. It was very unlike the boy to look this bothered so he immediately tried to catch up to him while making sure that he kept an eye on his granddaughter that seemed to have disregarded him and followed as well.

    "What the hell!?" Mei''s voice could be heard as soon as Kazuya made it near his research center. Someone had caught her off guard and held her arm against her back.

    "What are you up to girl?"a deep and intimidating voice that Kazuya heard as well made him lose whatever calm that remained in him.

    "LET HER GO!" a commanding tone that was filled with heavy pressure caught the man off guard. The sudden interruption made him loosen his grip on Mei''s arm as she quickly went to the side after escaping the man''s grip.

    Kazuya wasted no time and rushed towards the intruder without holding back. He could feel that this intruder was a threat so he had no time to waste trying to probe. Mei was still very close to them so he couldn''t risk getting her in danger.

    "KID!!" Jirou felt the danger pouring out from Kazuya as his killing intent soared.

    "!!" The man turned around and crossed his arms to block the punch that Kazuya threw. This intruder was wearing a strange mask that hid his facial features.

    *BAM* though the punch got blocked, the man got thrown back and crashed on the ground.

    "I don''t know who you are but you dared to come here and touch someone important to me" he didn''t want to give the intruder any time to recover so he immediately rushed to follow up. Seeing this person overpowering Mei from behind in his own home made him not care whether who sent this person or not.

    The intruder felt impending doom so he wasted no time and rolled to the side. Kazuya''s punch to the ground produced several cracks on the ground which startled everyone who had witnessed this. Mei in particular was shocked at the rage Kazuya was showing. This was the first time he had seen him mad and it was to a murderous degree.

    "Kazu stop!" Mei didn''t want to let him become a murderer for her. She activated her own mana and concentrated it on her legs before dashing towards Kazuya who immediately felt the surge of mana from his side.

    "Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue before forcing himself to stop. He really didn''t want to use magic in front of witnesses but he had no choice.

    Two round objects were taken from his pocket and he threw it towards the intruder. He activated his magic and cast a wall of fire after igniting what seemed to be fireworks. He then cast an earth spell after focusing his mana on his body so that both him and Mei would crash on soft soil.

    *CRASH*

    Kazuya wanted to recover quickly so that he could finish what he started but Mei''s grasp on him was so tight that he felt that his bones would break if he didn''t focus on enhancing his body. He was worried that the intruder wouldn''t be held for long so he made sure that his fire spell didn''t get dispelled because of the crash.

    "Why are you stopping me!?" he scolded Mei who refused to let go.

    "NO! I can''t let you kill anyone for my sake!"

    "Idiot!" he couldn''t hold back his anger. "Stopping me not only puts yourself in danger but everyone else here at the moment!" Kazuya was able to shake off the grip of Mei who just heard his words.

    Kazuya tried to once again walk towards the man who was enclosed in a wall of fire.

    "Stop" to his surprise, Jirou stepped in to stop him this time. "Calm down, there has been a big misunderstanding kid"

    "¡­" Kazuya''s eyes moved to meet Jirou''s.

    "This is¡­" This made the old man shiver because he now had to explain quickly before the boy came to another troublesome conclusion. "That man right there is your grandfather Kouzuki Kou" he scratched his head looking a little embarrassed. This old friend of his almost died in the hands of his grandson because of one of his troublesome sense of humor.

    -

    Meanwhile, in one of the offices near the troubled part of town. Ringo and Suzaku entered the shabby looking office and sat across one of their school''s high schools students.

    "Well, well, may I ask what are two distinguished people such as yourselves doing in an establishment such as this?" Kuuga smiled and looked at the two guests he never thought he would see in his hideaway of all places.

    "Cut the pleasantries. I already know from Hashiyama Lee that you''re the only conspirator that survived against Kouzuki Kazuya" Suzaku didn''t feel the need to be polite so he went straight to the point.

    "Oh, is that what you heard?" Kuuga tried to maintain his poker face. The incident with Hashiyama Lee was like a taboo topic for him since he did not even Imagine that such a thing would happen.

    Kuuga looked down on others because he prided himself in being able to read people. He was able to see their desires as well as their fears so he was confident in controlling them. Not only did he lose some of his most capable associates, he felt that he had lost not only once but twice against Kouzuki Kazuya.

    "You don''t need to worry about us informing anyone else. We would have already told our families if that was our intention" Ringo stepped up

    "Then what do you want?" Kuuga also stopped with the pretenses and asked her.

    "Let''s say we also had our run-in with him and it was not a pleasant one. Therefore, we''re asking someone who has dealt with him before and didn''t end up getting discovered" Suzaku spoke.

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    "What we want to ask is are you afraid with dealing with that kid again?" Ringo followed up.

    "I see¡­ so you''re here for official business then. I usually don''t take repeat orders but I will make an exception because I''ve been looking for a reason to settle that one black spot in my record" he smiled. "But it won''t be cheap" he added.

    "Who do you think you''re talking to?" Ringo confidently smiled. "Just tell us the price and what we need to do"

    "All you have to do is tell me what you want. I''ll tell you if I can do it and the price once I''ve calculated the expenses" Kuuga explained. "Do you want the same thing as what Hashiyama Lee asked for or something more?" Kuuga grinned. This was a chance for him to deal with the boy who let him settle for something for less than what he wanted as well as stolen quite the number of people that had once been used to make him some money.

    "The same deal? You have to be more specific since Hashiyama Lee only told us that he got you to deal with him and succeeded" Ringo frowned after turning towards Suzaku who seemed to have no idea.

    Kuuga felt a little relieved. These two didn''t seem to be aware of both of the deals he had with Lee. He had to hand it to that guy. He had been expecting to get a little heat after the failure two years ago but Lee didn''t let him take any blame. Not that it would have mattered much but he would still have to deal with trouble at home.

    "This was the deal we made" he looked for a specific file on his computer and turned the screen towards the two after finding what he was looking for.

    ""!!"" the two were surprised at what they saw. They never heard anything about it but the screen showed a younger version of Kouzuki Kazuya from two years ago and he looked quite beaten up to the point that he was bleeding.

    "This¡­" Suzaku gawked. "Is this real?" he couldn''t help but look at the picture in disbelief.

    "How were you able to do something like this?" Ringo couldn''t help but ask as well.

    "Sorry but I can''t tell you that. Even if Lee himself asked for me to tell you, it''s against my own policy to share secrets that may implicate myself" he crossed his arms and declined their request.

    The two looked even more convinced now. This was an incident that was never reported to both their families and Lee as able to confirm it as well. What the two didn''t know that like Lee, Kuuga had alsosuspected the authenticity of their first deal. He didn''t think much of it at first but what made him suspect it even more was when he tried contacting the same students to deal with another matter only to be told that they wouldn''t take any more jobs from him.

    "Then we''ll settle for this" Suzaku didn''t even hide the excited expression on his face. He couldn''t wait to see that arrogant brat beaten this badly.

    "Then please decide which person I need to contact and write the number and mail address here" he handed them a small pad.

    "Since I will be paying, you can contact me" Ringo wrote some numbers down the details she prepared on the note.

    "Then do note that although I may have taken the request, the methods on how I do it is up to me. All you will know is if I failed or succeeded" Kuuga stated. "Of course I''ll provide all the necessary evidence after everything is completed"

    "What if you fail?" Ringo asked. Though she had confidence in Kuuga''s abilities now, there was still a chance for failure.

    "Then I will return all the money that has not been used for expenses" he stated.

    This was a deal that only they should know about. Any other party that knew of this will hold them in danger of being exposed as the ones responsible so this risk was a factor for both parties. They understood this and had no complaints.

    "That''s fine. Money is of little importance. What''s more important is to teach that brat a lesson"

    .

 85 Kouzuki Kou

    .

    Inside the Kouzuki house''s living room, Fujiyama Akane bandaged the now unmasked old man that was introduced as Kazuya''s grandfather. The old man wore a frown the whole time but it was the same for his grandson who was not satisfied with what had just happened.

    Kouzuki Kou felt frustrated that he had been beaten up inside his own house and was even more depressed that it had been by none other than his own grandson. This grandson of his who he hasn''t seen since his last visit did not recognize him and actually beat him up before he could pull his prank on his daughter''s assistant.

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    Tomoyo who was beside her grandfather was also feeling a bit confused. She was finally glad to see the friend her grandfather has told her stories about but was confused on how to treat him now because Kazuya didn''t seem to like him very much.

    "There we go, it''s all done Kou-sama" Akane finished dressing Kou''s injuries and bandaged up his bruised arm.

    "Thanks Akane" his arm was still hurting as he tried to move it. He then noticed the little girl beside his old friend who was staring at him looking confused. "Is this your granddaughter Jirou?" he asked as he warmly smiled at Tomoyo.

    "Let me introduce you old friend" Jirou guided Tomoyo to stand in front of him. "This is Tomoyo, the precious granddaughter you wanted your grandson to meet when they were just born" He then turned to Tomoyo and introduced his old friend officially.

    "S-shiroyuki Tomoyo" Tomoyo politely bowed while trying to see if Kazuya was displeased at her for showing respect to his grandfather. Kazuya didn''t make a sound and continued to wear a blank expression while sitting beside Mei.

    "Oh what a beautiful little girl. I feel like I lucked out" Kou looked at Tomoyo and was satisfied. "You truly are fortunate this time old friend. Compared to my grandson, she looks like she has a lot of sense in her" he complimented Tomoyo and made Kazuya''s eyebrows twitch in the process.

    "I wonder how much sense can an old man who likes to act like a hooligan can actually see" Kazuya remarked and remembered that this person''s unexpected return very well may have just put the senior members of their family''s allies in danger.

    "Disrespectful kid! Did my daughter teach you to be disrespectful to elders!?" Kou got angry and stood up to glare at Kazuya.

    "Respect is earned and not to be given to those unworthy. Are you one of those elders that thinks they should be respected just because they were born earlier?" Kazuya remained calm and answered back. Due to his bad experience with elders in his previous life, he was easily offended at those who demanded respect just because of their seniority over him.

    "Seriously¡­ not even a speck of gratitude towards the person who just saved your life from me" he turned to Mei who had been quietly reflecting after being scolded by Kazuya earlier. She may have gotten used to Kyouko to the point that she could tease her but this old man was really a challenge for anyone to deal with.

    "I¡­" Kou was a little speechless after Kazuya''s retort. He was indeed taken aback after being attacked and thought that he would have died earlier if Mei hadn''t stepped in. This grandson of his truly had been fierce to the point that he was glad that the fireworks he used formed a flame wall that protected him even though it prevented him from going anywhere.

    Thanking Mei now after being reminded by his grandson would make things more awkward so Kou was at a loss at what to do. He knew that he was somewhat at fault but he really didn''t think much of what he did and was at a loss at how he had been treated.

    "Alright you two, you should end it here" Jirou mediated. "You really shouldn''t mess with people like that old friend. Your grandson is extremely overprotective towards the people he cares about especially after everything that''s happened" he then turned towards Kazuya "and you should understand when to hold back"

    "You of all people should know what threats are looming over us grandpa Jirou" Kazuya looked at him seriously. "No matter what or who, those who enter this place with ill intentions at the very least, won''t be able to leave here whole" Kazuya''s killing intent flickered.

    It had truly been a close call for Kouzuki Kou. The main reason for this is because he was nearing the date where he and his mother got into an accident. Their home was one of the places where those responsible would have most likely did something to make the accident happen in his previous life.

    "What does this kid mean Jirou?" Kou sensed the tense atmosphere and asked. "Did something happen while I was away?"

    "It''s a long story old friend" Jirou gave up convincing Kazuya and sighed. This stubbornness of Kazuya when it came to people he cared about was both a flaw and one of the things he liked about him. He trusted that his granddaughter''s safety was guaranteed if she were included in Kazuya''s list of important people.

    *Rumble Rumble* they were all distracted as rushing footsteps could be heard coming closer. Kyouko appeared from the hallway and immediately saw her father. She rushed inside the room looking a bit frantic after confirming that her father had indeed arrived.

    "Daughter! You''re finally here" Kou opened up his arms and waited for his daughter to rush to his arms.

    "Kazuya!" contrary to Kou''s expectations, Kyouko rushed in front of Kazuya instead and lifted him to stand in front of her. She immediately began to check her son''s condition to make sure that he hadn''t been hurt in the least.

    "Why are you back so early mom?" Kazuya looked a bit confused at his mother''s sudden arrival.

    "Granny Fuji called me" she looked relieved after finding nothing wrong with him. "Are you okay? Did that old man try to hurt you?"

    "I''m fine mom. No harm done" Kazuya smiled to reassure her.

    Kyouko then looked towards Mei and observed her condition as well. Both her and Kazuya had already changed into clean clothes so there weren''t any signs of their current muddy states earlier.

    "I''m fine but¡­" she glanced towards Kou whose injuries were neglected. "Will the office be alright without you?"

    "Yumi-chan is doing fine as your stand-in and there really isn''t much work left today"

    "Hey!" Kou interrupted them. "Aren''t you being a little too cold towards your father? I''m the one who''s hurt here!" he tried showing off his injuries to Kyouko who merely glanced at him.

    "You should have deserved whatever happened right?" Kyouko looked coldly at her father.

    "Well¡­" Kou couldn''t deny it and looked a little guilty. The warm reunion with his family that he imagined after surprising them was instead replaced with a harsh and cold welcome.

    "Sorry for the trouble grandpa Jirou" Kyouko ignored her father and turned towards Jirou and apologized. She didn''t know what happened yet but knowing her father, it most likely gave the people around him trouble.

    "Don''t be too cold to your father Kyouko-chan and he''s probably really excited to catch up with you and the kid" Jirou tried to mediate with Kyouko this time.

    "Father? Where was my father when I gave birth to his grandson? Where was my father when I was bullied by those who coveted the company he dumped on his daughter after she graduated? Where was my son''s grandfather when he almost died twice these past few years?" Kyouko didn''t hold back and looked towards Kou who was greatly shocked by her last line.

    "I''m sorr¡ª"

    "I don''t need your apology. Stop messing with the peace we currently have" Kazuya was a little surprised to see her mother like this. She was usually warm and gentle whenever she was around him but this was the very first time he saw her like this.

    Kyouko pulled Mei and Kazuya and took them away from the living room. She stopped at the hallway since she didn''t really know where to go to avoid her father. She couldn''t ask them what happened as they could probably hear their conversation if they had their discussion somewhere near so Kazuya took the initiative to take them towards his research area.

    Kou looked downcast after seeing them leave. He turned towards Jirou who apparently was here when they had such an experience. He was thankful for this old friend of his because from the way his family had treated this friend of his, Jirou had played a part and most likely extended a helping hand.

    "Can you tell me what happened old friend?" Kou turned towards Jirou who looked at him with sympathy.

    Jirou understood why Kyouko reacted that way. Kou may have been a good friend to him and their circle of friends but that didn''t mean that he was a model family man. All of them knew that Kou was willful and did whatever that he wanted. Kyouko was especially the one who suffered the most because of his old friend''s troublesome nature.

    "You see¡­" he sighed and decided to tell Kou the events that happened while he was away. Akane also gave a helping hand after she served them tea and informed the old family head of everything that had happened at home.

    Jirou and Akane understood why Kou was the way he was currently. They really couldn''t blame him because he had changed greatly after his wife had died in an early age. He appeared to be willful and selfish but both of them knew that behind the troublesome man was a man who was very lonely after losing his wife.

    Inside Kazuya''s research center. Kyouko started to tell her son about his grandfather after learning what had happened when they arrived earlier. She couldn''t really blame her son for what happened because he did not have any memories of his grandfather. Mei didn''t inform Kyouko about how Kazuya almost killed her father though.

    After Kou lost his wife, he quickly settled matters and handed over the Kouzuki corporation to his daughter. He instructed Akane''s children to support his daughter from behind. He then decided to travel around the world where he unexpectedly became an explorer of sorts. He was out of contact in the recent years because he went to place that did not have any contact with modern society so he received no news of the events that transpired in the recent years.

    He may have been Kazuya''s grandfather but he didn''t look like an old man at all. He appeared like a respectable gentleman that was over his middle ages and was the youngest in their circle of friends.

    Kou was quite taken aback when he heard about Kazuya''s trip to the hospital where he woke up and lost his memories. He never expected such a thing to have happened to the grandson he was just arguing with earlier. To have been betrayed was not something new to him at his age but to his grandson, he felt that the kid had developed trust issues.

    "I''ve met that kid Lee as well. I didn''t mind his presence much especially since Kyouko didn''t seem to be bothered that he was adopted by Kazuya''s father¡­" he frowned. Even he hadn''t been able to see through Lee''s fa?ade.

    What made him mad the most however was to find out that his grandson had experienced yet another life-threatening experience in the hands of that same brat. The revelation of the Kurogane family being suspected to have been behind everything made him almost burst out of the door to go directly to that old snake''s den to question him directly but Jirou already anticipated this and stood in his way.

    He knew that their family and the Kurogane family were in very bad terms ever since Kyouko''s relationship with them ended but he never expected that they would come after them like this. The Kuroganes may have been known to do whatever it took to get what they wanted but this was over the line.

    "Thank you old friend. It looks like you''ve been taking care of my family on my behalf" Kou sincerely thanked Jirou. Even he couldn''t ignore that his friend had done a great deal for his family in his absence.

    "I''m not the only one who supported them in the background so you need to thank our other friends as well. Besides, how can I stand idly by as my precious granddaughter''s ''future husband'' gets into trouble?" Jirou made sure to highlight the ''future husband'' part in his statement to remind his old friend of the promise they had all those years ago.

    "That brat?" Kou looked a bit startled after hearing the reminder. He knew Jirou accepted all those years ago but how could he not tell that everyone had been so reluctant at the time? "You don''t need to take that promise so seriously. Your granddaughter is sure to grow up to be a beautiful girl that my grandson isn''t worthy of" Tomoyo''s face had a tinge of crimson after listening in on the two''s conversation.

    "Are you trying to renege on a promise you forced me into making?" Jirou looked at Kou strictly. "I''ve taken a liking to the lad and intend to follow through with what I''ve promised back then"

    "Really?" Kou still looked a bit skeptical. "Did that kid meet your requirements?"

    *Sigh* "You really have no idea about your family don''t you? I just told you the story of what happened to him two years ago. Do you remember where he was shot?"

    "Hey I''m not even at an age to be called a senior citizen!" Kou retorted. "He got captured by that scum Lee at the¡­" he realized what Jirou meant after recalling it. "National tournament!"

    "That''s not all¡­" Jirou continued. "Let me tell you about this grandson of yours¡­"

    .

 86 Options and A New Student 2 in 1

    .

    Kazuya already got an introduction about his grandfather from Kyouko inside his research center.

    "You did great and I commend you for trying to protect Mei but always put safety first okay?" Kyouko praised her son and was proud that he had acted so bravely. She wasn''t aware that her father''s current state was the result of her son''s attack so she assumed that he had gotten himself injured before he came back.

    "I will mom. You don''t need to worry about me too much because you already know what I can do" he confidently smiled at his mother who witnessed his prowess for the last two years. "I have to be honest though, I was the one who beat up grandfather to that state because I didn''t know who he was and I saw him trying to sneak up on big sis when I arrived" he came clean.

    "You caused Dad''s injuries!?" she was shocked. Kyouko may have looked down on her father as a parent but she looked up to the old man''s toughness. This had always been a trait that her father was known for.

    "Yeah¡­" Kazuya scratched his cheek awkwardly. Kou might complain about it sooner or later so if it was better if she found out about it now.

    If there was one thing that Kouzuki Kou taught her daughter, it was how to defend herself. Kyouko may appear to be a gentle mother but she used to train under the Shiroyuki dojo when she was younger and had to spar numerous times with her father when she was younger. This only stopped once her mother had gotten sick and both father and daughter often spent time at the hospital.

    "Great! Good job!" contrary to his expectations, his mother praised him for it. Kyouko was proud that her son was able to do what she only wished she could have done after her father dumped everything on her and left.

    "What''s the matter with you Mei? Why have you been thinking about all this time?" Kyouko turned to her assistant who was startled at her boss''s call. "Did that old man startle you that much?"

    "I¡­" she tried glancing at Kazuya but noticed that the boy had turned towards the door.

    Kazuya had sensed that Kou Jirou and Tomoyo were standing outside his research facility, It was locked with a formation that not only prevented them from entering but also protecting all sounds coming from the inside to be heard outside the building. They have been standing there for a while now so he turned to the door wondering what the three were up to.

    *Creak¡­*

    ""!!"" both Kazuya and Mei were a bit startled. Only the two of them knew how to unlock the door from the outside. It required a simple mana sequence but it was something that they didn''t expect to be opened by any one aside from them.

    "Kazuya" a serious expression could be seen on Kou''s face as he entered the building.

    "(Could this be him?)" he tried to hide his surprise but he could barely hold it in. Was his grandfather the predecessor he''s been looking for all this time? If so, his efforts in searching for him with no result for all these years would make some sense.

    A person of Natsu''s intellect can easily figure out that the basic lock he created was a spell created by the elves. He could hardly believe that he was actually blood related to his own predecessor. His brain went into overdrive thinking about how to tell this person about how he had failed because it would have been much better if his predecessor was a stranger instead.

    "Your grandpa is sorry" Kou kneeled down and hugged his grandson. This snapped Kazuya out of his thoughts.

    "Huh?" he was confused about what was happening.

    "Dad?" Kyouko felt the same way. She didn''t know why her father was acting like this.

    "You too Kyouko" Kou turned towards his daughter with tears gathering in his eyes. "Jirou already told me about what you two had experienced these past few years and I''m sorry that I wasn''t here. I just felt lost ever since your mother died and had been very selfish and caused you a lot of grief"

    Kyouko couldn''t believe she was receiving an apology from her father all of a sudden so she couldn''t react. An apology was the last thing she expected from her selfish father but now that he had given it, she froze and didn''t know how to react.

    "Shut up" Kazuya pushed the arms holding him away and broke free of Kou''s hold. He felt annoyed because not only did Kou not attach much importance to the lock he just broke, but his lack of presence in their previous life could have possibly have been prevented if he were there.

    "I may not have my memories but I refuse to acknowledge someone like you as my grandfather" now that this person was in front of him. Kazuya expressed the thoughts that he didn''t realize he had. "That apology will only mean something if you plan on doing something about it. Mom and I refuse to accept it until you swear in your name that you will start acting like a proper parent and grandfather"

    "Kazuya¡­" Kou was taken aback by his grandson''s words. Jirou was not kidding when he said that this grandson of his thoughts were sometimes like an adult''s now that he''s experiencing it for himself.

    "Not only that¡­ you must stay in this house and help protect it from now on" he glanced at Jirou for a moment and gave him a look. The old man pondered for a bit before giving a nod. Kazuya wanted him to tell Kou about the threats that have been looming around. Jirou would have to tell him more than Komori knew but he knew that he could push the responsibility of being behind the secret company towards Kazuno Mei.

    "If you can''t promise those things then don''t even think of seeing or calling me your grandson" This may have been a little forceful but it was a gamble that Kazuya was willing to take. "Mom has been used to your absence and I have no memories of you so it''s up to you to decide which is more important" He turned around and pulled his mother who was followed by Mei and led them towards the magic training room.

    Unlike the main entrance to the building that was made when Kazuya had limited mana, the trap door leading to the magic training room had a lock that was at an advanced level. Even if Kou really was Natsu, he would need some time to decipher the lock if he decided to go after them.

    He left them alone to make them realize that Kou needed to think about things before talking to them again. This was both a test and a gamble that he presented his grandfather. This was a choice that would determine his life and death. If he chose his adventures then Kazuya wouldn''t try to stop him because of his decision to give up on his family. If Kou chose his family on the other hand, that would give this grandfather of his to be treated like the real grandfather he never had.

    "Do you want to stay over our place today old friend?" Jirou offered. "Looks like you have a lot of things to think about"

    Though Jirou thought that Kazuya had been a little too extreme, this was the perfect way to deal with this troublesome friend of his. He may have indeed been lonely but that doesn''t excuse his actions towards his family. This was especially because of the length of his travels and lack of contact. He wasn''t there when they needed him the most and Jirou thought that his grandson''s last words hit him the hardest.

    *pat pat* Tomoyo who had been silent this whole time tried to comfort Kou the best way she knew how. Kazuya wasn''t there anymore so she didn''t need to hold back and approached Kou after he had been on the receiving end on Kazuya''s tongue lashing.

    "What a sweet girl" Kou tried to muster up a smile and patted her head back. "Do you like my grandson Tomoyo-chan?"

    *nod nod*

    "I see¡­" Kou wasn''t a stranger to the tragedy that befell this girl and her parents. If his grandson had caused this girl to become attached to him then he might not really be as bad as he initially thought. "would you like this old man to become your grandfather in the future?"

    *nod*

    "haha" he gave a light laugh. "I see¡­ I''ll stay over your house today and think about it then. How could I give up on having such a good granddaughter-in-law in the future" he comforted himself and finally stood up. "You had something to tell me right?" he turned towards Jirou.

    "Those keen senses of yours haven''t dulled I see" Jirou smiled. This was the Kou he knew.

    "I returned to ask you and some of our friends to join me on an expedition of some mysterious ruins I discovered by accident but it looks like something more interesting had appeared" he walked alongside his old friend and headed for their car.

    Inside the training room, Kyouko had just gotten an explanation of how this mysterious basement came to be. She initially thought that it was her father who built this hidden room but she was surprised that it was her son who slowly did it in a span of two years.

    "Mom¡­" Kyouko heard her son''s voice and turned towards him. "The shock isn''t over yet so don''t be too surprised okay?"

    "!!!??" Kyouko almost lost her balance. She heard her son''s voice loud and clear but his mouth nor lips didn''t move in the least bit.

    "You should be familiar with telepathy right? This should be something similar" Kazuya began to explain the ''whisper'' skill to hear and taught her how to use it patiently. The skill itself was easier to use between family members because of the similarities in their frequencies so Kazuya was able to connect with Kyouko even before she could actually activate the skill by herself.

    "L-like this¡­?" Kyouko concentrated although she was a little skeptical about it.

    "Yes. I can hear you now" Kazuya spoke with his mouth this time.

    "Y-you''e teaching Kyouko the whisper skill!?" Mei was the first one to react.

    "You knew about this?" Kyouko was surprised that her assistant knew about this before her.

    "Big sis awakened the ability naturally and I heard her voice in my head that time and since I knew about the skill, I explained it to her"Kazuya spoke before Mei could explain.

    "Since when?" Kyouko looked at her assistant and pressed her for an answer.

    "Since¡­ before the incident two years ago" Mei came clean since Kazuya already told her about it. She knew that Kyouko would feel depressed about it but she didn''t have any idea what Kazuya had in mind so she just went with the flow.

    "Two years¡­ you two kept such a thing from me for two years!?" this time she looked at her son and gave him a stern look. This time she was mad at him.

    "It''s not like I wanted to hide it from you but big sis awakened the skill naturally and had already met the requirements for activating it normally. I had to wait a little before I could decide to teach you but when you''ve met the requirements, I really couldn''t think of the right way to tell you" he explained.

    "What requirements are those?" she was still skeptical about her son''s explanation.

    "If I were to base it on just the ''whisper'' skill. My connection with mom should be better than my connection with big sis because we share the same blood. The mana requirement for it wasn''t met by mom at the time so I decided not to tell you about it"

    "Mana?"

    "I think I should be the one to explain this to her" Mei interrupted. "Your explanation of it will take a little longer for Kyouko to understand so I should do it instead"

    Kazuya kept silent and let Mei do what she wanted. He was still a little angry at her for her earlier actions but he knew that he couldn''t really stay mad at her for long especially since she had already realized and was reflecting on it.

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    Surely enough, Mei''s explanation made Kyouko even more skeptical about mana. She immediately understood what she meant through the explanation but such things were unbelievable to her. It wasn''t until Kazuya lent a helping hand by referring to the term ''Internal Energy'' that Jirou used did she slowly began to accept it.

    "Internal energy¡­ but that''s more about body strengthening right?"

    "You know about it mom?"

    "Not only do I know about it but I''ve been gaining more of an affinity to it over these years" Kyouko explained the changes she experienced herself. Kazuya and Mei couldn''t help but look at each other because not only did they not notice Kyouko''s growth, her changes fell into a category that Kazuya had once explained.

    "Mom¡­ you''re a natural mental enhancement type¡­."

    "What''s that?"

    "It was no wonder I didn''t notice much of the changes all these years¡­." Kazuya''s eyebrows twitched. "mental enhancement types are those who have a natural affinity towards mental abilities or enhancements. Memory and artistic skills are examples of what are naturally improved by this while the abilities it may manifest is telepathy¡­" Kazuya continued explaining in depth.

    "Is that why my memory has grown to the point that it''s almost photographic now?" Kyouko was still a little skeptical and both Kazuya and Mei could tell.

    "I know it''s all hard to swallow but everything Kazu just said is true. We didn''t really mean to keep it a secret from you but even I had to wait until recently before I got to learn some actual skills" Mei explained. She didn''t want Kyouko to brood over this especially this was an oversight on Kazuya''s part.

    "It was my fault for not recognizing it mom. I''m sorry. I still need to learn a lot about it myself" Kyouko felt the sincerity in his apology and couldn''t help but soften up.

    "The best way to prove it to you is to show you" Mei moved to the center of the room where Kazuya usually stood and cast some spells. Water manifested out of thin air and swirled itself around her. Mei didn''t finish with this and hurled droplets of water towards the other side of the wall.

    To Kazuya''s surprise, the water turned into icicles and crashed into the wall before turning into mist that returned to Mei before turning into water once again. He was amazed at how much progress Mei made in these few weeks and it looked like he made another mistake. His affinity towards flames were strong so he used it to show Mei magic but he completely forgot about affinity. Mei had a natural affinity towards water and wind from the way it looks.

    "Amazing¡­" Kyouko''s mouth gaped at Mei''s beautiful and impressive appearance. There was no room left for her to deny what was just explained to her now.

    "I reacted the same way when Kazu first introduced me to magic" looked a little embarrassed after seeing the amazed look at Kazuya''s face. She felt a little relieved that her performance caused his anger towards her to lessen. She had been practicing hard to surprise him after all.

    "Where did you learn all of this?" Kyouko was amazed but she still couldn''t understand how her son came to learn such things.

    "I came across a page one day and¡­" Kazuya used the same excuse he used when Mei first asked about it. He told them about the ''Natsu'' who posted a page of his research and how he was lucky enough to talk to including his sudden disappearance and his efforts to look for him ever since. He also explained how Jirou noticed his talent with internal energy and he continued to train it.

    "Hmm¡­" Kyouko couldn''t confirm anything now so she couldn''t help but accept her son''s explanation for now. She still needed to digest everything that they told her so they had a silent dinner that night where Kyouko thought long and hard about everything.

    "So was this the reason you two have been sneaking around lately?" her sudden question startled the two.

    "Yeah¡­" Mei answered. It wasn''t a complete lie and Kazuya never mentioned anything about their company so she assumed that he didn''t plan on telling Kyouko about Kazuno Tech tonight.

    Kazuya gave his mother the rundown on keeping everything a secret. Kyouko understood his reasoning more than Mei did so he felt relieved about this. It was also because of this that the conversation they could have at the dinner table was limited. Even if they trusted Akane and her granddaughters this was still something that they felt that should be kept from them. At least for now.

    "I finally understand why you were so willing to take that long vacation of yours" Kyouko gave a wry smile. It would have been a lie if she said that she wasn''t interested in such a thing as magic but Kazuya already promised her that he would teach her this in their free time.

    Though she understood the reason why her assistant learned about it before her, she still couldn''t help but feel a little jealous about the close relationship these two had. If things continued as like this, Mei would really become her daughter-in-law whether she liked it or not.

    Though Kyouko was shocked, she was glad to find out about this despite it being hidden from her for so long. He found it funny that Kazuya believed in such things as magic but it turned out that his innocence paid off as he discovered something real. Since it was the internet they were talking about, she felt that Kazuya had won something that had worse odds than a lottery and was happy for him.

    With Kazuya''s abilities now, she was relieved because even though they had won against the Kurogane family, knowing them, they might try to get back at them sooner or later. With magic in her son''s arsenal, she felt that an invisible layer of security covered him as well as her assistant. Kyouko had the ability to somewhat use internal energy which had been growing recently so she felt that she would have no trouble herself but Mei grew up without any training so it was good for her to learn something like this.

    The trio returned to Kazuya''s research center where Kazuya upgraded the lock on the main door of his research facility. Kyouko was amazed at the symbols that glowed before going back to normal and thought about how much her son could have studied about this for him to be able to memorize such intricate formation designs.

    "Please don''t try and copy anything that you haven''t understood yet mom" as if her son was reading her mind, he gave her a warning.

    Kazuya was now sure of what Kyouko''s natural talent was so he made sure that she reminded her not to try anything reckless. Magic may look convenient but casting spells that a caster did not understand could potentially cause a caster great harm or worse; death.

    "Kazuya are you the same type as me?" Kyouko asked.

    "I''m not really sure about that. I used to think I was a physical enhancement type but from my own perspective, I''m not too sure" he didn''t have any reason to hide it from his mother now that she had been given a crash course about Mana.

    "Why did you decide to tell me now?" Kyouko asked. She felt that all of this had been too sudden. She didn''t even plan on going home early if it were not for Akane''s message that told her that her father was back.

    "It''s because I felt that ''that man'' knows something about mana" he didn''t try to hide it. He explained Kyouko the reason he didn''t even try to question the intruder and immediately attacked was because he was able to sense mana that was a threat if he had been someone with bad intentions.

    This was the truth. Kazuya would have opted to hold the intruder down for information if he judged that he could handle him. He wasn''t confident in beating Kou even if he didn''t hold back if his grandfather indeed possessed the skills to utilize the mana Kazuya could feel from him.

    "Kazuya is right. Even I had to try multiple times after Kazu taught me how to open the lock here from the outside with mana. Did you remember how they just waltzed in earlier?" Mei reminded.

    "Grandpa Jirou knows about internal energy with me and dad so couldn''t it be unlocked with that?"

    "No. The internal energy that they were referring to is mana used for physical enhancement. Anyone that knows how to use mana is able to utilize basic body enhancement. That''s why athletes sometimes have unexplainable moments where their skills are suddenly enhanced. This phenomenon happens when they unconsciously tap into the mana in their bodies and activate it" Kazuya explained it the best he could. He was thankful about the book since it enabled him to have a better grasp of mana.

    "Then my dad really knows about mana?"

    "I''m almost a hundred percent sure about it. The lock I placed may have been a simple one but should have taken someone who wasn''t aware of the design, some time to figure out even by instinct" Mei nodded at Kazuya''s explanation.

    "Wait a minute¡­" Kyouko realized something and frowned. "That means you two weren''t going to tell me anything if dad didn''t come home today?"

    "Yes" Kazuya answered without hesitation. "I''ve made a mistake with my estimations and thought you weren''t ready yet mom. I didn''t look hard enough because I didn''t expect you to really be a mental enhancement type. I would have needed to focus on looking because mental enhancement types have a natural trait that conceals their mana"

    "Is that really true?"

    "It is. This is also the reason why I am sure that I am not a mental enhancement type. I have to put in some effort if I want to naturally hide my own mana from others. It''s because mental enhancement types are supposed to be adept at using psychokinesis types or invisible spells" he once again began to explain the different types of magic she was supposed to have an affinity with.

    Though Kazuya had never confirmed it he categorized Ayame to be a mental enhancement type because of the natural abilities of hers that he observed. She didn''t seem to have problems with the transfer exam and would have held the record if Kazuya had not perfected his.

    He also explained that being a specific type means that they were most likely more to excel at that specific type of affinity. It was like the elemental affinity. If one had a great affinity to water, that person''s affinity or talent towards fire spells would be severely limited because of the contrast of the elements. It did not mean that they couldn''t cast fire spells, it just meant that they would have more difficulty with fire magic compared to their natural water affinity.

    "Then how come Mei got to learn about it two years ahead of me?" This was the question she wanted to ask at the dinner table but couldn''t because of Akane''s presence.

    "It''s because I''ve slept with big sis most of the time and was able to help her develop her affinity to mana more" Mei wanted to stop Kazuya from saying anything but it was too late. Kazuya had gone into his explanation mode and told Kyouko about the mana gathering formation he set-up in their property.

    "I see, I see" Kyouko''s eyebrows kept twitching the moment Kazuya answered the question. Though she had been listening to her son''s explanation, she was glaring at the girl who was looking nervously at her boss.

    Though Kyouko knew that Mei snuck into Kazuya''s room. She was not aware that she had done so almost everyday and basically took over her son''s room. With Kazuya telling her about him secretly helping their bodies absorb mana better through contact, the lead that Mei had gotten over her made perfect sense.

    "W-why are you looking at me like that m-mother in law?" Mei tried to lighten the mood by joking with her boss but the glare in Kyouko''s eyes and the growing amount of pressure directed towards her increased even more.

    "Kazuya" she looked at this peculiar son of hers. He didn''t seem to have ''that'' kind of knowledge yet so an idea popped into her head. "Would you have any trouble helping more than one person absorb mana?"

    "I do it whenever mom and big sis hold my hand from both sides so I don''t think that would be a problem. Since mom already knows about mana, I can start teaching you how to do it on your own" he replied.

    "Did you finish mastering this skill yet Mei?"

    "Not yet. I have yet to master the method Kazuya taught me to recover mana quickly so I haven''t had much time to progress in learning how to gather mana as if I was breathing like Kazu" This was indeed one of the most challenging aspects of learning everything. She had already been used to living normally.

    This was like changing the way a person normally breathes. Normally, oxygen would enter the body when you breathe in, with Kazuya''s method, one would specifically have to control the intake of mana as one breathes in and stabilize it in the body as they breathe out. Mei found this to be the most challenging part because unlike Kazuya who could do it while he was sleeping, she still needed to do it on purpose so that she would be able to do it correctly.

    "Then to be fair, The two of us have to sleep together with Kazuya starting tonight!"

    .

 87 Talks of the Past, Present and Future 2 in 1

    .

    It was currently the weekend and Kazuya was staying inside his research center. Mei and Kyouko had taken over the basement for their magic practices so Kazuya chose to let them hone their skills as he caught up with other things.

    Kouzuki Kou hasn''t shown himself since the day he left the Kouzuki household with Jirou and Tomoyo. Kazuya didn''t give him a deadline for when he should give his answer but him not coming back would also be considered some kind of confirmation. He didn''t ask about this troublesome grandfather of his even when he was sending Tomoyo messages.

    Even though he was becoming a little impatient in finding out more about this mysterious grandfather of his, he tried holding back because he didn''t want to back down from all that he said. He may be Natsu or even related to Natsu but that doesn''t excuse him for doing what he had done to his family in both lives.

    Kazuya decided to log on the game he didn''t have time to visit lately. It would be a good time to catch up with the employees that could play today because he was only able to see the department heads in the meeting. He booted up the trusty computer the two girls practicing magic below gave him and entered the game.

    The moment the loading screen faded however, Winter Fog was immediately spammed with messages. He may have not logged on as frequently as he did but he was still someone who people didn''t forget in the game. While his employees spammed the guild chat, private messages from known players tried to pick his brain on how to deal with the dungeons that they have yet to come close to beating the records he and his guild set.

    [Autumn Mist: Well, well, well! Look who decided to grace us with his presence]

    [Winter Fog: Not like you''ve been logging on regularly. How''s school been lately?]

    [Autumn Mist: Oh, now you''re worried about me now?]

    [Winter Fog: Hey it''s truly been a busy couple of months. School and all other activities are really taking up my time]

    [Autumn Mist: Well that''s true¡­ It really sucks how much studying I''ve had to do this year alone. I feel kind of nervous knowing that in a year or so I would be moving to the next level you know]

    [Winter Fog: Not really. It is what it is. Hesitation will only hold you back so brace yourself and embrace it]

    [Autumn Mist: So insensitive! I''m not an honor student like you!]

    [Winter Fog: How did you know I was an honor student? A-are you a stalker?]

    [Autumn Mist: You''re a stalker! Your big sis is a stalker!]

    Kazuya laughed out loud at her childish retort. They met up at the guild house where barely any guild members were online and hanging out. Void Android and Squid God didn''t take too long before they logged on as well. They were both stuck in the office but that didn''t stop them from meeting with their boss.

    [Squid God: I see the guild master wasted no time and immediately started flirting with his online wife as soon as he logged on]

    [Void Android: Yeah¡­ Here we are busting our asses off with our boss'' sudden decision to release our secret projects early. I can''t believe the guild master would do this to us]

    [Autumn Mist: Who''s flirting!? He''s just bullying me! (#£àx¡ä) ]

    [Winter Fog: Oh? It seems like you guys personally want extra work for yourselves huh¡­]

    [Void Android: No!]

    [Squid God: No way!]

    [Winter Fog: Hey Autumn, it''s time to fulfill the promise I made to you]

    [Autumn Mist: What!? You''re going to play the piano and sing for me!?]

    [Winter Fog: I never promised anything like that! I''m talking about your soft friend]

    [Autumn Mist: Really!? You guys completed your project?]

    [Winter Fog: We did but you have to swear to keep it a secret and never let anyone have it because our project has yet to be released]

    [Autumn Mist: Of course!]

    Kazuya wasn''t really worried about her plushie getting dissected because he planned to put a spell on the materials they would be installing on it. Everything except the plushie would be unidentifiable if someone were to open it so it really wasn''t much of an issue.

    [Autumn Mist: But¡­ how am I going to send it to you when I don''t even know where you are]

    [Winter Fog: Have it sent to Void Android''s office. He and Squid God will work on it]

    [Squid God: ©»(??¤Ø ?? ¨r ) ]

    [Void Android: ( ???? ?) ]

    [Winter Fog: The two of you shouldn''t have any problems with this since you''ve had your fun right? (????) ]

    The two grown men wanted to reject it because they currently had too much on their plates at the moment. Kazuya''s acceleration of various technological projects has already forced the employees to fight over the beds available in the office already. This was a natural deterrent over those who were targeting their employees as well as a way of fighting back against their current opponents.

    [Void Android: We''ll take care of it boss]

    [Squid God: I''ll do my best to help¡­]

    [Winter Fog: Good. Then be sure to send the information over to Autumn in a private chat]

    [Autumn Mist: Huh!? Your office is in the same prefecture as I am!?]

    [Winter Fog: You live in H Prefecture?]

    [Autumn Mist: Yeah! You guys too?]

    Kazuya was a little shocked. All this time, this person had lived so close to him. He always wanted to know more about this person in real life but she was always so airtight about her own details even towards him. She always claimed that it would ruin their friendship so he never thought about asking more since he didn''t want to lose the only few friends he had in his past life.

    [Winter Fog: I told you not to reveal personal information too easily little girl]

    [Autumn Mist: You''re the little girl! £¨;>£ß>) ]

    Contrary to her version in his previous life, she was like a na?ve girl who would tell him anything about her if he asked. This made Kazuya feel a bit awkward since he felt like he messed up something that should have happened in her life. He was afraid that it was something very crucial for her but seeing her carefree made him think that whatever caused her to be so closed up in his previous life was avoided.

    [Autumn Mist: Are you really that against meeting me?]

    [Winter Fog: I haven''t even met these guys yet so what makes you think that?]

    [Autumn Mist: Hmph! Who knows if you''re telling the truth or not]

    Though she knew that they worked together, she really didn''t think much about it. She thought that he was ashamed to meet anyone because the company they were starting shouldn''t be that impressive yet. She really didn''t mind because everyone had to start somewhere right?

    [Winter Fog: Let''s stop here and go do dungeons before the next update. It''s rare that we can gather up here like this so why don''t we pick up another member to make a party of five?]

    [Autumn Mist: I haven''t seen SummerBreeze in a while. I wonder if he''s buried himself in books again]

    [Winter Fog: Summer won''t be on for a while. He went traveling for the research he was doing]

    [Autumn Mist: Really? He didn''t tell me anything]

    [Winter Fog: Yeah. I was planning to ask him to join our group officially once he comes back]

    SummerBreeze''s autobiography mentioned that before he was successful, he ran away and traveled around the world. His main motivation after coming back was when he fell in love as he was traveling. Kazuya was initially afraid that their meeting would have affected the future like it did with Autumn so he didn''t really interfere much with SummerBreeze''s affairs until he came back after half a year of traveling.

    With Void Android and SummerBreeze working together, Kazuya was confident that Kazuno Tech''s rise to fame was inevitable. He had already had some relations with SummerBreeze so convincing a dedicated researcher and inventor like him with their current terms would only make him happier.

    The inevitable clash with the cooperation of the Ringo Corporation and the Kurogane Conglomerate would be a battle their competitors never expected. This was the main reason why Kazuya had chosen to accelerate the production of their technology. Someone like SummerBreeze wouldn''t be able to resist the temptation since his research was the last piece of the puzzle that would propel the company to new heights.

    Of course, there was still a possibility that SummerBreeze would refuse. If there was one thing that Kazuya understood is that humans were complicated creatures. The best he could do now was make the pie he was offering as mouth watering and attractive as he could. It would be over once someone takes a bite out of it.

    [Autumn Mist: I want to travel around too¡­]

    [Winter Fog: Then let''s go and travel to the next dungeon]

    [Autumn Mist: You insensitive idiot!]

    While Kazuya was concentrating on the game, Kyouko and Mei had their alone time inside the training room. It was awkward at first since both of them fought over Kazuya who almost got suffocated when they first moved to the master bedroom. Kyouko was still feeling a bit jealous because of the enormous advantage her assistant had gotten by being part of her son''s secret for the past few years. Mei on the other had had some trouble because she couldn''t act as she wanted while her boss was now around.

    "Kyouko"

    "Mei"

    Both of them chose to spoke at the same time. They both tried to let the other speak first but they did at simultaneously as well which made the atmosphere a little more awkward. Both of them were taking a break because despite Mei''s lead, Kyouko''s blood relation to Kazuya made itself clear since her talent with Mana was obviously not that far away from hers. Kazuya told them that it was Kyouko''s natural advantage but she still had trouble accepting it.

    "What did you want to say boss?" Mei addressed her like she did at work giving Kyouko no choice but to take the hint that as the boss, it was her that needed to speak her mind first.

    "Are you two still hiding something from me?" Kyouko decided to ask.

    "I see¡­" Mei giggled unexpectedly which dispelled the awkward atmosphere. "I actually wanted to discuss something with you that I wasn''t able to tell you back then because of the circumstances. Now that Kazu has finally let the cat out the bag, it would be time to come clean"

    "What are you talking about?" she just asked the question for the sake of making sure. Kyouko didn''t expect that there was still actually something else that she didn''t know about.

    "Do you remember the talk we had in the office about Kazu''s dream?"

    "You mean about Kazu''s dream? His fears?" Kyouko really didn''t know why this was being brought up after so long so she felt a little worried. They never really thought about Kazuya''s lost memories ever since they heard what he said in the video.

    "Yeah that one" Mei looked a little nervous and looked at the closed trap door. The magic training room was sound proof but she still made sure that Kazuya was staying put. "I wasn''t completely honest with you at that time"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I mean¡­ I didn''t know what to tell you at the time because it was when Kazuya told me about a few things. He didn''t know the things you were worried about and left it to me to decide what to tell you so I only told you part of what he told me at the time" Mei confessed.

    "What else didn''t you tell me then?" Kyouko had half of her attention towards the recovery exercise her son taught her but after hearing what Mei said, she completely turned towards her assistant.

    "Well¡­ Since you know about mana already, there was another reason why I thought Kazu was a mental enhancement type. Even though Kazu is basically the one who taught us everything we know about mana right now, there are some theories I thought about when he first explained this to me" Mei breathed in deeply. She was still nervous about telling Kyouko about this because Kazuya knew nothing about what she was thinking about.

    "Your own thoughts? Why?"

    "Because I believe that the dreams Kazu saw wasn''t a dream but a premonition of the future. He didn''t think much of it at first but when he tested it out, it proved to be really accurate" Mei saw the skeptical look on Kyouko''s face and sighed. "I knew you wouldn''t believe me when I talked about it because I didn''t even consider it possible until I blurted out my suspicions and Kazu affirmed them"

    "He confirmed them? How?"

    "By predicting something that was out of our control or knew nothing about"

    "Like?" Kyouko tried to remain as calm as she could. She was aware of Kazuya''s fears because of those dreams. Mei had abandoned her after she took care of him after she died. If this were true, then would she eventually have to leave her son to fend for himself?

    "Like events, news, people. These were the confirmation that convinced me that his dreams were a very accurate premonition. I thought he was the same type as you because like the name implies, mental enhancement types have abilities that don''t seem like magic yet seem like it at the same time" Mei tried to explain as best as she could.

    "Then that would mean that I would¡­" Kyouko trembled.

    "No. That will not happen now" Mei placed both her hands on Kyouko''s shoulders and pressed on them.

    "Kazu and I already took measures to ensure that would never happen. We believe that we already changed the future because¡­" Mei told Kyouko about the tragic story that Kazuya had told her.

    Kyouko couldn''t help but shed tears after hearing the story. She died and left him alone while Lee received all of the benefits and discarded him like a piece of garbage. The only salvation he had in his life got taken away from him and he was eventually left alone. Though Kyouko had a lot of questions, she couldn''t help but shed tears of what her son had seen in his visions.

    "My Kazuya¡­" though she still wasn''t completely convinced, just hearing about what Kazuya saw in detail left her heartbroken. She now completely understood the hostility her son felt towards her father. Even though he didn''t care much for Kou, he felt bitterness towards him because of what he saw in his vision. Where was her father?

    "Don''t beat yourself up over it. Kazu already changed the course of history the moment he first came in contact with that scum Lee. Don''t you remember what happened back then?" Mei reminded.

    "That¡­" It was then that Kyouko remembered what happened. "Wait a minute¡­ you said that he lived with you in his visions¡­ was that the reason he knew so much about you?" Kyouko''s question made her assistant give a dry laugh.

    "That''s what I thought as well. I don''t know If Kazu realized it but it seems that all his memories were probably replaced by those visions. I''m not really sure if it was his awakening to mana that did it or Lee''s beatings but Kazu seems to have spent a long time in his visions and remembers most if not all of the details on it. This is why I''m sure that it really was a vision instead of a dream" Mei presented her analysis in hopes that Kyouko would realize something that she had been thinking about for a long time.

    "Things finally make sense" Kyouko said after she started recovering. Learning about mana as well as what Mei told her made her finally understand things that has been bothering her. There really was no use in going to doctors like Mei said because even Kazuya didn''t seem to fully understand and was at the process of learning everything about mana.

    If the existence of magic had been proven enough that they could do it themselves, then why couldn''t she believe something like predicting the future? Kyouko may not completely trust these things and thought that she would one day wake up and realize that this was all a dream but she was sure about one thing, she trusted her own son.

    Now that she learned everything that her son was doing was towards protecting her and Mei, how can she have any doubts towards him?

    "Wait a minute¡­" Kyouko suddenly shuddered. She turned towards Mei who met her eyes. "You said that Kazuya remembers everything that happened in his vision in detail but how long¡­"

    "What Kazu told me only lasted until he left my apartment. I don''t know anything that happened much after that. He only said that after graduating middle school, he decided to leave Sacred Forest Academy"

    "Then from the time of the accident¡­ he should have spent a couple of years as¡­" Kyouko looked at Mei awkwardly. She knew that they were thinking about the same thing. This thought hadn''t crossed their minds because though Kazuya seemed mature, what made them unsure about this theory is that he never acted like someone who was supposed to be a high school student. At least not from what they could observe.

    "I''ve mostly tried figuring it out with his reactions ever since I came up with this theory. From what I can tell, Kazu being his current age prevents certain hormones from going wild but he definitely is not as ignorant when it comes to certain manners as we thought" Mei couldn''t help but giggle. Just remembering his reactions put a smile on her face.

    "You¡­ You¡­" Kyouko trembled as she pointed a finger towards her assistant. "You pervert! Shota-con! How can you tease and test my Kazuya like that for years!"

    "I didn''t think It would really be like that so I had to be sure. I do sleep on the same bed as him often after all" Mei explained. "Don''t worry. Kazu is really good at trying to pretend not knowing anything but the sleeping version of him is another matter hehe"

    -

    In the Shiroyuki Dojo, a gathering was taking place. Training sessions for the classes ended early because of the gathering of old friends were supposed to take place today. The instructors had to help with everyone because the people that were coming today were people that are currently or were personalities that once stood amongst the best in today''s business warzone.

    These individuals either passed on their work to the next generation while they silently moved behind to watch over them or still actively dominate their field as their old rivals slowly get replaced by the new blood. Either way, these were very respectable individuals and they all were coming to meet with old friends due to the return of the infamous Kouzuki Kou.

    "Are you sure you want to do this old friend?" Jirou sighed as he drank tea with this troublesome friend of this. They oversaw the preparations and waited until it was time for their old friends to arrive.

    "Why wouldn''t I? You know me Jirou, I''m not one to show my sincerity through just words. I''m going to make that cocky grandson of mine accept me with a bang!" Kou laughed as he tried to imagine the look on his grandson''s face once he learns of the events that would take place today.

    "Just don''t make any sudden moves that will mess up his plans. I can tell that he only lets off what I need to know. Ruining the current plans he has will only let him hate you more than he already does" Jirou warned.

    "What''s there to hate? I''m already gathering allies for us" Kou tilted his head.

    "That''s the problem! Do you even know how much attention this meeting has already gathered? I only allowed it because it fits your profile but do not make your grandson hate you even more you hear? This is a gathering and I''m warning you not to do anything reckless"

    "Oh? Is old Kou planning something crazy again?" Komori arrived and sat to join the two.

    "Old bat, this guy is going to help us with the company''s business"Jirou regretfully informed him.

    "What!? Why did you tell him? Even if it''s his family that''s involved, this guy would only make things worse" Jirou shared the same opinion but he had to tell this friend of his because of what happened in the Kouzuki house.

    Komori already met Kazuno Mei and was shocked that the illustrious assistant was capable of doing something like this while still maintaining her unmovable position in the Kouzuki Corporation. He was informed of the future alliance between the two companies which got the old man excited. He actually couldn''t wait to see the Kurogane Corporation''s reaction after the announcement that Kazuno Tech was actually a secret company owned by the most loyal employee of their nemesis.

    "I had no choice. This guy was kicked from his home by his own grandson. He didn''t even know what they have been through all this time so I really couldn''t blame the kid" Jirou retold the story of what happened and the two laughed at their old friend.

    "Ahahahahaha! Serves you right!" Komori pointed as he tried to recover his breath. "That kid really does know how to talk" Komori continued laughing.

    "You two¡­" Kou couldn''t say anything because he really was soundly defeated by his grandson physically and verbally.

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    "So have you decided old friend? Are you going to get disowned by your own grandson or are you finally going to be a responsible person again?" Komori asked him in a mocking tone.The answer should have already been obvious but he still wanted to hear the words from this troublesome friend of theirs to make him feel even more embarrassed and maybe reflect on his actions.

    "Hey! I only lost because I was caught off guard okay!" he reasoned out. "But as for my answer, I''ve decided to answer him with my actions. I''m going to help out with Mei-chan''s company"

    "Speaking of your grandson Old Kou, would you like to meet my granddaughter? She''s only a few years older than your grandson and she''s extremely talented. My Ayame is at the top of her year in Sacred Forest Middle school and is uncontested at the Kendo Tournament National tournament" Komori sneakily endorsed Ayame.

    "Huh? What''s this? Why are you suddenly setting up my grandson with your granddaughter?" Kou was confused. Jirou was one thing because he was the person who originally got forced to accept his promise but Komori was one of the people that was relieved when Jirou drew the short end of the stick.

    "Oh no you don''t you old bat! The promise was made a long time ago and even I planned to go through with it if the boy met all the conditions. It''s too late for you to do anything now" Jirou stepped between the two of them and snorted.

    "Komori knows my grandson as well?" Kou asked.

    "They faced each other when the old bat''s granddaughter was in the elementary division for kendo. She took a liking to your grandson after she felt his internal energy and she has been eying him ever since" Jirou reported.

    "Hey it''s not like that! my granddaughter said she felt something else that had little to do with internal energy" Komori didn''t really know how to explain it. "You remember when you brought that old explorer you met the last time you were here right Kou? He was the one that told my granddaughter that she would be able to feel and communicate with a destined person"

    "That¡­" Kou was a little startled. He did remember that incident. "Your granddaughter already knew how to feel mana when she was that young?" Jirou was shocked.

    Mei, Kyouko, Kazuya, Tomoyo and now Ayame. There were suddenly people he knew that had an affinity to mana. While he was travelling around, they were rarely ever sensed by him. There were actually five of them in his own town and two of them were related to him.

    "Yeah, I believe that''s what you call it. So why don''t you consider it okay?" Komori asked his friend. Ayame didn''t forget to remind him to ask since their gathering wasn''t a secret.

    "Would you stop that already!" Jirou was getting annoyed.

    "Why? Are you forcing them just because of the promise? Weren''t you the one who said that your granddaughter has to like him as well? What about the kid then? What if he likes my granddaughter more than yours?" Komori retorted.

    "Ha! Fat chance! The two are inseparable enough as it is already. Why don''t you just be like me and let nature take its course" Jirou crossed his arms and looked at Komori confidently.

    "Says the person who only got lucky that night"

    "I didn''t see you arguing about the results of that night. I accepted it because I planned to let the children be the ones to decide it. You should do the same. If your granddaughter really likes the kid then she should not count on you to try and involve us adults in this"

    "Enough you two" Kou sighed. He really couldn''t believe it but things really have changed a lot. His old friends are now fighting over his own grandson.

    From what he heard, his grandson truly was a capable person. For his friends to fight over him like this was something that was surprising though. He knew these friends of his were hard to please so them not having a problem with him and even trying to get on his good side was something new.

    "What about you Old Kou? You didn''t have a choice then but you have a choice now. Do you want to meet my granddaughter before you decide?" Komori asked. Jirou and his granddaughter already had an overwhelming advantage since they were in the same grade and even the same class. He wanted to at least give Ayame more of a fighting chance before the kid had come to his senses and started awakening towards love and such emotions.

    "I''ll think about it. For now, it looks like our old friends have started arriving"

    .

 88 Reminisce

    .

    Though everyone came in an extravagant fashion, these old friends now sat comfortably together as they were served by the instructors and helpers of the Shiroyuki dojo. This gathering was to welcome a mutual friend everyone had that they rarely even heard of for the past couple of years.

    These people were respectable individuals who had their influences so no one could really blame those that served them nervously. This wasn''t the main occupation these instructors had but they still tried their best. They couldn''t bring shame to their master as he was the host after all.

    "Alright everyone settle down" Jirou stood in front of everyone and got their attention. "We''re all here to greet an old friend of ours who has come back and will have something to say to all of you but first¡­ Kanpai!"

    """KANPAI!!""" everyone shouted joyfully as they raised their glasses.

    *clink clink clink*

    Everyone was joyful as they toasted their friends return. Kouzuki Kou although troublesome was a very dear friend to them. He was one of the legends of the previous generations as he was the one that brought the Kouzuki family back on the top from the brink of extinction.

    Though the well known ''Kouzuki Promise'' was long known to everyone, it was Kouzuki Kou that made everyone realize just how dedicated they were to upholding it. Various people here are from companies that collaborated with the Kouzukis and they were familiar with how much value this pledge was.

    Other companies may have already left a sinking ship but most of them were not abandoned by this individual. Kouzuki Kou never once broke a promise he made to them even if he knew that it would bring him more hardships later on. This was why although he had a troublesome personality, everyone looked up to him and treated him like family. Most of them believed that their heirs or companies would have gone through so much hardship if it weren''t for this person.

    "Thank you, friends, for coming all this way. I assume you all must have your busy lives to live so it flatters me to see everyone again after I last came back" Kou raised a glass and drank to everyone.

    All of them started to have fun and reminisced with their old stories. Kou truly missed these old friends of his and thought that it might not be so bad if he decided to stay. He wanted the people who had granddaughters and refused his request back then to regret their unwillingness because he had an awesome grandson that he could brag about.

    Before he could start bragging about his grandson however, Jirou and Komori had already begun doing it for him. These two were gathering supporters for their own individual plans. Jirou was bragging because he was the one who was lucky enough that night and Komori was telling everyone how the Shiroyukis shouldn''t be too burdened with such a promise and let the youngsters deal with it on their own.

    One thing that these two old men had in common when talking to everyone was however was the story of how Kou embarrassed himself and got beaten up by his own grandson. They even included the bit about him being kicked out of his own home and was given a choice to be a selfish parent and grandfather or start behaving like a real person with responsibilities.

    """HAHAHAHAHA""" everyone was filled with laughter after hearing the story.

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    "You guys!!!" Kou could only sigh. He lost his chance to brag and everyone instead laughed at his embarrassment.

    "You deserve it!"

    "I like that kid''s guts!"

    "That''s what you get for doing one of those surprise attacks of yours!"

    "Damn Jirou! Did you take pictures?"

    They couldn''t stop making fun of Kou since most of them, their peers, or family have been victims of this troublesome person''s mischief. They were not strangers to the name Kouzuki Kazuya but this was the first time they actually heard about him and they liked what they heard.

    "I wonder if I should introduce him to my granddaughter too hehe" One head of a famous pharmaceutical company said.

    Those who had rejected Kou''s offer said similar things. How could they not know what Jirou and Komori were up too. These two old fogies definitely saw something in the kid and from the story they heard, they were already willing to consider Kazuya as a candidate.

    "Haaa-choo" Kazuya who was at home was shocked at the sudden sneeze. He hasn''t sneezed in a long while and wondered what could have caused it.

    What he didn''t know that despite Jirou''s warning to Kou to not do anything that would cause Kazuya annoyance, they were practically setting their old friend up to be hated because of the current result of their efforts.

    "Looks like everyone likes my grandon" Kou sighed and scratched his head. "Well this grandson of mine as all of you must already know almost died two times while I''ve been away" Kou''s words instantly silenced the room. all of them turned towards their friend and realized the serious events that happened while he was away.

    "I want to thank all of you for giving silent support towards my daughter and my grandson when the incident happened two years ago but all of you know me very well. If this happened while I was here, what do you think would I have done?" Kou''s words caused the guests in the room to shudder.

    Kouzuki Kou may have been a troublesome friend but he was someone that was easy to understand as a person. This is why he had gained their trust and they were at ease with him. He was not arrogant not a person that likes to pull his weight no matter how far he has gotten. The most troublesome part about him though was this old man kept grudges and no matter how reckless something seemed, he would go at it head on with little regard of the consequences.

    "Now, now, all of you don''t need to look so nervous" he laughed. "Unlike all those years ago, I already passed the company over to my daughter so I don''t hold that much power right now" he grinned.

    "(That''s what we''re afraid of! Without worrying about how it would affect your company, you have more freedom compared to when you were on the top of it!)" these thoughts came up into several of those who listened.

    "You all don''t look convinced. Fine¡­ let me explain" he found it annoying that they really didn''t look like they trusted his words. "MY grandson asked me to pick between my travels and the family. I want to give him my answer not through words but by action so I''m helping out Jirou and Komori with a security company with the intention of keeping my family and what they are doing protected"

    Jirou already talked to him about what information he couldn''t divulge to anyone. He made sure that Kou understood it in detail so that this old friend of his wouldn''t mistakenly blurt out information because although everyone was in their inner circle, they were still influential people in the business scene.

    "That''s why I would need everyone''s help. Jirou and Komori have already entrusted this security company with a handful of talented individuals that can be trusted. They are to sign a very strict contract that would be hellish if broken. You all should know what happens to the people that try to betray me right?" This was one thing that him and Kazuya shared, both of them took betrayal seriously.

    -

    It was Sunday and Kyouko took Kazuya out. Though she would spend most of her free time training, she still didn''t want to use up the day she and Kazuya usually went out. Mei chose to do some work because it was a good opportunity since her boss was going to be away so the mother and son duo left the house by themselves as usual.

    Kazuya sat silently on the car as they drove to town. He''s been having a stressful time lately. Kurumi was persistent in stalking him no matter how many times he made her retreat. On the contrary, the girl''s stalking skills seem to have been improving as time went by. She would retreat silently once he says anything or she knew he was on to her so aside from his attention getting distracted, there was nothing much to her mischief.

    That wasn''t all. There have recently been increase in people trying to observe him again. The sudden amount of people paying attention to him had risen all of a sudden. What Kazuya was confused about is if they were observing him because of Kurumi''s influence starting to bloom or if it was part of the plot of those two cocky upperclassmen of his.

    "Are you worried about something Kazuya?" Kyouko asked after noticing his vacant look.

    "Oh¡­ it''s nothing" he smiled at her and didn''t want her to worry.

    "is it because¡­ you don''t like sleeping together with mom and prefer your big sis?" Kyouko asked with hesitation.

    "What makes you think that? I''m glad that I could help both of you improve" Though Kazuya really did mean that, it wasn''t that he didn''t have any difficulties because of it.

    Since he had to help both of them through contact, he had no choice but to sleep in the middle of the two. Kazuya usually slept late and Mei did too because they had their fair share of secrets. When Kyouko learned about this, he was scolded and forced to sleep at the same time as his mother. She didn''t want Kazuya to stay awake too late and was surprised that this was the routine he had already gotten used to.

    Mei was already an adult so Kyouko didn''t mind if she didn''t join them when she went to bed. She would take as much uninterrupted time she could with her son so she left whatever Mei was doing alone. This made Kyouko feel the difference between having her son''s help and not only a few days after they started this new routine.

    "Then tell me. What are you worrying about?" Kyouko didn''t seem convinced.

    To be honest, it wasn''t that Kazuya had troubles with Kyouko''s declaration of the three of them sleeping on the same bed. He may appear to be a nine-year-old kid but he possessed the mentality that made it hard for him to accept this like his age would suggest. The only reason Kazuya went with the suggestion was because this would be the only time he could take advantage of his current body''s age to help the two ladies'' growth and affinity towards mana.

    Not only was raising their affinity, raising the guarantee of their safety against threats, it was also a deterrent towards this world''s natural threats. Aging, infections, sicknesses, recovery would be of little concern for those with people who can connect with mana properly. His time in Edea as well as Natsu''s research proved this.

    Though humans had one of the shortest lifespans even in Edea, the amount of time a human actually lived was longer in Edea compared to earth. Kazuya wanted the two girls to learn how to absorb mana as if they were breathing as well as improve their affinities as best as he could. This was even more of a priority for him than improving his own abilities because he wanted to have peace of mind before he left to fulfill what he needed to do in Edea. That way, he wouldn''t need to worry about anything in case he wasn''t able to come back in this life.

    "I heard from big sis that she told you about the conversation we had about my dream¡­ and¡­ what she concluded it was" Kazuya was a bit nervous when he said this because he always tried to avoid talking about his lost memories with his mother. He felt guilty because he felt like he had stolen the identity of his former self since Kyouko would have had a few more years with her innocent son if he didn''t wake up in his body like this.

    "Oh that''s all?" Kyouko smiled. Despite Kazuya''s thoughts about the matter, she actually thought her son was cute to have been brooding over this. Though Mei was right in thinking that Kazuya''s mental age was older than it was supposed to be, she didn''t really think it exceeded that of a completely mature adult.

    This thought scared her and made her feel relieved at the same time. With her experiences and as a parent, she made an estimation on what her son''s mental age was by slowly testing him on her own. Kyouko had seen and talked with a lot of people so she was very confident in her analysis. The scary part about it was, if her son remained in a mental age that was even lower than hers, did he stop seeing the vision or did his life end after he got abandoned?

    "Huh?" Kazuya was a bit surprised at her lack of reaction. "You don''t have any opinions about it?" he snapped his mother out of her thoughts.

    "Not really. Vision or not, it doesn''t change the fact that you''re still my Kazuya. I''m glad that both of you came clean with me and told me all of this and I''m also grateful that you did so much to prevent everything from happening in your dream" She wanted to hug him but she was still driving. She held back her tears because ever since she heard about it, she wanted to thank her son for everything that he did in the dark.

    "You''re my mom so how can I sit back and do nothing after I learned something like this?" Kyouko burst into tears after hearing her son''s words. She felt that she truly was lucky for having a son like him. He may not be a normal kid like the others, but he was a son that she knew truly cared for her and she promised to herself that no matter what he did or how he grew up, she would support him.

    They arrived at their destination downtown not too long after their conversation ended. Kyouko looked at herself using the rear-view mirror to make sure that her eyes weren''t swollen from crying. Kazuya took the initiative and placed his hand over her eyes and cast a recovery spell which made her experience a cool and refreshing feeling before seeing everything was looking okay.

    "Mom showed you something very embarrassing hehe" she stuck her tongue out at him like a little kid which stunned her unsuspecting son.

    "Err¡­ where are we?" Kazuya looked around and changed the subject. They were parked directly in front of a car dealership so he was wondering what they were doing in such a place.

    "Hehe, I wanted to show you one of the cars here today. I wanted to see what you thought about it before deciding because I think it''s a nice car" Kyouko pulled her son and entered the dealership.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh. He hoped that her choice in cars weren''t the same as her process in choosing computers. He remembered both women''s criterias in trying to choose a computer for him which ended up in him picking one for himself.

    Seeing his mother acting like a young girl was kind of refreshing for him since she really was busy and serious about her work. This was why he didn''t mind accompanying her when she chose to shop or go out. He hoped that his mom would always have this kind of carefree attitude so he was making plans to make sure that she would have the luxury to do so in the future.

    "This is it!" Kyouko pulled him in front of her to show the car that she intended to buy.

    "!!" Kazuya froze as soon as his sights fell on the car in question.

    "Kazuya?" Kyouko felt the hand she was holding grow cold so she called out to him.

    *pant pant pant* Kazuya started perspiring cold sweat as he struggled to breathe. He felt pain, soul wrenching pain that covered both his head and chest. He felt as if his head was going to explode and his skin getting pulled from his body.

    "Kazuya!!" Kyouko panicked as soon as she saw her son struggling with an unknown amount of pain.

    *THUD* Kazuya fell to his knees not knowing the cause of such pain. It was at that moment that multiple images that were unfamiliar to him flooded his mind. His past life''s memories were already etched in his soul so he immediately knew that these images weren''t something he recognized.

    "(These memories¡­ just what are they!?)"

    .

 89 Memory

    .

    Kazuya laid on a bed sleeping soundly inside the hospital. There were no longer signs of pain on his face unlike his earlier episode at the car dealership. Seeing Kazuya finally at peace, Kyouko finally calmed down and sat by his bed and held her son''s hand.

    *SLAM*

    "What happened?" Mei rushed in the room with a pale face. She didn''t know what happened but Kyouko called to inform her that she rushed her son to the hospital.

    "I don''t know¡­ Everything seemed fine when we were talking in the car but as soon as we arrived at the car dealership Kazuya appeared to be in so much pain" Kyouko shuddered. Remembering the pain filled expression on Kazuya''s face broke her heart. She tried soothing him with what little recovery magic she learned but she gave up and just took him to the hospital after seeing that nothing was working.

    "How long has it been since he passed out?" Mei looked at Kazuya who looked like he was sleeping normally.

    "A few hours" she was worried that there has been no update in Kazuya''s condition and he was showing no signs of waking up. She was worried because there has been no indication of something happening to him.

    Mei touched Kazuya and tried casting a recovery spell. She was a lot better than Kyouko at magic since it was her natural affinity so Kyouko remained quiet and hoped that there would be changes. To both their disappointment, there had been no visible changes that could be seen in Kazuya''s condition.

    "This is strange¡­" Mei usually felt something whenever there had been an injury of a person since she''s tried recovery magic out whenever she had the chance on stray animals and Kazuya himself whenever he went too far with his training. "It doesn''t seem like Kazu''s hurt or injured in some way"

    "Do you think it''s a side effect of mana?" Kyouko asked since Mei and Kazuya had been utilizing it longer than her. The three of them only gained benefits and the only real disadvantage about it was that they needed to keep it a secret at all costs.

    "That''s highly unlikely" Mei replied. She was confident in what Kazuya explained about mana. From her own understanding, there shouldn''t be any negative side effects to it since it was supposed to have been natural energy that has been long forgotten.

    *knock knock*

    "Come in" Kyouko turned towards the door and saw the familiar hospital director accompanied by multiple colleagues. Kyouko immediately felt nervous because she didn''t expect to be greeted by various doctors.

    "Sorry for startling you Kouzuki-sama but please do not mind my colleagues. It seems that Kazuya-kun continues to baffle us with his condition" the doctor reported. "Though this time we have a result in the tests we conducted" he added as soon as Kyouko grew a frown.

    "What is it?" She was desperate to know anything about her son''s condition.

    "We may not know exactly for sure but from the scans, it shows that Kazuya-kun''s brain has been showing signs of hyperactivity specifically on the hippocampus" He showed both women the scanned brain activity on the tablet on his hand. "Even as he is unconscious, his brain is working as if it is registering new memories. We are not entirely sure what is causing this phenomenon but since Kazuya-kun is suffering from amnesia, we can only hope that he is recovering some if not all of his memories at the moment"

    Kyouko was shocked. She had given up entirely on letting Kazuya recover his memories. She didn''t know how to react at the sudden news. How would her son change if he really did recover his memories? She turned towards Mei and noticed that she wasn''t as surprised as she was. Mei looked calm and indifferent despite what they just learned.

    "When will Kazuya wake up?" she decided to ask Mei about it later since she chose not to say anything at the moment.

    "We''re not entirely sure. From the tests, it shows that Kazuya-kun is as healthy as can be so we believe that he will regain consciousness after his brain activity settles down and rests" the doctors nodded at each other before excusing themselves. They assured Kyouko that there was nothing to worry about and her son was going to wake up not too long from now.

    "They''re gone" Kyouko made sure that everyone already left before turning towards Mei. "What''s on your mind?"

    "I don''t think it''s Kazu''s memory returning" she went straight to the point. "I think Kazu is experiencing another vision"

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    "Another vision?" Kyouko frowned. If that was true then will her son''s mental age mature past her own? She didn''t want to think about it because her initial assumption that her son had ended his own life after being abandoned by everyone he knew which was why he was still immature and innocent about certain things.

    "That''s just what I think. If it happened once then it can happen again. His vision could have ended at a certain point and it could be the continuation of where he left off" Mei delivered her hypothesis.

    "It''s not a continuation but a recollection big sis" the familiar voice startled the two girls as they turned to find Kazuya holding his head while staring at the ceiling.

    "Kazu! Since when have you been awake?" Mei was a bit upset since she thought that he had been pretending to be unconscious just to eavesdrop.

    "from before the doctors left" he sluggishly tried to sit up. Kyouko wasted no time and helped him up and looked worriedly at her son''s pale complexion. He didn''t seem fine at all.

    "Are you okay Kazuya?" Kyouko handed him a bottle of water in which he drank in one go. His throat felt dry and his body a little dehydrated.

    "I''ll be alright mom. My head still hurts a little but talking should be okay" he really didn''t want Kyouko to worry too much so he squeezed her hand and smiled to show that he was fine.

    "What happened Kazu? Your body didn''t show any signs of being injured when I tried casting some recovery spells. The doctors couldn''t find anything strange aside from your suspicious brain activity" Mei tried not to show it but she was worried as well.

    She witnessed his magic training methods and tried to imitate them once but she was scolded by him because she almost caused injury to herself when she tried to ricochet a magic spell to hit herself. Kazuya blocked the magic spell that was supposed to hit her with his own body and despite the visible damage that could be seen, he didn''t even flinch so when Kyouko told her about how much he seemed to be in pain, she shuddered at the thought of how much pain Kazuya had to endure.

    "You were not wrong when you said that I experienced another vision but¡­ it was not a continuation because those have already been completed. The vision I saw was¡­ before the accident occurred" Kazuya frowned and felt his brain pulsating.

    "before the accident¡­?" Kyouko was a little startled. "But from what I learned¡­ you lost your memories in your vision after the accident right?"

    "Yes. I have no idea how but it looks like I''ve seen something in my vision for the first time" It was indeed a mystery on why he would recover memories from his past life but he couldn''t deny the images that appeared on his head.

    "What did you see?" Kyouko asked curiously. She believed that Kazuya already changed what was supposed to befall her so she had little hesitation to ask.

    "I think that¡­ the vision I saw was triggered the moment I saw that car you wanted to buy mom" he wasn''t fully unconscious the whole time. He had been in a half unconscious state as he tried to absorb and understand the images and memories that appeared on his head. It took him a while to piece things together but he completed the fragments inside his mind before he decided to speak up.

    "The car?" Kyouko looked confused. "Don''t tell me that car was¡­" she looked at her son who gave a heavy nod to confirm her suspicion.

    "It was the car we were using on the day of the accident a little over a year from now" Kazuya felt his throat drying up and accepted the water handed to him by Mei who was remained quiet as she listened. "Please don''t buy that car mom. It may have little to do with anything but I want everything to be different from that vision for as much as possible" Kazuya placed a hand on this throbbing head.

    "You should get some rest Kazu" Mei tried to let him lay back down. "We can talk about this after you feel better"

    "Can we go home instead?" he suggested. "This place won''t be able to do much for me and I would be much more comfortable with the help of the formation back at home"

    Mei and Kyouko didn''t object to this suggestion since both of them already understood the effects of the formation in the Kouzuki house. They already experienced the difference of recovering their vitality at home compared to other places and the doctors already stated that he was as healthy as he can be so Mei handled the paperwork as Kyouko helped Kazuya back to their car.

    "I''m really okay mom" Kazuya felt a little embarrassed since Kyouko decided to carry him in her arms like she used to.

    "Listen to mom okay?" Kyouko giggled and ignored his request so Kazuya could only bury his face on her shoulder. He didn''t want anyone to recognize him so he hid his face until he failed to keep ahold of his consciousness and fell asleep under the calming scent of his mother.

    Mei caught up with them as soon as she was done with the discharge procedures. She took a cab to the hospital so she rode in Kyouko''s car on their way back. It wasn''t until they got back home that Kazuya immediately woke up after sensing the change in the atmosphere.

    "(I fell asleep huh¡­)" he felt quite ashamed because it seemed like he fell unconscious out of sheer embarrassment.

    "Did you wake up already?" Kyouko was a little disappointed, she wanted to carry him all the way to his room but it looks like she wouldn''t have the chance to do it now. She pouted towards Kazuya but was feeling relieved because her son already didn''t look as pale as he did earlier. It seems like his judgement was right and he would recover better at home.

    "I''m already feeling a lot better mom" Kazuya got out of the car on his own to make sure that his mother didn''t get the chance to carry him again. He wouldn''t be able to hear the end of it from Yui if she saw him getting carried like a little boy at his age and size.

    "Me and your big sis will leave you alone and let you sleep in your room peacefully tonight. You''re also going to rest for the whole day tomorrow so I''ll go ahead and call your school in the morning" Kyouko didn''t give him the chance to decline.

    "Okay¡­" Kazuya agreed.

    "I already informed Granny Fuji that we will be arriving so let''s go eat. I assume you two must be hungry after skipping lunch and all" Mei pulled the two because she was worried about them both. They were supposed to have fun today but everything didn''t go as anyone expected.

    Granny Fuji was updated of the situation and agreed that their young master should take the day off. She was relieved that they found nothing wrong with him aside from the heatstroke the two ladies came up with.

    Kazuya didn''t have much of an appetite at the moment and finished earlier than usual. He grabbed a pencil and paper and worked on something as Mei and Kyouko had their meal. It was still too early for him to go to bed so he drew a little to pass the time.

    "Mom¡­ I was wondering" Kazuya spoke as he continued to draw. "Why did you want to buy that car anyway? Don''t we already have one?"

    The two women looked at each other as if coming to an understanding looked towards him at the same time. He felt like he was missing something so he waited for them to answer.

    "It''s really nothing much but the car manufacturer offered to give us a car of our choice. It''s kind of a publicity stunt where all I had to do was to be featured in an article with the car I chose and be seen in the public using it" Kyouko explained. She really didn''t think anything much of it since she would get a new car in the process. Kyouko was one of the few well known successful business people who still chose to drive simple and efficient cars after all.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya took note of the company and looked at Mei as if hinting something. He suspected the company that offered this because from what he had deciphered from the images that appeared from his mind, he needed to confirm a few things before he could rule them out.

    Mei nodded to confirm and would look into it later. Both of them really couldn''t communicate through the whisper skill because Kyouko was extremely sensitive to whenever they used the skill for private conversations.

    The three of them finished dinner. Afterwards, the two insisted to bring Kazuya to his room. They wanted to make sure that he wouldn''t head to his research center and rest for the rest of the day. Though his complexion already recovered, the two ladies were still worried.

    "Ummm¡­" Kazuya turned and faced the two who were blocking his path. "From what I''ve deciphered in the vision I saw. There were two people that will be visiting this place soon enough. I don''t recognize the two of them so I drew this picture so that I could ask who they were" Kazuya handed the paper to his mother who immediately crushed it in her hand.

    "Huh?" Kazuya was shocked at his mother''s reaction because not only did she crush the paper, she even used magic to immediately burn the paper into nothing.

    "Kyouko, those two were¡­."

    "I know" Kyouko frowned and looked at her son. There was no way he would know the two so she didn''t know how to begin explaining it to him.

    "Looks like both of you know who they are" he was a hundred percent certain of it after seeing such a reaction.

    "Those two are¡­" Kyouko took a deep breath before looking her son directly in the eye. "Those two scum are your father and his wife"

    .

 90 Father

    .

    Kazuya fell into a long deep sleep that night. He was able to piece together fragments of his memories during his short rest at the hospital but it was still just one of the parts of it. It was during his long slumber that he was able to really see and hear what kind of memories flooded into his mind after seeing the car that they apparently rode in before him and his mother got into the accident that changed the course of his life.

    He tried to see as much detail as he could in this memory so that he may catch anything suspicious. This memory may already be obsolete but it was still something that haunted him in his past life. He may not have let it bother him much but now that he was experiencing and learning about the past he never remembered, knowing as much as he could about it had become important to him now.

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    "I see¡­" Kazuya slowly rose from his bed and looked at the clock. It was almost afternoon and he was indeed left to sleep alone for the whole night.

    He had a sharp look in his eye as he looked towards himself in the mirror as he washed his face. Looking at himself, he couldn''t deny that there was a certain resemblance between him and his father. This made him recall the face she made when she saw the picture he drew. He knew he and his so-called father resembled each other a little but was she reminded of him whenever she looked at her son?

    His looks were one of the things he cared little about from his previous life. His appearance in his previous life on earth was different from this one since the accidents left scars on not only his body but also his face. He was only able to look at his intended appearance after his body was fully healed and purified when he was summoned to Edea. He couldn''t believe what happened at first but from the explanation of grand mages from the academy, it seemed that it was true.

    This was one reason why he let his mom take care of it for him. She insisted on a few things like letting his hair grow out and fixing it when she had time in the morning. This made him look strangely at himself but Mei and Kyouko were happy about it so he really didn''t care about it too much.

    A question of whether she wanted him to look a lot less like his so-called father came to his mind after seeing him for the first time in his apparent memories from his past life. From Kyouko''s tone last night, it didn''t seem like she had any more positive feelings towards the man who he was never interested to meet in the first place.

    "(Father or not, you and that bitch you chose over mom will regret if you still decide to do the same thing in this life)" unrestrained killing intent filled Kazuya''s room as he recalled what he had seen and heard in his recollection.

    "Kazuya?"

    "Kazu!"

    The boss and assistant duo entered his room in a rush and found him after he finished changing clothes. They felt the change in the atmosphere and found the source of it in his room and were worried. They thought that someone was trying to hurt him but instead found the source to be him instead.

    Kazuya of course was surprised at the sudden intrusion. The two women have grown really sensitive to people''s intentions. They were already quite adept at it by reading people they deal with in their business but now they can even tell by reading their auras which made them more intimidating if there was anyone they were dealing with in their deals.

    "What''s wrong Kazuya? Did you have a bad dream?" Kyouko wasted no time and tried to hug her son.

    "Why are you here mom? What about work?" He dodged the question and asked her a question instead.

    "How can I go to work after what happened to you yesterday?" She took a good look at her son and felt relieved that his complexion was normal and so was his temperature.

    "I''m fine mom. I just needed to rest"

    "What happened Kazu? What made you so angry so early in the morning?" Mei didn''t want to let go of the opportunity and asked. "You figured it out didn''t you?" she was the one who gave the theory regarding their apparent car accident

    The two didn''t force any information out of him last night. Both of them were concerned with how Kazuya had just remembered, but his own health was more important. Kyouko didn''t want to see him giving that pained expression again and wanted to wait but the picture Kazuya showed before he went to rest the previous night shocked both of them.

    He had neither met nor had they ever mentioned Kurogane Nagisa to him and Kazuya wasn''t even interested to learn the name of his father so how could he have drawn the two of them so accurately? That wasn''t all, he said that these two visited their residence. Kurogane Nagisa was known to be very hostile towards Kyouko so who would ever believe that she would visit her home?

    "It''s good to see you awake young master" Fujiyama knocked on the opened door and entered. "Would you like to have a meal? It''s already too late for breakfast and the two mistresses have been waiting for you to eat a meal together"

    "Thank you granny Fuji, I''ll have a meal with them" Kazuya was saved for the moment but he already knew that the two women wouldn''t let him go that easily.

    So he led the two into his research center where he was sure that they couldn''t be overheard after they had their meal. Kazuya felt a little guilty towards Yumi who was working hard in the office but there was no way his mom could work in peace unless her curiosity was satisfied.

    "Before I begin¡­ I want to ask a question I really didn''t expect to ever ask" Kazuya turned towards his mother. "What is the name of the man that was supposed to be my ''father''?" his expression was cold and held no hint of positive feelings over finding out.

    "Kurogane¡­ Shishio" Kyouko hesitated but she decided to tell her son the name of his father. She always felt nervous about it because he used to ask her about it before he lost his memories but she never really gave a straight answer.

    "I didn''t have much time to really understand everything I saw in my vision. I only understood a part of it but¡­" Kazuya started to explain after they made themselves comfortable.

    He understood that even if he had these memories, he couldn''t have been able to piece together what really happened in his previous life. There was one thing that was apparent though, Kurogane Nagisa didn''t spare any respect and bared her fangs whenever she could.

    Kurogane Shishio and his wife went to the Kouzuki house for one purpose, it was for Kyouko to sell her shares of the Kouzuki Corporation to them for an unreasonably cheap price. It was from their conversation that apparently happened with him present that he found out more about his father he didn''t expect at the time.

    He had his eyes on the Kouzuki Corporation after they had entered the technological scene and had gained ground against one of the Kurogane Conglomerate''s allies; the Muimina Family and their Ringo Corporation.

    Kurogane Shishio was an extremely ambitious person who played with Kouzuki Kyouko''s heart. She was but a young and innocent person who was just handed a company over by her father and it was where he found the opportunity to make his name soar in the family by using her to take over.

    What Kurogane Shishio didn''t expect was how extremely talented and dedicated Kyouko was to her work. Although she was very warm and emotional, she intended to make the company that was entrusted to her flourish. Their relationship lasted for a while but disaster struck when Kyouko was about to break the news to Shishio that he was about to be a father.

    He neither informed her or warned her about it but ever since Kyouko took the helm of the Kouzuki corporation, she had paid attention towards news concerning the business scene and it''s people. She learned that Shishio and Nagisa had been engaged and their family businesses would merge after their marriage.

    She refused to believe what happened and immediately went to Shishio who she found was together with Nagisa who had no idea that her fianc¨¦ had been in a relationship with Kyouko for a long time. Shishio didn''t even bat an eye when he told her the truth that he was only after the Kouzuki corporation but he had run out of time. The family had already decided his marriage and it was a shame that he couldn''t add the Kouzuki corporation under his belt in his attempt to be the Kurogane Conglomerate''s successor.

    He was not reprimanded for his actions after coming clean but was instead praised by the head of the Kurogane Conglomerate who was also present at the time. Kyouko was made out to be a pursuer who didn''t have the chance to be with Shishio at the time and even Nagisa tried to vent her jealousy towards her. Thus Kyouko gave a startling statement before leaving.

    "[I hope the two of you enjoy your tainted marriage. The child inside me may be yours but I''ll make sure that he will not be even remotely like you. You better wish that it''s not a boy because he will always be the very first heir once you do achieve your ambition]" little did she know that it was this statement that would make them come visit her in the future after her son had grown to be almost a decade old.

    Kouzuki Kou returned some time after that and learned that he was going to be a grandfather. He immediately started a war with the Kurogane Conglomerate along with his companions. This made Shishio lose all the benefits he gained after his engagement with Nagisa. This was what originally started the feud between the Kurogane Conglomerate and the Kouzuki Corporation.

    What they wanted was simply said but it was in exchange for Shishio to give up all parental rights over Kazuya. The conversation that happened between them after that was something that Kazuya didn''t hear because Kyouko had asked Lee who was also present to take Kazuya and Nagisa away so she and Shishio could have a private conversation.

    The two of them may have come alone but the Kurogane members had a habit of flaunting themselves so they always came with a set of guards so that people would deem them as influential and important. This was however the vanity that made Kazuya connect the dots though not at the time.

    Nagisa didn''t really know how to hold back as she mocked how Kyouko lived. She then mocked the newly bought car that was used by them at the time. Kazuya really wanted to call this lady out but Lee stopped him. He didn''t find it suspicious at the time because he looked up to lee and everything he said was right by his knowledge.

    It was only after a month later that a man claiming to be one of the mechanics from the car dealership went to their home. He informed them that he was there to check if one of the components in the car was deemed inefficient and needed to be replaced because of a manufacturing error. This man was unmistakably one of the hired guards that went with Kurogane Shishio and Nagisa at the time they visited their home and Kazuya explained that he couldn''t be wrong about this from his memory.

    Needles to say, it was on the day before their trip that this man claimed to have changed parts for their car. He didn''t know what happened to the investigation of their accident but from what he was able to tell from his memories when he woke up, they never really found any evidence or it was covered up in the end.

    "That was what happened in the vision¡­" Kazuya moved to give his mother a hug because he knew that it was hard for her to hear all of this. "Don''t worry mom. If those two indeed step inside this property then the fate of the Kurogane family will be sealed" Kazuya said with all seriousness.

    "thank you for your honesty Kazuya but I''m alright" Kyouko appreciated her son''s concern but she didn''t want to show him her weak side. "I could very well tell how that conversation went" she turned towards Mei who grew a grin.

    "Huh?"

    "His threats were a bluff Kazu. He would have never won a custody battle after what he did and he would even be penalized if he tried" Mei giggled. "Mother-in-law had covered all basis after she regretted informing him that you were going to be born.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya was a little relieved. He was worried about Kyouko and Shishio when he saw that they were going to have a private conversation so he was glad to find out that their plan to use him to blackmail his mother.

    "What are you two looking so relieved for?" Mei looked a little irritated. "What we learned is that guy still has his eyes on the Kouzuki Corporation and since they are the main culprits of the accident, even though we already prevented it from going to the slimeball Lee, they may still try"

    "It''s strange though¡­ I know the course of events have changed but didn''t you say that our company had broken through the technological scene?" Kyouko pointed this out because they were still unable to do so in this version.

    "I may have caused something¡­" Kazuya pondered. All his intentions and were towards the benefits of his mom and big sis. Just what did he do to cause the change?

    "Kazuya!? Kyouko!?" a familiar voice reached their ears. It sounded a bit panicked so Kazuya wondered if something happened.

    "What is dad doing here?" Kyouko was the first to react.

    "Where is my grandson? Is he alright?"

    "The mistresses are in the young master''s building" they heard Akane informing him nearby,

    The three of them stepped out of the research building and went to see what was going on. Jirou and Kou immediately looked at Kazuya who apparently looked fine.

    "What happened?" Kou looked at Kyouko and inquired.

    "Aren''t we forgetting something?" Kazuya interrupted and looked at Kou with narrowed eyes. "Have you come to a decision?"

    .

 91 Role

    .

    Kazuya returned to school the next day after a day''s rest. He had already recovered and it was already close to the exams before summer vacation but there were quite a number of people concerned since Kazuya rarely ever took a day off.

    "Thank you for everyone''s concern but I''m fine" he said politely while smiling to everyone.

    Contrary to Kurumi''s expectations of having something to start a conversation with him, the classmates from class B immediately surrounded Kazuya as soon as he entered the classroom. This was already secondary to all kinds of students who approached him as soon as he entered the school. He already answered the question she was hoping to ask so she lost the opportunity to approach him.

    "(Is he really fine?)" Kurumi wondered.

    She had observed him for a long time and started to have these weird sensations whenever Kazuya''s emotions would fluctuate. From what she could tell, he was not in a pleasant mood so she refrained from annoying him by her approach.

    Little did she know that her feeling was quite accurate as Kazuya was indeed in a foul mood. This was primarily caused by his grandfather and his sudden intervention after learning a few things from Shiroyuki Jirou.

    Kou immediately solved their lack of manpower and even provided numerous people that made their security company a real force to be reckoned with. There were already quite the number of trainees who signed contracts as well as active personnel that kept Kazuno Tech and their employees safe.

    This was good for the security company because they even had a few known companies ask for their services but this was not the reason Kazuno Tech existed. It was merely a security company on the outside, it''s real purpose was to be a force that was for both Mei and Kyouko''s companies. Kou''s move had attracted unwanted attention to the security company and Kazuya expected their enemies to look into them instead.

    If that wasn''t bad enough, Kou even assigned a couple of people to Kazuya and Kyouko. This severely limited the number of ways Kazuya thought of dealing with the two who were already planning on dealing with him. Though Sacred Forest Academy didn''t allow any personal security to enter the school, that didn''t mean that the people Kou assigned would not wait for him outside.

    Kazuya really couldn''t blame his mother for informing Kou of Kurogane Shishio''s probable visit to their home. She even told him of his approach because Kou was the one who waged war on the Kurogane family because of her. To Kyouko, her father was her biggest supporter against the Kurogane family as long as Kazuya was still a boy, even though he wielded such abilities.

    *tug tug*

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    "Hmm?" Kazuya turned to Tomoyo who was sitting by his side. "What is it?"

    Tomoyo handed him a piece of paper. It was the schedule for this summer''s training camp for the Kendo Club. She wanted to ask him if he was participating but Kazuya never really attended one because he would rather train alone or with Jirou during vacation days.

    "I can''t. I''ll be busy over the summer since that old man came back home bringing all sorts of trouble" he sighed. "Has he been a good guest in your place?"

    *nod*

    "Have you been slacking off with your training since I haven''t been around lately?"

    *shake shake*

    "Really?"

    *nod*

    "Good. I''m looking forward to seeing how much you''ve improved once I''m done with the business I''m dealing with" Kazuya patted her head. He could feel the steady increase in her mana so he knew she was working hard. This girl always lived up to his expectations and rarely disappointed him. The only problem he had with this robot girl was the slow progress of her using her own voice compared to the increasing growth of her mana.

    Classes were about to start as the chimes started sounding but Takaya made it into the classroom in the nick of time. He had an excited face and immediately approached Kazuya who already started reading one of the books he borrowed from the library today.

    "Huh?" he stopped to think after reading the title on the book. "You sure do have weird and random tastes in whatever you read" he commented. ''H prefecture local architectural designs'' was the title of the book and it included buildings such as the Aoki theatre group''s academy and theatre.

    "What''s with that annoyingly happy face you''re wearing?" Kazuya wasn''t looking at him but he saw this annoying guy''s face from his peripheral vision from when he entered the classroom.

    "I''ve finalized the¡ª"

    *Slide* Miyamoto entered the room to begin class so Takaya''s momentum was cut short. Kazuya smirked at him because he intended for this guy''s exciting news to be cut short.

    "I''ll definitely get you back for that" Takaya sat down looking a bit annoyed. He was a little concerned for this friend of his since his visit to the hospital wasn''t a secret but since he didn''t seem any different from usual, Takaya had no reason to worry about this sadistic friend of his.

    -

    At the large mansion and current headquarters of the Kurogane family, a suave looking gentleman that resembled Kazuya sat in a table along with other family members of the Kurogane family. He had just returned to the country after a successful endeavor overseas that lasted for a few years.

    Kurogane Tenma, the illustrious head of the Kurogane family sat at the head of the table. He looked at the two most likely candidates to succeed him.

    "Good work Shishio" Tenma praised his son without changing the neutral expression on his face. "Your success should be rewarded but you also caused the current predicament of our family"

    "Father! Wasn''t Shishio also responsible for bringing our two families together?" Nagisa tried to interject only to be met with condescending stares from the others.

    "Are you really thinking this through, sister-in-law?" Shishio''s brother and closest competition to the fight for the family head''s seat spoke. "If it were not for Shishio''s failed attempt to fool the now famous Kouzuki Kyouko, would we have to wage war against that madman Kouzuki Kou?" this man was Shishio''s elder brother; Kurogane Sousuke.

    "What Sousuke said is correct. Had Shishio handled his attempt to take over the Kouzuki Corporation from the inside well, we would not have had a troublesome enemy to deal with" Tenma commented.

    "Not only that, you even took in such a worthless kid from your wife''s extended family. Do you know how much that kid cost us?" Sousuke took advantage of the situation to pour more salt in his brother''s wounds. "He took more than he can handle and self-destructed."

    "What about you then elder brother? What have you done?" Shishio ignored his comments and turned to look smugly at his own brother. "Not only have you returned early after failing miserably overseas but you also failed to defend against the attacks of the woman I left behind without the help of her father? You dare speak of my failures when you yourself don''t have anything to brag about?" Shishio retorted mercilessly.

    "You¡­" Sousuke was irritated. Not even their father could have defended against the combined forces of the Kouzuki corporation and Stockton International but he couldn''t say that out loud or he might incur the displeasure of Kurogane Tenma.

    "Besides, that trash Lee may have self-destructed but he didn''t completely fail his purpose" Shishio grinned.

    "Oh?" Tenma raised an eyebrow. "You must be thinking of the boy as well"

    "Yes father. Lee was originally sent to the Kouzuki corporation to make use of Kouzuki Kazuya in the future. From what we''ve learned from him, that boy is an exceptional child like his father" he shamelessly praised himself.

    "That is indeed true" Tenma of course had already looked into Kazuya''s achievements. He couldn''t deny that the boy was indeed a person who was worthy of bearing their name even though he was an illegitimate child. "Can you make use of him though?" he asked.

    "From what I know about him, it would be in his best interest to go to our side. That way, not only will we get control of the Kouzuki Corporation without a fight in the future, we will also gain the allegiance of Stockton International if we betroth him to their princess" he smirked and revealed his plan with confidence.

    "That plan indeed sounds plausible. How confident are you in making it work?" Tenma looked favorably upon this plan because of the benefits it will bring them in the future.

    "I dare not say I have a 100% certainty" Shishio took a step back. "But I will know as soon as I meet with both the boy and Kouzuki Kyouko"

    "Tread carefully Shihio. Kouzuki Kou has returned recently and we can''t afford another war with them before we officially become family with the Muimina family" Tenma warned.

    "I understand father. This plan would require a bit of time anyway" he turned towards his elder brother. "I don''t think I need to remind you of the rules of our family right?" Shishio grinned. Now that his plan was out in the open, he was protected by the family''s rule of no interference. This was similar to the Kouzuki clan''s unbreakable promise but only applied within the members of the Kurogane family and their associates. Anyone who would interfere with plans that involved their family''s prosperity would be severely punished or worse, banished.

    "You should talk to your own wife" Sousuke retorted. "You dare bring your illegitimate son into the fray without siring a legitimate one with your official wife" he couldn''t do anything to his younger brother''s plans but he could sow discord at this moment.

    Nagisa who remained quiet frowned. She didn''t plan on showing her displeasure or disapproval to this plan while Tenma was around. Now that Sousuke pointed it out, how could she remain unaffected? This had to do with her own status after all. Kouzuki Kyouko was a person she hated and this includes the son that was sired by her own husband. What would her place be if he was brought into the family?

    "(I''m not going to allow that bitch Kyouko''s offspring to have a better standing than me or my future children)" Nagisa thought as she held back her anger towards Sousuke''s words.

    -

    Unaware of the brewing plot towards him, Kazuya had lunch together with Tomoyo and Takaya. He could sense Kurumi who was a lot farther than she used to be so he ignored her since he really wasn''t in the mood to deal with the troublesome girl.

    "Read this" Takaya handed over a thick bunch of papers to Kazuya.

    "A script?" Kazuya flipped through the pages. He wasn''t unfamiliar with scripts since he did take classes in Takaya''s theatre group after all.

    "Mom and Dad were really excited after I told them that I got you to agree to a small part. They helped a lot in finding the perfect one for you" this was what he was dying to tell him when he arrived in the morning.

    *GRAB* Kazuya grabbed his friend''s uniform over his chest. Takaya already expected such a reaction from him because of the bold letters written on top of the script.

    [Script for Character: Princess Yazuka]

    "Looks like you''re really looking to die" Kazuya raised him up in the air.

    "You o-owe me¡­ right? For saving the S-stockton girls" Takaya nervously reasoned with him as he was lifted into the air.

    "Tsk¡­" Kazuya clicked his tongue. As he saw the script, his role was small and only required a few words. What he needed to do more was the expressions on his face because the character''s communication heavily relied on facial expressions. Kazuya couldn''t help but look at the girl who had gotten used to their banter that she peacefully ate as the two boys bickered.

    "You still have time to study the role. It will begin this summer so you have time to learn the role" Takaya tried to straighten himself up nervously.

    "Did I say that I accepted?" Kazuya wasn''t convinced. "This role is for a TV production. I told you that I would do a small part but this¡­" he frowned and looked at Takaya with an annoyed face.

    "Think about it for a second" he tried to reason."You know that our group travels around to perform in various parts of the country. I know you would refuse such a role so I told my parents to get you one that will let you stay here"

    "Does it have to be a television production though?"

    "That''s just how much my parents look up to your talent. They thought that a small part in a local play wouldn''t do you any justice. I also know that you''re quite busy so this is the best I can do with your time conditions. Rather than a long and continuous production, you just have to act in front of the camera and you''d be done"

    "I get what you''re saying but" a hint of killing intent emitted from him. "WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A GIRL ROLE!?"

    .

 92 Confirming

    .

    Kurogane Shishio just returned to the country after a successful business deal overseas. It was only days after he came back but he already started spreading their influence in the company once more. His wife on the other hand, was displeased with the response she got when she tried to dissuade her husband from taking in his and Kyouko''s son. There was already very little dispute about whether or not Kouzuki Kazuya was indeed related to him because the resemblance between them was very obvious.

    Not only did he refuse to listen to Nagisa, Shishio also pushed back his plans to have a child with her. If she gave birth to a son then she would have been less threatened even if they were able to take Kazuya from Kyouko. He was but a child so what can he do to her?

    It never crossed their minds that they couldn''t handle a child so neither of them thought of the possibility of their plans backfiring on them. They may have been married but both had different things in mind. While Shishio hatched a plan to face Kyouko, Nagisa sent messages to Suzaku who had already informed her that they had plans to deal with Kouzuki Kazuya to make him pay for what happened to their family.

    "[Do what you need to do but do it quickly]" was the message she sent to Suzaku who showed the message to Ringo before they deleted it.

    "Looks like your aunt is getting impatient as well" Ringo smirked after reading the message. There was probably no one that didn''t know about their enmity against each other.

    "Now that uncle Shishio''s back, she wouldn''t be able to do as she pleased anymore so she''s rushing" Suzaku commented. He really didn''t like this aunt of her but it was only a matter of time before his own parents returned for their family''s gathering.

    "Then we best make that guy hurry up" Ringo picked one of the phones from the desk and dialed a number.

    "Yes?" Kuuga answered the call.

    "This is Murin, there has been a change in the situation. You need to speed up the process since one of the main supporters is under pressure" Ringo explained the situation.

    "I see¡­" Kuuga frowned on the other end. "There has also been a change in the situation on my end. That kid was suddenly assigned bodyguards from the security company that has been on the rise lately"

    "Kazuno Securities?" Ringo was familiar with this name because they were a security company that was born from Kazuno tech and were the ones preventing their attempts from finding out what they needed.

    "That''s right" Kuuga was a bit surprised. It looked like the rumors that Ringo really was being trained on their company''s matters at a young age. She was even privy to such information. "(Looks like even the Muimina family follows the same educational path the Kurogane family does)" Kuuga thought.

    Muimina Ringo and Kurogane Suzaku were officially both 6th graders but due to the amount of ''education'' they went through before officially joining schools, they were a lot older compared to peers in the same grade. This was a method that the Kurogane was known for. Every single child in their clan would have been brainwashed with their family ideals and ways.

    Hashiyama Lee was saved from this because he was adopted and had been going to school when he was taken in. Kuuga stared at the files he had on Suzaku and Ringo because he would have much rather dealt with Lee rather than this brainwashed duo.

    Though he didn''t like dealing with individuals like them. Business was still business, knowing crooked individuals like these would greatly profit him in the future. He had his own circumstances so he was left with no choice but to lower his head and accept their demands because he stood to gain a lot out of all of it.

    Kuuga couldn''t help but smirk at their impatience. He kind of missed his old customer because even though he broke down in the end, he still saw Lee as better than these so-called relatives of his who were at his friend''s age when he was a frequent customer. Comparing them to Lee was like comparing a careful politician to spoiled nobles.

    "Then prepare to strike soon" Ringo confidently stated.

    "Oh?" Kuuga was suddenly intrigued. "There seems to be something you''re not telling me"

    "Let''s just say that Kazuno Tech will soon need all the reinforcements they can get" a mischievous grin grew on her face.

    "I see¡­ I shall make preparations then" he ended the call and crossed his arms before sinking into deep thought.

    He was well aware that numerous people in the underground were slowly getting hired for jobs. These people were mostly muscle and those talented in information gathering. He himself was asked for any information about the mysterious company that the large corporations have been keeping their eyes on.

    "I wonder if that beautiful sister is still there" he smirked.

    Kuuga didn''t tell anyone about what he knew the day he had to settle for the office that he was currently staying at. Kazuno Tech''s headquarters were purchased by non-other than the lady that brought along the boy he was targeting again. He of course found out her identity and had already surmised the seemingly childish way they tried to mask the company''s name.

    He felt that this information would be a lot more valuable if he waited for the right time. Kuuga believed that he could also use this as leverage for when he finally got back at the young master who not only let him take losses but also dared to threaten him the day they bought the land that was now known as Kazuno Tech''s headquarters.

    From what Ringo had hinted, he could easily tell that the beefing up of security had forced them to take a more direct approach. This indeed would give him a time to strike but it was still only a chance. It would all depend on what actually will happen when they strike.

    "Looks like things are going to get lively"

    -

    Kazuya had just finished his magic training routine and felt a little drained. He glanced behind him and saw Mei still typing away in front of the laptop she brought with her. She usually trained or watched whenever he was there so seeing her working made him curious and a bit concerned.

    "Is something the matter big sis?" he walked to her side and glanced at the screen.

    "Just some small issues. Since we are accelerating our product releases, some plans need to be worked on while others need to be changed" she explained.

    "This is¡­" Kazuya began reading the contents he was shown. It was indeed not a pressing matter but it was an important one all the same.

    "It''s about the advertising leading to the product releases" We were already booked for several technological expos but other than that, once we announce the release of what will be our flagship products, we have yet to decide on a strategy to successfully attract consumers.

    Kazuya crossed his arms to think. He consulted his memory for a bit and tried to think of something he could use to help solve the problem. What was the use of having memories from his first life if he didn''t take advantage of this. Thus he chose something that even someone like him who barely paid attention to advertisements found clever and amusing.

    "It''s something like¡­" he told her about the advertisements he found amusing and tried to explain them from memory. He tried to explain it as best as he could. Mei found it quite amusing to see Kazuya like this. She never gets tired of hearing amazing things from him.

    "This is great! People will love these ideas! You probably just saved us years of advertising fees!" Mei was elated. Not only did were his suggestions clever, some of them could also be used for the Kouzuki Corporation.

    "Is this everything you were worried about big sis?"

    "Most of it" Mei confirmed. "I''ll have to work at the office for a while so that this can be discussed with the staff immediately. That would just leave the actual implementation for commercials and promotions"

    "I think I can help with that as well" Kazuya explained his current predicament with Takaya. He could use his connection with the Aoki group and let them take care of the project. What he didn''t tell her however, was the embarrassing part he had to play.

    *gyuu* Mei hugged him tight.

    Kazuya really didn''t want to accept Takaya''s proposal but he did owe this friend of his and he was already planning to give in to his parents request of making him appear on stage. This was the least he could do for their effort for teaching him everything he knew and a lot more.

    He really didn''t want to admit it but Takaya and his parents gave hima role that would fit his time constraints perfectly. His main reason for refusing their offers initially was because we did not want to be part of any production that would require him to travel or appear in several times. Even though he issues about the role he was going to play, he just needed to sit tight and show expressions that everyone agreed he was very good at.

    Of course, he still had his own conditions that his friend had already anticipated. Kazuya''s name and identity would be hidden like those other nameless extras. He even went as far as asking if he wouldn''t appear in the credits at all.

    "Thank you, I don''t know what I''m going to do without you" she happily started typing at lightning speed as she tried to put into words what Kazuya explained. "Did these ideas come from your visions?"

    "Yes" he didn''t hide it from her. "Those advertisements are what I can remember. They may not be a lot but those are what I came across with"

    "They are plenty enough" Mei turned back to her computer.

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    He left her alone to do her work in peace and exited his research center. Kazuya looked for the heavy wooden sword he used to practice with. He usually left it under the big tree but it wasn''t where he last left it.

    "Looking for this?" Kou walked up behind him wearing a mischievous grin. He thought that it would be funny if he sneaked up on his grandson and surprise him.

    "Yeah" Kazuya turned and took the wooden sword from Kou and turned to walk away from him.

    Contrary to Kou''s expectations, Kazuya didn''t even seem the least bit startled at his sudden appearance. His grandson already marked his presence in the house so Kazuya only needed to check on the formation to see where everyone was. This left the old man feel a bit frustrated since every single one of his plans have been rendered useless by his grandson.

    He was allowed to return to the Kouzuki household since he already declared that he would choose to stay. Kyouko accepted this but reminded him that if he caused Kazuya any trouble, then he would regret it. He felt depressed because he had once been the head of the household, yet he was treated like an unwanted person in the house.

    "(What a complicated kid)" Kou grumbled and moved towards the door leading to what once was a storage building. He looked at the formation lock that was already changed by his grandson and examined it. He would spend his time sitting in front of this door whenever he didn''t have anything to do and try to find a way to open it.

    "(Stubborn old man)" Kazuya thought as he glanced towards his grandfather. Kou refused to look at them whenever they entered the research center saying that he wouldn''t be able to call himself a former explorer if he let other people solve these kinds of puzzles for him.

    Kazuya observed his grandfather as he practiced his sword. Both of them became wary of each other but didn''t do anything to start a conversation with one another despite both of their desires to ask numerous ones. Akane and Yui who were observing them through the window, smiled at how alike these two were.

    "Hmm?" Kou noticed something on the door.He felt like he had gotten a clue and used his hands to trace the invisible patterns on the wall. He gathered mana on his palms as this was the only clue he got when the others tried opening the doors.

    This of course caught the attention of Kazuya who sensed the moment Kou tried to gather mana. The only reason why he didn''t stop him from trying was because he wanted to confirm it without asking. Kou had opened the simple lock before and this time, Kazuya witnessed him really using mana.

    *SPLASH* water sprayed from above the building and drenched Kou. This was a clear sign that he had failed in opening the lock.

    "Pfft!" Akane and Yui tried to stop their laughter after witnessing the old man looking like he was pranked.

    "HAHAHAHA" Kazuya on the other hand, didn''t hold back and laughed to his heart''s content. He even pointed at his grandfather who was trembling in embarrassment. He would have taken it in strike if a trap were activated instead but he looked like a fool after getting drenched by the trap set by his own grandson.

    "You naughty brat! Let your grandfather teach you some manners!" Kou wanted to save face so he rushed to attack his grandson. He wanted this kid to suffer a little bit for everything that he was put through.

    Kazuya''s lips slowly curved upwards. This was exactly what he was waiting for since the real way to test this person without having to talk would be to engage him in something like this.

    "Not bad" Kazuya could feel the mana from Kou''s palms and blocked it effortlessly. He felt the old man was holding back because he didn''t really want to hurt the kid. "You have to do better than that to make me take you seriously"

    "Take this!" Kou increased the amount of mana circulating in his body and further enhanced his physique. Anyone who saw him would have thought that he was at his peak because this was not the kind of movements, a person of his age was usually capable of.

    "A little better" Kazuya dodged the strikes. He could see the steps his grandfather took, slowly leave marks on the ground as the amount of enhancement continued to increase.

    "(This kid¡­)" Kou couldn''t believe it. He already knew that Kazuya had sparred with Jirou. His old friend informed him that the kid could be considered a master of internal energy already but from what he could see, his grandson was barely even using enhancement but rather making the most out of the denser mana that surrounded them.

    "I give up" Kou suddenly halted and surprised Kazuya who looked at him suspiciously.

    "Give up?"

    "We won''t get anywhere like this" Kou shook his head. "I''ll be straightforward with you then¡­ How can you use mana? Who taught you?"

    .

 93 Tracks

    .

    Kazuya stared at the plane in the sky above the tennis courts. He felt a little conflicted because that was the plane that Kou rode heading towards the south. He was supposed to have been the one stopping his grandfather from leaving their place again yet due to their conversation yesterday, he was the one who eventually let him leave temporarily.

    The moment his grandfather needed time before he could open the new lock on his research building, Kazuya knew that he couldn''t be his predecessor. What he needed to know instead was where his grandfather learned to open such locks as well as his capabilities and knowledge about mana.

    It was possible that he could have learned it from current studies but the problem was, there were no such studies in their world today. If there were, there would have been a common term but all of it was known as urban legends or supernatural. It was at least, on the surface of their current understanding of the world.

    Both of them knew where their respective knowledge came from. Kou would have accepted it if his grandson knew internal energy but after he came across the invisible lock on the door of Kazuya''s research facility, he already knew that his grandson was capable and knowledgeable about mana.

    Kou wasn''t a humble person especially after a friend he met on one of his travels turned out to be quite knowledgeable in the mystic arts of mana. This was the person that was mainly responsible in teaching him a little about mana which supported him in his self-proclaimed occupation as an explorer. He was taught simple skills and knowledge that allowed his life to be saved numerous times.

    "How can you use mana to such an extent? Who taught you?" were the questions that left Kou''s mouth. He knew this grandson of his was wondering the same thing but didn''t want to be the one to approach first. They knew that the person who gave in and asked first would be at a disadvantage.

    "I would ask you the same question. How can you open the lock I set up? Grandpa Jirou calls it internal energy but why do you refer to it like mana like I do?" Kazuya replied to the questions with his own. The two of them stared for a while without any intention of budging.

    "*sigh...* fine you win! An old friend of ours that I met again in my travels told me I had a knack for it. Like Jirou, I used to refer to it as internal energy which is not a wrong term considering that our friend told Jirou that he was talented in it the most while I was more of like a jack of all trades kind of talent" Kou gave in, he found this grandson of his to have a similar temperament so he knew that with it and his current age, they wouldn''t be able to go anywhere if he didn''t give in and compromise.

    "Friend?" Kazuya''s full attention was immediately gained. This friend of his grandfather''s was not only able to teach him mana but discern what type he was so there was a lot of potential that this could be the person he had been searching for. "Where is he now?"

    "That''s right, a friend that I once brought into town. It''s weird, he said that Jirou''s and Komori''s granddaughters had excellent affinity towards mana so I hoped that you would have it too. Your mother was already capable of internal energy before you were born but he judged that you have very low chances of being able to freely use mana" Kazuya was startled. This fact was indeed true. The only reason his affinity was as it was now was because of his previous experience in his first life.

    Kazuya used the knowledge and experience he possessed to make his own body be able to handle and control mana. He used the same process in which his body was blessed with an enormous amount of mana during his summoning thanks to the book that was given to him. This was why his growth was very slow compared to Kyouko and Tomoyo who seemed to grasp everything he had to teach them faster while him and Mei had a slower rate of growth because they had to clear the prerequisites first.

    This was knowledge that only a person who really understood and had experienced achievements in mana could deduce. The possibilities of his grandfather''s friend being his predecessor was extremely high that Kazuya''s poker face gave a trace of excitement. Was he really going to meet with his predecessor?

    "I want to meet him" Kazuya turned serious which caught his grandfather off guard.

    "Meet him?" his face showed a complicated expression. This was the first request his grandson made to him after all. "Meeting Tsuna is a bit¡­ hard"

    "Why?" he didn''t know what the problem was but he had too meet this person no matter what.

    "The only way I got him to come here all those years ago in the first place was because I told him that I wanted him to make him your godfather as well as let him meet Jirou and the others who knew how to use internal energy" Kou explained. "That guy''s like a hermit and prefers to live in the mountains because he says that it''s the place where mana is the densest here"

    "Mountains?" Kazuya didn''t argue with it since it was true that mountains really were good places that provided denser mana. "Then can you at least call so I can speak with him?" Kazuya tried to compromise since he believed that he could convince his predecessor to come.

    "That''s¡­ going to be a little hard since he doesn''t have a phone" Kou scratched his head. "Tsuna built a house in a place that couldn''t be reached by any utility service so one would need to go there to be able to meet up with him" he explained."I met him while I was exploring the grandest mountain in our country. I fell and landed in his house and he took care of me and told me I wouldn''t have survived if I wasn''t capable of enhancing my body''s toughness with mana" Kou told the story of how he and this friend of his met.

    He was called Nagato Tsuna, a guy who has lived in the mountains alone in order to strengthen himself because he claimed to have been a lot stronger at his peak. Jirou of course believed his new friend''s words since he was healed quicker with the help of this person''s mysterious arts. Tsuna had missed the company of others and he got along with Kou''s weird personality so he taught him a thing or two after he learned that this friend of his was an explorer.

    "I will give you a letter. If he reads it and still doesn''t want to come here¡­ then that would mean that he is not the person I''m looking for" Kazuya then began to give Jirou the same explanation that he told both his mom and Mei when they asked about where he learned about mana.

    Kou was of course flabbergasted because he knew the internet had been a resource for information but never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that something like the knowledge of mana could be found on there. He thought that there really was no limits when it came to the internet since it had grown even more unbelievable compared to his time.

    "But what does that have to do with Tsuna?" he couldn''t help but ask.

    "Of course I want to meet him and know all I can know more about mana" Kazuya tried to confirm if Akane and Yui were still watching by sensing where they were. Since the commotion already died down, the two continued doing house chores so Kazuya raised a palm pushed it towards his grandfather causing a gust of hot air to dry him off.

    "What in the¡­" Kou forgot that he was drenched in the heat of the moment. He was amazed at the capabilities of his grandson and it greatly reminded him of his friend who also had similar capabilities.

    "So will you do it or not?" he asked again.

    "I don''t have a problem doing it but¡­ didn''t you say I couldn''t leave town or It would be considered leaving the family?" Kou sighed. "I initially wanted to visit Tsuna to invite him in exploring the new ruin I stumbled into but you already know my decision" Kou gave a wry smile. He wasn''t really good at sentimental talks so he avoided his grandson''s gaze.

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    "As long as it''s travel related to our family with both mom and my knowledge then I don''t intend to stop you" Kazuya said as if it was a matter of fact. "You can head out as soon as tomorrow so I will write the letter now" Kazuya turned around without hesitation and returned to his research facility.

    Kou wondered what his grandson was in a hurry for but he couldn''t come up with anything aside from a child''s curiosity about something unknown. It was a similar feeling for him and exploring new places so he felt that he had more in common with his grandson than he originally thought.

    Kyouko of course had no problems because she had met Tsuna before and she knew that he would be a big help to Kazuya. His father would at most disappear for a few days as they discussed his departure and his return. Even though Kazuya was allowing him to leave town, that didn''t mean that he could do as he liked. Kou felt a little sad that they didn''t trust him but he understood it after he had some time to think.

    Kazuya wondered if the letter he had written would be enough to summon his predecessor to meet him. He was a little distracted as the plane flew over the courts where they had decided to take their lunch today. Takaya of course, went to school today since it was already close to the exams so he needed to brush up on his studies.

    "What''s up with you? Did you finally realize your mistake?" Takaya grinned at him.

    "Mistake?" Kazuya took his sight off the clouds and gave his friend a confused look.

    "Don''t tell me you haven''t read the script yet?" Takaya couldn''t help but sigh since he hadn''t expected this. He almost gave away an important secret so he tried to change the topic. "I know you''re smart and all but don''t you think you''re being too carefree about all of this? Even though this is to repay a favor, this is my family''s name on the line here"

    "Didn''t you say that everything will start on summer vacation?"

    "Yeah¡­ but you still need to show up so that mom or dad can see the way you portray this character and help you improve it"

    "You are aware that the exams are in a few days right?" Kazuya reminded. He didn''t even need to study but he wanted to make a point that there were much more pressing matters that he needed to deal with at the moment.

    "Ugh¡­" seeing his feint was successful because this friend of his was totally out of it, Takaya didn''t inquire any further. This time he decided that he would wait a while before asking about it since it didn''t look like Kazuya would study the script he was given any time soon.

    The girl who was watching from afar also thought that Kazuya had been acting odd. She was aware that his grandfather had returned but she got word that he also left today when she inquired if there were any changes about him. She thought that he had grown close to this mysterious grandfather of his so she made a mental note of this for future use.

    It was relatively a normal day and everything seemed to have gone back to the peaceful days as Kurumi and Maron quieted down. Suzaku and Ringo also stopped going to school that often but Kazuya knew that this was like a calm before the storm. He already confirmed with Kyouko that Kurogane Shishio was indeed already in town and had been trying to spread his influence ever since his return with little to no resistance from his rivals.

    Kazuya received a call as he and Tomoyo were leaving their classroom after they had been dismissed.

    "Hello Grandpa Jirou? What''s the matter?"

    "I heard you sent your grandfather on an errand to meet your godfather?" Kazuya sensed a hint of urgency in his voice.

    "Yes, I believe it would take him a few days so I hope you don''t mind" he tried to listen to the background noise coming from the other end of the line. Tomoyo on the other hand, kept quiet as she heard that it was her grandfather on the other line. He didn''t send her a message before trying to call this time so even she could tell that it had to be an important call.

    "Well¡­ I hope you don''t get too worried but¡­ I called to inform you that the other party has lost their patience" it sounded like Jirou was riding in a vehicle that was in a hurry. "People claiming to be building inspectors brought along a few thugs demanding that they be granted access to every room and inspect everything" Jirou explained the situation.

    "Where are you? Where is the na?ve girl''s grandfather?" Kazuya didn''t waste time and immediately tried to confirm Jirou''s location. Even if those people trying to barge their way in were truly officials, Jirou or Komori would be able to stop them just by showing up.

    "The old bat is on his way from the security office" he informed. "I was on my way to pick you two up but I got off and took a cab to the headquarters now" Jirou sensed the boy''s anxiety and thought that something was up.

    "I''ll be heading there as well" Kazuya said as he hurried his steps.

    "Are you serious? They might figure out the involvement of the Kouzuki corporation in all of this" Jirou reminded. "Why are you so anxious?" Jirou knew Kazuya well so there must be something that he didn''t know about.

    "Big sis is in Kazuno tech building right now!"

    .

 94 Anxiety

    .

    Kazuya knew that Mei was more than capable of defending herself if the time came but he was still worried. He had no idea of the current situation on their headquarters nor does he know how much people were actually threatening to barge their way through.

    It still has not been confirmed if it was real government official so the security team couldn''t kick them out as usual. So Jirou ordered them to stall for time as he was already on his way. The mere fact that someone who was supposed to be an official brought thugs along in itself leaves a lot of room for suspicion.

    "Calm down kid" Jirou could feel Kazuya''s anxiety. This was the moment that he realized how much place Kazuno Mei had in this boy''s heart. "You have to trust in the system and people you have under you"

    "(Trust?)" Kazuya almost scoffed at this comment. Sure he trusted Jirou a fair bit but what he didn''t trust was how far humans would go because of their greed. He was a direct victim of this and he felt that he could never overestimate it which is why he was worried for Mei. "Go and keep her safe grandpa Jirou, I''ll do what I can from my end" Kazuya ended the call before Jirou could say anything.

    Tomoyo looked at him with concern because it was rare for Kazuya to show much reactions to anything. She quickly followed him as they exited the elementary school department only to meet a crowd of students who seemed to have been waiting around the gates.

    "What''s the matter?" Kazuya spotted Takaya in the crowd who just finished talking on his phone.

    "An accident occurred down the path so all vehicles are currently stuck below the road leading up to the school" He explained.

    Sacred Forest Academy was known for their security and much of it had to do with the location on where it was built at. It stood like a fortress on the side of the mountain which had the city below it. One downside of this however was that there was a single path for vehicles leading towards the school.

    "Accident? The road is pretty wide so why don''t they just control the other vehicles to go through?"

    "That''s the problem. A big delivery truck apparently fell on its side because of the steep road" Takaya explained.

    "Enough of this" Kazuya wasn''t in the mood nor had the time to hear the explanation so he turned to head for another way out of the school.

    There might have been only one way that led exclusively to pick students up but there were various ways for the students to get to the school. there were paths to walk up to the school as well as a dedicated road for bicycles.

    *tug tug* Tomoyo looked at him with a gaze that was wondering what he was going to do.

    "Stay here and wait for the instructors to pick you up" Kazuya said as he walked towards one of the other exits.

    *shake shake* Tomoyo stepped in front of him and tried to block his way.

    "I have to go. something doesn''t feel right" he reasoned. "You need to stay here and wait for the instructors"

    *shake shake* Tomoyo refused to budge.

    "Be a good girl and stay here okay?" he placed a hand on each of Tomoyo''s arms and put them down. "You won''t be able to keep up with me even if I let you come" he smiled at her to alleviate her worry. "You don''t need to worry about that incident in the past to happen again because you know how strong I am right?"

    Tomoyo slowly yet hesitantly stepped aside. Kazuya patted her head and gave her another smile before giving her his bag to keep safe before speeding off down the path for bicycles. There were much less people to notice him there and it was the quickest way from their school after all.

    "He''s heading down the bicycle path" a student who watched from the crowd of people waiting at the gates reported. "He''s alone and left the Shiroyuki girl here at school"

    "Excellent" Kuuga who was on the other line said before cutting the call off and dialing another number. "I expected the two to walk down the path to meet the vehicles picking them up like the others but this is so much better" he laughed and waited for the call to connect. "The target is moving down the bicycle path on foot. Make sure that you make the necessary arrangements"

    Kazuya thought nothing about the accident that occurred because that problem was resolved when he attended the Academy in his previous life. Other pathways were created for vehicles to pass through and he believed that this was the incident that made them consider it.

    He didn''t pay attention to it much because he never had the privilege of getting picked up from school by car in his first life to begin with. There had been only minor changes in anything that he hadn''t directly involved himself with so he assumed that time was still flowing as it did in the past with his presence having very little to do with everything.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya found the other bicycles going down going in one direction because of a roadblock. That was the quickest way back into the city so he frowned as he ran down the path.

    "(Did the fallen truck cause a bigger accident than I imagined?)" he thought as he turned to take another path as soon as he reached the bottom.

    "Huh?" he felt weird. It wasn''t strange that he felt all kinds of stares as he was running down the bicycle path because what he was doing was indeed eye catching. A person running down at full speed in such a steep pavement garnered not only the riders going down the same path but also those who were trying to walk down on the path that was not too far away from it.

    He was already out of the school and entered the outskirts of the city. There were various roadblocks that prevented him from making his way to the main part of the city and caused him to go through various detours which was very strange.

    "(I should have already passed the site of the accident already)" he thought as he continued to run without stopping. He knew these roads well because this was heading towards the school he applied for after deciding to leave Sacred Forest Academy in his previous life.

    "!!?" Kazuya suddenly stopped and was surprised at the sight at the end of the road he was currently on. He felt that he had been too careless as he hadn''t realized the obvious signs because of his anxiousness.

    "Well, well, what brings a rich kid from Sacred Forest into our territory?" a studend who was from the nearby academy spoke arrogantly while holding a baseball bat.

    "¡­" Kazuya didn''t mind what he said much and started counting the number of people in the vicinity. He was immediately shocked after finding himself surrounded by these people. He clicked his tongue because he felt incredibly stupid to have fallen for such an obvious trap.

    This was of course close to the Akaryuu School which was a school for both middle school and High School students. It wasn''t the worst school in town when it came to academics but it was a very rowdy school. they were known to have a rivalry against Sacred Forest Academy and would mostly be made up of those who failed to enter it so the students were as one could imagine, hostile or competitive towards it''s students.

    "Too scared to even piss your pants kid?" he grinned and approached with a bunch of other students who were holding similar weapons.

    The one leading them appeared to be wearing a high school uniform. He arrogantly looked at the shorter kid and thought how frail he looked compared to the warnings he''s gotten from the person who hired them. They were told to be extremely careful with him because this boy was a fighter who was hailed as undefeated in official matches.

    "So this is what''s going on¡­" Kazuya mumbled to himself as if he realized something.

    A question that had been bothering him for over two years finally had a convincing answer. Kazuya always wondered how Lee had gotten a hold of enough people to mess with him. There was even the event in the first regional tournament that had been very strange from the very beginning. A mysterious third party that he thought had nothing to do with Lee turned out to be so simple.

    "(Mercenary types huh¡­)" it was mostly an uncommon term in this day and age but very common for someone who had stayed in Edea. Mercenaries, Assasins, or even Adventurers were the type of people who would do certain things for a suitable reward.

    The timing was too perfect to have been a coincidence. Muimina Ringo and Kurogane Suzaku had went off on their own and found the person who has worked with Lee in the past from the looks of it. What made Kazuya more convinced of this theory were the messages that the people who attacked him in the regional tournament sent him.

    They were offered another job from another mysterious number. It was apparently from the same person who hired them to do the job they cleared two years ago. They had been in contact with Kazuya and had done his bidding for years in exchange for jobs in Kazuno Securities after they graduate so it was a no brainer for them to choose his side.

    It was only because of Lee''s independent actions that Kazuya didn''t find any leads of this third party but it looks like his current enemies have. They even provided him with a conclusion that has been bugging him for a while. Though he was happy and curious as to this person''s identity, he didn''t have the time to pursue it at the moment.

    "What the hell are you mumbling around for?" He swung the bat at the concrete wall. "Try to say it in our faces if you''re a man!" he arrogantly declared as his companions laughed out loud.

    Kazuya already know about the other people who were gathering behind the path he took to get here and frowned. He had been too worked up and would have put himself in real danger if the actual people trying to trap him posed any threat.

    "I''m in a hurry so I''ll only say a few things" Kazuya made his voice loud enough to be heard by most of the people trying to surround him. "Tell the person who sent you all here that I will be coming after him soon enough"

    "What a dumb kid. Can''t you see that you''re su¡ª" a blur smashed his head right at the spot he swung the bat. The thugs were dumbfounded since they didn''t see anything aside from a blur.

    "All those who don''t want to end up in the same state as this guy take a step back" Kazuya put a foot on top of the body of the unconscious thug whose head had left a bloody mark on the wall.

    This intimidated a bunch of them and angered some as the friends of the unconscious guy started charging at Kazuya who wore a displeased expression. He was annoyed and wasn''t going to show these guys any mercy. They dared to block his path and they will be sure to remember what the consequences of this were.

    "M-monster!" a guy from the back who watched as his companions were getting beaten by the same bat the first victim tried to intimidate Kazuya with. He rushed to run back to the school and call for reinforcements because it wouldn''t take long for Kazuya to break through at this pace,

    "What an annoying bunch" Kazuya couldn''t help but click his tongue. He tried to control his strength as much as he could. He would end up really killing them if he didn''t do so and it was very challenging to do so considering his current need to hurry along.

    This amount of people being sent to the hospital would attract much attention so he was glad that they chose to trap him in a place where there were no surveillance cameras. The person behind them seemed to have been very wise but what he didn''t expect was that he was still gravely underestimating Kazuya but who could blame him? Who would expect that these thugs didn''t even make him bat an eye?

    *SLAM* Kazuya struck the bat hard on the wall and caused cracks to form on it.

    "Last warning" he threw the metal bat that had bent on the floor and picked up a wooden sword by his foot. "I told you guys I''m in a hurry and I don''t plan on holding back anymore" he was truly annoyed. These guys were really persistent and those who he had failed to knock out stood up and were still trying to hold him down.

    They already knew that Kazuya had some skills so they were trying to pin him down with their bodies and numbers. Much to their disappointment, this only proved to infuriate him more as Kazuya no longer felt like holding back and would treat them like all the other mercenaries or assassins he''s faced.

    Killing intent caused those who weren''t intimidated by his show of strength to hesitate in their tracks. It was only now that they saw how many of their fallen and unconscious companions were scattered around on the concrete. They realized what a real monster they were facing.

    "What the hell is going on here!?" an angry voice came from the direction where the guy earlier escaped to. He led a person towards the place where Kazuya was cornered and followed closely behind looking extremely nervous.

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    The person who he led looked at the number of people scattered around and the amount of blood that had been spilled.

    ""Big sis!"" The people who were frozen by Kazuya''s threat finally saw hope. The angry person who just arrived was immediately surrounded by the survivors who were trying to hang on to their consciousness.

    "Looks like the big fish has finally arrived"

    .

 95 Situation

    .

    Akaryuu School was the local rival of its neighbor school; Sacred Forest Academy. Like their current geographical location, they were once the most prestigious school locally until a foreign competitor suddenly appeared out of nowhere and positioned themselves on the mountainside and soon turned into what it is today.

    "Big sis!" a boy barged into the middle school department''s Kendo dojo. It was as if he was running non stop and was totally out of breath. This startled the members of the dojo as they all turned to one person. A person who initially ignored the call but frowned after gaining all of the weird gazes.

    "How many times have I told you guys to stop calling me that?" she approached the boy and resisted the urge to smack his head.

    "S-sorry Akabane-san. W-we need your help!" he knelt on the ground and did a complete dogeza with his forehead flat on the ground.

    This surprised all those who were present including Akabane Nanami who still had no idea what was going on.

    "I''ll at least hear you out" She walked out of the Kendo Hall with the boy in tow. The atmosphere returned back to normal as no one decided to speak out because although some of them knew what kind of person Akabane Nanami used to be, she had tried hard to change and had proven to be a responsible person now.

    "Speak" Nanami crossed her arms and glared at the boy. She didn''t want to be involved with them much but they followed her all the way to this school. They knew that she had changed her priorities but that didn''t stop her from treating them kindly and even helped them slowly change their ways.

    "T-the guys are under attack and are currently being beat up by a person from Saint Forest Academy. I r-ran to get help because he was beating up everyone and it didn''t look like we could have handled him" he told her about how the others have been beaten to a bloody pulp.

    "Sacred Forest Academy¡­" Nanami''s eyes narrowed. She of course felt the same rivalry against the school because of a certain student who had gone unchallenged as soon as she moved up to the middle school level along with her.

    "Big sis you gotta help us!" he begged. "I know that you''ve already avoided causing trouble like you did in the past but I don''t know who else can help" he was going to kneel in front of her again but she stopped him.

    "Take me there" she went along with him and hurried to the scene.

    She thought that she would at least be able to stop them from causing trouble. It didn''t seem like they fought against too many people anyway so she came along to mediate against the two parties. The guys were her old companions and even though she went out of her way and changed herself, these rough bunch tried to avoid causing her too much trouble and sometimes even acted that they didn''t know each other so that she could save some face.

    "This¡­" she saw the fallen and unconscious people scattered on the street and was startled.

    ""B-big sis!!"" they immediately stopped as soon as they noticed her and glared at the boy who was standing behind her. Nanami was someone who was supposed to have left their world so she had no business being here. She was now the ace of the Kendo club and a public figure in their school.

    "Looks like the big fish has arrived" Kazuya''s voice came from behind the thugs surrounding Nanami after he felt the pressure emanating from Nanami. He thought the one pulling the strings from behind finally showed themselves so he elected to at least stay until he confirmed her identity.

    "MOVE!" Nanami''s voice made them scatter to the side as she picked up a bat and placed it on her shoulder.

    ""Huh?"" Kazuya and Nanami both froze as soon as they saw each other.

    *CLANG CLANG* the metallic bat fell from her hands as she saw the last person she expected to see.

    "Aren''t you the pretty girl?" Kazuya looked puzzled because he didn''t expect this girl to show up here. Even more so, being respected by these bunch of thugs.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya¡­" her body trembled. Her mind was filled with different kinds of thoughts. "(D-did he just see me glare at him!? What do I do¡­ All the work I''ve done might have all gone to waste)"

    "You dare hit on our big sis!?" As if invigorated once more, the thugs glared at Kazuya who in their eyes was trying to flirt with Nanami.

    ""Shut your mouth"" Both of them said in unison and directed hostility to the guy who interrupted. The thug immediately stepped back nervously as he didn''t expect Nanami to scold him as well.

    "I don''t think you''re the type of person to send these guys to attack me so what are you doing here¡­" he thought for a moment and tried to remember her name. "Akabane Nanami-san?"

    "(He remembers me!)" Nanami tried hard to keep her composure but she blushed a bit after hearing her name despite not noticing that he had forgotten it. "I w-was asked to h-help because someone said that someone from your school was a-attacking"

    The thugs were flabbergasted. The big sis they knew was acting so¡­ girly. The big sis that would beat all of them up finally looked like the girl she was trying to portray and it actually seemed genuine! They all turned to Kazuya and felt defeated. They heard rumors that Nanami''s change was because of a guy and laughed at the thought until they saw it with their own eyes today.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya frowned. "So it turns out those who blocked my path and ignored all my warnings actually had the gall to seek help while trying to paint me as a villain" Kazuya glared at the boy who returned with Nanami as well. He didn''t waste time and took advantage of the unhindered path to appear in front of the boy and lifted him up with one hand.

    "!!" Nanami snapped out of her daze and turned to her side to find Kazuya who made it there almost instantly. She might have been in a different mental state but she had doubts that it would have made much of a difference even if she were alert.

    "Should I play the part of the villain your trying to make me into and rip that venomous tongue of yours?" Kazuya didn''t wait for an answer and punched the face of the boy hard. Teeth fell from his mouth as he got knocked a few meters back from the impact.

    Kazuya used the wooden sword in his hand and blocked the blood splattering towards Nanami with a strike.

    "K-kazuy¡­" she stopped and corrected herself. "Kouzuki-san" she called out to him after appreciating what he had done despite feeling a little conflicted upon seeing the person who brought her here being punished harshly for what he did.

    "You can call me Kazuya if you want" He turned to Nanami. "Give me your number" he wiped his fist with a handkerchief and discarded it as soon as his hand was clean.

    "Its¡­" Nanami didn''t hesitate and gave it to him.

    "I''m really in a hurry so ask these guys why they tried to block me" Kazuya saved her number and put his cell phone back inside his pocket. "I''ll call and explain everything to you after I''ve settled my business. I''ll ask whatever these guys told you so please make sure that these guys deliver the message to the person pulling the strings"

    "L-leave it to me" Nanami gave him a determined look which concerned him a little.

    "Don''t do anything more than that" he appreciated her concern and gave her head a pat that almost made her knees give away. "I''ll take care of the one responsible for this since this is not the first time they tried to mess with me. Okay?"

    "O-okay¡­" Nanami really did remind him of the loyal and protective beastkin so he had no problems with instinctively counting on this girl. He wasn''t really able to explain it but he only felt that way.

    "Thank you" Kazuya retracted his hand and ran took another look at the petrified delinquents before sprinting away at full speed.

    He had fought hard against a large number of people yet he was still able to run like that. They felt a little relieved that they were stopped by Nanami or they really might have ended up like the others who have been laying on the floor. From the looks of things, most of them would end up hospitalized for a long time.

    "Big sis¡­" they tried to call out to Nanami who was still looking at the direction Kazuya had disappeared to. The moment she snapped out of her daze, the delinquents felt it as the atmosphere because difficult to breathe around.

    "Anyone who dares lie to me will end up worse than the guy Kazuya-kun hit" she picked up the bat she dropped and used it to crush one of the fallen teeth on the ground.

    Nanami was pissed and they knew it. Not only did they attack the boy she had her eye on, they even made her look bad in front of him after she was led here because of a lie. She felt insulted that someone actually tried to paint someone else the villain in the attempt to make her act.

    This was the first time she truly felt ashamed to have considered herself one of them. It was true that she and them tried to distance themselves from each other but she never expected them to change so much to have taken such shady jobs for easy money.

    "Do you guys understand what kind of ends these kinds of jobs have to offer?" She had been in the same position as them before and she admitted that it was quite the generous and tempting offer. "I already told you guys to come to my family''s shop if you ever need to do work for cash" she looked at them sternly.

    "Deliver the message Kazuya-kun asked you to deliver but add something else to the message" They all felt the same presence they all used to feel whenever Nanami got into a fight. "I''ll be going after them as well"

    -

    Kazuya made it to the one of the main roads after getting away from the bunch who blocked his path. He took a cab and got dropped off in the vicinity of Kazuno Tech''s headquarters. He still wasn''t able to get through Mei''s cell phone because she had been too busy making calls in her office to confirm the identities and claims of the people trying to barge into their office.

    It looked like the operation against their company was serious this time as there were thugs facing off with the security at the entrances and there were also thugs stationed around the blocks to prevent as many witnesses as possible.

    Jirou and Komori had yet to arrive because they were affected by the traffic caused by these blocks. Kazuya only realized this after he decided to try and sneak in from one of the back entrances where he observed the number of people trying to make people take alternative routes.

    Kazuya sent messages to Jirou only to find out that it would still take some time before he arrived on foot. Komori wasn''t better off either since it looked like the people against them took measures against the two old men as well.

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    At the entrance, the person showing off the permit to search the premises and take whatever they deem needed to be examined faced off with Matsuri. Things were getting tense as Matsuri together with the security personnel refused to give them way.

    "So everyone here is willing to be charged with obstructing an official from performing their duties huh" the woman tried to intimidate the security personnel standing firmly behind Matsuri. They may have more people but it was no secret that the security personnel were trained by the combined efforts of Shiroyuki Jirou and Kuronuma Komori. They didn''t have absolute confidence in an all out confrontation with them so they tried to talk their way in.

    "If not for the interference a certain someone put around the vicinity preventing any calls or signals from going out of the area then we would have already confirmed the authenticity of your so-called official document" Matsuri retorted.

    "The circumstances of your shitty company''s equipment are none of my concern" she grinned. "Who knows? You people must be stalling while any illegal items are being disposed of"

    "Is that so?" Matsuri rolled her eyes. "That''s quite funny since a certain fruity corporation has been eying our shitty technology for a while just so they can try and boost their inferiority against other companies who actually build more useful devices"

    Both of them were on a standoff as if waiting for something. Matsuri had been awaiting the efforts of the teams inside to get in contact with the outside after all connections have suddenly been disconnected. Thankfully, they were able to report to Jirou before everything got cut off so once he got there, it would be a load off their shoulders.

    A dark van suddenly came screeching as it stopped in front of Kazuno Tech''s building. This made the woman standing in front of Matsuri excited as she grinned at the proud woman in front of her. The doors slid open and some men came out and dragged a girl wearing a school uniform out.

    "Let me go! Who the hell are you people!?" Matsuri immediately shuddered after seeing the girl that just stepped out of the van.

    "Mom!" Sawada Mahiru tried to run towards Matsuri but was held back by the men who brought her here.

    "Mahiru!" She looked worriedly at her daughter before turning to give a piercing glare to the arrogant woman who couldn''t be an official.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" she laughed. "You could have avoided all of this trouble and reported it as a robbery afterwards you know"

    .

 96 Innocent Bystander

    .

    "Mom!" Mahiru shouted to her mom that was being blocked by the woman that was pretending to be an official.

    "Are you willing to be more cooperative now?" the woman arrogantly looked at Matsuri whose face was failing to remain calm.

    "Unfortunately for you, the leadership structure for this company has long been decided" Matsuri sighed. She looked at Ousame and Mame who were standing behind her who returned her look apologetically.

    Although it was true, Matsuri also said it because she didn''t want to issue a command that would directly betray Mei and Kazuya who had not only given her a second chance, but also provided everything she and her daughter were now privileged with. They had given her so much trust and she felt that she wouldn''t be able to live with herself if she did something to betray it.

    "Are you sure?" the woman gave one of the men holding Mahiru''s arms a look.

    "AHH!" Mahiru''s face was painted with pain after her arm was twisted.

    "Nothing will change even if you held me hostage with her instead" Matsuri stepped in and stood before the woman and the thugs she brought with her. "Give it a try if you''d like. I am a mere secretary that has no real power here"

    The woman was stunned. Matsuri willingly gave herself up in their custody and the security team who stood behind her as if protecting her didn''t do a thing. This was a testament to Matsuri''s words that they indeed would not comply with her orders.

    This made things more complicated as a physical confrontation was looking to be more likely to happen if they wanted to barge into the building. The woman and her team couldn''t afford a standoff because as the attacking party, their lime was limited to how long they could stop the ones that were capable of sending them away.

    Mei watched from the inside of the building looking worried at the scene. She hadn''t expected that the day she made use of her office would be the day that such an attack was to happen. Matsuri''s decision to hand herself over worried her but it also made her realize how wise and dedicated her former upperclassman was.

    Not only was she able to stop them from hurting her daughter, Matsuri was even able to stall for more time while making them realize that the cards on their hands were severely lacking.

    "Boss! We have a situation" one of the thugs came running from outside the facility. "Some of the guys have run into trouble and are laying unconscious on the streets they were assigned to block" he was startled and whispered loud enough for Matsuri, who was standing near overheard.

    "What!? Who did it!?" she signaled the men to prevent Matsuri from returning to inform the security group who had no idea what was going on.

    "We don''t know. We only found a kid who said that they were attacked by a group of men riding motorcycles who didn''t want to take a detour" he explained.

    "A kid?" her eyebrows twitched. There weren''t supposed to be any witnesses and she assumed that the kid got through because of the incident. A sudden idea popped into her head when she glanced at Matsuri who wore a gloomy expression after hearing that it wasn''t the people she was expecting.

    "What do we do? Should we place more people to continue redirecting the people?" he asked.

    "Take a few men and prevent them from coming close to the area" a mischievous grin appeared on her face."Bring the kid here"

    "Right away!" he rushed out and took some of the men who were acting as lookouts by the entrance.

    "I applaud your dedication to the job and even admire your loyalty. To even let yourself and your daughter get hurt for the sake of protecting your precious company secrets" the woman sarcastically said.

    The man who reported soon came back accompanying a boy who was wearing a uniform that was similar to Matsuri''s daughter.

    "Why did you bring me here mister?" the boy innocently asked.

    "There has been reports of an incident here so you have to stay in this area to be safe" the man lied and brought Kazuya into Kazuno Tech''s premises where he was able to see the situation up close.

    "K-kazuya-kun!?" Mahiru was the first to react.

    Everyone from Kazuno Tech''s side heard her and laid their eyes on the boy who seemed to have been tricked into coming along. Matsuri couldn''t help but shudder at Kazuya''s arrival while the security personnel who recognized him tried to hold back their desire to grin. They had no idea who they just brought into this whole mess.

    "Looks like your daughter recognizes this kid" the grin on the woman''s face grew wider. "You may be willing to see your daughter get hurt but what about her friend? Are all the people here willing to see a young kid get punished for your company''s stubbornness?" she laughed. "I can see the headlines now, [Company Sacrifices a Child to Protect Secrets] all over the news!" she laughed out loud.

    "Hey did you guys lie to me?" Kazuya innocently asked the man who led him here.

    "I did? What of it?" the man scoffed at him. "If you want to blame anyone, blame these guys for being stubborn"

    Mei who was observing from the building didn''t fail to notice Kazuya''s arrival. She looked worriedly at the scene and was about to step out when a sound from her pocket followed by a chain of melodies and vibrations.

    "[Don''t worry about me big sis]" was the message she received in her phone. There were also instructions that said to activate the mechanism to block the building''s view from the inside.

    Mei went to her desk and activated the mechanism which tinted the windows to prevent everyone from seeing what was happening on the outside. This was a mechanism that they installed to prevent others from seeing inside. She couldn''t help but worry a little but she was sure that Kazuya could handle himself and asked to do so because he didn''t want his identity exposed just yet.

    From the outside, the changes in Kazuno Tech''s building was eye catching as the windows darkened. Kazuya took the opportunity to take out his phone casually and began to type an additional message to send to Mei.

    "What do you think you''re doing!?" the man who led Kazuya grabbed the phone in the boy''s hand. "Huh?"

    "What is it?" the woman who noticed her subordinate''s outburst turned her attention towards them. She thought that Kazuya Tech''s employees were being black hearted for refusing to see what they would do to their new hostage. "The kid wouldn''t be able to send out messages anyway. What did he try to say?"

    "Looks like he was sending a message to his sister boss. It said; [It will all be over soon, Granpa''s students will attack as soon as they see blood]?" he read the message out loud. "What? There are other students here aside from you?" the man hurriedly asked Kazuya.

    "You better answer so that we don''t be too hard on you little boy" the woman approached bringing Mahiru who she grabbed from behind in front of him. "You don''t want to see this friend of yours hurt because of you right?" she threatened.

    "Leave him out of this you goons!" Mahiru shouted. She was about to get hit by the woman but Kazuya slowly raised his arm to catch their attention.

    "It''s quite simple" the arm quickly accelerated as Kazuya formed a fist before swiftly leaping into the air.

    The unprepared chin of the man who brought Kazuya along couldn''t escape from the sudden attack. Luckily for him, he lost his consciousness or he would have felt his jaw breaking and witnessed the shattered teeth fly off from his mouth as the force from Kazuya''s punch launched him to the air.

    Kazuya of course wasted no time and pushed the girl infront of him towards her mother before kicking the woman who was closest to him on the knee. Matsuri covered her daughter''s eyes immediately after seeing what the boy who looked frail and harmless did and took her daughter towards the building immediately.

    "What?!" She felt a force hit her which caused her to suddenly lose her balance. She then glanced at her knee only to see that her leg was bending in the direction where it wasn''t supposed to. "AHHH!" She was shocked and clutched it in pain only to find that she couldn''t move her foot.

    "Since you willingly walked into hell yourself then allow me to make your stay worthwhile" Kazuya stomped on both her elbows and invoked a bone shilling scream. "Now then¡­" he turned to Oosame and Mame who halted their steps after witnessing what he did. "What are you all waiting for?"

    It truly had been a while so they already forgot how fierce this hidden boss of theirs really was. Mame and Oosame were especially affected since both of them suffered in his hands before. The two quickly ordered everyone to attack without mercy and subdue all those who dared step foot into their headquarters.

    Kazuya wasn''t idle either. After making sure that the security personnel made their move, he turned around and led the attack. Unfortunately for the attackers, those who Kazuya touched would most likely need surgery or would end up crippled. They dared attack his castle when the queen was present so they needed a lesson that they wouldn''t forget.

    Unfortunately, the windows were not soundproof so the screams of the attackers reached the inside of the building. Mahiru shuddered after hearing the screams because she was also once on the receiving end of Kazuya''s merciless temper. She was quite happy to see him so close because ever since she moved up to middle school, she rarely caught a glimpse of him.

    She remembered the words that their coach once said to her that Kazuya was someone who wasn''t really adept in social interactions so his way of dealing with awkward situations is to remain cold and indifferent. This really wasn''t completely wrong but because Mahiru was not aware of the connection between Kazuya and this place, she misunderstood and thought that he was mad for her sake.

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    Soon, a pile of either unconscious or squirming people were all over the ground. The security personnel were very reliable in times like these but they still couldn''t compare to the amount of punishment Kazuya delivered to the ones he dealt with. Those who had not seen Kazuya throw a fit before were not aware what he was capable of and made sure to remember not to underestimate this frail looking boy.

    "Y-young master" Oosame and Mame cautiously approached Kazuya who stood in front of the woman who was leading the men.

    "Order a few men to keep watch at the gates" he turned to Mame. "There are still a few goons trying to redirect witnesses so make sure to chase them away"

    "Right away!" Mame''s eyes looked at Kazuya with admiration. He really looked up to him and was very thankful because if it wasn''t for this new boss of theirs, they would never have discovered or even started to learn using internal energy. They all agreed that this was better than their old way of life where they were disdained and feared by people.

    "I don''t need to ask you to know that the Muiminas or the Kuroganes sent you" Kazuya lifted the woman in the air and stared at her fear filled eyes. "Your fate was sealed the moment you stepped into this place on this day. You have two choices, descend into a deeper hell or tell me which group of thugs you work for"

    "N-no¡­ They will kill me" she didn''t deny that she was indeed send by those families but refused to divulge the specific group that sent her.

    "Is that so?" Kazuya expected as much. These were not like Oosame who was not part of a specific group officially. To these kinds of people, betrayal could lead to death. He really didn''t have anything against it but to him, death was but a quick release for those who betrayed him. "Then shall I show you that there are things much worse than death?" an evil grin crawled up Kazuya''s face as an ominous aura came from him.

    "I will never talk" she tried to wriggle away from his grasp but Kazuya threw her towards Oosame instead. "Take her to the security office. I''ll make this one know what it means to wish for death"

    "Y-yes young master" Kazuya recovered his phone from the ground and dialed a number.

    "Winter? Where are you? The headquarters is under attack! What do you need from this LEGEND?!" this was the head of their network security named Munie Ika otherwise known as Squid God.

    "The situation is being taken care of. I want you to track a few numbers that I''ll be sending you later. Contact me right away once you''ve got any leads" Kazuya immediately ended the call because Komori just arrived and looked at the result of what just happened.

    He moved quietly to head towards the security office and tried to avoid the old man. The old man should be able to handle things from here. What happened today was pretty much a lesson to them. The enemy was able to cut off all their communication from the outside splendidly which paralyzed their attempts in trying to verify various things such as the authenticity of the forged documents.

    Although there were a lot of smart people in the building, none of them were able to think of a way out of this stalemate which gave the enemy time to formulate other and more despicable means of getting what they wanted. Kazuya frowned as he needed to think of ways to resolve this problem.

    He entered the security department''s rest area where the woman was placed on a couch. Oosame who was accompanied by Mame greeted him and let the other people wait outside the door.

    "Now then¡­ Have you thought about changing your answer or are you going to let me train my craft in making people feel endless pain?"

    .

 97 Persuasion

    .

    A few hours already passed by since the attack on Kazuno Tech''s main headquarters ended. Komori had taken over the scene as soon as he arrived and not long after, Jirou arrived. Those who were able to recognize Kazuya were already aware that his presence wasn''t to be divulged to anyone. This included the people that were from Komori and the others which were briefed by Jirou before they were assigned to specific posts.

    The police officers who arrived at the scene were flabbergasted at the amount of injured people. They thought that even for self defense, the people who had shattered bones was a little too excessive. They didn''t dare to question Komori and Jirou who reported the incident because these men were known and respected by people leagues above them.

    It was only after they found out that Mahiru, the daughter of the company''s secretary was taken hostage did they not feel a bit of sympathy towards the thugs. There was an influx of ambulances and police cars in the vicinity because of this so it didn''t take long before the nearest hospitals were booked.

    Today was a busy day for the hospitals because not only where was there an influx of adults but also some students were also reported to have been involved in a incident of violence. There were no leads as the students couldn''t identify who the assailant was.

    This was of course through the efforts of Nanami who swore that she would take care of anyone who tried to point fingers at Kazuya. She also assigned those who weren''t injured much to find out as much as they could about the ones who tried to hire them.

    The police officers who took those who didn''t need to be hospitalized to the station felt a little pity for them because Komori was the one accompanying them to the station personally. They wouldn''t be shown any leniency because of this and if they didn''t cooperate, it would only get worse for them.

    Jirou was informed of what Kazuya had done by the people assigned by Ousame so he directed Komori to go with the officers. He had greater connections when it came to that department but he believed that the sly friend of his wouldn''t neglect to take advantage of that knowledge. What he was more interested in was what the boy was up to when he heard that he had holed himself in the security office along with the two heads of security he had recruited himself.

    What welcomed him as soon as he entered the security however were loud screams from the woman who led the assault. Her painful wails could be heard from the main office. Jirou tried to barge into the office but was stopped by those who were instructed that no one was allowed to disturb them no matter who it was.

    Jirou tried to shout at Kazuya from where he stood but he was totally ignored. It was only when he was about to barge in that Mame and Ousame exited the room with pale faces. They immediately threw up everything that was in their stomachs after the door closed from behind them.

    Those who saw the two couldn''t believe what they saw. The two were probably people who had seen the darkness people were capable of because of their previous experience. Seeing these two men puke their guts out made the people who saw them shudder at the thought of what they could have witnessed.

    "Don''t take it out on them grandpa Jirou, I was the one that instructed them not to let anyone through" Kazuya appeared at the door after the two had started to recover.

    "What did you do Kid?" Jirou stared at the boy who appeared like nothing was happening.

    "I got the information we needed. Please gather the men, they will be working overtime tonight" Kazuya gave a devilish grin with hint of killing intent was hidden behind it.

    Jirou shuddered and immediately moved into the room to see the woman who wasn''t handed over to the authorities. What he found was a woman sitting in the corner hugging her legs and mumbling to herself repeatedly.

    "I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again, I won''t do it again" she repeated endlessly like a broken record.

    Jirou turned to Kazuya. He was baffled because there weren''t any signs of the woman being hurt in any way. Seeing that the boy had no intention of telling him anything, he approached the woman and asked if she was okay.

    "It was my fault, I''m sorry! It was my fault, I''m sorry! It was my fault, I''m sorry! It was my fault, I''m sorry!" She crawled to hug the old man''s legs. "It was the Dokuro group that sent me! They were hired by the Ringo Corporation to steal all the projects they were working on!" she hysterically told Jirou without being asked.

    "So she said grandpa Jirou" Kazuya walked up to them. The woman instantly froze and hardly any sound could be heard from her. Jirou was even more baffled now because the Dokuro group was notorious for their heavy punishment against those who would try to betray them. Just how was Kazuya able to turn someone who was trusted enough to lead an attack of this scale against the people she worked for in such a short time?

    "sigh¡­ this makes things a little easier but¡­" Jirou''s brows furrowed. He crossed his arm and took another look at the woman who didn''t dare make a sound in the presence of Kazuya. "We''re only going to need a few men from the company"

    "Hmm? Is the Dokuro group not as big as I expected?"

    "They are a big group even if you consider how much of their thugs sent to the hospital or arrested today. What I meant is that your grandfather''s friends would be more than happy to help you with this" Jirou gave a dry laugh. "Some of them are very interested in meeting you so I''m sure that they won''t hesitate in lending a helping hand to deal with their rivals"

    "Me?" he was a little surprised. He never really thought about it but these men were probably the ones his grandfather took with him on his ridiculous exploration trip in his previous life.

    "Yes you" Jirou thought for a second before giving Kazuya a weird look. "Just remember, my granddaughter is already attached to you and you know how she is around strangers. Don''t let those shameless geezers push their granddaughters to you" he glanced at the silent woman who still hadn''t moved an inch before leaving the room to make a few calls.

    "(Huh? What was that all about?)" Kazuya didn''t understand what Jirou meant but he didn''t have time to deal with girls anyway. He already had his hands full trying to figure out how to deal with Mei and Kyouko when before puberty hits to be worrying about people who he hadn''t even met yet.

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    "¡­" the woman trembled when she felt Kazuya''s gaze fall upon her.

    "You know what to do right?"

    "Y-yes m-master" her lips trembled as she stuttered. She looked nervously at Kazuya whose eyes seemed to be like and endless void and fought hard not to fall back on the floor. Fear of him had been etched into her soul and she felt that dying was a better option than going against this person.

    "What''s your name?"

    "K-kiyota Anri¡­"

    "Well then, Kiyota Anri, I will let you witness first hand how those people you used to fear will regret the day they tried to mess with something that belongs to me" Kazuya smiled. "It may be a roundabout way of doing it but doing it myself in this current body of mine is inconvenient" Kazuya led the way and exited the room.

    As soon as the security personnel that guarded the door saw Anri, they couldn''t believe their eyes. They all turned to the two pale men who entered the room with them because they were sure that they carried someone who was more or less crippled.

    "What are you all looking at me like that for?" Kazuya laughed. Jirou was still making calls outside the building so he felt a little relieved. There was no masking these men''s surprise and the curious old man was sure to ask them when he wasn''t present.

    "Boss¡­ that woman¡­" one of them looked at Anri from head to toe.

    "I know what you want to ask, but don''t. All you need to do is come to me if you ever suffer such injuries. It has to be kept a secret from grandpa and the others though" he grinned at them. Kazuya figured that they wouldn''t be afraid of getting injured if they were to protect the company so he gave them a vague answer. "Only if you keep it a secret and it is caused by something you did for the job though"

    "Listen up you lot" Ousame mustered up his energy and let out a loud voice. "This lady has been recruited by us and will be handing affairs in our department as a temporary consultant" the news startled the employees because she was a despicable enemy a few hours ago. How can they trust her?

    "I know what you all are thinking but rest assured, she will answer to me if she does anything aside from her given responsibilities" Kazuya interjected. Anri trembled after hearing what Kazuya said. She didn''t even think about daring to take a left if Kazuya told her to go right after what she just went through.

    Ousame and Mame were present inside the room and knew what she went through. There was not a doubt in their minds that Anri would even kill herself if Kazuya ordered her to do so after what she just went through. They thought about putting themselves in her shoes and no longer felt any hostility towards her because what they went through compared to her was mere child''s play.

    "Kazu?" Mei peeked in and found Kazuya right away. She immediately pounced at him which startled Anri who wondered who this woman was who just dared to attack the demon in sheep''s clothing. "What''s taking you so long? You told me to wait but its already been hours!"

    "Sorry big sis but grandpa Jirou and I still have a few matters to attend to" Mei held him from behind like usual but what surprised everyone was how docile and childlike Kazuya appeared in front of the company''s CEO.

    "M-master, this is?" Anri tried to confirm. Mei finally noticed the girl who was standing meekly behind them and recognized her because of the clothes she had been wearing. Her former arrogant demeanor wasn''t present so Mei failed to notice her after she entered the department.

    "Master? Isn''t this the woman who led the guys who tried to steal our company''s research?" Mei shot Kazuya a questioning look.

    "This is Kiyota Anri, she will be your new assistant as well as a consultant for the security department. The Kouzuki Corporation is already a well-known company so these low lives wouldn''t dare mess with it. We currently lack someone who is very familiar with their methods. You can ask Matsuri-san to train her well and give her responsibilities" Kazuya explained.

    "Are you sure about this?" she trusted Kazuya but this woman just tried to attack their company after all. One wouldn''t usually give trust to someone who just betrayed the people she was working with so easily.

    "I apologize for not recognizing you mistress" Anri fidgeted and immediately got on the floor and did a dogeza. "Please give me a chance! I will definitely try my best to serve you!" she was nervous. She didn''t want to know what would happen if she lost her value. This was the queen Kazuya previously mentioned so she definitely had the power to make her new master discard her if she wanted.

    "Huh? Why is she calling us that way?" Mei looked puzzled.

    "She led a pitiful life big sis. I offered her a new life if she switched sides" Kazuya explained. "This is what granpa Jirou and I have to take care of after this" he didn''t hide what Jirou told him about taking care of the Dokuro group tonight.

    "Is that so?" Mei took another look at Anri who still had her forehead on the cold floor. "I don''t really mind since Matsuri-san has a lot on her plate so we can at least give it a try" she gave in and helped Anri back to her feet.

    "T-thank you! Thank you!" Kazuya was pleased with Anri''s reaction. If he was the darkness then Mei would be the light in this woman''s eyes. He would naturally not allow Anri to have much close interaction with Mei and she would be more like Matsuri''s assistant instead.

    "Kid" Jirou entered the building once again and saw Mei. "Sorry for being late and I''ll be borrowing this kid to make sure we don''t have to deal with those ruffians"

    "It won''t be dangerous right?" Mei asked with a look of worry. She was relieved that nothing happened to Kazuya this time but even though she knew what he was capable of, she still couldn''t help but worry.

    "Don''t worry" though Jirou felt something was off with how Mei treated Kazuya, he didn''t think much of it since she did refer to herelf as a sister after all. "I only need to bring this kid because the others are interested in meeting him. He''s going to be something like Old Kou''s stand-in"

    "O-okay" Mei nodded and looked at Kazuya once more. "Be respectful to those grandpas okay?"

    "I will" Kazuya nodded and tried to walk towards the exit but Mei held him still.

    "Don''t agree to anything those grandpas try to make you do okay? Especially if they try to make you meet their granddaughters or tell you that you might like them" she reminded.

    Jirou couldn''t help but smile after hearing what Mei said. He was just giving him the same reminder earlier. Women''s intuition truly is such a scary thing, he thought. He nodded at Mei and was glad that she was acting like a big sister figure for him.

    "You don''t need to worry about such things big sis" Kazuya gave her a smile. "You already know that I have a fianc¨¦ right?" he took the opportunity to free himself as Mei''s mouth gaped in surprise. He made a quick escape followed by Jirou who couldn''t help but wear a grin after hearing the words that came out of Kazuya''s mouth.

    They boarded one of the vans and immediately left Kazuno Tech accompanied by a few men that Jirou picked out.

    "Are you ready Kid?" Jirou looked at his future grandson warmly.

    "I''m sure you know that I won''t be acting as just a representative right? They did attack my territory after all.

    "I know¡­ It''s at times like these that I feel like I''m hanging out with your grandfather when we were children after all" Jirou chuckled as he was reminded of how much trouble he and Kou experienced when they were still Kazuya''s age.

    "This time, I won''t need to worry about holding back. Since the Dokuro group is acting like the Muiminas'' arms, I''m going to cut it off. We could have done this the easy way but they were the ones that insisted we go the hard way"

    .

 98 Speak of the Devil

    .

    Kazuya was accompanied by Jirou near one of the busiest part in town. The old man oddly found the boy familiar with this part in town in which he had no connections to. This was where Kazuya found various part-time jobs to survive after he was separated from Mei in his previous life. One of the liveliest and shadiest part of town. This was a part of town where even the Kurumi in his previous life showed up in accompanied by several guards.

    "This way Jirou-sama, Kouzuki-sama" A man wearing a suit led them into one of the basements of buildings that blended perfectly with the surroundings. They entered a place that was quite classy considering how normal the building looked from the outside.

    "Welcome to the [Forbidden Apple]" the man in the suit led them further in as Kazuya was surprised after finding out the name of the place.

    In his time as a freeter who worked from place to place, there was a certain urban legend that a mysterious store known as the Forbidden Apple was somewhere in the district. This was where important meetings were held from both the underground and powerful people like politicians or businessmen. This place was very discreet and was owned by several influential groups from the underground.

    It was later found out that this place was eventually taken over by a new group of individuals that took advantage of the sudden disappearance of the most influential people that used to manage the place. This shook Kazuya because he never imagined that Jirou and his grandfather knew these kind of people. It seemed like his grandfather''s contacts are more than what it seemed on the surface.

    "Wait for me a bit" Jirou stopped Kazuya before they went through another door that led deeper into the basement. Kazuya''s eyebrows furrowed but since he was new to all of this, he nodded and took a seat in one of the booths.

    Kazuya already changed out of his school uniform and into a black tracksuit that they picked up on the way for him. Jirou also called up the Kouzuki household and informed Akane that Kazuya was going to stay at the Shiroyuki residence because Tomoyo needed some tutoring before the exams. There wasn''t really any problem with this because this was not the first time that Kazuya has stayed with the Shiroyukis.

    The Forbidden Apple had a classy interior but that couldn''t be said for the people that Kazuya observed. There were various men wearing tacky suits and waitresses who wore uniforms that were very revealing. They could bend over a little and their underwear would be clearly visible. This was certainly not a place for a kid such as him so Kazuya stuck out like a sore thumb.

    "(I guess that it can''t be helped since this is the place used as a gathering before the attack?)" he shrugged. Kazuya felt like his image of what the Forbidden Apple should have been was slowly getting shattered. In his mind, the place was more akin to a gentleman''s club in the movies where spies gathered and exchanged information.

    The men who looked at him strangely eventually got tired of it as they went on with their business or as soon as they were occupied with something else. It wasn''t until a boy who appeared to be in his teens, entered the establishment nonchalantly that their gazes changed to a complex one.

    The boy didn''t spare a glance at those who noticed his arrival. He looked like he was used to the attention and was enjoying it. Kazuya lost interest as soon as the boy tried to fool around with the female staff members but the boy noticed the child sitting quietly on the booth because he was being ignored.

    "What''s a kid doing here?" he approached Kazuya and sat across of him without asking for his permission. He was acting like he owned the place when he wasn''t even supposed to be allowed in such an establishment like Kazuya to begin with.

    "We don''t know" one of the waitresses he pulled over answered. "he was brought here by the manager"

    "Did you try to steal something in the territory and get caught kid? Don''t be afraid, I can talk to the manager and he should at least give me some face" despite his demeanor and misunderstanding, Kazuya''s initial opinion of this person changed. He didn''t seem so bad.

    "I didn''t do anything. I''m waiting for my grandpa to come back since the manager brought him inside that place" Kazuya acted like a kid and pointed towards the direction both Jirou and the man wearing the suit entered.

    "Oh I see. He must have missed a payment or something" he nodded as if understanding. "You have to tell him to not take loans from here. It may be convenient at first but paying it all back is very hard and will get very dangerous if not settled on time. You look like a good kid and I hate seeing kids like you being forced into doing something that isn''t good" Kazuya found this guy quite talkative.

    "You know what types you''ve got to avoid. There''s this one guy from a prestigious school that likes to be pretentious. He hires kids to do dirty work for him secretly and takes in rich kids as clients to beat up other kids. Isn''t that messed up? They get marked off as disputes of youth or bullying in the end and those who were behind the incidents never even get suspected" he ranted.

    "There is such a person?" Kazuya was immediately interested. "Is that business common here?" this unexpected encounter may just end up being a lucky one as he thought about the untapped information resource which was the underground.

    "The business is that guy''s way of taking advantage of rich kids that have money to burn for their ambitions. Did you know that the old guys here flipped out the moment they found out that he had taken money from that kid who shot the Kouzuki Clan''s only son?" Kazuya tried hard to hold back the urge to grab him. He didn''t think that it would be so easy to find out who the person acting against him was.

    "By prestigious school, do you mean Sacred Forest Academy?" seeing that this boy was not the least bit guarded around him, Kazuya continued to act like a curious child. "Who is he? How come no one is suspecting him if you know how he operates his business?"

    "Yeah that guy''s from Sacred Forest. It won''t do you any good in knowing who he is since you look like you won''t be able to beat up anyone" he looked at Kazuya from head to toe and nodded at himself for making an accurate judgement. "Don''t tell anyone I told you though, his business had been a secret until it was discovered two years ago and he was almost thrown out because of it"

    "I''m not really interested in making money by doing bad things onii-san. I just wanted to know because I always thought that the people who went to sacred forest were nice people and model citizens. Some of the students there are said to be leaders of the future after all"

    "You''re still too young and na?ve kid. It only takes one rotten fruit to ruin the whole basket" he felt wise after saying as he rubbed his nose with a finger feeling a bit embarrassed. "But you have a point. It''s better to know who to avoid. Since you''re from the area, you should know the run down building in Kuugan street?"

    "I do¡­" Kazuya tried to remain calm but he was startled. There was only one run-down building in that area from his memories and that was a place that he was very familiar with. It was the place where he stayed after he was discovered to be sleeping in cold parks. "It''s the place right beside the best udon stand in the district right?" both of them were trying to make sure that they knew what each other was talking about.

    "Heh! You have good taste. That''s right, it''s that place. There''s one office in that building being run by a high school student from Sacred Forest Academy. His name is Doumyouji Kuuga" Kazuya''s mouth gaped after hearing the name. He was not unfamiliar with this person so after finding out that it was Kuuga that had struck against him twice now, Kazuya couldn''t figure out what he should feel.

    "(Fate sure has a wicked sense of humor)" Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh. In this life, most of the people he saw as bad or enemies like Tomoyo turned out to be not as bad as he thought. Though he knew that he only met the people that were good to him in his previous life because of his circumstances, the gratitude he had for them was still fresh in his mind.

    From what Kazuya had experienced in the void of darkness, he had categorized people he met to be good or bad. This was why any people who he categorized as bad would have to go through a lot before they could prove that they were indeed not like people that was engraved in his memories. This was the case with both Tomoyo who had proven her change, and Kurumi who seemed to have been following the same path.

    "You caught on quickly" the boy assumed Kazuya understood the position Doumyouji Kuuga held from his reaction. "That''s right, he''s one of the sons of the Doumyouji Clan. They are one of the groups that manage this territory. The groups here have already been trying hard to leave behind and clean up all the shady businesses that''s why people like him have been taking advantage of it. Make sure you don''t give in to any requests from the people that come from there or you might regret it"

    "Is his business well known by the locals?" This was the first time he heard of this and it didn''t seem like Ousame and his men did either.

    "I''m a bit special so I know about it but most people in the know are already aware of it now that the secret has been revealed. Most people don''t really care since they weren''t privy to the information that he got involved with such a person and that guy mostly dealt with rich kids and their problems so everyone took it with a grain of salt" he explained.

    Kazuya wanted to deny it but he couldn''t. He already knew much about Doumyouji Kuuga''s past in his previous life to confirm with the current information he had that the person he was indebted to turned out to be an enemy of his in this life. With the limited number of people that have been nice to him in his previous life, it now turned out that one of them schemed against him because of the change of events in his return, how could Kazuya not feel bad?

    He was utterly devastated when he lost both his home and his purpose in life. He was alone and couldn''t really find a place to stay so he opted to sleep outside since that would save more money than staying at a internet or manga caf¨¦. This was when he met and helped a young man who he stumbled upon in the park he slept in.

    He helped the young man and after a few days, he recovered and came looking for him. Doumyouji Kuuga then offered him a place to stay which coincidentally was in this life known as the office he used for his operations. That old building was now the place where the orders to hurt him came from. The person before him didn''t know who he was and thought that he was just a common victim of the difficulties in the district so there wasn''t any reason to lie to him.

    "(Is this a repercussion of me changing history''s course?)" he thought. "(Kuuga nii-san should still be in high school right?)" he was caught totally off guard as he regretted feeling excited over the discovery of the person that was able to hide himself for two years. Kazuya didn''t really know what to think or feel at the moment.

    *SLAM* the doors burst open as another young man barged in.

    "Speak of the devil" the boy sitting across Kazuya commented as he too turned towards the source of the noise.

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    "(It''s him)" Kazuya noticed the younger version of the Doumyouji Kuuga he got along with in his previous life.

    "huff¡­ huff¡­ that crazy bitch!" Kuuga cursed as he tried to catch his breath. "One of these days I''ll make her kiss the tip of my shoes!" he hit the wall and did not care about the attention he was attracting.

    "Yo! This isn''t the place for you to be acting so cocky" the boy who sat across Kazuya raised his voice so that Kuuga can hear it.

    "You¡­" Kuuga looked at who dared speak to him like that. "Akabane Hachi! You better tell your sister to stay the hell away from me or I''ll¡ª" he stopped as he noticed the boy who was frowning across from the brother of that accursed girl who was just chasing him.

    "Or you''ll what?" he was a little intimidated as Kuuga took large strides and stopped right in front of Kazuya.

    "Looks like it was true. Someone really did do their job well and brought you here" Kuuga wiped the sweat on his forehead and sinisterly looked at Kazuya.

    There was no longer any reason to deny it at this point. Kuuga had just presented himself which was like confessing to his crime right in front of Kazuya who was still trying to deny his involvement in all of this.

    "You know this kid?" Hachi looked at both of them with a complex look. He was just warning Kazuya over avoiding Kuuga after all.

    "Let''s just say that there''s a client that wants him to be handled" he glanced at Hachi before looking triumphantly over Kazuya once more. "I''ll make it easy on you kid. I''m a pretty simple guy. Since you''re already here then there would be no more escape for you. All I want is from you to call that pretty sister of yours and have her come to my office alone. Both of you will be set free after that"

    .

 99 Reverse Scale

    .

    Kuuga Doumyouji; second grandson of the current head of the Doumyouji Clan, 17 years old and a student of the prestigious Sacred Forest Academy. One would think someone who was an elite like that was untouchable but he was currently running for dear life as he was being chased by a girl in the crowded streets of the district.

    "Get the hell back here Kuuga! I already told you that you''d regret it if you ever tried messing with him again!" Akabane Nanami, a girl who could easily be mistaken for a high schooler was chasing the elite young man after discovering that he was behind the incident that happened earlier that day.

    Kuuga ran as fast as he could because not even his underlings could stop this girl. His connection to the incident two years ago was immediately suspected and eventually discovered by those who were familiar with the men that were seen in the video that was once released on the day of that incident. It was only because they didn''t want the group and their affiliates to suffer the consequences that they kept the secret between themselves.

    "Damnit!" He wasn''t very athletic and his stamina was very limited because he had began to smoke cigarettes. Kuuga couldn''t afford to stop or slow down because even though Nanami had quieted down for the past few years, she was far stronger than she was when she was rowdy. He knew this better than anyone else because he once tried to trick a group of delinquents to attack her only to end up being sent to the hospital almost crippled.

    He made a quick turn and thought of a place that he hated but could very well protect him for the time being. Kuuga jumped towards the basement of a very obscure building and hoped that Nanami didn''t see him going there.

    *SLAM*

    Kuuga entered the room and tried to recover but ended up seeing that accursed girl''s younger brother. He didn''t want him to contact her and spill his location so he approached him only to find that the cause of all his grief for the past few years sat quietly inside the establishment that was in their territory.

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    Nanami already discovered his identity as the one pulling the strings and from the way she made it sound, someone carried out his plans successfully. Seeing the target here like this just confirmed it.

    "Looks like it wasn''t a complete failure since someone was able to bring you here"

    It was only a matter of time for this kid to know it was him who was plotting against him so he wasn''t afraid of revealing himself. Kazuya was already within his grasp and even though he couldn''t fulfill Ringo and Suzaku''s request now, he thought of something that he could gain by having this kid in his custody.

    "Since you''re already here then there is no escape" he laughed and stared at the kid who gave him a complicated look. "Don''t worry, as long as you call your pretty sister and ask her to come to my office alone, I''ll let both of you go once the sun rises" he couldn''t forget Mei who he saw with Kazuya and looked her up. He had been infatuated with her ever since.

    "..." a heavy pressure immediately spread throughout the room and made all the people feel something heavy pressing down on them.

    "Huh?" Kuuga who blinked once felt like he was hallucinating because the boy who was sitting in front of him already disappeared.

    He turned towards Hachi who was looking up at the ceiling so he felt the urge to look. When he was about to follow and turn his head upwards, a strong force grabbed his head and pushed it down towards the table.

    *BAM!* Kuuga''s head slammed on the table. The force of it immediately broke it as several wood fragments flew all around.

    "!!" Kuuga was dazed as his vision was both spinning and blurry. Kazuya had leapt into the air as soon as he heard the words that left Kuuga''s mouth and attacked.

    Though Kazuya felt hesitant about going against this person who he was once indebted to in his previous life, he immediately crossed a line that should not be crossed. No matter who he was or his relationship with Kazuya, vocally expressing his ill intentions towards the one of only two people that could make Kazuya burn the whole world for was the biggest mistake he could ever make.

    "It''s over¡­" although Hachi was shocked at what Kazuya had done, the Forbidden Apple had an absolute rule of no violence. Various staff members who were standing around in the room like guards immediately moved towards Kazuya who didn''t even spare them a glance.

    He pulled Kuuga who was covered with the wood fragments that once made up the table and raised his head by the hair. Kazuya made a fist and was about to hit Kuuga with it when a hand held onto his shoulder and pressed on it with force that a child wouldn''t be able to bear.

    "You may be a kid but you have violated one of the establishment''s forbidden rules. This is also one of the young master of the Doumyouji group so I will have to take you to see them" he said in a threatening tone.

    "Are you going to let me go or am I going to have to break your arm for you to piss off?" Kazuya slowly turned his head and looked at the man straight in the eye.

    "I¡­" He trembled. The boy wasn''t even fazed by the full strength of his grip. As a man who worked in this establishment, there were various things he was exposed to so he knew that the boy in front of him was not only serious, his demeanor made him understand that he was serious. He instinctively withdrew his hand and took a step back.

    *cough cough* Kuuga started to recover his vision but the pain on his head was nothing like he had ever felt before. His ears were ringing as he found his current situation quite unbelievable.

    He reached for his pocket and took out a butterfly knife. Without hesitation, he stabbed the knife towards Kazuya''s abdomen.

    *WHAM!* before the tip of the blade hit, a fist came flying towards his face which caused him to slam into the wall that was a few meters away.

    *THUD* unfortunately for Kuuga, he still hadn''t lost consciousness and his vision flashed between light and darkness.

    Kazuya knew what Kuuga wanted to do which was why he lost control. Edea might sound like a wonderful place if one was told about it because of the rich lands and abundant mana but it was also a place with undeveloped laws. Like today''s society, those with power ruled over the weak but it was even more so in that world where those who were in power could get away with whatever evil deeds they wanted because they couldn''t be dealt with.

    As a person who witnessed and forced to accept those type of things, how could Kazuya let someone thinking about doing that to people he cared about go? He may have been feeling guilty about the changes he made to history that led to a person he once respected go against him but unfortunately for Kuuga, he was the one that blew all of Kazuya''s hesitation away.

    "Should I teach you a lesson so that you''d learn not to think things that shouldn''t be thought?" Kazuya picked up the knife on the floor. "What do you think nii-chan? Should this blade go through that rotten brain of yours or should it cut off your future descendants?" Kazuya played with the knife as he slowly approached Kuuga who started squirming after hearing what Kazuya said.

    The people listening in couldn''t help but gasp. The same thing was going through their minds; Who the hell was this kid? How can he just beat up one of the Domyouji Clan''s young masters? How was he so strong and ruthless?

    A few men stood and blocked Kazuya from going any further. These people were intimidated but they were originally employed by the Domyouji Clan. No matter the reason, they would be in trouble if the officials of the clan were to find out that they did nothing after Kuuga was attacked in the Forbidden Apple of all places.

    *BAM!* The doors of the entrance slammed open once more as a girl barged in this time. Akabane Nanami entered the place and immediately found her target in a bloody state.

    The three men were blocking her view so she couldn''t see Kazuya but that didn''t stop her from approaching her target. It was only when she reached the bloody Kuuga did Kazuya realize that it was Nanami who has chased Kuuga around and made him eventually seek shelter in this establishment.

    "I''m taking this trash with me so you guys go back to your posts" she spoke towards the three men and started dragging Kuuga on the ground.

    "Where are you taking him Akabane-sama?" one of the men reluctantly asked. These two were well known to be like oil and water after all. Their families may be allies but their children definitely were not.

    "I know the rules so I''m dragging this fool outside and give him a good beating" the men that were employed by the Akabane Clan approached slowly and stood near Nanami''s side. Like the three other men, they had their own responsibilities and since their little miss didn''t plan on breaking the rules inside, they had no problems with her dragging her business outside.

    "I appreciate the thought but this guy is my prey" a hand appeared from her side and grabbed her wrist. She trembled a little because this voice was the voice that she wouldn''t mistake belonging to anyone else.

    "K-kazuya-kun?!" the men from both sides were about to pounce on the kid that suddenly appeared but what surprised them more was the reaction from this fierce girl. She was, for the first time in front of them, reacting like a shy girl. "W-what are you doing here?!"

    "I should be the one to ask that question. What''s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?" from the way these men reacted, this girl didn''t seem like she had a normal background. "Did you chase this guy around after finding out he was the one responsible for the attack earlier?"

    "W-well¡­" Nanami hesitated. She didn''t want him to think that she was a violent girl like the others because from the first time they met, Kazuya never thought of her like the others did and she didn''t want to change that.

    "Thank you" Kazuya''s anger receded as the oppressive pressure in the area lightened up. "But you didn''t have to put yourself in danger because of me. I would feel bad if something happened to you in the process" he was truly amazed that this girl he hardly knew went to the trouble of finding out what Kuuga did and even chasing him right into his clutches.

    It was the first time that someone he didn''t know from his previous life actually did something good for him so the feeling of losing a friend that he once had been replaced with making a new one. Unlike the previous relationship he had with Kuuga, this one was not started by a gratitude he had done. It was because of the concern and responsibility he thought Nanami had that he was both impressed and once again reminded that she was very similar to the race he had the most affinity with in Edea.

    "I see you two are already hitting it off. Good! Good!" a group of aged gentlemen approached followed by subordinates who gave off a dangerous atmosphere. Jirou stood along the two men and wore a frown very much like the other one whose eyes were on the bloody person on the ground.

    "Are those words double edged old friend? I can see one of my grandsons had gotten hit on as well" the group of men quickly stepped aside and made way for the three men.

    "You''ve got a lot of guts getting into a fight here kid. Not only that, you even dare hold hands with a girl in the process?" Jirou''s frown got deeper as he stared at Kazuya''s hand that was still holding onto Nanami''s wrist.

    "G-grandpa? You were here with Grandpa Jirou and Grandpa Gakuto?" Nanami shyly rubbed her wrist after Kazuya let it go. This reaction shocked the three men and the subordinates behind them as well.

    "That''s not important right now" Akabane Isshin, Nanami''s grandfather said. "What bothers me is that you''ve already met old Kou''s grandson and didn''t bother to tell me about it! You even look like you get along really well!" he couldn''t stop grinning as he turned towards Jirou who didn''t have anything to say at the moment. No matter what he said, it wouldn''t matter to this man at this point.

    "I-I didn''t know about it" Nanami shook her head. "All I know is that I met Kazuya-kun at the tournament and lost a few years ago" she confessed. She didn''t want Kazuya to think that she was getting close to him because of his grandfather. She might have been distracted every time she thought about Kazuya so she didn''t even wonder about his lineage.

    "Can you let this stupid grandson of mine go now?" seeing that the situation had changed, Gakuto stepped forward and pointed at his grandson who couldn''t even look him in the eye. "We already heard what happened. I promise you that I will let this kid learn what his mistakes are through his body" he was really disappointed in Kuuga but he was still family so he couldn''t leave his punishment to someone else especially after catching a glimpse of what Kazuya could do.

    "Who are these people grandpa Jirou" Kazuya of course didn''t trust this man. Aside from Isshin who Nanami identified as her grandfather, this other gentleman hasn''t introduced himself yet so he couldn''t be sure even though he stood alongside the others.

    "This is Akabane Isshin and Doumyouji Gakuto. They are the ones I''m talking to you about and will be the ones helping us with tonight''s operation. The people behind us are their best and will be coming along with their men that will be meeting us on the way"

    .

 100 Been a While

    .

    "You can call me grandpa Ichi, Kazuya-kun. Your grandfather is like a brother to me so his grandson is my grandson haha!" he patted Kazuya''s shoulder.

    "Can you let this shameful grandson of mine go now?" Gakuto''s expression remained stern as he looked at his grandson who couldn''t look at him directly.

    "This is my last and only warning" Kazuya raised Kuuga''s head and stared him in the eye. "You''re only getting let off easily tonight because of the relationship between our families. If you ever as much as even think ill thoughts against anyone under my protection and I find out about it, not even your whole clan can save you from me" Kuuga felt the full brunt off Kazuya''s hostility as his teeth clattered and body trembled.

    "You have quite the guts to make that threat in front of me young man" Gakuto scoffed as he heard Kazuya''s threat.

    "Feel free to try and stop me from getting to him if he dares try something" Kazuya''s sharp gaze moved towards Gakuto. Both of them released intimidating pressures that made those aside from the other two old men shudder. "You will eventually understand how lenient I was today" Kazuya kicked Kuuga away and he landed on the arms of the man who initially tried to stop him.

    They couldn''t believe such a kid could have a presence that rivaled the leaders of groups. It was like he had gone through more violence than them. What Kazuya didn''t know is that these men were already aware of what he did to the men from the Dokuro group because of their own information network.

    "Now, now, we should all get along. Weren''t we going to do tonight''s operation together?" Isshin was thoroughly impressed by Kazuya''s intensity. He didn''t know how Kou had such a fierce grandson but he silently complimented Kyouko for raising such an impressive kid on her own.

    ""Operation?"" Nanami and the Kuuga who was still in pain turned towards their grandfathers. For them to say that they were both going on an operation together with Shiroyuki Jirou is something that has not happened in a long while.

    Only one could imagine what would happen if Kouzuki Kou''s group of friends banded up together. The Kurogane Conglomerate suffered immense damage that couldn''t be compared to what they went through what happened to them two years ago. It was a war that was not only in business and though both sides suffered, it was clear that the combined efforts of Kou and his friends, the Kurogane Conglomerate retreated and never thought of messing with the Kouzukis openly.

    "This is a good opportunity for you to understand just what the difference is between you two" Gakuto signaled his men who immediately grabbed the injured Kuuga. "You don''t mind do you kid?" he turned back to Kazuya and hinted for him to agree.

    "Then my granddaughter should come too. She may have quieted down but she still has a lot to learn" Isshin smiled at Kazuya. "Show them how a person with real capabilities should handle things. You are the one that asked for this operation after all"

    Kazuya''s brows furrowed. He really couldn''t reject them because he was asking for their assistance. They would benefit in the end but these were willful and prideful old fellows that got along with the likes of his grandfather.

    "As long as they don''t get in the way" he said before shooting another glance at Kuuga who immediately avoided his gaze.

    There really wasn''t anything that he could say to the boy. Everything that he thought about Kazuya, the Kouzukis and his family''s relationship with them. He couldn''t imagine what his fate would have been if he was discovered by Kazuya rather than his grandfather two years ago. The relationship that he assumed was superficial and limited to Kouzuki Kou was wrong from the very beginning.

    "Let''s go then" the two men led them to the back exit where various black cars awaited them.

    Jirou, Isshin, Gakuto, Kazuya, Kuuga and Nanami entered one of the large vans where Kazuya was briefed about how they would simultaneously attack the multiple territories and businesses of the Dokuro group. He was also given a complete layout of the Dokuro Group''s headquarters and they let Kazuya tell them how he intended to do the attack to try and probe his wisdom,

    "What I had in mind was¡­" Kazuya was not unfamiliar with sieging castles, in fact he was very adept at attacking compared to his defensive skills. Though he had already studied various strategies that has been developed and written in books, what actually made him confident in his plan was what he went through in his past life.

    Jirou grinned as he listened silently on the side. It was refreshing to be the one seeing how much Kazuya had been continuously shocking his friends and their descendants. He had already gone through something similar but had already gotten used to how absurd and an enigma Kouzuki Kou''s grandson was.

    Kazuya even used his phone to pull up a map and gave them instructions on where they should leave their vehicles. He gave them a thorough and detailed explanation of the plan he had in mind after reviewing all the important details. It was up to the two figures to explain the plan to their subordinates so no matter how shocking everything was, they kept a straight face unlike their descendants who got brought along.

    Kuuga even felt more depressed after hearing Kazuya''s plan. He couldn''t figure out whether to laugh or cry because after listeningthe boy he tried to plot against, when compared to Kazuya, his meticulous planning was like child''s play.He felt like an idiot because compared to Kazuya''s plan to attack, he knew that he couldn''t come up with something as detailed. What Kuuga and Nanami couldn''t help but admire most however was that at the center of it all, Kazuya was the one who was put at risk at most.

    "Are you sure you want to do this kid? This isn''t anything like Kendo tournaments. This is a real fight not only in the world of adults but in an underworld fight at that" Isshin warned. He never expected that the boy would place himself in danger.

    "This is my plan and I was the one who initiated the attack so it wouldn''t be right if I sat back and did nothing" Kazuya replied. "Besides, today has been quite the eventful day and I still haven''t been able to vent all the frustration it''s brought" he glanced towards Kuuga before glancing towards the two old men who stopped him.

    The two heard about Kazuya from Jirou and Komori and thought they were exaggerating because they wanted this boy to marry into their families. It was extremely rare for those two to actually agree on something which initially sparked their interest in Kazuya.

    "(Truly an impressive Kid)" Isshin glanced at his granddaughter and how could he not notice the tomboy he raised giving a lovestruck gaze at the boy who was younger than her.

    "(If only I had a granddaughter as well)" Gakuto who was very proud of having only grandsons now thought how it would have been nice to have a granddaughter. Though he initially wanted Kuuga to experience punishment in the hands of one of his victims, he found that he was a little soft when it came to his relatives.

    How could Kuuga not notice his own grandfather''s train of thought? He was very ambitious and was planning on taking over the family one day which was why he had been trying hard to set himself apart from his brothers. He felt extremely bitter and relieved that he didn''t have any sisters which could have been used to connect their two families together officially.

    "We''re here" the driver pulled over on a secluded area that wasn''t that far from the Dokuro Clan''s headquarters and residence. Both Isshin and Gakuto were talking to several of their lieutenants to make sure that everyone understood that this will be done according to plan.

    Simply put, it was going to be a synchronized attack. While the headquarters received word that their businesses were under attack, those who rush out of the headquarters would be handled after they left the safety of their base. With the lessened amount of security, that was when Kazuya and the rest would attack.

    "Grandfather¡­" Nanami approached Isshin who was a little surprised. "I thought you didn''t want to have anything to do with the family business and wanted to change?" he said sarcastically. Knowing this loyal granddaughter of his, he was sure that she would try to do something to help the boy that placed himself directly at the center of all of this.

    "I know but¡­ I want to help Kazuya-kun" she glanced at Kazuya who was standing near the vehicle while talking to Jirou.

    "I''m glad hearing you say that you want to help. Tonight''s operation will not only help a long time friend of our family but will also greatly benefit our clan but I have to refuse" he held up his palm to stop Nanami who was about to try and persuade him. "Shiroyuki Jirou is one of the strongest people I know and he already told most of us that the boy you admire not only can make him fight seriously, but was even capable of fighting him to a draw"

    "!!" Nanami gasped. She took another look at Kazuya and Jirou. Just by knowing Jirou''s age and reputation, one wouldn''t think of something as absurd as a boy who had yet to reach middle school fight with him evenly.

    "That old racoon is a very prideful man so all of us share the same opinion in suspecting that he had been beaten by the kid at least once for him to praise the kid like that. He knows what the kid is capable of and didn''t even bat an eye when that kid declared that he would be taking part of the operation" Isshin crossed his arms and explained.

    "Your grandfather is right" Gakuto approached and joined the conversation. Though Nanami and Kuuga had a relationship akin to a cat and mouse, the two families were on very good terms and Gakuto was very fond of this girl. "Though we admit that this really seems absurd, we trust the judgement that the strongest people in our group has made and want to see it for ourselves" he turned towards his own grandson who looked very displeased at hearing praises for Kazuya.

    "Both of you watch with us. Especially you, Kuuga-kun" Isshin turned to Kuuga who he was also fond of. Even though his granddaughter and him were oil and fire, he once hoped that this clever lad would figure out a way to get along with her. "Watch what the boy who you almost turned against your family can do because if we weren''t here today, the place he would be directing his wrath towards would be your own home"

    "Stop kidding around" Kuuga almost laughed after hearing that. There was a limit to how much they would try to scare him.

    "You''re still too green to understand" Gakuto commented. "That kid, as impossible as it may probably seem, made us clearly feel that he has killed people before. That amount of bloodlust can''t be faked and could only be produced by someone who has experienced taking not only one but various lives"

    The two shuddered and couldn''t help but stare at the boy who was approaching them slowly. As inconceivable as it may seem, both of them knew their grandfathers well enough to tell that they were being serious. They knew that their clans weren''t especially clean because of the way they got to where they were. They grew up listening to the heroic, tragic and bloody tales of their grandfathers in their prime so they knew that praises from them would only mean that one had done extremely well.

    "The men are in position and are already waiting for the reinforcements the Dokuro group sent to their establishments" one of the lieutenants reported as Kazuya and Jirou joined them on the side.

    "I''ll be going then" Kazuya raised the black hood and covered half of his face with a mask. He walked towards one of the dark streets where everyone immediately lost sight of him.

    He activated his mana and avoided being seen by the men who were going out in different directions. What they were aiming for was the element of surprise and the panic that it would cause towards everyone against them. Kazuya didn''t waste time and immediately sent a safe path his support can take so they wouldn''t be spotted by the Dokuro group''s people that were still hanging around.

    "He made it" Isshin commented as they had now moved to a vantage point and observed Kazuya who arrived near the gates of the Dokuro Clan.

    "Now comes the hard part. Those wooden gates may be old but they are very sturdy" this was one part of the plan that Gakuto didn''t understand. Kazuya made his way to the front gates with only a cell phone and a wooden sword on his back.

    "Heh¡­" Jirou couldn''t help but give an amused laugh. "Didn''t you guys wonder why I didn''t train him after hearing everything good me and the old bat said about him? It wasn''t that I didn''t want to, it was because I really had nothing to teach him aside from experiencing different kinds of battles"

    *BAAAM!*

    """!!""" all of them except Jirou turned towards the gates which caused them to open their eyes wide. Jirou who was grinning on the side was quite satisfied with their reactions and held back a laugh. He knew how they felt but it was still very amusing.

    Kazuya had cut the large wooden gates using the wooden sword in his hand. This was a feat that Jirou was famous for but according to the man himself, he had not taught Kazuya this. Internal energy was not a secret between their peers and amongst them who were talented in utilizing it, Jirou, Komori and Kou were the three most adept.

    "It''s been a while since my last raid. It''s against the real demons this time" Kazuya smirked. "Let''s get this party started shall we?"

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    .

 101 Dokuro Clans Fate

    .

    The loud crashing sound of their heavy gates immediately alerted the people inside the Dokuro Group''s headquarters. A group of people were sent to aid the establishments that were under attack so the gate had just been closed not too long ago. Did their enemy wait for such an opportunity before they started their attack?

    "Go and see what''s wrong" the head of the Dokuro group, Dokuro Domon, ordered his subordinates as he wore a frown and crossed his arms while sitting in the meeting room.

    Today had been quite a day for their group because not only did they fail a task given to them by one of their most valuable supporters, they also just responded to an attack on their clan''s main businesses. Domon couldn''t help but think of the saying that when it rained, it definitely poured.

    "(Could this be the work of another group?)" he couldn''t help but think. He shook the thought off because no other group would have information that he had a secret task that the Muimina family had arranged. This was a secret transaction and they had been careful enough not to attract any attention to their connection.

    "AHHH!"

    "GRRRAAHH!"

    "What the hell GWAAA!!"

    Screams coming from outside startled the rest of the people in the room. He quickly signaled all his men to come with him as they rushed towards the gates. What he saw however, immediately made his mouth gape and his eyes open wide.

    A short person or someone who was as tall as a kid wearing all black with his face hidden was holding a wooden sword in front of the guards. The limbs of his men that were on the ground were turned to the places they shouldn''t have. Some of them tried to raise their legs in pain only to realize that they were still attached to themselves because of their muscles.

    "This is quite disappointing" the voice coming from non-other than the attacker entered their ears. "I expected a little more from the men you had in your headquarters" he sighed. "Looks like both the people you sent after my company and the people you keep in your base is of the same quality" he mocked

    "(His company? Is this guy really that company''s mysterious owner?)" Domon couldn''t help but smirk. If that were really true then he didn''t have to go through the trouble of attacking the company again when this person can just get whatever they needed for them. "You own Kazuno Technologies?"

    "Are you Dokuro Domon?" Kazuya didn''t expect the king of this small castle to show himself so quickly. He was expecting to look through their property to find him but this wasn''t like the sieges he participated in in Edea after all.

    "Capture him!" after seeing the masked person setting his sights on him, Domon quickly ordered his subordinates to attack. He felt a sense of danger as he quickly bolted for the inner parts of his manor.

    "AARRGHH!!"

    "M-monster!!"

    Cold sweat fell down on his back as he nervously pressed the code to his panic room. The screams of his subordinates didn''t stop as the noises seem to be coming closer by the second.

    *Click click*

    The code was accepted and he rushed inside hoping that he would be protected behind the steel doors. He was the only one who knew the code and had access to this room because this was where he kept most of the money that couldn''t be placed in banks.

    "(Just who in the hell was that?)" he tried to catch his breath as he felt safe inside his panic room. This room was located under the meeting room he was in earlier. He looked at the stacks of money that filled up the space of most of the room. He was glad that he invested in this panic room but was regretful that he didn''t invest on installing a surveillance system because he thought that it could be used against him.

    The money that was stored in his panic room wasn''t gained through proper means so having a surveillance system could work out as a double edged sword for him. He felt that it was safer to use his men because what they see could be controlled but there was no one with him right now.

    There was only one screen inside the room. It was for the camera that was located right outside the steel door. Domon turned it on only to make sure that no one was there. He gave a sigh of relief because he was afraid to see the boy in black standing outside of his door when he turned on the camera.

    Domon took out his phone to try and call for help but found that his cell phone was endlessly receiving calls from various people that were not in the headquarters at the moment. There were even messages being sent by his people asking for a decision.

    The businesses their group own had never received the reinforcements he sent. They said that some of the places have already been taken over and their funds have already been looted. The leaders of the various teams he sent to help were also trying to contact him because they were suddenly ambushed as they were trying to head for their designated areas.

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    Domon found this inconceivable. Not a single group would dare take them on without showing signs. Every piece of information they sent him made him think that this was something that did not have anything to do with his rivals. The only thing that changed recently was the task they set out to do today and if the attacker was indeed not lying about his identity, Kazuno Technologies had a backer that was not to be trifled with.

    Along with Kazuya who was wearing an ensemble that wouldn''t let anyone recognize him, the people from the Domyouji and the Akabane adopted the same tactic. They hid their appearances so that no one would be able to recognize them from a glance.

    The arrival of Kazuya''s reinforcements was stunned when they saw the large gate that looked like it was slashed by a sharp blade. This didn''t faze their advance because it was nothing that they hadn''t seen before but the sight after they rushed in shocked them. They were some of the toughest bunch in both the Akabane and Domyouji clans and were chosen to support Kazuya because of this but the sheer amount of people who were squirming with broken bones didn''t fail to shake them.

    "Can you spare me another wooden sword?" a voice reached their ears. They found the boy who had taken the lead standing at the center of the injured people with the wooden sword in his hand looking like it was about to break.

    The Domoto group''s men left standing were hesitant on attacking Kazuya because anyone that had moved towards Kazuya would end up on the floor after a few seconds. After they heard the boy''s voice however, they noticed the arrival of what seemed to be like the attacker''s reinforcements.

    "Get him! We can hold off those new guys if we catch him!" the only remaining lieutenant shouted. "That guy''s weapon is broken! He can''t hurt us with that!"

    They rushed towards Kazuya with renewed vigor. The lieutenant was right. Now that the reinforcements had outnumbered the people left standing, they would certainly be finished. It was either they capture the short man who looked to be their leader, or they would get annihilated right here.

    ""Protect him!"" the two leaders from both the Akabane and Domyouji groups ordered their men. They would indeed be in a pickle if Kazuya fell into their hands.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but shake his head. He knew his current appearance would invoke the arrogance of those older or bigger than him. He couldn''t help but sigh because they had apparently forgotten that he had just single-handedly put the men surrounding him on the floor.

    "(hot-bloodedness¡­ this sure makes one see how reckless it makes people)" he gave a dry laugh. It reminded him of how he used to be like. He was so excited upon being called a hero that his hot-bloodedness most of time would reach the point of stupidity.

    This was what he judged whilst he was watching the memories of his fights before he awoke in his younger body. His immaturity and desire to prove himself to be the hero they praised him to be made him forget the important factors that needed to be considered.

    He mocked his old self as there would have been a big difference in casualties on their side if he only had been a little wiser. His friends from the beast race who unfortunately weren''t able to join the raid on the demon king''s castle suffered most because of how he used to be like.

    *SNAP* the wooden sword on Kazuya''s hand snapped after hitting the first person that came near him. Though mana was pretty useful in enhancing an item''s durability, it doesn''t make it invincible. It was like adding an additional layer to a cake, one would still eventually eat up the cake but it would take longer if the additional layer was added.

    The Dokuro group''s men rushed in as soon as they saw the wooden sword broke. The very first man that tried to grab Kazuya however was immediately thrown back at the ones who followed after him after getting struck by a fist.

    "You thugs underestimate me too much" he backed up and caught a wooden sword that was thrown towards him from behind.

    "Let us take care of the rest" the man in charge of the Akabane group stood beside him as the rest of his men continued the assault.

    "I still have a bone to pick with Dokuro Domon so I''ll go on ahead" Kazuya immediately sprinted and bypassed the guards. He entered the Dokuro group''s main house without looking back and tried to sense where Domon was.

    "Well this is interesting" It was very subtle but he felt someone who was located below the large meeting room. Kazuya found himself standing before a steel door that had a camera on top of it and realized that this hindered his senses quite a bit.

    *BAM!* *THUD* he enhanced his hand with mana and struck the door to test how thick and sturdy it was.

    "Go away!" Domon''s voice could be heard from the speaker that was just above the small panel where a code was to be entered. He could clearly see Kazuya casually standing outside his panic room so he knew that his men outside had been taken care of.

    "Really? You''re really telling me to go away like a villain from a B class movie?" Kazuya grabbed the hilt of the wooden sword with both hands and started concentrating a large amount of mana to it. "Would you just go away if you were in my position?" he mocked.

    "Whoever you are, give it up! That door is not something a mere wooden sword can break. No one knows the passcode to this room aside from me!" he felt irritated after being rebutted by someone who appeared to be a kid. "The rest of my subordinates already know about your attack and are hea¡ª"

    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!* Kazuya swung down hard and the room where Domon was in shock and caused him to bite his tongue.

    "I see¡­ quite sturdy indeed" Kazuya sighed as he looked at the broken wooden sword in his hand. He turned towards the door and saw that he was only able to leave a gash on it. "Looks like it''s still not enough for strong metals huh¡­" he said with disappointment and went back to the meeting room above.

    "W-w-what the hell was that!?" Domon tried to get back up to see Kazuya leaving the sight of the camera outside. He was startled by the force that made his panic room shake. That was not something that a normal person could do, much less someone who that that sort of body.

    Contrary to Domon''s expectations, Kazuya hadn''t retreated. He walked towards the old armor placed behind the meeting room''s head seat. There lay a Katana on display and the sheath that was right below it. He picked it up and touched the blade which immediately made a cut on his finger.

    "A good sword in a bad place" he laughed and used his mana to close the cut on his finger. He then swung it a few times before nodding to himself in satisfaction. "Did he steal this in some museum?" Kazuya pondered as he went back to the panic room''s entrance after picking up the sheath as well.

    "PUT THAT BACK!" Domon immediately recognized the katana in Kazuya''s hands. He was quite a frugal man but he had spent a lot to acquire that sword. It was placed right behind him in the meeting room so that he could brag about it and show off. It was one of his most prized possessions since it had quite the history.

    "Oh?" Kazuya was intrigued. "Looks like you at least have an eye for picking out weapons. That''s surprising considering your choice for subordinates" he took a similar stance as earlier and concentrated his mana on the sword this time.

    "If you dare break that sword then I will hunt you down and make everyone you know suffer!" he shouted from the inside. "I''ll make sure you regret ever taki¡ª"

    *SLASH* Kazuya was a bit taken aback because of how smoothly he was able to swing the sword. He used too much strength and caused a large slash mark on the wall.

    *DUNN* the metal door made a crashing sound as it fell backwards. Kazuya sheathed the sword and strapped it on his back as he entered the panic room. Domon could be found on the floor shivering in fear but what attracted Kazuya''s sight was the money stacked quite nicely along with a few other boxes on the other side of the room.

    "W-what in the hell are you!?" Domon backed himself up against the boxes that fell down. They were filled with various papers, pictures and transactions of various people. These were most likely the stuff he had over some people which was why he was able to get to where he was today.

    "Birds of the same feather huh¡­" Kazuya shook his head and ignored the panicked old man who rummaged through the boxes. A bright expression was seen on the old man''s face as he found what he had been frantically looking for.

    "DIE!" he pulled out a pistol from a chest that seemed to have been full of guns. Kazuya walked slowly towards him as the old man clumsily pointed a gun at him.

    *BANG* *BANG* Domon shot at Kazuya. The image of the boy clad in black appeared to have been flickering as he bullets passed through him.

    *rip* a few bullets grazed his clothes but that didn''t stop Kazuya from his advance. He was a little disappointed that he wasn''t able to completely dodge the bullets.

    *GRAB* he held the gun''s barrel and pointed it at the old man''s chest.

    "Any last words?"

    .

 102 Repercussions

    .

    Earlier in the day, Dokuro Domon was celebrating at the amount of money he added to his stack. He felt that the Muimina family had overpaid him for services that sounded simple enough. How much trouble could a small company who existed for less than three years be?

    This quickly turned into something like a bad dream as he received reports that not only had they failed the attack, the people he sent were also sent to the police accompanied by none other than Kuronuma Komori.

    He immediately sent out the most capable defense attorneys he had in his pocket to either bail them out or make sure that they don''t spill anything. He had little worry about them spilling their connection to the Dokuro clan because Anri was with them. That woman was quite a talent that had great fear towards him so he trusted that she would claim responsibility rather than talk.

    He had grown quite stressed as night came and another call came in. The territory they claimed and dirty businesses they ran simultaneously called in for help. It was still not confirmed who but some of the other groups looked like they were stirring trouble. It was relatively normal for a fight to break out between their rivals but this was a clear attack on them.

    Domon sent out a couple of his men to act as refinements. He was already having a bad day so he instructed the men to make those who dared mess with them regret their actions. He didn''t think that this decision of his would only hasted the next event that transpired.

    A lone person attacked and dared to severely cripple his men. He identified himself as the mysterious owner of the company they attempted to besiege today so it would make sense for someone to take revenge. The question was¡­

    "How did you find out?" he asked with a pale face. Domon had already accepted his fate by this point. A man in his position and profession would either live to the end of his days or die in the hands of his enemies. Never did he expect that his life would be held by someone who he only crossed today.

    "You trained that woman quite well. It actually took some effort for her to spill everything and switch sides" Kazuya held the barrel of the gun steady. He still felt Domon trying to test his strength but it was no use.

    "Anri? Impossible!" he scoffed.

    "Wouldn''t you switch sides if I show you your insides and teach you how the human body works first hand?" Kazuya smirked. "It''s a pity, you added one more mistake so I''ll show you one more thing" Kazuya broke Domon''s wrist and one of his legs which made the old man fall to one knee.

    "GAAAAH!!" he screamed in pain. "Just kill me!!!"

    "Take one last look at everything you collected with your twisted ways" Kazuya used one hand to hold Domon''s head looking at the pile of cash and boxes he collected.

    "What are you planning on doing!?" Kazuya pointed a hand towards the pile of cash. A ring materialized on his finger and immediately sucked everything from the other side of the room towards it. "NO!!!" he watched as everything he had accumulated disappear into the void of the ring on Kazuya''s finger.

    "It will be put to good use" Kazuya pushed him to where everything used to be. He felt extremely weak since it took more mana than expected to store all of those things in his ring. He had been making use of his mana almost non-stop ever since he rushed towards Kazuno Tech''s headquarters. The mana he currently had was almost depleted with the unexpected use of the ring.

    "This can''t be real, this can''t be real!!!" Domon struggled on the floor and ignored his broken leg. He tried to grasp the empty space believing that he was just seeing things. Having everything he worked hard for disappear before his eyes took a toll on his sanity as he glared at the one responsible for this nightmare.

    "!!" his glare turned into pure shock as they landed on the hand holding a bright blue flame that had been growing on Kazuya''s hand. "D-demo--!"

    "Goodbye, Dokuro Domon"

    -

    Gakuto, Isshin, Jirou, and Nanami entered the Dokuro headquarters and were immediately able to tell just how many people Kazuya took care of. Jirou and Nanami especially saw just how much Kazuya had let loose because it didn''t end at just breaking a single limb like he did earlier in the day.

    "What a ruthless kid¡­" Gakuto couldn''t help but suck in a breath. His grandson would have definitely suffered a worse fate than these men if they didn''t step in to stop him in time.

    Nanami witnessed everything from their vantage point. She was worried when Kazuya was surrounded because unlike those who he faced earlier, these were real men from the underworld. The Dokuro group may not have been the strongest but they were the types who overwhelmed people with numbers.

    Her heart raced as she saw him dealing with the men who surrounded him. Nanami may have already moved up to middle school but like her rival Kuronuma Ayame, she also watched and took note of Kazuya who both of them had never bested before. She was glad to find out something about him that Ayame didn''t; like her, Kazuya was a lot stronger if he hadn''t been constricted to the rules of the competition.

    They were led inside the Domoto group''s headquarters as the men from their side examined the other rooms carefully. The men who were left when Kazuya entered the main house all gathered up outside were forced to keep their heads on the ground. The people from the Dokuro group were only able to see the shadows of those who were in charge of tonight''s assault. What was left in their minds was the short man who had a deep voice attacking their comrades like a monster.

    The three old men were pretty startled yet very satisfied with the results. Isshin and Gakuto were both grateful towards Kazuya because even if he didn''t include them, from the looks of it, he and Jirou would have been enough to take care of the group themselves. There was no doubt left in their minds after what they witnessed tonight.

    "Stay here" Isshin used his arm to block Nanami as they approached the meeting room.

    "Why grandpa?" Nanamin curiously looked at the empty meeting room. Her nose caught a burning smell which reminded her of burnt meat.

    Isshin didn''t reply but ordered the men to make sure that she didn''t enter. The three men looked at each other and recognized that smell unfortunately. It was the smell of burnt flesh and it was quite strong. Jirou immediately followed the source of it and found a metallic door that had appeared to have been cut by a sharp blade.

    "Kid!" Jirou found Kazuya standing at the center of the empty looking room and breathed a sigh of relief. They saw fragments of what looked like to be the remains of a wooden sword so it looked like he forced his way in.

    "Where''s Dokuro Domon?" Gakuto was the first one to ask. This room wasn''t in the outline of the Dokuro group''s headquarters so they were impressed that he found this room.

    "Over there" Kazuya pointed and staggered towards Jirou. He was already tired and closed his eyes before crashing into the old man who didn''t fail to catch him.

    "Rest well kid" Jirou supported the kid and carried him. "Huh?" where did he say the head of this place was?" Jirou turned towards his friends only to find that they were staring at the unconscious Kazuya in his arms.

    "Jirou, that kid he¡­" Isshin pointed towards the pile of ash at the other side of the room. He didn''t dare say it but it certainly was the source of the ominous smell.

    "Did he¡­ do it the same way Tsuna-san did?" Gakuto turned to Jirou for answers. He was the only one here that spent a lot of time with the kid so if anyone had an answer then it would be him.

    "I don''t know¡­ all I know is that this kid referred to internal energy just like Tsuna-san did. He calls it mana as well" Jirou glanced at the boy resting on his arms. "Like Tsuna-san mentioned before, the magic like abilities he has is because of it" he paused. "Kou is even going to try bringing Tsuna-san back in town at the request of his grandson" he informed.

    ""Tsuna-san is coming?"" the two reacted simultaneously.

    "I don''t know. You know what he''s like" Jirou sighed. "Whatever the case, it looks like the kid knows how to use mana as well as internal energy. I just didn''t expect that he would really use it against someone like this" Jirou didn''t know what to feel. He knew Kazuya was extremely overprotective but he only understood now how far this boy was willing to go.

    Jirou really couldn''t blame the kid. Even though he was still young, he already possessed great killing intent. It wasn''t that he didn''t mind the boy had taken a life at such a young age but rather not anyone in the room would spare any pity towards an individual such as Dokuro Domon whose only known family was the children born of different women which he sent away to various parts of the country with barely any money.

    "You better put a leash on that grandson of yours Gakuto" Isshin warned. "You don''t want to have to choose between his life or your clan''s"

    "I know¡­ that kid made himself scarce when we headed towards here. He will realize that his only option is to come back later or he would face a tougher punishment" Gakuto sighed. This grandson of him was clever but he could be quite stupid at the simplest things.

    "Let''s go. Leave the cleanup to the rest of your men" Jirou turned towards the exit followed by his friends.

    "Kazuya-kun!" Nanami ran to Jirou''s side as soon as she saw Kazuya being carried. Jirou felt a little perplexed. He really couldn''t stop the girl from caring but he still felt conflicted since another rival seemed to have appeared for his own granddaughter.

    "Don''t worry child" Jirou didn''t let her touch Kazuya as he didn''t want him to be disturbed. "This kid is just exhausted. He''ll be fine after sleeping through the night"

    "That''s good¡­" Nanami breathed a sigh of relief. She made way and followed them closely from behind.

    Jirou bade farewell as he was escorted back to where the vehicle was. Isshin and Gakuto stayed behind so they could quietly take care of the aftermath. Today was the last day that the Dokuro group would exist. They dug their own grave when they messed with Kazuno Tech but the real culprit was still very much at large.

    "I''m back" Jirou got dropped off at his home. He thanked the men that escorted him, they bowed respectfully and left quietly after a few people came to welcome Jirou.

    "??" Tomoyo rushed down after seeing the unconscious Kazuya in his grandfather''s arms. She had been worried about him the whole time and because Kazuya and her grandfather had yet to reply to any of her messages, she stayed with Kaori and waited.

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    "He''s just tired. Can you set up a place for him to sleep in your room?"

    *nod nod* Tomoyo left quickly and set up a place right beside her for Kazuya to sleep. Jirou wanted to have a discussion with him but it couldn''t be helped, he had truly done so much today. His granddaughter seemed to have been quite worried so he left them alone to rest after setting Kazuya down.

    "?" Tomoyo stared at Kazuya after Jirou left. She had been observing him long enough to know when he was pretending to sleep to recover his mana peacefully.

    "I really can''t understand how you''re able to tell" Kazuya slowly sat down after confirming that Jirou''s presence was already gone. "Sorry if I made you wait. Things got pretty busy for me to even look at my phone" he had already recovered a suitable amount of his mana so his complexion was no longer pale.

    "Do you have something to eat?" he still hadn''t had any dinner and this was soon felt after he entered a state of rest.

    *nod* Tomoyo went to her desk and took out a bunch of sweets and handed it to him.

    "I''ll just take these" Kazuya only took a few pastries and let the girl keep the rest of her stash. He carefully moved to the window and tried to make sure that there was no one outside. "I have to step out for a bit but I will be back soon"

    "?" she tilted her head and looked puzzled. She didn''t know why he needed to go out when he had just arrived.

    "Don''t tell your grandfather okay? You can go ahead and sleep and I promise to return quickly" Tomoyo thought for a few moments before agreeing. She extended her pinky finger towards him to make sure that he would keep his promise.

    .

    Inside the worn-out building back in the district where the Domyouji clan was in charge of, Kuuga had just finished eating and returned to his office. He escaped from his grandfather''s clutches when they started going to the Dokuro group''s headquarters.

    He had to walk back from near the Dokuro group''s headquarters because his grandfather took everything from his pockets including his wallet and phone. This was the reason why Gakuto let him leave as he wanted. No one expected him to get back on his own on foot.

    Kuuga had a long time to think about what he had witnessed today. It changed his perception about everything. His dream had been to one day be recognized by his grandfather and take over the group once Gakuto was ready to retire. His biggest mistake was failing to take in consideration just how much their clan was loyal towards the Kouzuki company.

    This mistake made him realize just how much he screwed up. Not only did he get on bad terms with the only successor the Kouzuki Clan had, he even got shamed in front of everyone by running away from Akabane Nanami. This affected his chances of being considered as one of the people to take over the Domyouji group.

    "Damnit!" Kuuga cursed. He had been too overconfident and was frustrated over what he learned today. The pain from Kazuya''s attacks earlier still stung and even he knew how lucky he had been compared to all the people he had taken out.

    "[You failed miserably. I want my money back]" a message popped up on the phone he took out from his desk. An idea hit him, not only would he be able to get back at Kazuya for giving him a beating, there would also be no way for it to be traced back to him. Kuuga immediately dialed the number Ringo provided him with.

    "What do you want?" Suzaku was quite displeased since it was already late at night.

    "I want to make another deal. I''m willing to tell you critical information that your family needs right now"

    "I doubt that very much" Suzaku said in an annoyed tone. "But I will at least hear you out"

    "Then promise me twice the amount we discussed if this information gets confirmed¡­ or perhaps a favor instead" he couldn''t help but grin. Kuuga thought highly of himself for thinking of this compromise.

    "Fine. Once the information is confirmed that is" Suzaku was still skeptical but since it really didn''t have any risks for him, he decided to humor the desperate schoolmate of his.

    "I only want the woman once you steal away the company" Kuuga laughed.

    "Which woman?" Suzaku was quite displeased after hearing his demand.

    "Kazuno Mei, she is the mysterious owner of Kazuno Technologies" he felt quite satisfied after hearing the panic on the other side of the line. "They didn''t even try to hide it too. I was there whe¡ª"

    *BZZZT* the phone on his hand started heating up.

    "Damnit!" Kuuga threw the phone on the floor and blew on the palm that still had the burning sensation.

    "Didn''t I tell you what would happen if you show the tiniest bit of ill will towards Kazuno Mei in my presence?" the voice Kuuga wanted to hear the least entered his ear directly from behind. He quickly turned around to confirm and jumped back quickly as he saw the person himself standing right behind him.

    "K-k-kouzuki Kazuya!"

    .

 103 Hard Lesson

    .

    Kazuya had feigned losing consciousness after getting rid of Dokuro Domon. His mana was almost depleted because of the miscalculation of the mana required to store all the things in Domon''s panic room so he pretended to lose consciousness to avoid any questions they had. He truly was tired and didn''t want to involve himself in their useless banter.

    Like a log, he was able to hear them talk and with his senses, he quickly discovered that Domyouji Kuuga left secretly. Kazuya was able to have some time to think about what happened and what he did to someone he had considered one of the few people who lent a helping hand after he had lost everything.

    It may not have been worth much to anyone but to someone who had experienced his short lifetime countless number of times, it amplified Kazuya''s anger, hate, gratitude, shame and various number of emotions because these memories were etched into his very being. This was the very first time that he had encountered an anomaly that affected him directly so who could blame him for being confused?

    Despite everything, the place Kyouko and Mei had in Kazuya''s heart trumped whoever he held important in his previous life on earth. It was Kuuga himself who asked for trouble the moment he tried to ask Kazuya to deliver Mei to him on a silver platter.

    There were a few things that Kazuya found very strange about all of this. Now that everything had settled down, his thoughts began to think about the information he currently had on hand.

    Yui once told him everything that she dug up about Lee after Akane asked her to look into him. What was interesting about this was that he was only an above average student in his grade yet he was one of the top of his class whenever there was an exam. Those who had regular backgrounds and were known to have ranked above him would suddenly have strange accidents or incidents involving violence just before major exams.

    It was only until Lee had already been caught up in the incident that these students stepped forward saying that they have been warned after they returned to school. They claimed that Lee himself said that the same coincidence might happen again if they ''tried too hard'' and disrupted the current balance of their rankings.

    She informed her young master that there had been several instances where these two were observed to be secretly talking to each other but she only referred to Kuuga as someone who held a position that was capable of being hired to do all kinds of shady work. Kazuya didn''t think that the other person was none other than the person he looked up to, Domyouji Kuuga himself.

    Knowing this, it was more likely for both Kuuga and Lee to have had a relationship even before he woke up in this life. Before everything had been changed by his interventions, these already were in business and there was nothing he could have done to change it. Kazuya, for the very first time had encountered an anomaly in the truth he witnessed countless times.

    "(Was Kuuga-nii someone Lee hired to specifically keep an eye on him?)" he thought. The possibility was indeed high because these scoundrels have been in cahoots ever since they were in middle school.

    He thought about this quite a lot until he was finally placed inside Tomoyo''s room. Kazuya couldn''t just sit still and wanted to at least try and confirm it. Just how much were those two connected to each other? If his suspicions turned out to be right, he would have looked up to someone that would have harmed him the moment he did something that would have ruined Lee''s plans with Mei in his previous life.

    "Thanks" he thanked the robot girl after agreeing to let him go and help keep them from finding out that he had stepped out.

    Kazuya had already recovered some of his mana and it didn''t take too much effort to sneak out. The Shiroyuki household didn''t have any detection arrays after all. Jirou was eating heartily after a long day and retelling the events that transpired to Kaori. This made it easier for Kazuya to move without being noticed.

    From what he heard, Kuuga had sneaked away and would still probably be walking somewhere. Kazuya wandered around the areas where he would have entered the district from and found the injuredKuuga finally making it back. Kazuya lowered his presence and followed him by staying on Kuuga''s blind spot.

    "That rotten old man really didn''t send someone after me!" he kicked one of the trash cans in the alleyway. "I can''t stand this!" he knocked over a few more until he started getting dizzy. He still couldn''t get rid of the taste of blood in his mouth and headed for the stall beside his base.

    Kazuya followed closely behind and felt a little nostalgia after entering the street that had hardly changed. It looked a bit more lively which proved just how much better his grandfather''s friends managed their territory. It was very much unlike the gloomy atmosphere he was familiar with.

    "What happened to you young master?" the stall owner saw the bandaged and injured state of Kuuga and was concerned. This owner had no one messing with him because of his stall''s good reputation. Kazuya often got leftovers from his place which let him skimp on a few expenses.

    "Don''t ask¡­ I really don''t want to remember. Please give me a large serving of kitsune udon" kuuga sat in one of the chairs. Kazuya did the same but positioned himself on the other side of the stall.

    "Comin'' right up!" the owner immediately prepared the food and served both of them not too long afterwards. "Let me guess¡­ You had another fight with Gakuto-san and ran right?"

    "Sigh¡­ that old man can''t understand that what I''m doing will help the clan in the future" Kuuga complained. "Not only did the kid I placed a few hopes on self-destruct, he even implicated me in the process" he couldn''t help but sigh. Although his initial purpose was to make a name for himself, the connections he made in the process could help him and the Domyouji clan in the future.

    Kazuya heard all of this and realized the truth. It looks like Lee had really been a person Kuuga counted on for the future. This would not have changed if his current self did not intervene. It was easy to figure out what would have happened next; With the disappearance of Gakuto, their district would have been taken over by the other groups and Kuuga would have ended up being a man that would be under Lee''s payroll.

    He had to hand it to Kuuga, he was able to pull it off without suspicion even with Kazuya''s endless replays. This made Kazuya realize a valuable lesson; the information he had wasn''t enough and what he experienced in his first life and his thoughts about them didn''t exactly confirm everything. He needed to be wary of everyone especially the humans who even on earth have been successful in fooling the current him.

    "Your grandfather is a good man. He''s been trying hard to step out of the darkness and bring your clan to the light. This district and the way it has improved compared to a decade ago is proof. Everyone doesn''t look down or fear the people of your clan and those allied to them" The old man added an extra piece of meat on Kuuga''s plate. "Make sure you don''t make him wait too long you hear?" the old man smiled and returned to serve the new arrivals.

    "The old man will see that my way of thinking is better one of these days¡­" Kuuga finished his meal and told the owner that he would pay later since his grandfather took all his stuff. He was a regular so the old man trusted him.

    Kazuya left some money and went on ahead and entered the building as Kuuga was talking about the payment. He knew where Kuuga habitually left a spare key and entered to have a look at the place before Kuuga went up. It was very different from what he remembered but it was still the same old building.

    "That damn taste is finally out of my mouth!" Kuuga rubbed his face and immediately entered the shower. Kazuya stood in the dark corner of the room and erased his presence. This place wasn''t lit very well but Kuuga never really stayed in this place at night even in the past.

    He still had time to search the place so Kazuya took advantage and was able to uncover some interesting things. Lee had truly been a loyal customer of his and one of the phones were dedicated to contacting him. These were very old types of cell phones so there wasn''t any real security other than the old pin code. Kazuya was glad that he was able to unlock them by using the old code that Kuuga told him about to enter the building in his previous life.

    Using them these days would make it harder to track as well as they could be destroyed or discarded pretty easily. These phones didn''t store any data that could be recovered so it was ideal for Kuuga to use these types of things to deal with his business.

    *Rustle rustle*

    Sounds that indicated that Kuuga was done were heard so Kazuya put everything back to the way they were. He had pretty much learned everything he needed to so he hid himself and thought about how to deal with Kuuga.

    "Damnit!" Kuuga returned to his office. The wounds he suffered started to hurt more after he had a chance to relax. He cursed as he remembered the person who caused all of the pain as he took out one of the phones he used from his desk.

    Kazuya kept an eye on everything since he seemed to have been conversing with Suzaku. It truly had been a collaboration between those two who stepped their game up a notch. There had also been something he learned from this, Kuuga and Lee''s relations have been kept a secret and that included all of their transactions. Was it a coincidence for these two to have hired the same guy to take care of him?

    Kazuya''s eyebrows twitched. Was Lee still trying to mess with him from behind the scenes? Did he manipulate those two idiots into going against him? He wondered as he listened to the conversation. Kuuga seemed to have offered some information that was worth more than his failure to take care of him.

    "I want that woman when you take over the company. Kazuno Mei is the secret owner of Kazuno Tech" Kuuga laughed. "The mysterious owner that none of the big companies have been able to figure out has been hiding in plain sight!" he said with a mocking tone. Though he had been lucky in stumbling upon a discovery that day, he made it sound like he had investigated it and found out what everyone else was unable to.

    "The money will be sent as soon as we confirm the authent¡ª"

    *BZZT*

    The atmosphere in the room suddenly felt quite heavy. Kuuga could barely hear the rest of Suzaku''s statement as his phone started producing sounds and malfunctioned.

    "Ouch!" an electric current flowed through his hand and numbed his arm. He dropped the phone right in between two feet who stepped in front of it.

    "I see you''re also one of the idiots who refuse to heed warnings" Kuuga recognized this voice immediately. "Didn''t I tell you what would happen if you show the tiniest bit of ill will towards Kazuno Mei in my presence?" Kuuga trembled as he fell back to his chair. He recalled at what he had just said and remembered what happened earlier in the day when he said something similar.

    "K-k-kozuki Kazuya! How are yo¡ª" a hand was placed over half of his face before he could finish his sentence. The hand still wasn''t wide enough to grasp half of his head but sure was strong enough to push Kuuga all the way to the wall and keep him from moving an inch.

    "You don''t need this filthy mouth of yours"Kuuga couldn''t help but squirm at the sight of Kazuya''s expressionless eyes. He didn''t look like someone who was threatening someone, rather he seemed like he was doing some random activity for the day. This was unlike the enraged expression that reeked of bloodlust earlier today.

    "MMPPHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" suddenly felt the steel-like grip of Kazuya''s hand slowly closing. The boy''s expression still hadn''t shown any change. He tried to scream and pull the hand away as the grip started to make him feel immense pain.

    *CRUNCH*

    Kuuga''s jaw was crushed without effort. Kazuya scoffed and cast a spell to keep the sounds from leaving the room before he let go of Kuuga who writhed in pain while holding on to the bleeding jaw that could no longer be controlled by his muscles.

    "Shut the hell up and look at me" he kicked Kuuga and pinned him to the wall. Kazuya placed his foot in between Kuuga''s pants which immediately made him struggle to keep quiet. "I need some answers and it will depend on those answers on how the night will continue. It will either end quietly or loudly so you better think carefully before using that head of yours to answer"

    Kuuga would feel pain whenever he moved his head but he still tried to give a nod. He used both of his hands to try and stop his jaw from falling as both blood and saliva trickled down the corners of his mouth.

    "Here is a simple one¡­" Kazuya smirked. "Lee has been working with you even before I lost my memories¡­ right?" Kuuga immediately nodded as he tried to avoid the emotionless gaze that didn''t even flinch at his plight.

    "Was it him who told Kurogane Suzaku and his little b*tch about you?" Kazuya would push his foot forward every moment Kuuga would take to give an answer. This made Kuuga have no time to think as he responded honestly with another nod.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya''s lips curled upwards showing a smile that wasn''t a smile despite his emotionless gaze. "Looks like I still underestimated humans greatly" he turned to look Kuuga directly in the eye before stomping down mercilessly.

    "UUUAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kuuga howled out as inexplicable pain attacked his lower region. The only thing that was on his mind other than the pain was how Kazuya used the term ''humans'' to describe them. The thoughts of ''demon'' or ''monster'' came to mind as he writhed in agony.

    His lower regions were just crushed. This was different from just a simple kick. Kuuga''s family jewels no longer had any form. his legs felt wet but it was not just from the urine that involuntarily released itself from the amount of pain and numbness the muscles the lower half of his body felt. Blood was mixed in as Kuuga wailed and struggled to relieve just a little amount of the pain he was feeling.

    Regret. This was the only thing that Kuuga felt aside from the pain he was suffering. Why did he have to mess with this person? Why did he have to be infatuated with the woman that was accompanying him that day?

    "Well¡­ I did say that the night would end quietly so I guess this is as far as I can go or I wouldn''t be a man of my word now wouldn''t I?" Kuuga finally had some hope but he almost forgot about the pain he felt when he saw the mist forming around his body. "You''re lucky that flames would attract attention in such a busy district"

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    Kuuga started to feel numb as extreme cold attacked him from the leg up. He tried to fight the pain and used his hands to pull himself away from the mist that started to make his legs turn into frost.

    "uaaa auauua iaa uaa!!!" he tried talking but was clearly unable to. He slowly started feeling weak as the numbness reached half of his body.

    "I can''t understand what you''re trying to say" Kazuya ignored the wails and looked at him indifferently. "You''re going to die much more comfortably than Dokuro Domon did because you have my gratitude" he moved ahead of the crawling Kuuga and rested a foot on his forehead. "You taught me to make sure to never let anyone have a second chance at threatening me or anyone close to me"

    "¡­" Kuuga felt like he was staring into the void as his gaze stopped to take one last look at Kazuya. He was slowly losing all energy as the hands that were weakly moving didn''t even help him move.

    "Go and accompany Domon in the afterlife" Kazuya moved his foot and let Kuuga''s head fall to the floor. "I''ll be sending a bunch of people to accompany you two soon enough" Kuuga''s sight dimmed but he was still able to hear the last words Kazuya said.

    "After I let them suffer a bit that is"

    .

 104 Brewing Storm

    .

    It was still dark but Jirou was running around his house and rushed towards Tomoyo''s room. Just when he thought that they could all put yesterday''s business behind them, he received a disturbing call early in the morning.

    "[I want you to answer me honestly old friend¡­]" A serious tone was immediately heard when he answered the call from Doumyouji Gakuto. "[Is Old Kou''s grandson still at your place?]" a hint of hostility could be felt from his voice as Jirou rushed out of his room.

    "What happened?" he asked. His friend showing hostility towards Kazuya who Jirou, the old bat and the stubborn bull was proved that Gakuto wasn''t thinking clearly. The fact that Kazuya was Kou''s grandson to top it off made the way he acted unreasonable so Jirou knew someone serious must have happened.

    "Just tell me! Is the boy there or has he ever left your house?" Gakuto was being emotional so Jirou decided to hurry on towards Tomoyo''s room. He quietly knocked before peeking in when there was no answer.

    "He''s here. From the looks of it, my granddaughter has been holding onto him ever since last night" Jirou commented as he saw Kazuya being enveloped by both Tomoyo''s arm and leg.

    "Are you sure that he didn''t leave last night?" Gakuto didn''t give up.

    "I don''t know what you''re so worked up about but I know my granddaughter''s sleeping habits better than anyone" Jirou was getting annoyed as he scoffed at his friend. "She will not let go of him and I have experienced this while I was raising her. Tread carefully and tell me what is wrong. You of all people should know whose grandson the boy is"

    "Sorry¡­" Gakuto who was on the other line immediately understood. He was but one man of one clan. To betray one of them, especially Kouzuki Kou was akin to suicide because of all the people that would give their all to help him. "My grandson¡­ Kuuga is missing"

    "Missing? Didn''t he run away last night to avoid getting punished by your old ways?" Jirou snorted. He didn''t have any good feelings towards this old peacock''s grandson.

    "That''s what I thought as well but when I send some people over to fetch him, they found no trace of him except for¡­ blood splatter that looked to be from a fire arm" Jirou was shocked after hearing what his old friend had to say. It was no wonder he was so emotional. "Is your grandson¡­"

    "He''s dead" Gakuto finished the sentence Jirou couldn''t finish. "I''m having the place he hung out in swept. Currently, they found brain matter scattered along with the blood so it''s already a foregone conclusion"

    "Are you sure it''s him?" Jirou questioned. "I''m sorry to say this but your grandson isn''t exactly someone who I call¡­ a pacifist" he wanted to make sure. His friend wasn''t in the right state of mind right now so Jirou could only act as the voice of reason. There was no telling what this old friend of his might do at the slightest bit of suspicion. He both had the means and the power to do so after all.

    "There was no one else that entered after he did and no one left according to the udon stall''s owner. The district is quite noisy so something like a single gunshot from a random place could easily be mistaken for something else. Don''t try to console me by giving me false hope old friend, I already had someone confirm it and started finding which bastard had done it" Gakuto''s rage was on the rise.

    "Then you should calm down old friend. Your suspicion should be far away from the boy then. Do you remember how Dokuro Domon left this world?" Jirou asked in a serious tone. "The boy had been out cold ever since that time and I don''t even know when he will wake up. I know how you are feeling since I''ve lost my son once but don''t you think you''re being too hotheaded?"

    "That¡­" Gakuto was taken aback. His main reason for suspecting Kazuya was that he was the only one he currently knew that almost killed Kuuga if it weren''t for his intervention. Kazuya had also shown amazing prowess that would put his own subordinates to shame. "It seems that I have really been foolish" remembering the pile of ashes that he collected a sample of as well, Gakuto thought that someone with Kazuya''s abilities and intelligence would not leave such a bloody mess.

    "I''ll lend you a hand old friend" Jirou knew how it feels to lose a kin and offered his help.

    "Thank you old friend but¡­ I want to be notified if there are any leads" Gakuto made sure to clarify his last statement. "You of all people should know how I''m feeling and I intend to see this through to the end"

    "I know" Jirou''s brows furrowed but he understood. "Just remember to keep your head clear. You already know that we will help but what we help with depends on the actions you will take from now on"

    "I got it" Gakuto ended the call. Jirou sighed and dialed another number as he walked farther away from Tomoyo''s room.

    Inside the room, both Kazuya and Tomoyo opened their eyes slowly. They heard Jirou coming over so Tomoyo immediately pulled Kazuya and made him into her hug pillow. What she didn''t know was that Kazuya had been used to this to the point that he wondered if every single girl had a habit of hugging something in their sleep like a mother protecting its cub.

    "Thanks, I really owe you this time" Kazuya yawned and stretched his legs. It truly had been very tiring night for him. He looked at the robot girl who provided him with the perfect alibi and patted her head with gratitude. "Did you a catch cold or something?"

    *shake shake* Tomoyo looked a little flushed. This was something that he was not used to so he had to ask. Tomoyo on the other hand was feeling a bit confused and embarrassed. She couldn''t put a finger on it but she felt that something had changed in Kazuya.

    It seemed as if his gaze had grown sharper and he exuded a certain atmosphere that she had not felt before. Tomoyo looked at him hard but had no idea what exactly changed. Did something happen last night?

    "¡­" Kazuya''s hand stopped petting the robot girl''s head as it slid down to her cheek.

    It felt quite cold but it soothed Tomoyo who was still feeling embarrassed about what she did earlier. She was afraid that he would get mad at her because of what she did without asking him but she got praised instead.

    "Good¡­ night¡­" Tomoyo looked over him and caressed his face. She didn''t care whatever he did or what has changed, to her. He could have done whatever he wanted and she would be right there beside him. She was glad that Kazuya counted on her and the feeling of being thanked made her feel satisfied and accomplished.

    .

    Inside the Kurogane clan''s home, Suzaku hardly got any sleep. He couldn''t wait to gain some recognition for his recent discovery. Kazuya didn''t know how Kuuga knew Mei''s involvement in Kazuno Tech''s business so he was unable to stop him from informing Suzaku for money. No matter what, he couldn''t stop the information so he didn''t care to ask Kuuga of how he knew. There wouldn''t be another soul he could pass the information to anyway.

    "Hmm? What are you doing here Suzaku-kun?" Shishio entered the large dining room because he was preparing to leave for work early.

    "I was waiting for grandfather" he looked a bit excited which caught Shishio''s attention. Most members of their family would be afraid of interacting with the current head because not only was he strict, he kept note of any mistakes his children and their children had done. "I have some information that a lot of people weren''t able to get"

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    "Oh?" there were only few pieces of information that the head of the Kurogane clan wasn''t aware of. "Is it confirmed?" Shishio gave a serious look towards this nephew of his.

    "Well¡­" he told Shishio about what Kuuga informed him together with the deal after they confirmed it. Suzaku didn''t like Nagisa but he looked up to Shishio. This uncle of his was someone he idolized and wanted to learn from. He knew that Nagisa''s role was just because they needed to swallow her family''s business so he only acted polite around her because she was still technically Shishio''s wife.

    "I see" Shishio was surprised but kept a cool expression. He didn''t want this nephew of his to know just how much this information was worth to him. "I suggest you wait till this has been confirmed before you tell father about it or you would get punished for telling him something that has yet to be verified"

    "But¡­" Suzaku frowned. He stayed up and couldn''t sleep because of the excitement of getting recognized for his contributions. He tried thinking about it but he couldn''t refute Shishio''s words.

    "Tell you what, I''ll help you confirm this information" he observed the hesitation in Suzaku''s face and smiled. "I''ll keep it to myself and help you out and let you tell father after getting confirmation, this I promise" he saw Suzaku''s eyes light up and held in the urge to laugh at how gullible this boy way.

    "Okay uncle, I trust you" Suzaku agreed. "This has something to do with the future of my fianc¨¦''s company after all.

    "Leave it to me" he lightly laughed. "Keep this information from the Muiminas for now since they have been so excited in trying to take over Kazuno Technologies that they failed an attempt yesterday" Shishio, of course heard all about yesterday''s fiasco and couldn''t help but feel sorry for the Muiminas and their approach. "We should ask for father''s opinion before informing them so that we can lend them some help. It should be easier taking over that company and you will be credited for the help we give as well"

    "Yes!" Suzaku hadn''t thought of that and got even more excited.

    "You should go get a little more rest since you look like you''ve worked hard to get this piece of information" Shishio didn''t want anyone else to be curious about what they were talking about so he sent Suzaku away. He had his own thoughts about this unconfirmed yet important piece of information.

    He knew who Kazuno Mei was, she was the brat that Kyouko picked up and trained. He wasn''t a stranger to the controversy surrounding Kazuno technologies especially since there had been an incident that involved the police in their headquarters just the day before. It was indeed a mysterious company that developed technology that was seemed mundane but had potential to anyone who was in the technological Industry.

    "(Is that girl pulling a fast one on Kyouko?)" he thought about it seriously because he especially focused on the moves of the Kouzuki Corporation who desperately tried to make connections with Kazuno Technologies because of their intentions to step over the line which the combined efforts of Kurogane and Muimina clans have worked hard to prevent.

    Shishio crossed his arms and recalled the story from his nephew''s informant. There was no doubt that it was most likely Kazuno Mei that bought the land that was now known as Kazuno Tech''s headquarters. The name itself made it even more obvious if one saw through the camouflage. There was just one thing that bothered him; what was his son doing with her that day?

    From what he knew about his son, Kouzuki Kazuya had been hovering between average and below average in his old school. It wasn''t until he had been hospitalized that everything started to go downhill. Kazuya not only blamed Lee for what happened, he did a complete change as if he had been hiding everything from the start.

    From the early reports of Kazuya''s progress as he was growing up, Shishio had already abandoned the thought that he was related to Kazuya. His mediocrity did not even make him want to recognize such a failure as his offspring. This lasted until he had received information overseas about the sudden troubles their family had suffered all because of the issues between his adopted son and his real son.

    "(He''s definitely involved in it)" Shishio was convinced. Despite Kazuno Mei''s fame and capabilities, she was but a mere assistant of Kyouko''s. She wouldn''t have produced such a capital to build and develop such a company from the ground up with such an ordinary background.

    This was where he thought Kazuya came in. He could have used the money that Kyouko may have assigned to his name without letting her know. He couldn''t decide if it was Mei who could have initiated it by ensnaring his child or if It was his child trying to stir things up.

    One thing was for sure; Kouzuki Kazuya was already someone that he could recognize as having his blood. Others may have not understood but Shishio thought that he could understand Kazuya''s thoughts if he compared the boy to him in his younger days. The apple does not fall too far from the tree after all.

    "Looks like I''m going to have to speed up my plans to come face to face with this son of mine"

    .

 105 While He Slep

    .

    Mei came to the Shiroyuki dojo early in the morning because she was worried about Kazuya. Though everyone in the Kouzuki house was informed of the excuses they thought of to not let them worry, she was well aware of just what he intended to do.

    "He doesn''t have a scratch on him but as you can see¡­" Jirou led Mei into his granddaughter''s room where Kazuya slept like a log after Tomoyo was summoned by her grandmother for her morning routine in the kitchen. "He''s exhausted from overusing what you guys call mana. Since it is related to internal energy, I know that he will need a lot of rest to recover so he might not be able to go to school today"

    "Can you tell me what exactly happened?" Mei turned to Jirou and asked seriously. She may not have as good of a relationship with this old man like Kyouko did but since they were sharing the same secret concerning Kazuno Technologies, the two had grown more comfortable with each other.

    "This kid, well¡­" Jirou recounted the story starting from when they left the headquarters. Jirou made sure to tell her what happened when he met with Kuuga because he wanted Mei to understand just how much influence she had when it came to Kazuya''s actions. He also informed her that Kuuga had been involved with the incident two years ago so she didn''t really feel any pity towards Kuuga.

    Mei couldn''t have imagined what role Kazuya had played in the previous night. She thought that he only went to make sure that everything had gone smoothly. With Jirou''s continuous input of how much her presence in Kazuno Tech''s headquarters affected Kazuya''s temper, how could she not appreciate what he did just because of the possibility of her being in trouble?

    Apparently, she had still underestimated just how important she was in Kazuya''s eyes. He may not have been very descriptive in things that concerned her in the dream he had but how could she not realize what his feelings were?

    "I''m not telling you this because I want you to talk to the kid about what he did but I just want you to be careful" Jirou said seriously. "You and Kyouko-chan are probably the most important people in the boy''s life and from what happened last night, he will not hesitate to make sure that both of you stay away from harm''s way"

    "I understand¡­"

    "Do you?" Jirou wasn''t convinced. "You weren''t even scratched and yet he already took down an entire clan and even turned the head of it to ashes. What do you think he would do if someone was actually able to make you two feel pain?"

    "¡­" Mei didn''t have anything to say to that. She didn''t want to imagine it because Kazuya had already crossed the line she didn''t want him to last night. She couldn''t understand just what made him react so extremely.

    "Also¡­ I don''t really know what happened but the kid who he beat up at the bar died last night" Jirou decided to add this little development. "He was apparently murdered in his second home and shot in the head" Jirou didn''t hold back because they were already past talking about pleasant things. "Gakuto originally suspected the kid of doing it because of their incident yesterday so I want you to remind him not to go looking for trouble because Gakuto is not in the right mind and might suspect him if he goes around that district to look for him"

    Jirou thought that having Mei give the warning would be more effective because of her position. This was supposed to be Kyouko''s job but there was no real way of telling her to do it because the events that happened were related to their secret company after all.

    "I understand. I will make sure to remind him" Mei agreed with Jirou''s opinion.

    "Thank you. I will have someone escort you back to the Kouzuki house with the kid. He will be able to get a much peaceful rest there since the students will be arriving soon" Jirou left the room to find someone that would carry Kazuya. He was sure that the single instructors would fight over the privilege of walking Mei home so he grinned while thinking of how he was going to make them fight over the opportunity.

    .

    On the other part of town, Gakuto had just arrived at Kuuga''s office and headed up to where his people had been waiting for him. He was a little hesitant because he was still unable to completely digest the loss of a grandson that had been with him only a few hours ago.

    "This¡­" he immediately noticed the blood splatter as soon as he entered. There were various people lined up on the sides that gave him respect when they saw his arrival. "What did you find out?" he turned to one of his most trusted lieutenants who he initially sent to fetch this troublesome grandson of his.

    "We found a secret compartment where the young master kept ''certain'' things" he hinted. Before turning to the rest of the people before they took the hint and left the room silently.

    "What thing?" Gakuto was a little annoyed. He ordered them to investigate and find out whatever they could about his grandson not look into his affairs.

    "I dare not say it and ask the clan leader to look what we found in the second young master''s hidden compartment. From what we can see, this looks to have been a hasty job. The person or the people who were here cleaned out most of the young master''s belongings in a hurry and neglected to check places like behind the shelves or under the tables" he explained as he led Gakuto towards the corner of the room where a loose board could be removed to reveal a small case that had a lock.

    The lock had already been opened by the lieutenant and he had the rest of his men watch everything so that he would be clear of suspicion if the stuff he found was sensitive. In this instance, he was relieved that he had taken precaution because from what he could see from these items, the second young master of theirs had dealings with both the Dokuro clan and the Muimina clan.

    "Stupid brat!" Gakuto threw the case and all its contents to the other side of the room in anger. He understood why this lieutenant of his didn''t dare voice out his speculations. Was this the connections his grandson bragged that Kuuga claimed he didn''t understand? This wasn''t beneficial for them in the least! Colluding with their enemies to take out their allies? This was flat out betrayal!

    Even though it was a secret that the one behind the Kazuno group was related to the Kouzuki company, the fact that Komori and Jirou themselves chose to be in lower position considering their status was already a testament to how Kuuga had ignored their clan''s allies. What Gakuto couldn''t accept was that even while knowing this, his grandson even dared to bare his fangs towards Kouzuki Kou''s grandson once more.

    This was what he could gather from the pieces of evidence that his grandson cleverly hid. He was the one who taught his grandson to be careful and not get caught. He knew that his grandon kept a bunch of burner phones but there were only two that remained and they were in this accursed briefcase . They contained the transactions and conversations with his former client Lee and his most recent, Muimina Ringo.

    Gakuto couldn''t help but curse at the amateurs that pulled this off. Why couldn''t they have taken this away so that he could focus on finding them without discovering how rotten this grandson of his was? Nevertheless, this provided him with a direction on where to go next.

    "Find out whatever connections this brat has and review all of his activity!" This was what was troublesome whenever anyone of them were ever to disappear or come to any harm. There were far too many people to be considered. Some could have sacked his grandson because of a grudge that could belong to Gakuto himself.

    This grandson of his didn''t just create trouble for him, he even made the search for the culprits harder. When it came to people who held grudges against him, there were too many to count. Kuuga himself was even worse because he racked up grudges at an alarming rate.

    "(I''ll make whoever harmed my grandson pay!)"

    .

    Near the middle of the country, completely unaware of what had happened in the previous day, Kouzuki Kou finally made it to the house that he once fell in deep into the highest mountain the country. The air was definitely harder to breathe because of their current height but the amount of mana that could be felt was a lot richer compared to cities.

    "(That''s weird¡­)" Kou frowned. He felt that the density of this place was comparable to the sensation he felt when he was in the Kouzuki house. He felt that it only was his imagination at first but now that he left, he was immediately able to notice the strange amount of mana concentration in their neighborhood.

    Kou carefully stepped into the roughly built house that looked more of a lodge than a house. This might look la little primitive but it was very sturdy. The place had barely changed since his last visit a few years ago.

    *KNOCK KNOCK*

    "Tsuna?" Kou knocked on the door while expecting no one was home. This place was far away from civilization so Tsuna would mostly be out of the house hunting for the food or looking for provisions.

    "Is that you Kou?" a deep voice came from behind him. Kou turned around and immediately recognized this friend of his who barely aged. He looked like a man who was still in his prime despite being a lot older than Kou and most of his friends.

    "Long time no see old friend" Kou observed the muscles that were almost bulging out of Tsuna''s jumpsuit. This was his friend''s usual attire whenever he ventured out to hunt or gather provisions. The familiar goggles on top of his head was still there so there was no doubt that this was indeed the same godfather he recruited for his grandson.

    "What brings you here?" Tsuna opened the door and led his guest in. He put down the basket of fish he caught and put the spear-like object he used for fishing in the corner of the room before sitting down.

    "Looking at you barely aging, I''m tempted to take up your offer in learning more about mana" Kou sighed. He once rejected Tsuna when he offered about it because he was reluctant to stay in one place. "Unfortunately, though I did intend to visit you, my plans have slightly shifted because of the beating and scolding I recently received"

    "You were beaten and scolded?" Tsuna was a little surprised. He liked this friend of his and was very much aware of his prowess. The fact that he was beaten was a surprise because most people that don''t have a connection to mana would have a hard time just trying to wound him.

    "You were mistaken my good friend" Kou gave a bitter smile. "Your godson is extremely compatible with mana and has even taught my daughter and a girl he treats as his big sister how to use it"

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    "Really?" Tsuna was surprised. He wasn''t arrogant enough to think that he was right all the time and from the looks of it, Kou had taken quite the scolding for him to openly admit it. "What an unexpected surprise¡­" he reached for a long and thin pipe on the side table before using his finger to produce a fire that can light it up. "Did you come here for the boy then?" he puffed out some smoke and smiled.

    "Yeah. My grandson learned everything he can do from the internet so you could imagine how dangerous that is" Kou explained. "He was probably lucky to have stumbled upon such methods but you should be able to guide him well"

    "Hmm¡­" Tsuna pondered. He hadn''t left the mountain in a few years so it was a tempting offer to agree to his friend''s request and meet this talented godson of his. "I do find a few things from your story a little strange" he puffed up some once again. "From what you''re saying, he found a method, tested it and grew right?"

    "What about it?"

    "The main reason there are very few people who even know or can feel mana is because of the limited amount of it that this world has. Even if I do come over to train him, any progress would be very slow" Tsuna explained and caused Kou''s ears to twitch. Wasn''t he just thinking about this earlier?

    "I find it weird as well. For some reason, the mana I feel from this place is very similar to when I''m in my neighborhood" Kou explained what he had been thinking about and what he noticed when he arrived and left.

    "Strange¡­ very strange indeed¡­" Tsuna was intrigued. He didn''t doubt the keen senses that made him recognize Kouzuki Kou in the first place so he was definitely tempted to see what may have caused the changes in his friend''s residence.

    "Actually¡­" Kou interrupted Tsuna''s thought process and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "It was actually my grandson who asked me to come here" he told him about the deal he made and Kazuya''s demand to choose between his family and his adventures. This made him admire the barely decade year old boy he had not seen since he was a mere infant.

    "Did he say that he wanted to learn from me about mana?" Tsuna grinned. It was the grandson and not the grandfather who was going to become his student which was an interesting development.

    "Well¡­ he asked me to give you this and said that if you really are the one he was looking for¡­ you would understand" Kou handed the mysterious envelope over. He was tempted to open it several times but he sensed something he couldn''t identify in the envelope. Knowing the mischievous grandson of his, it was probably something that wasn''t very favorable to him so he put his curiosity at the back of his head and decided to ask his friend about the contents when he opened it.

    "A letter?" Tsuna reached for the envelope and after looking closely at it, the pipe from his mouth fell to the floor as his mouth gaped open in shock.

    "This is Ancient Elven script!!"

    .

 106 Movements

    .

    In the Kouzuki house, Mei had just finished saying thanks to the instructor that accompanied her while carrying Kazuya back. Though the instructor saw this as a rare chance to talk to a person such as Mei, he was utterly devastated when she ignored most of what he said while maintaining a cold demeanor.

    "Should we inform the mistress?" Akane asked after taking out a new set of clothes for Kazuya. She was a little worried that he had overworked himself again since this young master of hers always had a habit of pushing himself.

    "No need. We''ll just tell her once she comes back home. Kazu''s just tired and resting for a day won''t affect his results on the exam anyway" Mei smiled and pacified Akane. She told them the excuse she came up with Jirou which put the blame on the old man because he wanted to see if Kazuya wasn''t slacking off after joining the tennis club.

    "I will contact the school and make preparations for a hearty meal then" Akane placed the change of clothes on the bed and left the room. Mei stared at Kazuya''s sleeping face and fixed his hair to the side. She was a little unconvinced that this cute face had actually ended a life in the previous night mostly because of her.

    There was nothing she could do because she wasn''t there and the deed had already been done. She appreciated how protective Kazuya was of them but she still felt conflicted since people being slain weren''t that common in this day and age.

    The sleeping Kazuya turned towards the hand that was fixing his hair and rubbed his cheek on it. This was one of the actions that Kyouko was envious of. Her son would rub his face around Mei''s direction whenever she would join them in bed late at night. They didn''t know if this was born from him recognizing Mei''s scent or presence but even Kazuya was not aware of this peculiar action.

    "hehe¡­ what am I going to do with you" seeing that he was still the Kazuya she knew, Mei decided to put these matters off for now. What mattered the most was that he returned safely and the threats to their company has lightened up.

    She started removing his clothes gently. Kazuya had already taught them some of the basic uses and advantages of mana so no matter how much Kazuya would sweat, it will all be dispersed into the air. For women, this was a very useful skill so they aspired to make it so that they would be like Kazuya who could keep this up even while he was sleeping.

    Mei hesitated a little when she took off everything except his underwear. Her face started heating up as she saw that Akane had included a change of underwear in the clothes she placed on the bed.

    "(W-what am I hesitating for!? K-kazu is still a kid and¡­)" she stopped her current thought as the confirmed theory of him having a mentality older than it was supposed to be popped into her mind. This caused an inner conflict as she held onto Kazuya''s underwear trying to decide if she should change it or not.

    "W-w-w-what are you doing b-big sis?" Kazuya who just regained consciousness woke up to Mei holding tightly onto his underwear while wearing a serious look.

    "K-kazu" Mei was startled and jumped back. She saw Kazuya back up nervously on the bed while trying to cover himself up. "Y-you''re up?" she found his reaction quite interesting and alarmingly cute so she recovered from her shock rather quickly. "Granny Fuji brought you a change of clothes. She had to inform your school that you would be taking the day off to recover so I tried to change you myself"

    "Thanks but I''ll change by myself" he almost disappeared along with his clothes and bolted into the bathroom to change. Mei giggled at this action since he was so embarrassed that his speed caused the light objects in the room to move or fly around. It was only after a little while did he come back with his hand visibly drying off the water on his hair.

    "Are you showing off?" Mei asked. This convenient magic required a lot of control that she still lacked to pull it off involuntarily.

    What Mei didn''t know was the only reason that this had been second nature to Kazuya was because he lived in a society which didn''t have the luxury to have people that regularly take baths. Though Edea was a world that was rich with mana, not everyone actually had the ability to utilize and study it well.

    "What am I doing in my room?" He was totally out cold and since Mei''s presence was with him after he left the Shiroyuki house, he subconsciously didn''t feel the need to wake up.

    "Shiroyuki Jirou-sama already told me everything. Did you really¡­ kill the leader of the people that attacked the company" Mei tried to confirm. "He also said that you need to give up if you want to find trouble with Domyouji Gakuto''s grandson because he was¡ª"

    "Both of them were eliminated by the same person" Kazuya stated nonchalantly. "They won''t be bothering us anymore" Kazuya tied his hair and looked at himself in the mirror before sitting down to face Mei.

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    "Why? Why did you have to go that far?"

    "Because the Dokuro group is useless without their head and they are the arm that does the Muimina family''s dirty work. Their actions would be severely limited now that one of their hidden cards have been disbanded. Dokuro Domon controls all the power and wealth of the group so without both, his people would disband" Kazuya explained.

    "What about Domyouji Kuuga? Isn''t he one of the grandsons of your grandfather''s friends?"

    "The Domyouji Clan?" Kazuya sneered. "They are my grandfather, Kouzuki Kou''s friends and not mine. Domyouji Gakuto discovered the fact that his grandson was connected to the incident two years ago and has cooperated with Lee''s attempts to take care of me so why did Domyouji Kuuga have the audacity to try again?

    They tried to hide the fact that one of them was involved and it was only recently that this was known. Had Domyouji Gakuto really valued his relationship with the Kouzuki Clan, they would have apologized for his grandson''s transgression. I doubt that my grandfather is aware of this fact or else their previous gathering wouldn''t have ended in Domyouji Gakuto still being arrogant as he still is" Kazuya really didn''t have a good opinion about the Domyouji group. He had his plans about them and it would be up to them if he was going to overlook their past offence.

    "Besides, that Kuuga guy decided to strike back one more time even after I warned him" Kazuya sighed. "He somehow knew that big sis was connected to the Kazuno corporation and reported to Kurogane Suzaku that the company is yours behind the scenes" he retold the conversation he wasn''t able to stop that day which made Mei''s brows furrow.

    "This is going to be troublesome¡­" Mei sighed. "He decided to spill the information after you warned him about it?"

    "No¡­ He asked for big sis as an additional condition for the information. This was what sealed his fate" Kazuya revealed a hint of killing intent. "With the trail I''ve left behind, the Domyouji Clan and the Muimina family will be the least of our problems"

    "He wanted me?" Mei was a little surprised. For someone to say that in front of Kazuya was indeed like holding a piece of fresh meat in front of a tiger. There had been a couple of incidents where she saw him flicking small pieces of whatever small object he had towards the eyes of those who stared at her and Kyouko with lascivious eyes. Both of them felt really happy about this and let him do it.. "What do you mean by the ''trail you left behind''?"

    "That story might actually take a while¡­"

    .

    Two weeks passed by peacefully. At least on the surface as the sudden disappearance of Dokuro Domon had taken their affiliates by surprise which both the Domyouji and the Akabane clans took advantage of. The balance in the underground groups shifted as various people changed allegiances which caused the power to shift heavily towards the two clans and their allies.

    Domyouji Gakuto concentrated on gathering information but the tracks seemed to have come to a standstill when he chased after those who held grudges against him. This only left the option of someone his grandson had been involved with. He had chosen to give up part of his territory to the Akabane clan in exchange for their help in finding out more about the investigation.

    Kuuga was reported missing rather than murdered by Jirou and gained the help of authorities to find any clues that could help. Unfortunately, other than the confirmation that the blood found in Kuuga''s office truly belonged to him, there had been no progress in locating his remains.

    The attack on the Kazuno Corporation wasn''t made public so they continued with their works as usual. The main conspirators on the attack however, couldn''t make another move as the Dokuro group they invested in had disappeared and disbanded on the same day as their failure. There was no sign of Dokuro Domon or his riches so many groups have already started to settle in and made changes to their territory.

    The Muimina group was in a bind. They couldn''t make any moves because although the attack wasn''t made public, the officials were silently investigating who the main perpetrators were because the fact that an underground group would target a rising technological company that was outside their territory was indeed very suspicious.

    Their current predicament was of course taken advantage of by Mei and the Kazuno Corporation. They made an announcement that they would be releasing products that have been developed to optimize the use of the highly anticipated [Rucy-chan]. This was an unexpected move that no one guessed because this was not at a scale that anyone expected of a seemingly small company.

    This was a move that took advantage of Kazuno Tech''s current circumstances. No other company would dare approach them with ill intentions because although the attack on their headquarters wasn''t made public, news about it circulated amongst every company that had their sights on them. Those who dared risk it would implicate themselves as the ones responsible for ordering the attack.

    Though it may have been good news for the business, the employees themselves had mixed feelings about this. They were already under a tight schedule already so the recent attention and anticipation from the public made them feel quite the amount of pressure. It wasn''t until Mei had Matsuri announce that they would be hiring additional personnel that passed their strict requirements did the pioneer employees felt relieved.

    "Interesting!" Kurogane Shishio laughed out loud after reading the report in his hand. "What an interesting turn of events indeed!"

    It had taken him quite the effort to dig deeply into the mysterious Kazuno Corporation. He had to rekindle a few of his old connections until he was able to find someone to bribe for information about Kazuno Tech''s registration. To his surprise, it was not Kazuno Mei who was the person holding majority of the shares but rather his son, Kouzuki Kazuya.

    "Immediately call over the best lawyers we have and tell them that I need something to discuss" he ordered his secretary. Shishio couldn''t help but grin happily. He was initially worried that he had been overestimating his son but after what he just learned, he learned that he had been foolishly underestimating Kazuya instead.

    He took a phone from his pocket and called Ringo Corporation''s office. "This is Kurogane Shishio. Let me talk to Budou-san" Using his name, he immediately asked to speak to the head of the company.

    Muimina Budou had been under a lot of pressure lately. His ''investments'' in taking over such a small company were for naught. He wondered why he was suddenly called up by Kurogane Shishio who was in current control of most of the Kurogane Conglomerate ever since his return.

    "What can I do for you Kurogane-san?" he breathed in and hid all his nervousness. He really couldn''t handle more pressure right now.

    "I''ve heard about what happened to the Dokuro group" Shishio cut to the chase since both of them were already aware that he was the one behind Dokuro Domon''s rise to power. "I called to in hopes to relieve some of your burdens"

    "Relieve some of my burdens?" Budou questioned as his nervousness lessened.

    "I know that it has been quite an effort for you to have been able to hold back the Kouzuki Corporation''s advance towards the technological scene. I want to relieve you of that burden. You may no longer stop them from stepping into the arena rather, I would prefer it they were given a push and advance without any hitches"

    "This¡­" Budou was taken aback quite a bit. His efforts in holding back the Kouzukis after the damage they caused to the Kurogane Conglomerate was greatly appreciated so why would Shishio ask for this?

    "There is no need to think about this too much. I''ll be completely honest with you and tell you that making things easier on your company is only one of the reasons I asked of this. I''ve heard a rumor that the Kouzuki Corporation may have a hand in Kazuno Tech. From the involvement of the Shiroyuki and Kurunume clans, it''s not a farfetched theory now isn''t it?"

    Budou knew that Kazuno Tech may have not been a simple company from what happened yesterday. Though Shishio didn''t provide the real reason for this theory, Budou started to suspect it as well. If this really was so then he would definitely hate that darned clan even more.

    "How do we confirm?"

    "That''s pretty easy. If they are indeed responsible for such a company secretly, they wouldn''t hesitate to immediately jump at the opportunity. They did invest on a secret company after all" Shishio explained. While this was true, looking from an observer''s point of view, he was more or less convinced that Kyouko was unaware of their son and her assistant''s actions.

    "Would that be alright? If they aren''t involved then didn''t we just waste holding them back in the first place?" Budou was a little hesitant. To waste his efforts just to clarify a few of Shishio''s suspicions was a little over the top.

    "No need to worry about that. What could they produce in such a short amount of time? They haven''t even started most of their research because of the hopelessness in their efforts. They wouldn''t even be close to being your corporation''s popularity in a short time. Besides, we can always intervene with whatever they come up with and it would completely waste their efforts" Shishio laughed.

    "That''s not a bad plan" Budou laughed as well. It was quite easy for them to do that since he was familiar with the people who were capable of such things. "I''ll get to work immediately" he ended the call and started calling a few of his contacts.

    Though what Shishio said was mostly accurate, he didn''t state his main reason for doing it; He wanted to see how Kazuya and Mei would react once Kyouko concentrated on making their opportunity a success. It would be like a mother and son showdown when it came down to it.

    The Muiminas and Kuroganes may not have it in them to mess with Kazuno Tech right now but messing with the Kouzuki Corporation was another thing. Shishio looked forward to seeing the two compete with each other while he stirs things up in the process.

    "I''m looking forward to meeting you soon¡­ my son"

    .

 107 Trap

    .

    The exams for Kazuya''s class were always like a tourist attraction for one reason. Since the students were not allowed to take out anything or even touch their bags before the test period was over, Kazuya would start sleeping on his desk just a few minutes after it began.

    A lot of exam proctors were concerned by this action at first but after hearing of the unbroken record of perfect scores, they all saw it as something normal. Truly the confidence when he declared that he was already fit for higher education when he first transferred to their school wasn''t said lightly.

    Students would come over during break times to catch a glimpse of the peaceful sleeping face that they could take advantage of. Though Kazuya seemed to be approachable, his classmates always felt that he was a little stiff. Seeing him in his peaceful sleeping state had been a sort of attraction because of this.

    He had become the light amongst the darkness and students would even leave some snacks and offer a prayer to the sleeping deity who never ceases to claim the top spot. Their department''s studying deity was undoubtedly Kazuya and his sleeping face in the hearts of those who had lost hope.

    "Finally over!" the students exclaimed after the last of the exams have been collected.

    *tug tug* Tomoyo turned towards Kazuya who had been napping.

    *yawn* "Is it over?" he rubbed his eyes and looked around to find his classmates celebrating.

    *nod*

    "Did you do well?" he asked.

    "¡­" the robot girl stared at him with a blank expression.

    "You don''t know huh¡­" Kazuya sighed. "That''s too bad, I was going to give you your present earlier if you did well since there were some excuses that said I was tutoring you" Kazuya teased and watched the usual blank stare turn a little muddled.

    "Yo!" Takaya entered the room. He took the exam along with his original class so he had been separated from them. "Did you guys miss¡ª Whoa!" he got lifted off his feet after getting near Kazuya. His shirt was immediately grabbed and created a scene which no one had seen in a while.

    "You fooled me on purpose" he commented. It was only until things settled down was he able to find the time to read up on this role that he was supposed to play. He was a little embarrassed because of his initial reaction to it because he had gotten a bit mad when he read that he was going to be playing a ''princess''.

    "It was you who made that assumption in the first place!" Takaya already got used to this as his feet clearly didn''t touch the ground anymore. "Why are you even mad!? Isn''t this better for you?" he got dropped down and his feet once again touched the ground.

    "You should have corrected me the first time" Kazuya sighed. It was indeed his fault for assuming that he was assigned to play the role of a girl. After Kazuya got a chance to study the script, he understood why he only had a few lines or why he was needed to act via expressions.

    The princess he was going to portray was actually a boy that needed to act like a princess to buy their clan some time. His clan would bide their time and prepare to strike against the family that wanted to take over by means of using marriage.

    It was a historical drama so he was still required to look like a girl. Though the actual fact that he was going to play a guy was better than playing a girl.

    "So you better not cut that hair of yours short or you''d be forced to wear those wigs like I do at times" Takaya warned. "The exams are already over so I went over to ask on behalf of my parents if you were free for rehearsal today"

    "Well¡­" Kazuya pondered. "I haven''t told my mom about this yet" though he wanted to tell Kyouko, she had been pretty occupied lately. Both he and Mei didn''t know what was going on but she had been coming home pretty late these past few days.

    "You''re not planning on going back on your word are you?" Takaya looked at him worriedly. He already convinced his parents that Kazuya would definitely agree so he would be in trouble if he suddenly rejected the role this late.

    "I don''t think she will be against it" Kazuya could imagine just how excited Kyouko and Mei would be because they had the hobby of making him dress up in different clothes or playing with his hair so they would definitely jump towards the opportunity to see him wearing fancy traditional clothes that could be seen on television. "I''ll go to this rehearsal of yours today then"

    "Sweet!" he almost jumped for joy as he leapt outside to inform his parents.

    Kazuya sent a message to Mei informing her that he would be a little late since he had some business to attend to at the Aoki theatre group. She was training and working in his laboratory after the recent incident because Kazuya didn''t want to take any chances and had her use the avatar which would allow her to appear in several places of the company as Winter Fog if needed.

    There were two people listening in on their conversation who were able to tell what was happening. Kurumi happened to have overheard this conversation a few times to be able to patch the details together. She highly anticipated Kazuya''s role on television. It took her a while but she was able to learn what it was going to be and had her father show support for it and push for it to be done earlier.

    This was why Takaya had approached Kazuya without waiting for him to realize his mistake. He was glad that it had worked out for him as Kazuya reacted as he should but his parents were actually under a little time pressure because of the involvement of Kurumi''s father.

    "I guess I won''t be able to accompany you to go home today" Kazuya turned to Tomoyo.

    *nod* She understood and was also looking forward to seeing him in television. From what she knew, it will be one of those historical dramas that involved sword fights. She hoped that Kazuya would have a turn at it so she could watch him looking cool like the historical drama actors she''s seen.

    Kazuya, Tomoyo and Takaya walked out of the classroom and went towards where Takaya would be picked up. On their way, they stumbled upon two people who were also done with their exams and were waiting for their cars.

    "¡­" Tomoyo immediately moved in front of Kazuya because she knew that Suzaku and Ringo didn''t harbor good intentions towards Kazuya.

    "Heh¡­" Suzaku laughed. "Trying to hide behind a girl as usual?" he mocked.

    "¡­" Kazuya merely gave him a glance before patting the top of the robot girl''s head to pacify her. She didn''t need to bother with them. So he went back to his conversation with Takaya.

    "Got nothing to say huh? Looks like you can only run your mouth when you''re behind someone else" Suzaku didn''t stop. He was quite confident in himself because he felt like he had gotten a hold of one of Kazuya''s weaknesses. He didn''t tell Ringo about it because of Shishio''s advice so she was curious as to why Suzaku was provoking Kazuya like this.

    "I know you''re stupid so why do I have to lower myself to your level? Has your brain melted during the exam period?" Kazuya glanced at Suzaku once more. "If I wanted to hurt you, not even your petty clan can protect you" Kazuya grinned. "You think I''m hiding behind the robot girl but from my point of view, she''s clearly protecting you from me" he shrugged. "What a dumbass"

    *tug tug* Tomoyo pulled on his sleeve so that they could move to another area. Kazuya wanted to comply but Suzaku didn''t want him to have the last word.

    "That''s big talk for someone who''s keeping that girl holed up in his house" Suzaku''s words stopped Kazuya in his tracks. To make sure that he would bring up his end of the bargain, Suzaku ordered some people find out more about Mei and her whereabouts.

    "I see¡­" Suzaku had Kazuya''s full attention this time as he turned to face the arrogant boy for the first time. "Do you like the little girl beside you? Is she important to you?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed as he looked at both of them.

    Seeing as Ringo was affected by the sudden question. Suzaku answered with "Why wouldn''t I? She''s my future wife and no one else can say otherwise" he boldly declared which made Kazuya smile.

    "Then I hope she doesn''t end up joining Dokuro Domon and Domyouji Kuuga because of what you just told me" before Suzaku and Ringo could react, Kazuya raised his arm forward as if grabbing air. A gust of wind from behind the two distracted them as Ringo clutched her skirt.

    "What did you mean by that!?" Ringo who was still holding onto her skirt didn''t even think that it had been Kazuya responsible for her embarrassment. She turned to ask what he meant because her family had been trying every means they had to find Dokuro Domon.

    "Domyouji Kuuga¡­" Suzaku glanced at Kazuya''s group who already walked away and mused. "Does he know¡­?"

    Kazuya had successfully been provoked but no matter what, they were still inside the school. Not even those two, with their influence could bring in their own bodyguards. He was there while Kuuga was informing Suzaku of his and Mei''s connection to Kazuno tech so how could he not know what he was so confident about?

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    "(Since you want to play, I''m going to be changing the board a little)" Kazuya''s grin scared even the thick skinned Takaya who was trying to lighten the mood. He may not have understood what they had been talking about but it was clear what Kazuya implied when he asked Suzaku that question; since Suzaku threatened him with a person he cared about, it would be an eye for an eye.

    The mood didn''t lighten up as Kazuya rode with Takaya towards the Aoki group''s offices. Takaya couldn''t help but watch quietly as the usual book reading boy beside him had been sending multiple messages with his cell phone.

    "(He really likes that big sis of his huh...)" seeing how affected the usually carefree Kazuya was, Takaya felt like he learned something new. He didn''t dare let him notice the thoughts he had on his mind. He also feared a bit about the fate of those two idiots. Kazuya had rarely been serious about something so he feared what would happen to those two if they continued messing with his friend like this.

    They arrived at the Aoki group''s office without speaking a word to each other. Takaya could finally breathe normally after getting off the car because the atmosphere as they were making their way made him feel a little uncomfortable. His friend was definitely up to no good and it was probably something that wasn''t simple.

    "You''re finally here Kazuya-kun!" Takaya''s mother, Aoki Kanade welcomed him. She was in charge of his rehearsal today because he was playing a princess-like character after all.

    "Thank you for looking after me" he was polite because Kazuya was aware of just how much Takaya''s parents compromised with his demands.

    "You''ve really improved! That was almost believable" Kanade giggled. "You don''t need to pretend to like this role because we were informed that it is to return a favor you owed my son?"

    "Television was a little out of my expectations but I know that it was because of your considerations towards my schedule. For that, you have my gratitude" Kazuya was a little hopeful but he still couldn''t fool the eyes of a professional. What he didn''t know was that Kanade had been shocked at how natural his actions seemed. Kazuya had improved a lot from the last time she had last seen him.

    "Let''s begin the dress rehearsal shall we?" Kazuya''s eyebrows raised but before he could turn and grab Takaya who had been stepping back, he was grabbed by Kanade and pulled towards the dressing rooms.

    "There have been a few changes to your script but it still mostly involves your ability to show expressions. What we need to focus on more now is what will fit your character best!" Kanade''s eyes shined as she gestured the staff members to gather around Kazuya.

    There were very few things that fazed Kazuya because he had literally went up against monsters and demons but he was a little fearful towards these women who were looking at him with shining eyes. They all couldn''t wait to get their turn at him as they moved together to smoothly take his measurements, fix his hair, decide what kind of makeup to put on him, etc.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but curse his friend silently. He had been led to a trap. Kazuya expected to have a few scenarios from the script practiced but he was given another copy of a script which didn''t change much but he actually had some speaking lines as well.

    He didn''t really mind because unlike the first script, this involved his character as a guy. His role got relatively a little more screen time but he was still but a minor character. The actual places where they would be shooting were included along with the filming schedule so it made it easier for him to tell Kyouko all about it.

    "I heard that Kyouko-san still isn''t aware of your role in this project?" Kanade spoke to him as the ladies were taking out different fabrics and putting it against his back.

    "Not yet. She''s been pretty busy lately" Kazuya didn''t find anything with this question until he answered. He could see the sparkle in Kanade''s eyes after his reply.

    "As you may be aware of, your Kouzuki Corporation has an agency that has a hand in the entertainment industry. Since we are already familiar with the restrictions you have, how about making us represent you in your career?" Kanade enthusiastically pitched her suggestion.

    "Career? I don''t think there would be a second time for this to happen again" Kazuya quickly dismissed her suggestion.

    "Now, now don''t be too hasty to reject" Kanade smiled as if she expected his rejection. She was quite fond of Kazuya''s bluntness. It was the complete opposite of her son''s mischief and he was definitely easier to read. "Kyouko-san''s reputation as a mother who dotes on her son is well known so how do you think she will react if her son is going to go on television?" she smiled and admired how fast Kazuya came to a conclusion.

    "(She would definitely let me join the company''s entertainment branch¡­)" Kazuya''s face paled. This was the ultimate excuse for Kyouko to doll him up officially and show him off. "I can accept your offer but don''t you need a guardian''s permission since I''m still a minor?" after thinking about the consequences, Kazuya was desperate for a countermeasure.

    "Don''t you have more than one guardian?" Kanade smiled as if expecting his response. "I can make sure to only inform you about offers that would fit your criteria and it will be up to you and your guardian if you want to accept it or not"

    "I think I would be okay with that" Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief.

    "That''s good news and it came at just the right time. There was an offer to let you act as your own character in the show to interact with a certain company''s product. It will be their first CM and they requested you especially" Kanade suddenly pitched.

    "Huh?!" Kazuya blinked multiple times. The show hadn''t been released and he was already being hired? "What company actually dared to hire a character whose casting wasn''t even finalized yet"

    "I found it strange as well but I''m sure you''d be surprised that it was from a company who had been stirring things lately. It''s none other than Kazuno Technology!" Kanade said with enthusiasm. Kazuya''s face was filled with black lines in comparison as his palm slowly made it to his face.

    "(This was a trap!!!)"

    .

 108 Por

    .

    "Hehehe" Mei couldn''t help but giggle after receiving the message Kazuya sent her about going to the Aoki group. She held in her hand a signed contract where she allowed Kazuya to be part of the Aoki group and let them represent him when it came to his career.

    She could only imagine the shock he would receive when he finds out about what she did. A smile formed up on her face every time she would think about it because she intentionally hid this plan from him ever since she found out about his role-to-be in an upcoming program.

    Mei was initially wondering who to get for the company''s CM (commercial) after she discussed various advertising campaigns with Kazuya. She was fond of one CM in particular but it needed at least one real person to pull it off. This person would end up being one of the faces that would represent their company so she was quite concerned on who to pick. This was when she stumbled upon the script that was laying on Kazuya''s desk.

    She made a plan and met up with the Takagi group to discuss Kazuya''s activities in their school. He spent quite the amount of time there so she wondered if Kazuya was thinking of joining the entertainment business one day. This was when she met Aoki Kanade, who was ecstatic to learn that Mei was one of Kazuya''s guardians, with which she discussed a plan that turned into a plot to make Kazuya be the face of Kazuno Tech''s CM.

    She received a few messages from Kazuya a little later and thought that it had been too early for him to discover what she had been up to. Mei was surprised to find the message Kazuya sent was not about his visit to the Aoki group but rather a warning that she was being watched and observed by people from the Kurogane Company.

    Of course this message wasn''t sent only to her. Another message with an explanation of the details were sent to the men who were stationed by Kou to keep the Kouzuki residence safe, they also received such a message along with commands to detain these individuals to be questioned.

    Now that they were aware of it, Jirou took action himself since his residence was in the vicinity of the Kouzuki household. It was relatively easier to spot anomalies or suspicious people because he was very familiar with the area and the residents, so it didn''t take too long for him to apprehend people that were watching the Kouzuki residence and some had been even equipped with cameras.

    "I feel bad for the Kurogane kid who tipped off the boy." Jirou sighed as he looked at the bunch of people they had caught. They were part of the security company of the Kurogane Conglomerate and they even had the identification to prove it. He didn''t even need to interrogate them.

    "What are we going to do with them?" The subject of their investigation came out of the residence and looked at the people that were assigned to stalk her coldly. She was enraged at them for provoking Kazuya, who had clearly proven that he would do anything to keep their lives at peace.

    "There''s nothing we can do except let the authorities take them." Jirou took out his phone to call one of the officials he knew. "It would be bad if the boy came back with them still here," he sighed again. "Let''s hope that the peace between the two families won''t be broken off by this."

    .

    Later that night, Kazuya was finally released from the clutches of the Aoki group''s enthusiastic staff. He said that he was going to meet up with someone that was going to take him home nearby so he rejected the usual ride they offered him back to his house. He brought an outfit to change into and left the Aoki group''s building to head towards the port area that was nearby.

    He already received the news that Jirou had taken care of the people looming around their neighborhood. This move was clearly outside of Kazuya''s expectations because he thought that it would still be a while before the temporary peace between the two families would be strained. Suzaku''s actions were akin to someone poking a bear.

    He sneaked into the port that hardly had any people left in it and chose a secluded place before he summoned the only companion he had from his previous life. He found this ring by accident and though it initially looked ancient and worthless, the mana it sucked out from him when he first wore it made it look like it was just forged.

    Of course, now that he didn''t have as much mana as he did before, it didn''t look as impressive as it once was. Compared to the time where it changed to an almost pale color that was devoid of mana when he first used it on Earth, it has relatively recovered quite a bit. Though it was useful with its storage capabilities, the fact that it was something from his previous life that was carried over was more important to him.

    "We only have a few more years to go before I can restore you to your original form so please bear with me," he spoke to the only companion from his previous life that he had left. It may not have replied but he didn''t expect it to. No one would have understood how he felt nor did he ever expect anyone to.

    He used his mana and put some of his consciousness on the ring to pick out one of the items that was stored. A few cell phones appeared in front of him and landed on one of the crates in front of him. These were some of the phones that Kuuga kept with him to conduct business with. Along with them, the prototype cell phone that was under development by Kazuno Tech.

    The situation was moving in a direction he didn''t expect but it wasn''t that uncontrollable. Kazuya thought that the ceasefire would last for some time but judging from Suzaku''s stupid action, he needed to adjust and accelerate the plans he had quite a little bit. Kazuya was quite uncertain on how to implement it at first, but after today''s events he found his answer¡­ or rather the answer made its way to him.

    "Testing¡­ Testing¡­" Kazuya gathered mana in his throat and tried to adjust his voice multiple times. "I want that woman once you confirm the information." It wasn''t until he was satisfied at imitating a certain someone''s voice did he stop the painful process his throat had to go through. One he finished the adjustments, he dialed a number that was stored in one of Kuuga''s burner phones.

    *RING RING* Muimina Ringo was relaxing in her room when the sudden call made her frown. She was previously looking into the whereabouts of Dokuro Domon whom her family was still unable to locate. Kazuya''s statements disturbed her because she had not heard a peep out of Domyouji Kuuga either.

    "You!" She answered the phone immediately after she read the name. "Where the hell have you been?!" She felt a sense of relief because she had thought the worst and assumed that Kazuya just issued her a death threat because of Suzaku''s arrogance.

    "I can''t talk for too long." A panting and panicked voice caught Ringo off guard. "My battery life won''t last for long so I just want to know if you''re willing to pay a hundred million for important information!" The voice of Kuuga on the other line seemed rushed which immediately made Ringo think that something serious had happened.

    "100 million!? Are you sane!?" Although she, or more specifically her family could afford it, it was still a big amount of money.

    "100 million is nothing if you can recover the billions that Dokuro Domon stored away! Do you want to know or not!? I told you I don''t have much time! I only escaped from their clutches after they found out that I had a deal with you! I need to leave town as soon as possible!" the panic in his voice could clearly be felt. What Ringo was unaware of however was that the cracks in this supposed Kuuga''s voice was because of Kazuya slowly injuring his own throat to keep up such an act.

    "How do I know you''re telling the truth? How do I know that what you say is real?" She was a little excited because from what she could assume about Kuuga''s state, he was desperate and had no reason to lie to her.

    "I can''t rely on the old method because those bastards would find me if I put it in one of my accounts. I need to leave tonight so all you need to do is to put the money in something that wouldn''t be found suspicious in an ambulance. Bring it to your family''s personal warehouse near at the port. I stole the evidence to prove everything so you can just leave the money inside your warehouse and give me the code to enter it after you''re satisfied. Remember, I will leave town if I find myself in a situation so you only have a few hours." Kazuya cut the call.

    *cough cough cough* His throat felt like it was burning. He could taste blood in his mouth but he resisted the urge to spit it out. He couldn''t leave any traces of himself after all.

    His plans had only reached the halfway point. He put one of Kuuga''s phones down and contacted Munie Ika, otherwise known as Squid God, using the prototype phone in his hand.

    "[Do it. Initiate contact.]" He sent the message.

    "[Are you sure about this boss?]" Ika was already briefed of their plan earlier. He was both surprised and a little scared about what he found out. He may had been a criminal but a hacker was a criminal that didn''t need to go out and do things themselves.

    "[I''m going to be borrowing one of your offshore accounts so take half of everything we''re going to be gaining tonight as compensation. This is what they get for messing with us,]" he replied.

    "[I''ll be contacting them now and let you see it.]" Another screen popped up where he could see a new conversation opening.

    Squid God may have settled down quietly but Kazuya was well aware of what this person can do. It was mainly because he was familiar with this person''s antics in his previous life did he know how to get along with him. He had a vigilante mentality but he really wasn''t a selfless one.

    "[I have sensitive information that will lead to who you''re looking for.]" Ika started a conversation with one of the Domyouji group''s people. He claimed to be a person who sells information.

    Kazuya had to hand it to him. Ika may be a narcissist but he knew how to get things done. Kazuya would expect nothing less from one of the legendary hackers who created not only trouble but provided a great leap towards the advance of programs and technology in his previous life.

    It didn''t take much to rile up the Domyouji as they were grasping at straws to find any leads pertaining to Domyouji Kuuga. It took only a few exchanges for them to say that they were already in the presence of Kuuga''s grandfather Gakuto.

    "[All I want is for 100 million to be wired to my offshore account and you will get the lead in my hands. What you do with it or whatever you may find after getting it will be none of my concern.]" Ika typed in.

    "[How do we know that you''re not scamming us?]"

    "[If I wanted to scam you, I would have straight out blackmailed you.]" A few pages of sensitive information was sent that startled Gakuto and everyone in the room they were in. These were various dealings that they were involved in that only existed within their systems. "[The only reason why I haven''t done so is because you happen to help a lot more people than you hurt.]"

    "[Do you really have a lead that will help us?]" They were slightly convinced that whoever the person contacting them was it was someone who had the power to take them down if they wanted to.

    "[I''m a picky information broker but not an unreasonable one. I can keep silent about what I discovered about your business but you will never be able to find me once you change your mind and want it later, that I guarantee. You have two hours to transfer the money to the account provided, failure to do so will just have me delete the information I have.]" Ika ended the connection after he typed in the final statement.

    "[Good work. Wouldn''t have done any better myself]"

    "[Are you sure you want to trust me with a hundred million boss? I could just keep it and run away you know]"

    "[You think you could run away from me? With those slow hands of yours?]"

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    "[That''s not fair! If I''m a legend then you''re a goddamn myth! I''ve never met anyone whose hands can most likely input in the same speed as the keyboard can recognize commands! You''re too much of a freak!]" Ika was upset, how could he not be? He looked highly upon himself and saw himself as the best until he was unfortunate enough to meet someone who could even call him a turtle in a game he decided to try out on a whim.

    Though things were moving smoothly, their plan wouldn''t be completed until both parties complied. What Kazuya was after wasn''t the money but rather he used it so that they would have more things to worry about. Humans, especially humans like them would have their greed first and foremost before anything else. The fact that they would be letting go of such an amount of money would make them less wary about the actual reason behind it.

    *RRR RRR*

    Kazuya heard several vehicles approaching so he hid his presence and blended into the shadows. It had only been a little over an hour and Ringo had arrived with her people. All of them looked cautiously around and tried to see if there was anyone else around the dark port before Ringo got off of one of the vehicles and was led inside the warehouse by some men carrying what looked to be the money that was requested.

    "(Looks like the first act is completed.)"

    .

 109 Temptation and Gains

    .

    After the night passed by, Munie Ika had a much better understanding about how the underground powers around their own prefecture worked. The operation with his boss Winter has been an enlightening one. It wasn''t only that, he had a much better understanding about their own mysterious boss and how his mind worked.

    He was quite the curious cat so he looked up Kazuno Mei the moment he found out that she was the company''s CEO. What he learned choked him because she was not the type of person to switch affiliations just like that. She had a reputation for not giving a damn about men and their status so it just shows to mention how their boss was for having such a woman as his fianc¨¦.

    The incident that happened at their company was also an eye opener as the most recent additions of their security company and their respective heads were testament to how powerful their apparent student owner was. Who would have thought that he would meet such a person in a game he just wanted to try out?

    He had his own suspicions, such as he was scouted intentionally by Winter Fog but since every pioneer employee was from the same game, this thought got buried. It may just have been fate that brought them together. He had been a person who made money mostly through dubious means so having an official role that actually helped both society and people he got along with wasn''t bad in the least.

    The Domyouji Group had been known associates to the three heads of their security agency. They were also involved with the purging of the group that was behind the attack on their headquarters. This was why Ika wondered why they were being punished. It was only after he learned that the person the Domyouji group was looking for actually tried to reveal information about their company while asking for their CEO herself once their company had fallen.

    This was punishment. Even an ally had to pay a hefty price for trying to mess with the sanctuary they built for themselves. Ika didn''t object to Kazuya''s way of doing things. In fact, he was strangely in favor of it. His original occupation required utmost secrecy so any leaks would lead to his immediate demise.

    He felt a little closer to Winter Fog than ever before because he initially thought that he was a young student who was still inexperienced in the real world no matter how much of a freak he was. It was then that a scary thought entered his mind. It was precisely because it had entered his mind did he feel that the possibility was more than likely.

    "[Boss, I have a question I want to ask.]"

    "[What is it?]"

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    "[Did you¡­ have anything to do with the guy from this yakuza clan''s disappearance?]" He intended the question to be vague because if it were him, such a sensitive question wouldn''t be answered in messages. He gave his boss the ability to deny answering the question if it was discovered even though it was highly unlikely.

    "[What do you think? You guys always call Autumn Mist the queen of the guild so how do I react if there are other guilds trying to mess with her?]"

    Ika felt a cold chill after reading what his boss had to say. It was true that they basically treated their only non-employed guild member, Autumn Mist, like the queen because there had been many exceptions made for her since she was one of the first friends both Void Android and Winter Fog made in the game.

    Various guilds tried to mess with them by targeting the innocent Autumn Mist only to be later destroyed by Winter Fog''s assault. His Squid God was part of these operations so how could he not be familiar with his boss'' ruthless methods? It only involved player killings but if they had been successful in hurting Autumn Mist, even the market would be affected just to make their targets miserable.

    Their thought process may have been similar but the biggest difference between them was that Winter Fog would dare make his move in the real world if need be. Tonight even proved that it was not the only exception. Winter Fog was on the scene himself and was risking a lot for this operation. Following this thought, Ika had a lot more respect and fear towards this mysterious boss of his and anticipated the day they would finally meet face to face.

    "[You''ve already passed the information I sent you right?]"

    "[I did boss. I''ve confirmed the payment after all. Do you want me to set up a secret offshore account for you as well?]"

    "[You don''t need to be clever with me, we will meet soon enough. Just move my share carefully back to the country and give it to your CEO. It will be used to get you guys better facilities and equipment]"

    What Ika didn''t know was that, at this moment, Kazuya was looking through the money that Ringo brought with her. It was as he expected though. It was not a whole hundred million. Several smaller bills have been put into the stacks. Ringo wanted to take advantage of the apparent rush of Kuuga and tried to pay less.

    Ringo already left with a bright a smile on her face a while ago. She already had the information along with the evidence to prove it so she didn''t feel the least bit guilty by not fully fulfilling her end of the bargain. Money wasn''t the issue for tonight''s activities anyway so he would take what he could.

    "[Well it''s your fault for being purposely mysterious you know. A hundred million would go long way in our small company. How about hiring some new and promising girls?]"

    "[There are already a fair amount of women employed in the company compared to when we first started right? You can''t fool me because I''ve seen a fair share of them]"

    "[YOU WERE HERE!?]"

    Kazuya didn''t bother to reply and stored the money along with the bag that came along with it, inside his ring before stealthily leaving the warehouse. Ringo had a couple of her own people stay behind to most likely stop Kuuga from getting the money but how could they stop Kazuya? He made sure to knock them out quietly before departing from the port.

    Tonight had been quite fruitful. Not only had Kazuya completed the task he set out to do, he gained about 160 million that would soon be used for company''s good. His collaboration with Ika was all that they needed to complete. The second act will depend on them and though Kazuya and Ika would keep an eye on what will happen, they couldn''t care less about what was going to happen.

    He arrived at the Kouzuki house feeling relieved that he was able to make it before Kyouko did. He didn''t want to be questioned about his current role because he still felt like he had been tricked into agreeing, based on what he heard about the agreement between Kanade and Mei.

    Though he didn''t mind doing something for the company, Mei''s mischief made it so that he would appear in the company''s CM as his character. That part he didn''t like because although he was going to be playing a guy, the character himself would be appearing more in the show as his girl self which limited the options of his CM feature.

    "Kazu?" Mei approached him as soon as he entered their home. Kazuya knew she was aware of his arrival because part of her attention was on the detection formation. "Where have you been? Kanade-san informed me that you went out on your own after your rehearsal"

    "I needed to take care of a few things while I was in the area" Kazuya got pulled into his laboratory. Mei knew that they would eventually have to talk about what happened today so she sat on the couch and waited for what he had to say. "More importantly¡­" Kazuya suddenly released an intimidating pressure and cornered her as she sat down. Both his arms prevented her from escaping as she fell on the cushion.

    *Dokun dokun dokun* Mei''s heart was beating wildly because she didn''t expect him to do something like this. She looked at his clear eyes and her mind was going crazy thinking about what was going to happen.

    "You''ve been very naughty recently, Big Sis." Kazuya grinned. Both Miyamoto and Takaya taught him that this was an effective way to corner a woman who you needed to confront. They also told him that this had been a move that would exert a man''s dominance.

    Kazuya could see how nervous Mei was. Seeing her reaction made his grin grow wider. He had to admit that this big sis of his vastly differed from the cold one he once knew but he knew that they were still the same person. This version of Mei hadn''t lost her cheerfulness and could show it towards him. Both of them were still the same kind and caring person but he still needed to do something about her mischief because although he didn''t mind helping the company out, other involvement concerning the entertainment industry was something he was not interested in.

    "W-what are you going to do¡­?" she whimpered. Her head was in a mess. It wasn''t that she couldn''t break free from the clutches of a nine year old but rather it was her hesitation and curiosity that made her not think clearly.

    In her mind, she was already convinced that Kazuya had a mentality that is very much older than his actual age. Though Kyouko could pretty much determine it because of her experience, Mei could not. Her imagination was running wild as she looked deep into his eyes.

    "The deal you made with Aoki Kanade would help prevent Mom from going crazy after I tell her about this and all but¡­" Kazuya slowly placed his thumb on her chin and gently pulled up her face. He slowly caressed her cheek which made all the senses in Mei''s body feel numb. Kazuya found the Mei in front of him extremely beautiful right now so he moved his face closer. He most likely wouldn''t be able to resist the urge to kiss her if he continued to look.

    "Please don''t make any decisions about my appearances without discussing it with me first" Kazuya moved his face to the side and gently whispered into Mei''s ear. She felt extremely relieved that she was laying down on the couch or her legs would have prevented her from standing if they had done this as she had imagined.

    "O-okay, Kazu¡­" Mei felt like she was intoxicated as she could feel his body heat and smell his scent. His breath on her ear tickled her senses as her face flushed even further.

    This was one of the methods that both Miyamoto and Takaya collaborated with to teach the clueless boy. Takaya did not believe that he would be trusted if he was the one who taught him so he got Miyamoto to help him. Kazuya valued Miyamoto''s opinion since from his point of view, this sensei of his had not been proven wrong with his lectures about women.

    The two even suggested that he try out the method they taught on Tomoyo. Kazuya may not have been able to pin her against the wall but he was able to caress her cheek to make her speak a few words every now and then.

    It wasn''t until now that he was convinced of the method they taught him. The robot girl always did what he said so Kazuya didn''t really think that it was because of the method they taught him. Mei was a very different matter because this big sis of his had always been getting away with everything and he could barely do anything about it. He thought that it would have been hard to use against any of the girls at home because aside from Yui, everyone was much taller than his current self.

    "That''s good to hear big sis" he whispered as he slowly moved away from her. He glanced at her expression and quickly looked away because no matter what, he had to keep himself from doing those kinds of acts so that he could make it back to Edea. "I have something big to give to the company"

    Kazuya quickly changed the topic and extracted the spoils he got from Muimina Ringo today. The black thing that appeared on the floor immediately made her snap out of her thoughts.

    "A body bag?!" She looked at Kazuya who was smiling at her. "Did you¡­"

    "It''s not what you think big sis. This is just a camouflage" he quickly unzipped the bag to reveal several bills of money inside. "The Muimina family was gracious enough to give our company a donation. Though they didn''t know that it would be us that will be making good use of it"

    "There is more or less about 60 million here. Munie Ika will also be bringing in another hundred secretly. They will be additional investments that can be used for the company. Please tell me if there is need for more so we can push things faster"

    "There is a way to make things go faster but¡­" Mei looked a little hesitant. "I would have to resign as Kyouko''s assistant and take up my post publicly if I want that to happen though" she confessed. She wasn''t just an assistant for the Kouzuki corporation, Mei also held a reputation of her own as well as the connections she gained with the job. Unlike Mahiru, things would go much smoother if she was the one negotiating with others since they would have less to prove about their company with her at the helm.

    "I''ll leave it for big sis to decide" Kazuya had utmost confidence in her judgement.

    "That would mean I would have less time to spend here and I would start working at Kazuno Tech''s headquarters"

    "Hold off on that for a bit big sis. The situation is getting quite sensitive so I would rather have you here since we still don''t know how the Kuroganes will act after today" he remembered today''s incident and was reminded that Mei was still in some sort of danger because of Kuuga''s earlier demands. "We''ll stay quiet for now and wait until the second act is over"

    "Second act?"

    "Karma and punishment is what I like to call it"

    .

 110 Punishmen

    .

    The night passed and it was extremely tense at the Domyouji clan''s house. Though the competition against their own was tough, like every clan, they knew when they should put aside their differences. They lost one of their own and, like any other family, they were extremely protective of their own.

    The search had been intense but bore no fruit. It was like Kuuga had disappeared without a trace. They were at the end of their wits because how can they just sit and accept it without even finding out who was behind his death?

    It was on the night before that an individual randomly appeared and threw them some hope. This had been the very first time someone had approached them who actually knew something. It was like Kuuga either disappeared into thin air or this was some kind of power preventing people from telling them anything even with their reputation as a guarantee.

    But there was a catch, it involved a sizable sum that would affect their clan greatly. It was then that the rest of the family members began to have second thoughts about this.

    "Transfer the money" Gakuto ordered with annoyance after observing the reactions of his own clan members. He felt ashamed that their resolve was shaken just by the intimidating amount of money. Even his most favored grandson had not reacted differently which made the old man greatly disappointed.

    It had been almost a sleepless night for him because the one claiming to be an informant said that they would send the information over the next morning. All his people who were responsible for dealing with technology were scared because the head of their clan never visited their place but he was the first one there early the next morning.

    "We did" one of them nervously answered. "We''re just waiting for everyone to¡ª"

    "Open it and let me see" because of last night, Gakuto was the only one who thought that it hadn''t been too much of a loss. He would have done the same if it happened to any of his other descendants, which apparently they did not understand. They were supposed to protect their own despite everything else.

    A photo of a custom handgun was put on the screen. There were intricate designs carved on it that made it obvious who the owner is or used to own it. How could Gakuto not recognize the Dokuro clan''s seal engraved on the gun''s handle.

    "Was this the gun that killed my grandson?" he questioned. This would be a little impossible because while the Dokuro clan was falling, Kuuga had been with him. He questioned the authenticity of the information because the operation they performed was a secret and even the informant who sent this couldn''t know about it, right?

    It was just when Gakuto was convincing himself that it had been a false alarm did a video start playing on the screen. The personnel were unaware of his thoughts and opened another file that was sent. It was a video that started at a place that looked like a port. There was nothing too suspicious about it at first but when some vehicles arrived, Gakuto''s eyes locked onto two things.

    One was a girl who he recognized. The prized daughter of the Muimina corporation who his grandson had made a deal with. The other was the black body bag that the people who were accompanying her were carrying towards one of the warehouses.

    Due to some of the information in the bunch of files that were found on his grandson''s hidden compartment, Gakuto was already aware of the secret connection between the Dokuro group and the Muimina family. He doubted that they would have the capability to touch his grandson especially after what had happened to one of the groups they were secretly supporting.

    Now everything seemed to have been out of his expectations. What would the heiress of the Ringo corporation be doing with a dead body? More importantly, whose body was that? These were the questions he was wondering about because as far as he knew, Muimina Ringo, unlike her real self, was introduced to the public as a warm girl who got along with everybody.

    "This¡­" he continued to watch the seemingly dull video. It wasn''t until Ringo and the men that accompanied her exited the building did Gakuto notice that not only did they not leave with the body bag, Ringo who had a clear smile on her face was holding onto what was clearly a handgun in her hand.

    It was like whoever was taking the video read his mind as the video zoomed in on the gun that was in the girl''s hand. What Gakuto saw made him shiver. It was the gun that was introduced to him previously. After he saw this, there was just one thing on his mind now.

    "Call the men! We''re going to the ports to check out something!" He ordered.

    "Sir¡­" one of the personnel behind the computers called out to Gakuto nervously.

    "What is it?"

    "There is something else you should see¡­" he made another file appear on the big screen. It was about another group that was relatively smaller in the underground society but was slowly gaining ground. "If the Dokuro clan had been the Muimina family''s right hand, this small group was providing support as the left" he explained to Gakuto.

    "Good work!" Gakuto praised. Now there was something that he had to go on. If this information really lead him to something that had anything to do with his grandson, all the money they lost had all been worth it.

    The Domyouji group didn''t waste any time and moved out towards the port. Gakuto recognized the place in the video because they had their own warehouse in the ports so it was not really suspicious for them to be going there. What caught people''s attention however, was the fashion in which they were heading there. Those who knew the Domyouji group from back in the day knew that they were acting like the time they were heading out for a bloody battle.

    Of course, their closest allies, the Akabane family immediately got wind of Gakuto''s movements. They have been keeping an eye on the situation and helping out but with no wind of any news, Isshin found Gakuto''s unexpected gathering and departure quite suspicious.

    "Let''s move" Isshin didn''t hesitate because of a bad feeling he had. He trusted his guts because it saved him countless number of times before. He couldn''t quite put a finger on it but he believed that something ominous was about to happen.

    The day started out clear and sunny but thick clouds started to gather around the port as Isshin arrived. Gakuto and his men weren''t at the western area of the port which their warehouse was located at. The port security pointed him towards the eastern part where most of the warehouses were private storages for some of the known personalities in the prefecture.

    "KUUUUGA!" Gakuto''s voice echoed throughout the east port. Isshin immediately rushed towards where it came from and found the members of the Domyouji clan stunned. No one expected it but they just found the young master that had been missing since their last victory.

    They had yet to celebrate the victory but gains their clan had achieved for dismantling the Dokuro clan had been spent to pay the mysterious informant. It wasn''t only that, the proud Domyouji clan had also lost one of their young masters.

    Isshin entered the warehouse that had its entrance smashed. He followed the gazes of the clan''s lieutenants and entered what looked to be a freezer used to store large amounts of food. There he found his friend kneeling on the ground, his sorrowful back facing him.

    In front of Gakuto was clearly the body of the missing boy, Domyouji Kuuga. Not only was a clear bullet hole visible on his head, Gakuto couldn''t even hug the body of his dead grandson because of how frozen the boy''s body was.

    "Gakuto¡­" Isshin didn''t know how to console his friend. Thinking about his own granddaughter, he knew what was going to happen after his friend got up. "Who did it?" those were the only words he could say. Both of them were like brothers in arms and their clans were allied so Isshin would definitely help.

    "Thank you old friend but there will be no need. This is my clan''s problem and it should be solved by my clan alone. I wouldn''t be able to face old Kou if I didn''t at least do this much to pay back what I owe" Gakuto stood up and approached Kuuga''s frozen body carefully.

    "What do you mean by that?" Isshin''s gut feeling acted up and his senses were telling him that this wasn''t as simple as it seemed.

    "I''ve heard about what happened near the Kouzuki Clan''s house yesterday" Gakuto gestured his men to take away Kuuga''s body. "You should focus on protecting them from the sidelines while I deal with this" Gakuto turned towards his friend and although his face looked neutral, Isshin clearly felt an intensity he had not seen in Gakuto for a long time. "The balance between the two will be broken even if the Kuroganes don''t make a move"

    "Was the Kurogane family behind this?" Isshin asked in surprise.

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    "No. It was the Muimina Ringo who seemed to have murdered my grandson" Gakuto couldn''t help but clench his fists as he mentioned the name of Kuuga''s most likely murderer. "It was my foolish grandson who decided to align himself with snakes. In order to pay back the trouble my foolish grandson caused them and my mistake for trying to cover for him, I will take responsibility for this"

    "The Muimina clan¡­" Isshin''s brows furrowed. Now he understood why Gakuto had insisted on doing this with his clan alone.

    Jirou had already told them about yesterday''s incident so the Kouzuki clan would already have a motive to strike against the Kurogane clan. If any of the Kouzuki clan''s allies launched an attack against the Muimina clan, it would be seen as their retaliation towards them and would immediately incite the continuation of the feud that had come to a ceasefire.

    Gakuto didn''t want that to happen because of his intention to get revenge for Kuuga. It would strictly be between their two families, so if the Kurogane clan wasn''t ready to go in an all out war once again, they would have to let the two families settle this. Their intentions were already in question because of Suzaku''s recent actions so lending a hand to Muiminas would give the Kouzuki clan and their allies enough reason to go to war.

    "How did you know to come here?" the thought suddenly crossed Isshin''s mind. There had been no clear movements so how exactly was his friend able to locate Kuuga?

    "I paid a heavy price for it" Gakuto explained what happened in the previous night as he watched Kuuga slowly being taken away. There had been an incinerator on one part of the warehouse so he could imagine what awaited the body of his grandson if Ringo or her men came back.

    "I believe that you should wait a little bit old friend. This is very suspicious¡­ especially that mysterious informant that suddenly appeared"

    "You don''t need to tell me that" Gakuto scoffed. "Though I don''t want my grandson''s body to be ruined any further, I find this quite suspicious as well. Kuuga''s remains will be examined while we prepare things on our end" he declared.

    "I see¡­" Isshin admired this friend of his. He would have already been at the Muimina family''s front gates and destroying everything on his path if he were in Gakuto''s shoes. Needless to say, once everything had been clear, the only thing that had been stopping Gakuto would be gone and the Domyouji Clan would once again be out for blood.

    News of this development didn''t take long to circulate amongst the people in Kou''s inner circle. They all agreed that Gakuto''s decision was correct and they were all ready to give a hand once the Kuroganes showed any intention of helping their murderous allies.

    Attacks and obstructions in one''s business were understandable and were all part of the game. What made the blood of these old men boil was the fact that an actual family member was hurt or killed. This was why they spared no expense when Kou had rallied them against the Kuroganes for the first time and the second time.

    When Jirou received the news, he wasted no time and called for professionals to help Gakuto''s people confirm what they needed to know. This was also his way of getting ahold of any information since Gakuto already started moving towards the Muimina clan''s left hand. This was his way of preparing for the battle that will start as soon as he found out what he needed to.

    Oblivious to everything, Ringo had been basking in the praises of her parents for her recent achievements. She felt that she had pulled a fast one over Kuuga because not only did she not pay the full amount he had been asking for, she had already gotten most of the evidence she needed to prove to her parents that she found out critical information that they were not able to obtain.

    She really didn''t feel bad for tricking the so-called Kuuga she had a deal with last night because he had already failed his end of the bargain last time. Though he offered to add more evidence once he had confirmed the payment, she felt that Kuuga was already lucky to have been paid more than half of what he initially asked for.

    "How''s the progress going, Dad?" She asked her father after finding him drinking coffee at the dining table. "We''re able to get the money back right?"

    "We can but we still need to find the right timing. The Dokuro clan was our muscle so we need to find ourselves a new hand" he put the newspaper down and sipped his coffee. "The Domyouji clan is a very influential clan so we need to have a plan before dealing with them. What is good about them is that the money they stole from the Dokuro Clan should be in one of their hideouts" he confidently stated.

    Kazuya used Kuuga''s identity to make it easier for the Muiminas to believe that the Domyouji clan was in possession of the money that he had stored inside his ring. He provided the handgun that was especially crafted for Dokuro Domon and claimed that he had taken it from his family as he escaped captivity. He claimed to have been under punishment because they uncovered his affiliation with Ringo and intended to run away but not before he got the funds he needed to disappear with.

    Kazuya provided Ringo with the handgun she held when she happily walked out of the warehouse with the information that the money they gained had been split up into the various hideouts of the Domyouji family. He even added photos of the said money which he claimed was taken before it had been split.

    "These lowly yakuza think they can steal from me, Muimina Budou? They have another thing coming!"

    .

 111 Spilling the Beans

    .

    At the Kurogane Estate later that evening, a meeting was called due to a recent change in the situation. Men from their security detail had been detained and reported to the police to have been stalking and lurking near the residence of the Kouzuki clan. The people who gathered were some of the leaders of the family and they immediately denied having to do with any of it.

    "Enough!" Kurogane Tenma was fed up by these people who worried only about themselves. "I know who the culprit is and so does everyone else who heard about the situation. You can all stop trying to avoid any blame so we can focus on the main topic. That brat stirred the hive successfully and they have been preparing for our response"

    How could they not notice the moves Shiroyuki Jirou had no intentions of hiding? Not only has most of the people in their world been informed about the recent incident but so were the authorities. Jirou made sure that anything untoward that happened to the Kouzuki clan or their close associates would put the Kurogane Conglomerate under the hot seat.

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    Unlike before, the Kouzuki clan had been prepared. With Kouzuki Kou returning to the country, his allies were more than happy to assist his family more than ever. Even though he may have left their prefecture, they could tell from his destination that Kou would once again be involving the Kouzuki clan''s biggest ally and the Kurogane clan''s biggest threat.

    Nagato Tsuna, the freak who single-handedly took down the strongest generation of the Kurogane security force. Kou and him had been seen together near the foot of the mountain. There were no signs that these two took normal means to return to town but anyone who knew anything about the two could tell that they were coming.

    "I believe that I can put the situation back in order" everyone turned towards Shishio after announcing such a bold claim.

    "How do you propose to do so? Their alliance has been itching to fight with us ever since Kouzuki Kou had returned" Tenma asked with great interest.

    "I initially have been forming a plan to meet with Kouzuki Kazuya. Afterall, I am still his biological father so to speak. The boy is clearly a Kurogane if one assesses his abilities. I have been consulting a bunch of our lawyers and I believe that I can turn the situation back to the way it was if not in our favor" Shishio boldly stated.

    He might have been confident on the surface but he was angered on the inside. He hadn''t expected his nephew Suzaku to actually have been stupid enough to go after Kazuno Mei. Even if Mei wasn''t a Kouzuki, with both Kazuya and Kyouko''s attachment to her, it was already as if she was one of them.

    "Hoooh? You actually had such plans?" Tenma immediately caught onto his son''s implication. If he was not mistaken, Shishio had been planning to eat the Kouzuki clan from the inside.

    It was indeed like they had forgotten that though Kouzuki Kazuya was from the Kouzuki clan, he still had the blood of the Kurogane flowing through his veins. None of them denied that the prowess he has shown were due to their own lineage but the problem was that he was raised by a mother who had hatred not only for the boy''s father but also for the clan that he represented.

    "Are you sure you have the ability to do that?" who else but Shishio''s brother Sousuke would try to instill doubt to his little brother. "Remember, the boy uncovered the plot your wife set upon their clan" Sousuke watched as some of the people agreed with him.

    Nagisa who has been quietly sitting on the sidelines did not have a face that was unaffected. She was not privy to Shishio''s plans though she knew his interest in the boy. Sousuke pushing the blame towards her made her almost burst out in anger. If it were not for the heavy gaze Tenma had on her, she would have already lashed out.

    "Who else aside from me has the ability to do that?" he scoffed at his brother''s attempts. "Who has made the company recover in such a short time after even you failed to do so? I do not meddle in your own family affairs big brother so I would appreciate it if you would stay out of mine. While I have yet to have an official heir, it is still much better than someone who thought he had one and turned out to be a lie right?" Shishio grinned as he watched his elder brother''s expression turn to shameful one that couldn''t retort.

    "That would be enough from the both of you" Tenma had enough and cut in before it got any worse. No matter how mature they seemed, these children of his always would act like children whenever they argued against each other. "Does anyone have any other plan?" he looked around the room. "I will leave this in Shishio''s hands if there is none"

    The meeting had adjourned and everything was put in Shishio''s hands. He had his own supporters and they all believed that putting it in his capable hands was the right choice. They initially hated everything about the Kouzuki clan but after Shishio had made known that he recognized Kazuya as his son, they were not against the idea and decided to look into it more.

    There were two people that were largely against leaving this to Shishio, they were of course the elder brother Sousuke and Nagisa. While both of them had very different motives for being against this, it was clear as to why.

    Nagisa urging on her nephew had failed miserably. It even caused Shishio to initiate contact with Kazuya sooner rather than later. She couldn''t help but curse the kid for the move that implicated all of them. Now that she knew that her husband had set his sights on Kouzuki Kyouko''s son, doing something now would only garner the enmity of her husband.

    "(I''m not going to let that bitch get ahead of me!)" after thinking about it, Nagisa couldn''t bear thinking about how Kyouko''s position would be greatly elevated if she used her son to her advantage.

    Following this line of thought, an idea popped up in her head. Nagisa may not be allowed to touch Kazuya but what about Kyouko? Wouldn''t getting rid of her lessen the burdens on not only herself but her husband? Won''t taking over the Kouzuki clan be easier if custody over the minor child was given to the father instead?

    A smile slowly formed on Nagisa''s seductive lips. Getting rid of Kyouko would be like killing two birds with one stone. Not only would she be free from any future threats, she would be able to discipline and train the kid well.

    .

    In the Kouzuki household that same night, Kyouko went home early because Kazuya had requested her to do so. She was still in the dark about the recent changes in the situation so Jirou helped explain the situation together with Mei and Kazuya. They informed her about the men that were captured and their identities,

    "But why would they want someone like Mei?" Kyouko wondered. "It wasn''t the old fogeys from the Kurogane side right?"

    *sigh* "I intended to keep this to myself until the right time came but¡­" Kazuya moved towards a wooden chest on the corner of the room and unlocked the spell that bound it. He took out a briefcase and put it in front of his mother. "This is a very early present from me, Mom, though your birthday this year is still a few months away¡­"

    Kazuya was still reluctant to do this. He was still unsatisfied with the current state of Kazuno Tech to surprise Kyouko with it. She was the head of a large corporation so what would be a small company in her eyes?

    "This¡­!!" Kyouko''s eyes widened and her mouth was agape as she went through the contents of the briefcase. It seems Kazuya didn''t quite understand the magnitude of what he had done. He was too hung up on presenting Kyouko with a complete company that could stand in the same line as the Kouzuki Corporation that he neglected to consider the fact that what he had done has already been miraculous.

    "Sorry, Mom. I wanted to be able to let you know once everything was completed but because of the situation¡­" Kazuya felt ashamed. There were a few ways where they could avoid informing Kyouko of what they had in their hands and it wouldn''t work in their favor especially now that their enemies were aware of the truth.

    "Silly boy" Kyouko pulled him into her arms. She was still in shock but no matter what her son had done, she would have been proud of him. She glared at the two conspirators in the room while she comforted her silly son who thought that she would be disappointed over being handed something that she knew that nobody in the industry would have been able to do in such a short time. "You know that I would be happy with whatever you give me. You don''t seem to understand how much your Kazuno Tech has been making waves recently. Now I understand why no one has been able to figure anything out about it for such a long time"

    "Now that you know, Boss, I''d like to inform you of my resignation, effective after my vacation time ends" Mei had always been troubled with finding the right time to do it or how she was going to be able to leave her post. Now that the secret was out in the open, she no longer needed to worry since Yumi already had a good grasp of how to do her job.

    "This explains a lot of things¡­ So many things¡­" Kyouko was able to figure out Mei''s strange behavior. She already tried investigating how Kazuno Tech was founded and it more or less coincided with the time when she first noticed the strange behavior of this assistant of hers.

    "And you thought I was cheating on my Kazu" Mei grinned. "You should understand best that no one is better than my Kazu" she smiled mischievously.

    "You mean MY Kazuya!" she held her son in her arms to keep him away from Mei. Now that it was confirmed that she was not in a secret relationship with anyone like Kyouko thought, her son was still in danger from this weird woman. "So was this what forced you all to tell me in the end?"

    "Well you see¡­" Jirou took over. This part was best left to him being the elder of the group. Mei helped with the details regarding the company and they told Kyouko about the events that transpired when the Dokuro group sieged the headquarters.

    "I heard about this but no one knows that it had been the Muimina group behind the attack on Kazuno Technologies" she let Kazuya sit beside her and looked at him. Jirou told them that he had been present and even played a big part on keeping the company safe. What they didn''t tell her was that what he did with the head of the Dokuro clan.

    "Sorry for keeping you in the dark about this, Mom" he apologized again. He could tell from his mother''s look that she was worried about him even after Jirou explained that their identities were hidden pretty well.

    "Don''t apologize Kazuya" she looked at him warmly. "You did this with helping me in mind, right?" Kazuya gave a shy nod which she found adorable. This son of hers was quite brave when it came to enemies but was truly easy to get embarrassed. She felt that this was something that she had the edge over Mei with. While her mischievous assistant couldn''t gauge her son''s supposedly advanced mental age, she have quite the confidence about her guess being accurate.

    "But the real problem is that the Kurogane clan may already be aware of Big Sis'' affiliation to the company because of Domyouji Gakuto''s grandson" this time it was Kazuya''s turn to explain. He couldn''t reveal that he found out about this from Kuuga himself and decided to say that Suzaku informed him of it while declaring Mei being a target.

    "So this is the main reason I needed to know" Kyouko crossed her arms. This was indeed a troublesome matter because once the Kurogane clan was aware, they could only link her or Kazuya to be behind the source of Kazuno Tech''s surprising source of income. "So that explains the reason I was suddenly able to break through the technological industry recently¡­"

    "WHAT!?" Mei was the first who reacted. She had been too busy to get updated on the Kouzuki Corporation''s issues lately. Both Kyouko and Yumi had been going home late and she assumed that Yumi would approach her if she needed help or couldn''t handle the situation.

    ""They know"" Kyouko and Kazuya said in unison.

    "Are you sure?" Mei was still shocked and was a little confused. The information has yet to sink in because she knew just how much the Kouzuki Corporation had been trying to break into the scene only to be thwarted by one of its'' leading figures.

    "This sounds like something ''he'' would do" Kyouko frowned. "It''s a relief that you informed me of it now because we would have ended up going against each other as rising tech companies where the Kouzuki Corporation would end up taking losses from what I''ve seen from these files"

    "That¡­" Kazuya might not have been aware of what it implied because Kyouko put it simply but Mei definitely knew what it meant. It was like a bloody battle where one was going to be forced to a retreat suffering heavy losses.

    To the Kouzuki Corporation, they might have suddenly gotten what they asked for but they didn''t realize just how much Kazuno Tech had prepared. They seemed like they were in a rush but they were actually already preparing a direct assault towards the top.

    Kyouko was not in her position for nothing. She had already been formulating a plan on how to best handle this situation as soon as she was made aware that the Kuroganes were aware of the situation. Secrets had indeed a way of being revealed in some of the most uncommon and unexpected ways. Even she was surprised that a person from their own supposed faction revealed such sensitive information after realizing the value.

    Kyouko''s lips formed a mischievous and seductive smile as an idea appeared in her mind. It may not have been all that bad for Kurogane Shishio to have been on the current helm of the Kurogane Conglomerate because she would at least know what to expect. Knowing the enemy and having battled with them was indeed an advantage over dealing with those she doesn''t know.

    "Well then, shall we start taking countermeasures?"

    .

 112 Karma

    .

    At the Stockton mansion, Kurumi and Maron were frowning towards the man of the house. The servants couldn''t help but feel bad for the head of the household, Jonson, because he had the dissatisfaction of not only his niece but his little princess as well.

    "Why aren''t we still allowed to got to school, Dad? It''s already been days!" Kurumi grumbled.

    "Ku-chan''s right uncle! I need to train more so that I can crush that guy at the game like I used to!"

    It was after hearing these two that Jonson felt even worse. His daughter aside, no one ever thought that Maron of all people wouldso eager to go to school. Their attendance wouldn''t affect them much at school because even though they went every day, they were still part of the elite S class.

    Maron had been training hard in her club so that she could challenge Kouzuki Kazuya to a game and restore the things to the way they were before he revealed his true athleticism. She wasn''t as arrogant as she was before because someone had already crushed her so thoroughly that she couldn''t even brag about the advantages of that genetics had so graciously given her.

    Kurumi on the other hand had taken a strange yet quiet path. While it may have seemed weird, she found her own way of competing with Kazuya. She wanted to be able to move around him without being detected. His continuous and impeccable sensitivity to the presences around him awoke a weird sort of competitiveness in her. She wanted to be able to follow him around without being discovered or detected.

    He had to hand it to Kouzuki Kazuya. Even though his new self hasn''t spent much of his time with these girls, he was still mainly responsible for the changes that occurred in them. They may not have been on the best of terms but it was clear to see that the influence he had with both Kurumi and surprisingly, Maron was clear for anyone to see.

    "It really hasn''t been that long since you joined the Sacred Forest Academy and both of you changed a lot" Jonson sighed. "Haven''t you two seen the news lately?" he glanced towards one of the servants who slowly came to his side while holding a tablet that he used to show them the recent reports that were shown in the news.

    "[Yet another child has been reported missing in the H prefecture yet again. The police are suspecting a specific criteria but has not yet made an announcement with regards to the missing individuals]" the servant stopped the video after that and stepped back.

    "Is this why you''ve stopped us from going to school, Dad? Missing children?" Kurumi frowned. This wasn''t what she had expected and thought that it had been something more serious.

    "Uncle¡­" she looked at him with a little pity. She felt that his overprotectiveness had grown to an unhealthy state since it had begun affecting their education.

    "Hey! Don''t look at me like that" he felt a little embarrassed after being misunderstood. He might have been a little overprotective, but he believed that it was still within reason. "Did you know that the three missing children are all from your school?"

    ""Our school?"" this was news to them. They were usually paying attention to the recent events but ever since they had new goals in mind, they have paid less attention to their usual routines and have changed to focus on achieving what they both set out to do.

    "Yes, the Sacred Forest Academy " he explained himself. "One of them is even from the elementary school department"

    ""Who!?"" the two girls turned to Jonson worriedly. They were stopped from going to school these past days and from the numerous people in their elementary department, there has only been one case where a single individual had stirred up a lot of commotion. This was Kazuya''s attempted kidnapping or murder.

    "A girl from your class named Muimina Ringo. She is the heiress of the Ringo corporation, they are the makers of those devices you both preferred to use" the two girls looked at each other and nodded after Jonson informed them.

    "We don''t want those things anymore"

    "To hell with that company and their products"

    Both of them shared the same opinion. With the run-in they had with Ringo, it was enough for them to boycott all the products the company had to offer. Jonson couldn''t blame them. Even though he felt a bit of pity towards the missing heiress, from what he''s heard, Ringo wasn''t even close to how she was portrayed publicly.

    "You girls¡­" they had totally missed the point. He knew that these girls didn''t like Ringo but weren''t they being a bit too indifferent?

    "Why do we have to be affected by that girl''s disappearance?" Maron complained.

    "I think Maron-chan is right Dad. Whatever happened to her may have been because she is not a good girl" Kurumi added.

    "That''s not very nice¡­" Jonson wasn''t really surprised with their reaction because of the bad impression the missing girl had left. He agreed with his own daughter even though her opinion didn''t really involve any deep meanings. Two of the three missing people from the Sacred Forest Academy had a questionable background after all.

    Rumors have been circulating around that the yakuza groups have been causing a stir around lately. There have been major changes in power. Every shift usually garnered a lot of violence and this time wasn''t an exception.

    The only thing that was strange about it this time was that it was triggered by one yakuza group''s action against one of the companies that Jonson himself had his eye on. Rumors have been spreading around that a specific group that had attacked that company had failed and fallen on the same day.

    If things weren''t crazy enough as it was, several pieces of information have been going around that the Muimina family and their corporation had been secretly supporting the group that attacked the rising company. Several pieces of evidences were surfacing right after a grandson from one of the groups responsible for the downfall of the Dokuro group had gone missing.

    "So can we go back to school now Dad?" Kurumi looked at her father with watery eyes.

    "No can do. You''ll have to remain here until things have calmed down a bit" Jonson''s decision remained firm. "Not to worry. From what I''ve heard, it should not be too long now"

    .

    At the Ringo Corporation''s main office, Muimina Budou and his wife had crestfallen faces as they looked at the contents of a small package that had been sent. It was a finger that had been frozen solid. Their scans indicated that the fingerprint on this finger belongs to none other than Ringo so they could only worry for their daughter''s safety right now.

    *SLAM*

    "Those bastards actually dare!!!" Budou slammed both his fists on the table feeling both enraged and helpless. Things haven''t been going well for him recently as the other group he had been slowly building up suddenly got attacked by the same group that attacked the Dokuro clan. With the continuous losses, all the money he had been hiding had fallen into the hands of the enemy along with the powers he had at his disposal.

    To make things worse, the apple of his eye had suddenly disappeared without a trace. He hadn''t noticed because he was preoccupied with the problems he was currently facing but no one could tell where Ringo and the people who he sent to guard her had gone to after a concert they went to on the previous night.

    "Dear¡­ we need to ask them for help. We don''t have anything else to lose at this point" Ringo''s mother whose tears already ruined her makeup told her husband.

    This was not the first time she suggested this but Budou rejected it because he didn''t want to owe the Kurogane clan something until Ringo and Suzaku had been bound by marriage. They were yet to be called a family and knowing the Kuroganes, he would have to pay a big price to elicit their help.

    "I have no other choice¡­ my daughter¡­" he took out his phone with a heavy heart and dialed the personal number given to him by Kurogane Shishio.

    "Hello?" Shishio answered with an emotionless voice. "What can I do for you Budou-san?"

    "I need your family''s help. My daughter has been taken by those filthy yakuza!" he didn''t bother beating around the bush and stated the matter as it was.

    "Muimina Ringo-chan was taken?" Shishio was silent for a moment before muttering "I see¡­" as if understanding what had been going on.

    "What do you mean by that? Did you know what was going on?" Budou was getting quite irritated. He knew Shishio was a heartless man but he didn''t know that he wouldn''t show much concern over the kidnapping of his would be niece.

    "I did not know that Ringo-chan was taken" he paused. "I merely just understood the actions the Domyouji clan has made after you told me so I regret to inform you that we will not be able to help. Even if it means losing future merging of our companies" Shishio stated heartlessly.

    "WHY!?" Budou was flabbergasted. He didn''t expect to be rejected by the last shred of hope he had to turn the situation around. The Kuroganes had sacrificed a great deal to have good relations with their family and corporation so he didn''t expect them to simply let it go.

    "Because of a stupid move made by your would-be nephew to impress our would be niece, our hands are tied on this matter. We would have originally given you aid but the Domyouji clan has declared that their actions against you are solely their actions alone and it was in response to a blood feud that has formed between the two of your families" Shishio explained.

    "Blood feud? Why would we have something like that against those dirty yakuza!? Those are obviously lies and excuses!" Budou was enraged. This is the first time he has heard of this.

    "Lies? Truth or not, the allies of the Domyouji clan decided to honor those words and did not offer any assistance. If we help you right now, with the Kouzuki clan''s suspicion towards us trying to break the ceasefire, even a bigger war might start to break out" Shishio gave his judgement. "Please understand that we cannot offer any help this time around. The threat the Kouzuki clan poses right now is too great for us especially with their upcoming guest"

    "I''ve actually made the mistake of underestimating your family. You are even more heartless than the rumors have said!" Budo said exasperated.

    "We have our own circumstances so I know you will understand after you calm down" Shishio spoke without being affected by Budo''s anger. "Let me just offer you a piece of information because we really do hope that your family can get through this without our help, the Domyouji clan may be those what you call ''yakuza'' but they are one of the most honorable ones. If they said that you have developed a blood feud, then they have everything to back up their claims"

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    "Evidence? Honorable you say!? How honorable do you have to be to kidnap a little girl!?"

    "It sounds like you really don''t know" Shishio was a little surprised at this realization. Budou was not capable of being able to fool him with such an elaborate act. "Let me humor you, the Domyouji clan had barged into a specific warehouse at the ports. One that''s specifically owned by your family and when they all left, the only thing that was carried out of the warehouse was a body bag that the men handled with so much care that one could only think if it had anything to do with one of the young masters that your daughter has been known to be associated with"

    "Where did you find this information out from?" this was a surprising twist that he hadn''t expected. Budou couldn''t help but swallow all his anger after hearing such a thing.

    "My immature nephew has already confessed to the plan he and your daughter had hatched against Kouzuki Kazuya. That specific young master they paid to mess with him was none other than the second young master of the Domyouji clan. He failed his task and did not give back some of the payment he received so a motive for your daughter to make him ''disappear'' is quite plausible, yes?"

    "My Ringo would never do something like that!" he denied it. He knew his daughter and if she hatched such a plan, she would have at least asked for his opinion if she did not delegate the task for him to assign.

    "I''ve given you all the help I can for now. What you need to focus on now is to quickly determine the truth before Ringo-chan''s time runs out. If you are indeed not part of the disappearance of the Domyouji clan''s second young master, you must find out who did because only then will the anger of the Domyouji clan be calmed"

    .

 113 Karma II

    .

    Suzaku had been confined for a few days after his blunder. It was only because of the situation and his recent contribution did Shishio take it a little easy on him. He still had some use for this foolish nephew of his so it would be ideal if he was released.

    "Thank you, Uncle" Suzaku looked ashamed as he faced Shishio. He knew that he had gotten off lightly after the serious situation he placed the family in. He was sentenced to spend his time in school as a secondary punishment. He was still a student who carried the Kurogane name and still had to maintain his dignity.

    "Considering your recent contributions, I would be an ungrateful and cold hearted uncle if I didn''t give you some kind of reward" Shishio did not neglect to inform him of the reason he got off lightly. "Just keep a low profile and let me take care of the situation. Also, steer clear of the Muimina family for now. The situation between our families is a little tense since our hands are tied because of your recent action"

    "What do you mean, Uncle?" Suzaku had been totally confined for a few days so he had no idea what had been happening no matter how big the news were. All he had to do was to catch up with his studies.

    "Don''t be too startled but¡­" Shishio told this nephew everything including Ringo''s sudden disappearance before leaving the boy to the team tasked to escort him to Sacred Forest Academy. There were still a few more days before summer vacation begins as the teachers still needed to hand out everyone''s summer homework.

    Suzaku was stunned still. He didn''t know that things could change so much after just a few days. He had remained quiet and motionless as he was taken to Sacred Forest Academy where the students were looking at him with somewhat pitiful looks. His engagement with Ringo hadn''t been a secret because they would usually flaunt it so her disappearance made him look like some lost sheep.

    "Don''t disappoint me Suzaku" Shishio muttered to himself as he sat in the driver''s seat of his own car that was observing the oncoming vehicles. A van he was familiar with due to reports didn''t take too long to show up afterwards.

    Kazuya got down the van with Tomoyo and both of them immediately felt something amiss. They looked at each other before trying to look around to find out what was different today. This was Shishio''s first time seeing this son of his but aside from the girly look that was obviously Kyouko''s handiwork, he was impressed that the boy''s senses was actually sensitive enough to perceive something amiss.

    "So that''s the child you had with that bitch huh¡­" Nagisa who had been sitting in the passenger seat didn''t cover up her feelings and looked at Kazuya with displeasure. She couldn''t deny that Kazuya had resembled her husband even more than he did through the photographs so claiming that he was a child from another man would have been a fruitless effort.

    "Don''t look at him or he will find us. The boy''s senses are actually that impressive at his age. Truly a wonderful discovery" Shishio was thoroughly impressed and moved his gaze towards his nephew instead.

    He was even more convinced that Kazuya would see things his way. Shishio, like most of the young masters of the main family had been trained by different people when it came to different subjects. This included martial arts. He was praised by many masters and he had been told that he had a peculiarity that made him sensitive towards the people around him.

    Of course, since the concept of internal energy was only vague, with Shishio''s pride, he had categorized it with himself as the main example and tried to develop it. This was why he had survived the many threats that he had encountered whilst he was overseas. His father had trusted him with the most difficult and riskiest tasks because of this special trait. So his son inheriting the same thing convinced him even more that Kazuya would be the perfect person to stand by his side when he finally takes over the seat of his father.

    "It''s gone¡­" Kazuya muttered. The strange feeling that he couldn''t explain faded. He didn''t dwell on it much since it felt somewhat like affection rather than hostility.

    *tug tug* Tomoyo started tugging on his sleeve because she wanted to move on to the building after her gaze landed on Suzaku.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya shook off the strange feeling and let Tomoyo pull her towards school. He already knew Suzaku was there but didn''t pay him any attention because the strange feeling did not come from him. He wrote off the weird sensation to the weird stalker girl that was probably looking at him from somewhere again. The girl had been getting quite good at playing these hide and seek games as Kazuya would neglect to detect her unless he was looking.

    The robot girl''s actions, though not that unusual in Kazuya''s eyes, were strange to everyone else. The name, robot girl, stuck because of her robotic nature and her loyalty towards her owner. This was something she had not done before so it immediately attracted attention.

    "That''s¡­" Suzaku who was slowly moving noticed the shift of attention and immediately recognized the duo. He suddenly got struck with the memory of their last encounter with this boy. The words he uttered that day fit the current situation.

    Shishio informed Suzaku of the information that he didn''t reveal to Budou. Domyouji Kuuga was most likely the one found in the body bag that was picked up at the Muimina family''s warehouse. Ringo told him about the trip she took there and was going to tell him about why she had been in a really good mood when they met the next time but he was suddenly confined because of what he tried to pull with Kazuno Mei.

    Suzaku didn''t know what happened but he was sure that it was not Ringo that killed Kuuga. She may have seemed cold hearted to others but she was not the type to have someone eliminated, especially someone who she had associated with. It made more sense to him that Kazuya had something to do with the current situation because he had already hinted what his uncle only recently learned.

    He shuddered at the thought of losing his best friend and future wife. So if he could do anything, he would do whatever he could to make sure that Ringo came out safe and sound. With that in mind, his sluggish movements turned into determined ones as he rushed to catch up with the only person he knew had some kind of information regarding the situation.

    Kazuya noticed the hostile person approaching and whispered something that only Tomoyo could hear. He was not the only one who noticed Suzaku as Shishio oversaw the situation and was glad that this nephew of his had finally started acting as he was intended to.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya!" Suzaku threateningly grabbed Kazuya''s clothes and tried to use his height advantage to pull him up from the ground.

    .

    In a dark room located in an undisclosed location. A girl was locked inside a dark room whilst being strapped to a crude yet sturdy wooden chair. This was a special chair that not only bound her arms but every single finger of hers had a special slot. This chair had initially been for full grown adults but some of the strangers that took the girl had gone through the trouble of changing it to fit her especially.

    She had been in this place for more than a day. The darkness made her lose all sense of time and she no longer looked like a spoiled and pampered princess of a large and illustrious corporation. This was the current situation Muimina Ringo was in.

    Akabane Isshin had just arrived and entered the observation room and immediately frowned after seeing the current state Muimina Ringo was in. He was the only person who was allowed to bear witness to this because he was the only person who had a thorough understanding of how their world worked.

    "This¡­" seeing the missing finger and the frostbitten hand of the girl. Even Isshin began to question his friend''s sanity. "Why is she still alive?"

    Gakuto didn''t speak but instead showed part of a replay when Ringo was being interrogated for killing his grandson. It was common for culprits to deny what they are being charged for so they made up several excuses. Ringo''s excuses were even more absurd because she claimed that it was Kuuga himself who wanted to meet in their warehouse.

    "Preposterous!" Isshin dismissed it immediately. "I''ve seen both the autopsy and the forensic reports. Your grandson was even tightly grasping strands of that girl''s hair. Though it may be true that she didn''t pull the trigger, even the specialist said that it wouldn''t have been possible for it to be planted on his body afterwards" Gakuto agreed with this because both of them had praised his grandson for being clever enough to lead them to the right person.

    From the forensic report, Kuuga had suffered two gunshot wounds to the head. One was towards the side of his head which matched the splatters on the scene they found. The killing blow however had taken someplace else where the second shot had been fired directly in the middle of his head. From what they could tell, Kuuga had been taken from his office and then later killed off before he was dumped inside the Muimina family''s warehouse to be disposed of when the commotion died down.

    "I''m not na?ve enough to believe a story made up by an immature brat that''s as good as dead but you know as well as I do how it feels to have a feeling that something is wrong" Gakuto turned the replay off and turned towards his friend.

    "Don''t tell me your gut is still pointing towards your initial suspicion of old Kou''s grandson?" Isshin understood what his friend meant but both of them knew that this feeling wasn''t a hundred percent accurate. "Jirou already told me about this and I share the same opinion as him. That is an absurd theory. Though they both harbored killing intent towards that grandson of yours, it had been the same killing intent which he projected towards all the members of Dokuro group yet only Dokuro Domon died in his hands"

    "I know¡­" Gakuto knew all of it. He was only holding onto the theory because of his gut feeling because Kazuya''s alibi had been perfect. Even the people he had at his command was limited to Jirou and Komori''s people so he couldn''t have asked anyone else to do it for him especially after only discovering his grandson''s connection to him on the same day.

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    "Let me remind you. It was also due to Kou''s grandson that you were able to take this girl into custody so easily. The devices that the Dokuro group used to block devices from sending any information out of a certain area were reproduced by the company he was protecting and given to your group. He may have had an ulterior motive of punishing the people behind the attack but he had no reason to help you for the cause you declared" Isshin lectured.

    "Stop lecturing me about that. I know how much of a help that fierce boy has been!" Gakuto was irritated. It was even Kazuya who mostly formulated the plan to take Ringo without anyone noticing.

    "Don''t worry my friend. I think I understand" Isshin put a hand on his friend''s shoulder to comfort him. "You''ve been so proud of having all grandsons and looked down on us who had granddaughters so now we, having the perfect fierce candidate that we can leave our clans to makes you regret for being smug all these years right?" Isshin gave a smug look.

    "BUZZ OFF!!" Gakuto swatted away the arrogant hand placed on his shoulder. Though his friend was fooling around, he actually took those words to heart and wondered. "(Is my judgement really being clouded because of how I admire the boy?)" he couldn''t completely deny it. If Kazuya were to lead a group that dabbled in the underworld, there was no doubt that even without their help, he would be a force to be reckoned with. His senses might have been acting up because of this so he was stuck deep in thought.

    "Regardless¡­ this girl might have been responsible for Kuuga-kun but you know as well as I do that she is still but a child. I advise you to put her out of her misery now so you can focus on finishing what you started" Isshin advised. No matter if Ringo was alive or not, their purpose of dealing a heavy blow to the Muimina Budou''s mental state had already been effective. It was only a matter of time before the act moved on to the climax.

    Ringo had already given up hope and had been muttering "just kill me" to herself over and over again. It wasn''t until Gakuto and Isshin entered that she started saying it in a weak yet loud enough voice for them to hear. She had enough and had given up on life. No matter how she denied it, she understood that she had been framed to the point that even her hair was somehow in Kuuga''s possesion.

    This was an elaborate trap that didn''t allow her to have many options. It was her words against all the evidences that pointed towards her and her family. She didn''t know who did it or why but none of that mattered anymore. She wanted to die, she wanted to become a ghost so that she could uncover this mystery herself and haunt whoever did this to her.

    "Any last words, child?"

    .

 114 Scrip

    .

    One wouldn''t rely mess with a student from S class or even think of fighting back. People would normally avoid encountering anyone from S class because they wouldn''t be able to do anything because of the power they wielded outside. Sacred Forest Academy may have been a place where they try to treat everyone equally but the fact that these people can still use their influences to bully others outside was still a problem even though the school had promised to prevent these kinds of incidents.

    But this time, people stayed to bear witness to this occasion because this was special. Kurogane Suzaku, a member of the dreaded S class tried to pick a fight with Kouzuki Kazuya, a member of the sports class and a person whose standing would not lose against this arrogant S class member.

    No one really wondered what the reason would be because most S class members were people who liked to throw around their weight. The difference between them and Kouzuki Kazuya was like night and day. Unlike those arrogant people from the S class, Kouzuki Kazuya was known for being very approachable and very amicable.

    Because of the incident that happened to Kazuya, not only was he seen as some kind of heroic figure, he was seen as the ideal S class member though he was not part of the illustrious cast. This was because with his lineage revealed, the secret that he had rejected being part of the elite class became known. Kazuya just shook it off by saying that he has no real reason to join S class so he opted not to join it because he really had no need to.

    Everyone wished that the current members of S class would take him as an example but they were also glad to have someone like him to represent the normal students of their school. Seeing the arrogant Suzaku grabbing Kazuya immediately gathered everyone''s attention as they all silently looked at Suzaku with judging eyes.

    "I say¡­ Isn''t your skin too thick to be acting like this towards me? You already tried sending your goons to threaten my big sis and you still have the gall to act like this in front of me?" Kazuya raised a palm to stop Tomoyo from stepping in. "I already ignored you because we''ve taken care of the situation but you still insist on going this route inside the school?"

    "Shut your dirty mouth!" he knew what Kazuya was doing because he was not unfamiliar with it. He was feeding that crowd information for them to understand the situation in Kazuya''s favor. "Tell me where Ringo is!" this questioned stunned all those who were listening in.

    "I don''t know what or who you''re talking about. Is that the name of the arrogant little girl that hangs around with you?" Kazuya slowly moved his palm to hold one of the arms holding him up. He grasped it which caused Suzaku to feel pain, letting Kazuya back on his feet after. "So that''s the girl from this school that was missing?"

    "Stop pretending! You said it yourself!"

    "I don''t remember having conversations with you or that little girl unless you count the day you two tried to force the Stockton girls to get along with you" Kazuya''s statement made them frown further upon Suzaku. This had only been a rumor but it turns out these S class elitists really did try and coerce those two girls that everyone saw as someone that was influenced by Kazuya to be like normal students like Takaya.

    Kazuya let go of the arm he was gripping but not until he mumbled words that only Suzaku could hear in a low and mocking tone. "(You should contact her father, you may even be spared some of the body parts in their possession)"

    "I''LL KILL YOU!" Suzaku ignored the pain in is arm and threw a punch towards Kazuya''s face in rage.

    *GRAB* Unfortunately for him, Kazuya simply blocked it before turning around at the crowd.

    "He attacked me twice now so this undoubtedly gives me the right to retaliate in self defense, right?" Kazuya smiled as he squeezed Suzaku''s fist, causing the latter to fall to his knees.

    ""YES""

    "He needs to be taught a lesson"

    "So much for being a model student!"

    "Don''t you dare hurt our Kouzuki-kun!"

    The students agreed, some of them even cheered their support. Kazuya gave a small thanks before spinning around to give Suzaku''s head a spinning wheel kick that caused him to immediately crash into the ground. Kazuya glanced towards the security camera before turning towards the fallen Suzaku whose sight was spinning and flashing at this moment.

    "I feel sorry for the situation of your friend but that does not give you the right to use it as an excuse to pin some blame on me just so you can have a reason to beat me. If you dare come out in the open to challenge me, I will not back down so make sure you prepare yourself to put your intentions out in the open next time" Kazuya turned his back on the fallen Suzaku and walked with Tomoyo to head for their classroom.

    The crowd dispersed and went towards their own classes. It was the last day of school so everyone had been looking forward to starting the day so it could end sooner. Now that the show was over, their admiration for Kazuya went up and unexpectedly, so did the S class members in his vicinity. Topics about Kurumi and Maron who mingled with regular students normally were a hot topic and the acceptance of the mischievous Takaya spread around.

    Shishio had a smirk on his face as he looked proudly at his son. Now that he has seen the boy in action, any doubt that he didn''t have any characteristics befitting a Kurogane because of Kyouko''s upbringing was brushed aside. He didn''t know how Kyouko did it but the Kazuya he saw with his own eyes was the ideal successor he never hoped he would be able to produce.

    He drove off with a satisfied expression. Nagisa by his side had silently been observing her husband and was even more convinced that her plans must be put to action. Her only problem was how? The situation had already been tense enough after Suzaku''s previous actions. How can she make it so that she wouldn''t implicate the Kurogane family in the event that it fails?

    .

    When class ended, summer officially began for the students of Sacred Forest Academy. While every student had been looking forward to the vacation, Kazuya had mixed feelings about it. It was a summer that would be full of changes to the life he had gotten used to.

    "Let''s go, let''s go!" Takaya wasted no time after class had ended to take Kazuya to his place. He unfortunately missed the incident this morning and was surprised when Kazuya was summoned by the faculty at some point in class.

    Pretty much nothing happened to Kazuya as people came in to testify for him even though they weren''t needed. The security footage was enough to determine that he was not at fault. They only reprimanded Kazuya for using a little too much force for which they couldn''t really blame him because of the family that Suzaku had belonged to and the statements saying that he made multiple moves on Kazuya outside the school already.

    Due to the current situation, Jirou had assigned additional personnel to keep watch over Kazuya and Tomoyo. Since Kazuya''s schedule had been pretty much decided to be dedicated towards his deal with Takaya, his time was mostly going to be spent completing the project as soon as possible. Kanade was of course very interested in the idea so she agreed to put Kazuya to the test.

    Kazuya had been taken to the studio where filming for his parts was supposed to begin. Though most students that went to Sacred Forest Academy had some kind of influence, they still couldn''t help themselves but be intimidated by the combined escorts of both the Aoki family and the newly assigned personnel to watch over Kazuya.

    Who would have thought that in this day and age, there were turbulent times in which the authorities have no control over. It wasn''t that they didn''t want to intervene but they were quite powerless if the parties themselves wanted to settle this on their own. No other parties had been affected so they opted to stand on the sidelines as they already knew that they would suffer the most if they stood in between the two factions.

    "So cute~!" Kanade exclaimed as Kazuya stepped out wearing the kimono they had picked for him. He appeared like a girl that was in middle school and the Kanade''s own staff were quite satisfied with their handiwork.

    "So this is the one you were talking about Kanade-san?" The drama''s director was led into the room to meet Kazuya. Even someone like Kazuya who was clueless at what the trends were in his previous life knew this famous director. He had been responsible for multiple dramas making it across the sea and started the fad of foreigners watching his work.

    "Well you won''t be disappointed for trusting me director. This one here took a while to convince since he''s not interested in the entertainment business"

    "Is that so?" the director was quite surprised. He assumed that Kazuya had some kind of background seeing as there were influential sponsors that hinted that they looked forward to Kazuya''s character in particular. "There had been a few changes to the script but we''re mostly shooting the scenes that aren''t changed so you will have time to review them. Kanade-san has been bragging that you can memorize a script so quickly after all" he smiled at Kazuya. If he didn''t know in advance that he was a boy, he would have actually mistaken him for a girl judging by his current appearance.

    "Changes?" Kazuya turned towards Kanade whose smiling lips were twitching when she noticed his gaze. Though he had problems with this, he already had to go through with this for the company as well. "I will review it later"

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    "That''s the spirit!" the director handed him a thick paperback that had the drama''s title in front of it. This was the complete script and it included all the lines of the cast. Kazuya took a peek at the cast, since he knew the director, he was a little curious about who else was going to make an appearance.

    *plop* The script fell from his hands as soon as he saw one of the names that had been cast.

    "Director!" Kazuya surprised everyone with his sudden action. "Please let everyone refer to me as ''Kaguya'' like the character in the story. It can also appear as my stage name for the credits. I need it to get myself in character" Kazuya desperately requested.

    "That''s no problem. Since Kanade-san has yet to decide on your stage name, we can go with Kaguya for the meantime" the director was happy. If he used the character name as his own stage name then if Kazuya was indeed as talented as Kanade said he is, he would be remembered as the director that was responsible for Kazuya''s stage name.

    "Thank you" Kazuya gave a sigh of relief.

    "Oh, speaking of which, Kanade tells me that you have experience with kendo?" the director seemed to have thought of something and turned towards Kazuya who was startled by the question.

    "A little bit" he replied.

    "One of the people cast as your character''s enemy is a famous and pretty girl that is undefeated in the middle school level kendo you know. Will you be willing to cooperate with her to coordinate stunts that would help liven up the show?" this was one of the changes he was talking about. More details had been added to Kazuya''s part of the story and it included more scenes.

    "Sorry director but I think it would be best and more natural if we try to do it naturally first. I think it would be better and wouldn''t look too forced for us rookies if we did it that way" Kazuya was nervous but he was still able to say his suggestion out loud.

    "I like the way you think kid!" the director gave him a thumbs up. He liked this idea and Kazuya had a point, it would look even more natural if they treated this as some sort of match because they were not professionals who could do it on cue nor were any stunt doubles prepared because Kanade had insisted that they went on despite of the changes to the script. "I''ll let the other kid know" the director happily stepped out.

    "What''s going on? It''s quite unusual for you to be actively participating. You''ve even given us good suggestions" Kanade felt something was amiss so she decided to ask what Kazuya was up to.

    "This has been more troublesome than I would have hoped for. This was not part of the deal I made with Takaya, Aunt Kanade" Kazuya grumbled. "Your son knows that I''ve been avoiding that same girl who just got cast as the person I''m going to be fighting against!"

    "Huh? You know Kuronuma Ayame?"

    .

 115 Hajimemashite

    .

    Fortunately, Kazuya''s identity had yet to be revealed. This was mainly because his name already carries the weight of reputation. The incident two years ago made sure of it.

    They had yet to discuss the stage name that Kazuya was going to use but it looked like it had been decided just like that. Kanade felt that it was a loss to have given the director a free bone just like that but she was not aware that he had some connection to the famous sword saint of the middle school kendo competitions.

    "Are you and the sword saint on bad terms?" Kanade curiously asked. She wasn''t the only one who waited silently as her staff also wanted to know what kind of relationship he had with Ayame because they never saw this cool kid lose his calm like that.

    "You could say that" The term ''sword saint'' they had been using sounded like a joke. How would they react if they found out that the reason they weren''t on good terms was that Ayame never came close to beating him? She even went as far as challenging him off of the competition stage but Kazuya mercilessly rejected her. "Please make sure that she doesn''t know"

    Kazuya looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. He could hardly recognize himself and he even felt that it was disturbing that it looked so natural. He would never have thought that he would see himself like this but here he was.

    This was supposed to have been something that was simple but it had grown into something quite troublesome. Kazuya felt very reluctant because he had nothing to gain by helping Kurumi and Maron when he heard about the trouble they were going to experience but helped out any way to repay a debt. He felt that the repayment had been blown out of proportion and there was nothing he could do about it.

    Mei put this repayment deed of his to good use and took advantage of the situation to solve something she had trouble with. Who else would be better to represent their company''s image other than the one who started and made it grow in the first place?

    "I doubt that even your own classmates would recognize you, much less someone who you don''t really encounter too much" Kanade had been confident but Kazuya could understand why. "I''m quite curious as tohow you know such a popular girl but I can ask Takaya about that later"

    Ayame''s fame had come as a surprise to Kazuya as well. He had rejected both her challenges and advances because it never really had anything to do with knowing who he really was. She was caught in some sort of illusion that they had been bound together by fate because she had detected his mana amidst all of the other people.

    This could all be blamed on Nagato Tsuna. Ayame was quite young back then and her grandfather looked up to that man extremely. It was when he told Ayame that she was a special person that could only be understood by those who she could perceive were like her as she grew up. Tsuna''s image and words have been engraved in young girl''s mind as she was called special and extraordinary amongst her peers because of affinity towards mana.

    "Interesting" Ayame who heard about Kazuya''s suggestion had a cold smile inside her dressing room. "Does this person know who I am?" she asked the person who informed her.

    "I believe so" he replied. This was one of the personnel Komori asked to act as her manager while escorting her around.

    "I''ll look forward to it then" she really didn''t mind but was rather interested in the person who wanted to challenge her despite her reputation. The kendo tournaments had been quite boring for Ayame since she hadn''t found someone of the same caliber as Kazuya or even Tomoyo.

    It didn''t take long before the set was ready for Kazuya and Ayame''s scenes. Both of them were students so from today onwards was specially set for the both of them to get their scenes done.

    "I look forward to seeing what you can do" Ayame looked at the shorter yet alluring girl in front of her when she and ''Kaguya'' were introduced. She only gave him a quick glance before giving him the cold shoulder.

    This made Kazuya feel relieved. Ayame was usually very clingy and talkative so the fact that she treated him like everyone else made Kazuya feel relieved. He had to consciously hold back his mana from the slightest leak because even he had to admit that Ayame''s senses were quite sharp. For the first time, he was glad that someone saw and treated him like mere dirt.

    What Kazuya didn''t know was that the main reason that Ayame was even here was that of something she declared to him. She said that she would one day let him turn towards her so he should wait for the day that he realizes that he had taken her for granted.

    To make sure that it happened, Ayame even used her new-found popularity to enter the scene which would make Kazuya look at her even if it wasn''t in person. To Ayame, as long as he catches a glimpse of her when he hits the age where he is attracted to girls it would be the day she would welcome him to her arms, albeit after a little bit of revenge.

    "Alright then, positions please!" the director announced after the set had been prepared.

    Kazuya had already rehearsed for the scenes today and with Kanade''s guidance, everything went smoothly. Everyone shared the same opinion that his performance was not bad considering this was his first time appearing on camera. They all thought that Kazuya already had a mindset of a professional. What they didn''t know was that he just wanted to get things over with so that he could leave all of this behind.

    Sure enough, the director was surprised and very much satisfied with Kazuya''s performance. The fact that he could change the tone of his voice to fit the character made him think that Kazuya had even more potential than Kanade might have let on. The director looked forward to seeing what this new talent the Aoki group seemed to have uncovered could really do and was already thinking about future collaborations.

    The first day of shooting only lasted a few hours because the younger cast that had school started in the afternoon. Everyone was still a little tense including Kazuya, because he had not done something like this before. He recieved praise in the end but he had no other way of telling if he had done what had been expected of him or not because Kanade had been quiet about it.

    Before they knew it, two days passed and it was finally time for Kazuya to take a day off. He had already reviewed the script and was disturbed by what he slowly found out about the project. His role had still been a minor one but much more background and focus had been directed towards the direction of the script.

    To make things worse, Kazuya found out that the director had found the main sponsor which was surprisingly Stockton International. This had answered so many questions which gave Kazuya a headache. He was convinced that Kurumi had found out about his part in this which was why her father''s company had taken quite an interest in a trivial drama series.

    "What''s wrong, Kazuya?" Kyouko entered the living room and saw her son mulling over something.

    "Just thinking about how complicated it became to return a favor" he sighed. Kyouko still didn''t know about his matters with the Aoiki group. He thought about it for a moment and decided he should tell her about it.

    "Well, it''s about the time I''ve been spending at Takaya''s place recently¡­" Kazuya was about to tell her everything when Yui rushed in wearing a nervous expression.

    "E-excuse me b-but grandma is wondering what should we do with the guests that just arrived" she stuttered. Kazuya was a little intrigued since this girl had always been brazen even with him. What could have made this girl nervous?

    "Visitors? Why do you need to ask us for permission?" Kyouko wondered as she looked at the little girl. Yui had been helping out more ever since Akane said that she was going to be trained to serve the house in the future. She had taken a completely different route compared to her sister but Kyouko was glad that at least someone could look after Kazuya when both Akane and herself were busy.

    "It''s umm¡­ Kurogane Shishio and Nagisa with a few people¡­" Yui glanced at Kazuya and saw his eyes narrow.

    It was still very early. From what his recovered memories told him, Kurogane Shishio was supposed to have dropped by near autumn season. The accident he and Kyouko were involved in would take place in winter after Nagisa''s plot was completed. He didn''t know if those two were in it together but that didn''t matter to him in the least.

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    "What do they want?" Kyouko''s mood soured as she already knew what Kazuya''s prediction entailed. The shameless couple would have barged into their home but they could not in this life because there were personnel that would block their path if they muscled their way through.

    "T-they said¡­ They wanted to see the young master" Yui meekly replied. She could feel pressure from the mother and son duo who did not expect a visit from the shameless couple so soon.

    "No need to send them in. I will go meet them by the gates myself" Kyouko declared as she sent Yui back. She did not want either of them to enter their house because, with their evil intentions, it would be better if they didn''t get any other ideas as they did in Kazuya''s premonition.

    The timing may had been early but the reason remained the same. Kazuya was still used as the main excuse to meet with her and they were already expecting it. It was only a matter of sending them back to where they came from that mattered now.

    "Mom" Kazuya moved to Kyouko''s side and squeezed her hand. "You don''t need to worry about a thing" Kazuya reassured her. Though Kyouko didn''t know that Kazuya meant that no matter what would happen, he would be able to settle it, she still looked warmly upon her son and grew much more confidence knowing that he was at her side.

    "Is this how the illustrious Kouzuki family treats their guests?" Nagisa was displeased after being barred at the gates. She wanted to see what kind of lifestyle Kyouko led in her own home so she could find something to look down on.

    "Guests are of course welcome in this household but I would rather not call people who conspire and threaten the members of this house''s family, guests, now would I?" Akane replied sarcastically. She had no reason to be respectful to these individuals no matter how high their statuses were. They put both her mistress and her young master through too much and they wanted to be treated as guests? Just how shameless can they be?

    "Are you depriving my client of his visitation rights towards his son?" The man wearing glasses who stood sternly behind the couple looked at Akane who stood behind the protection of the security assigned by Jirou. One of them was the surprisingly passionate Mame who looked up to Kazuya.

    "Visitation rights? There should be a law that prohibits trash parents like this from ever coming into contact with their children" Mame commented. There had been talks amongst them about whatever they knew about Kazuya. He was surprised that the boy who seemed like he had everything had such a past.

    This was why Jirou put him on the team to look after Kazuya. Mame was quite a passionate person so he was not afraid to speak his mind. The lawyer arrogantly glanced at Mame and scrutinized him from head to toe.

    "Seriously¡­ What kind of security is this? Mere thugs trying to talk about what should and what shouldn''t be laws?" he scoffed.

    "You don''t need to know much about the law to be able to protect someone, Mr. Glasses. One just needs to know how to stop and at times beat the living daylights out of scumbags who try to use their backgrounds or influence to look down on us normal folks" Mame crunched his knuckles and intimidated the lawyer who took a step back in response.

    Shishio frowned. He didn''t expect to be barred at the door. The Kouzuki family had been quite consistent about living like normal people. They didn''t need security because they hardly had enemies so he was wondering what could have occurred for them to change like this. They were in much more danger when their families clashed the first time but they still maintained the same stance. Could they have been expecting him? He thought.

    "No one is depriving anyone of visitation rights one has so graciously ignored for almost a decade" Kyouko arrived while holding her son''s hand. She looked at both Shishio and Nagisa coldly as the guards slightly made way so that they wouldn''t block hers and Kazuya''s vision.

    Shishio ignored Kyouko''s words and glanced towards the gentle looking boy who was holding her hand. He knew that he wasn''t as simple as he looked after he had dealt with Suzaku so cleverly the other day. This was their first official meeting so, unlike his earlier demeanor, it was like he had transformed into a harmless gentleman.

    "It''s nice to finally meet you, Kazuya. I am your father"

    .

    Note: Hajimemashite = Pleased to meet you.

    .

 116 Shishioâ€™s Move

    .

    "It is nice to finally meet you, son" Shishio gave a smile and looked proudly at the neutral faced Kazuya.

    Kyouko was a little disturbed by the actions of this man. Wasn''t he supposed to be here because he wanted to take over their company? Why was he taking such a sudden interest towards Kazuya? Shishio wasn''t a sentimental person in the least. He would never acknowledge someone unless it had some sort of benefit for him so was this interest in Kazuya some kind of subterfuge?"

    "What a rude kid" Nagisa commented. "Is that the way you were brought up? Ignoring your parent?" she didn''t like the idea that her husabnd was calling Kyouko''s son his own so she couldn''t help but put some insults in.

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    "Who is this old bag?" Kazuya turned towards his mother and asked. Miyamoto taught him lots of things about girls and it included what was normally not supposed to be mentioned or asked. He did not spare this arrogant woman a glance because he knew that this was Kurogane Nagisa already.

    "Don''t mind her son. She''s just some random nobody who got lucky being born into a rich family. She even got an ambitious and heartless husband for it so you can just ignore the garbage that comes out of her mouth" Kyouko chimed in.

    "Wha¡ª!" Nagisa was about to lose her temper when Shishio raised an arm to prevent her from stepping any further. He was quite annoyed at how easily this woman had been provoked. If she had not been his wife, he would have already done something to keep that lip of hers from making the situation worse for him.

    Kyouko didn''t mind what Shishio did although she couldn''t help but feel a sense of loss because after she dealt with the woman once, she felt a sense of satisfaction from it compared to just ignoring her.

    "Since the boy''s mother is here¡­" the lawyer saw this as his chance to shine and stepped forward. "Are you depriving my client of his visitation rights towards his son?"

    "Visitation rights? His son?" Kyouko''s eyebrows twitched at the tone of the lawyer. "You have the nerve to say that he has ''rights'' when not only was this supposed ''right'' ignored but also my son''s own rights. I have neither used the privilege to press charges over his failure to have done his part as a parent so if you''ve come here to threaten me with these ''rights'' you speak of, I dare you to see me in court so we can see just who should be threatening who" Kyouko''s cold gaze intimidated the lawyer. This was the head of the Kouzuki Corporation and she indeed excluded the intimidating presence of one of the people standing on top.

    "I¡­" The lawyer couldn''t respond. He didn''t expect Kyouko to be informed about it. The only one who understood was Shishio who finally looked at her. This woman had been a lot more capable than he expected her to be and she seemed to have been prepared for the event that he would take advantage of the loophole of him being Kazuya''s biological father.

    "There shouldn''t be any need for all of that. I just came here to finally meet my son and to make it clear that the family was not behind the actions my nephew took" Shishio smiled. His peripheral vision locked on to Kazuya who barely showed any change in his expression like he had little interest in the whole matter.

    "(This guy¡­ is going that route huh¡­)" It was unexpected but Shishio was using Suzaku''s actions towards him to their advantage. He was trying to make it seem like that Suzaku''s actions was his own and the Kuroganes held no grudge. "(Quite the clever scumbag indeed)" even he couldn''t help to admire this man''s wit. He was trying to save the Kuroganes from being suspected of making a move on Kazuya because of Suzaku''s actions.

    The tables were indeed being turned because since what Suzaku did had been in front of the eyes of the people, even Kazuya couldn''t deny that it seemed like Suzaku had a grudge against him. The way Kazuya baited Suzaku to loudly declare his seemingly ludicrous deductions was actually working against him. Kazuya wondered if this father of his was actually on the scene because he seemed too knowledgeable about what happened.

    "Is that all?" Kyouko, of course, didn''t believe a word that came out of Shishio''s mouth. All she wanted to do was to get him away from her Kazuya as soon as she could. He was like walking poison who couldn''t help but poison or corrupt anything in his vicinity after all.

    "Of course that''s not all" Shishio smiled. "As my lawyer said, I would like to discuss the matter about visitation rights. Since I still have that right, I''m interested in spending some time with my son" he then turned to Kazuya. "I''m willing to pay twice the amount of child support and put it towards my son''s account"

    "You¡­" Kyouko couldn''t understand what his motive was. Was this person really interested in being a father now of all times?

    "Of course, we can settle this in court like you earlier suggested if you do so wish" he turned back to Kyouko. I''m sure that they can decide when I can spend time with my own child even if the mother does not cooperate" Shishio met with Kyouko''s close gaze and took hit head-on.

    "So the father is finally making a move on his son huh" Mei walked in from the house with her usual chilly demeanor. She woke up late because of the preparations she was indeed making for the day this man went for a visit.

    "Ah yes, I almost forgot about you" Shishio grinned confidently like he had everything under control."It seems like you''ve been extremely busy lately despite your long vacation"

    "Doesn''t your family have anything better to do than looking into other people?" Mei scoffed. "If the Kuroganes put half of their efforts in doing real business rather than finding material they could blackmail people with then you guys would have been standing in the same stage as Stockton International" she coldheartedly declared.

    "So you''re saying that I won''t be able to say anything to them that would affect your own business?" a threatening smile was directed to her.

    "There isn''t much that they don''t already know. I do live with them after all" Mei confidently replied. "Besides, even if you did know of a specific secret, it would already be too late for you to do any real harm" she ignored the threats which made Shishio quite impressed. He thought that she had indeed had the right to be called an ice queen.

    "Is that so?" Shishio looked coldly at Mei. He didn''t like being looked down upon by a mere assistant, much less someone with no background whatsoever. "Then you mind me saying that you have used my son and his affection towards you to build a foundation for your own company right?" Shishio asked condescendingly.

    "What is he talking about Mei?" Kyouko took her eyes off the intruders for the first time and turned towards her assistant who now had a frown on her face.

    "Didn''t she tell you? Your assistant here is the mysterious CEO of the Kazuno Tech your Kouzuki corporation is going up against" Shishio''s revelation attracted a killing glare coming from Mei. "She seemed to have used the resources our son had at his disposal to start the company" Shishio ignored Mei''s glare and continued with his revelation.

    "Mei?" Kyouko looked at her assistant in disbelief and waited for her to deny Kurogane Shishio''s accusations.

    "I have to give you my praise" Shishio was feeling quite good after witnessing Kyouko''s reaction. He was confident that he had turned the tables and was in control of the situation. "To even have called the company in your name. I believe I couldn''t have done it better myself. You should come work with the Kurogane Conglomerate" he offered,

    "So I would have to watch my own back every step of the way? No need. I''ve started this company on my own and It will remain standing on its own" Mei then turned to Kyouko. "Sorry boss. This sleazeball and his bitch wife will do anything to sow discord but it seems that they have gotten quite the accurate information this time" Mei gave a slight bow towards Kyouko.

    "Sow discord? Why are you making it sound like your traitorous actions are my fault? You were the one who used my son to fill your own ambitions. I am merely stating that fact and even gave you a gracious invitation" Shishio no longer felt that he needed to get along with a person not willing to be on his camp and spoke against Mei.

    "Get out of my house" Kyouko didn''t bother glancing towards Shishio who looked satisfied with himself. He was successful in breaking up this duo and without someone as wise as Mei by Kyouko''s side, there would be less resistance in the future.

    "I immediately will. I shall wait for another opportunity so I can explain myself without the presence of people that are going to benefit from us falling out" Mei''s implication was clear but Kyouko remained unfazed.

    "There is no need for that" Kyouko turned towards Akane. "Please help her with her stuff so she will be out of here today"

    "I will do so, mistress" Akane walked with Mei back to the house. She gave one glance at Kazuya who had been silent all this time before getting herself led by Akane who looked sternly at her.

    "Now then, now that she''s out of the way. Shall we return to the business at hand? I want to peacefully discuss the time I want to spend with my own son" Shishio wasted no time to take advantage of Kyouko who has yet to recover from what just happened.

    "You¡­" Kyouko knew what he was doing. He was taking advantage of whatever he could. This was one of the basics in their world. Things would go much smoother, the more you have on your opponent. "What are you really after?"

    "I believe I already stated my intentions" Shishio remained adamant about his reason. "Since I have already completed the tasks assigned to me by my father, I will remain here at least until the Kurogane Grand Banquet. I have time I can spend quietly here and I do wish to meet and catch up with my son" Shishio turned to Kazuya once more. He was a little puzzled over why he hasn''t shown any reaction so far but he believed that it wouldn''t last for much longer now. He believed that Kazuya was trying to get a good feel of him since they had never met because that was how he used to deal with people when he had been younger.

    "Is that all that you want?" Kyouko tried to make sure. She understood that everything would have moved like it did in Kazuya''s vision because they have already taken steps into changing major parts of it from occurring. This was the direct outcome of their interference. Though it was troubling to think about what Kurogane Shishio was up to, they could all assume safely that it was still definitely no good.

    "That is all" Shishio nodded. His other purposes had already been achieved and he believed that he had settled the matter of them being under the constraint of being suspected for making a move on the Kouzuki clan for now. "I know I may not have been much of a father due to the responsibilities I hold within the family but now that I am at the point where I am beginning to think about and fix some of the mistakes I''ve made in the past"

    The mother and son duo couldn''t help but feel a little admiration towards this guy''s acting skills. They may not know what his exact intentions were but it surely wasn''t just to interact with his so-called son. He had been back in town for a while and he only appeared before them now?He had been claiming that he was here to meet his ''son'' yet he did not only try to absolve his family for any actions taken against them, he also caused a rift to form between the famous duo that was Kyouko and Mei with the latter leaving not only their home but her job soon enough.

    "Then I will see you in cou¡ª"

    "I accept" Kazuya cut in before Kyouko could finish her sentence. This not only startled his mother but the woman standing beside Shishio who had been wishing that they wouldn''t accept her husband''s proposal.

    "Don''t butt in when the adults are talking you little brat!" Nagisa couldn''t help but shout at the boy. Kyouko almost rejected it and things would have gotten worse for their clan if they went through court but the boy was spoiling it like all her other plans.

    "I believe that both of you have different purposes for coming here so why not discuss it amongst yourselves and come back when you''ve really made up your minds" Kazuya ignored Nagisa but he could feel her killing intent surging not only towards him but towards Kyouko as well.

    "Nagisa" Shishio frowned as he looked at her. How could he not feel Nagisa''s intentions?

    "Are you serious!? You haven''t even given me a child yet you dare act like a father in front of this bitch''s child in front of me!?" Nagisa lost her temper even more after feeling the displeasure her husband was directing at her. "These two should die in a fire for all I care!"

    Though what Nagisa said was because of her rage, Kazuya didn''t think lightly of that remark. A cold chill could be felt by everyone in the area and it caused Nagisa''s throat to dry up.

    "Looks like negotiations have broken down" Kazuya spoke coldly and his eyes narrowed to look at Nagisa with the most chilling and threatening gaze she had ever experienced. "You can go to court if you want to but I will express myself freely in front of anyone who asks me about it" he then turned towards Shishio who was quite shocked at Kazuya at the moment. "Although I was initially curious as to what kind of person my biological father was, this woman''s presence irks me so since my mother gives me the right to make my own decision, I will personally decline your intentions"

    "Kazuya¡­" Kyouko felt warmth in her hand as her son continued to soothe her by gently pressing on it. She didn''t know what her son intended but she of all people knew how capable and reliable he was.

    Kazuya then slowly let Kyouko''s hand go as he approached Nagisa menacingly. The pressure he was emanating made the woman back up and fall down on her behind in nervousness. The boy continued to approach the fearful woman and placed a finger on her forehead.

    "You may take this piece of advice from a son to a father; If you don''t put a leash on this woman as you should have, she might not last very long"

    .

 117 Terms

    .

    "You may take this piece of advice from a son to a father: If you don''t put a leash on this woman like you should have, she might not last very long" The temperature on Kazuya''s finger was scorching hot but no one except for Nagisa was feeling it.

    "AH!!" The heat snapped Nagisa back to her senses as she backed up onto the feet of the lawyer who was standing behind them. A red mark on her forehead could be seen but with Kazuya''s finger not actually touching Nagisa''s forehead, Shishio couldn''t figure out what had happened.

    There was one thing that was certain after this, Kazuya and Nagisa would never get along. Kazuya had already declared that although he was initially interested in Shishio, because of his wife, he would rather not go through the trouble. Though Shishio still had the option to take this to court and force Kazuya to spend time with him if he claimed that Kyouko was depriving him of his right, it would be useless since Kazuya already said what he thought about it.

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    There was nothing more he could do about the current situation between the two. If he persisted and forced Kazuya, he would have to suffer through with his peers knowing that he was forcing the child and was merely using him to strike back at the disadvantage their family had suffered. Although it would indeed be a blow towards Kyouko, an even greater deal of damage to their already ill reputation was unavoidable.

    Shishio couldn''t help but be displeased with Nagisa. He thought that this temperamental woman could help him mess with Kyouko''s mentality because of their history. It turned out that she was the reason he would fail his main purpose for coming today. He was racking his brain trying to think about a solution but nothing was coming up.

    "Take her back to the house. She is not feeling well" he ordered the lawyer to take the shuddering woman back.

    "But sir¡­" The lawyer didn''t want to leave him by himself. This is still enemy territory after all.

    "It''s fine. I''ll be with my son" The situation was such that Shishio could only take the risk. The Kouzuki clan was known as a righteous clan so no matter how much they hated him, he believed that they wouldn''t do anything to him because of their own moral restraint. This was also something he could do to show them that he was serious about interacting with Kazuya.

    "Y-yes¡­ We will head back once we have escorted the madam back" The lawyer politely bowed and had the escorts take Nagisa back to their vehicle.

    Nagisa didn''t fight it as she wanted to leave right away. She didn''t make much of a fuss as she hung her head in shame as her legs continued quivering as they assisted her.

    "Why are you still here?" Kazuya turned towards Shishio to ask. He didn''t have any respect for this man nor did he have any intentions of calling him his father.

    "I know I may be late but I really do want to get to know my own son" Shishio didn''t want to budge. In his estimation, the first step was going to be the hardest so he had to play his cards right. Making himself as an example, Shishio would first lure this boy in with benefits. Only after he accepted can he begin to slowly mold this boy to his own liking.

    "You''ve had me investigated right? You should know plenty enough about me then" Kazuya also didn''t want to make things easy for Shishio. "You should already know how busy my schedule already is so why would I complicate things especially when I know that I will NEVER get along with that filthy old bag you call your wife"

    "I see¡­" how could Shishio not understand after being repeatedly given so many hints. "I believe that I will be able to show you more than enough sincerity soon enough. Why don''t we start from scratch?"

    Kazuya didn''t expect that the very first person who would be chasing him around so relentlessly like this would be a man. He wasn''t a stranger to annoying people who wanted to cling to him because of his status as the summoned hero in Edea so this really felt strange to him. The worst part about this was that he had already decided to play along.

    "Let''s start with what you said earlier" Kazuya went straight to the point. "I want to test just how much your words really count for. I do despise traitors after all" Kazuya took out his cell phone and showed Shishio the screen that had his bank account details in it.

    "I understand" Shishio was elated. As he had predicted, Kazuya took the bait and wanted to test how trustworthy he was through suffering losses. If he was really willing and was able to show it then it wouldn''t be much trouble taking this kid''s affection away from his mother. "I really don''t know how much I owe in child support but I''ll definitely show you my sincerity"

    "Secondly, Sundays are off limits. So are the times I have my own business to attend to" Kazuya slowly discussed the schedule with Shishio. He treated it like his father needed to book appointments with him akin to a client but Shishio couldn''t have it any other way.

    As proud of a man Shishio is, Kyouko listened in and was surprised that he was being so cooperative. Was this proud and prideful man really succumbing to the demands of his son? Why? She was worried because she couldn''t find any other reason other than Kurogane Shishio being really interested in taking her son away from her.

    "You''re fine with this right?" Shishio turned towards Kyouko after finally settling a schedule with Kazuya.

    "I''ve never restricted MY son to do what he wants as long as it''s within reason. Just know that if something untoward happens to him in your care¡­" Kyouko directed the same look her son gave Nagisa towards Shishio who couldn''t help but feel a cold chill. "No amount of wealth and influence can save you from my wrath" she warned. She was like a tiger protecting her cub. Thankfully, Shishio did not harbor any ill will towards Kazuya or he would have needed to back off just because of the threat he perceived from his mother.

    Shishio did not realize that the bigger threat was the one who gave no reaction towards Kyouko''s statement because he felt the same way. No matter who, if they put any of his loved ones in danger, would suffer.

    "I would never do anything to harm him" Shishio straightened himself up. "My words may not mean anything to you but like I said, I''ll slowly prove myself not to you but to my son" he turned towards Kazuya who looked like it had nothing to do with him. "Since you''ll be busy for the next few weeks, I will take my leave and make necessary preparations" Shishio excused himself and turned around.

    He was not going to wait for his men to come back so he decided to take a cab. Just as he was leaving, his feet stopped in their tracks as a man stood in his way. This was the person he least wanted to see, so Shishio tried to make sure that they would never meet.

    "What is this trash doing here?" Kou stood in front of Shishio and made him feel the full extent of his presence. Shishio had knowledge of internal energy and had the capability of using it but against Kou, who not only had a natural affinity towards mana but also the guidance of Nagato Tsuna, he could only stand there and bear with the heavy feeling trying to push him down to his knees.

    "We''ll explain later father. More importantly, I thought you were going to bring uncle Tsuna with you?" Kyouko was relieved that Kou finally made it back. They were about to enter a phase that was going to be a challenge for their family so they needed all the help they could get.

    "I did bring him with me but¡­" Kou moved his gaze from Kyouko back to Shishio. "He said that he was going to drop by this piece of trash''s home to have a talk with his father" Kou loosened his pressure and moved past Shishio. "He got updated about what happened to his godson so he wanted to have a chat with that old rat. He should have already made it to their house by now"

    Shishio didn''t excuse himself and immediately ran to find the nearest ride he could take back to the Kurogane household. That old monster Tsuna was back in town and that did not bode well for the Kurogane clan. Shishio could still remember the day he came across Tsuna and it sent shivers down his spine.

    "(There is no way that this person is human!)" were his thoughts then and it still remained now as he saw the man wearing simple clothes standing at the top of bodies comfortably while holding a long wooden staff that was more like a spear.

    He may have already cleared up the matter with the Kazuya and Kyouko but what did it matter? Tsuna was a man that had always been unpredictable. Him being the godfather of Kazuya was also one of the main reasons he wanted to be on Kazuya''s good side. If he could get this man on his side then who could threaten their clan?

    He was nervous that his plan was going to fall apart even before it started. Nagisa was already on her way back to the Kurogane mansion and with her attitude, she was bound to keep spouting nonsense as soon as she reached their estate. If Tsuna hears her while he was still inside the Kurogane household then even he couldn''t tell what would happen.

    The last news they heard about Kou''s movements was that he was already on his way back together with Tsuna. They seemed to have taken a different route together and there was hardly any information on how they got back to town. He already rushed his plans to meet with Kazuya so that he could avoid the inevitable arrival of the two old men but he met with one of them while the more dangerous one went to his house.

    Shishio rushed the driver of the cab he caught because he was probably the only one who could stop the rampage that was most likely going to befall their estate. No one knew of his plans because he was afraid of it being hindered by his elder brother but despite his success, all of it would have been for naught if he had lost the place he could come back to.

    "!!"

    Surely enough, thick smoke could be seen as he neared his destination. It was only until he was able to enter their estate that he felt a little relief. Only one part of their house had its walls broken down with debris scattered all around. That was the meeting room where his father usually dealt with guests.

    "Father!" Shishio entered and found that his father had been sitting down while a long wooden staff had been pointed towards his face. Kurogane Tenma had not felt any significant danger to his life in a long while and the last time was because of this same person.

    "You''re¡­" Tsuna used his free hand to scratch his head to remember the familiar person who just entered the room. "Oh, I remember! You''re my godson''s trash biological father!" Tsuna was smiling as if nothing really serious had been happening. All those in the room didn''t move a muscle because Kurogane Tenma had already ordered them to do nothing. No matter how they tell the tale, there would be no one that could take care of this person so there was really no point even if they tried using what influence they had against him.

    "N-Nagato Tsuna?" Shishio sounded unsure. From what he could see, aside from his clothes, this man appeared exactly as he did in Shishio''s memory. It should have already been a decade but compared to his father, this man had not aged at all.

    "This will be the last and only warning I will give your family" Tsuna smiled. "I basically don''t like getting involved in complicated matters but since I chose to agree to be that boy''s godfather, he technically counts as my family. Your family better make sure that he never dies from anything other than a natural cause of death or the day my godson falls into an accident will be the last day that your clan exists" he placed the point of his staff towards Tenma''s forehead. "Do you understand?"

    "Y-yes" cold sweat had been pouring down continuously from Tenma''s forehead. He knew that Tsuna was on his way to town but no one ever thought that his first stop would be the Kurogane house the moment he arrived.

    "Good! I like people who are easy to talk to" Tsuna took back the spear and placed it on his back before moving towards the wall he had shattered when he made his entrance.

    "Now that we have an understanding, I''ll be off to meet this interesting little godson of mine"

    .

 118 Unorthodox Learning

    .

    Despite the fear Shishio showed towards Kouzuki Kou, in both Kyouko and Kazuya''s eyes, this old man looked quite haggard. His clothes looked dirty and worn out as if he had crawled out of a cave after living there for a long time.

    "We can talk inside" after Shishio left, Kou quickly entered the home that felt like he hadn''t seen in ages. He didn''t waste any time and took a long and relaxing bath before coming changing into a fresh set of new clothes that Akane had placed meticulously inside his bedroom.

    "Took you long enough" Kazuya was quite displeased since they waited for this old man for a while. He wanted to know what he meant when he said that his friend Tsuna was going to visit the Kurogane estate. "Where is¡­ godfather?"

    "Didn''t I already say that he would stop by to pay that old rat Tenma a visit?" He sat down comfortably and drank the tea that Yui served. "He knows his way around town so he''ll head here once he finishes his business there"

    "What took you so long, Dad?" Kyouko asked. "It shouldn''t have taken both of you long after you had left the mountain"

    "That''s the thing¡­ Tsuna wanted to teach me a couple of things so we actually walked all the way back" Kou scratched his head feeling embarrassed. Two old men walked all the way north just as summer was coming in modern times. This was something even he would never do.

    "I see¡­ so that''s why it feels as though you''ve improved a lot" Kazuya casually commented. He was able to tell immediately the moment this grandfather of his tried to intimidate his father. His mana was stronger compared to when they first met which was not a small feat because they weren''t in the vicinity of his mana formation.

    "Really!?" Kou almost leaped in surprise. "I really can''t tell but now that you say so, I don''t feel so bad about walking here now" he laughed out loud.

    "It''s true. I was wondering what had been different but it looks like it was Dad improving" being more sensitive to these changes, Kyouko was able to tell as well.

    Kazuya was amazed. He was a little envious of both his mother and grandfather because of their natural affinity to mana. It felt a little unfair that he was the only one related to them that didn''t have the natural talent that both of them had. Though he had his ways when compared to the two of them, he would most likely not be able to catch up if they trained the same way without him having the knowledge of his previous life.

    Their current capabilities already let them stand apart from the others. There would hardly be any threats to them if they continued living normally. Even for Kazuya himself, the abilities he possessed were already more than enough to fend off any danger he was bound to experience in his life. The only reason he was still pursuing greater heights was that he knew he would face something that was literally not of this world.

    "I''m all packed up" Mei arrived and joined them.

    "Packed up?" Kou''s ears twitched. He was surprised to find out that this reliable assistant of her daughter had not only moved into his house but was also treated as one of the family members even to the point that he almost got himself killed over pulling a prank on her. "Are you going on a business trip?"

    "Not exactly, Grandpa Kou" Mei shook her head. "You shouldn''t act so familiar towards me when we''re seen outside. I am considered as someone who would have betrayed the Kouzuki corporation once the Kuroganes spread the word. They will try to make it so that Kazuno Technologies and the Kouzuki Corporation wouldn''t be able to work together" Mei smiled mischievously after seeing the confused look on the old man''s face.

    "There are a lot of things that happened that you need to know about, Father" Kyouko began to give him an update of what happened while he was gone.

    They started with how the Kazuno corporation was actually the property of none other than his grandson. Followed by the events that led to their attack and the people behind it. Kyouko already knew that he had a vague understanding of Kazuno Tech because of his friend Jirou so she really didn''t need to explain much.

    Kou was shocked at the number of shocking events that happened in the short span of time he was away. He truly didn''t believe Tsuna when this wise friend of his mentioned that if Kazuya was really the person who sent him that note, then the boy would probably be able to reach his heights if nothing went wrong. He, of all people, knew just what his friend Tsuna was capable of but he once said that his grandson did not inherit his affinity for mana.

    His grandson sat there and added bits of information as he was being updated so Kou couldn''t help but wonder just how much his friend Tsuna was accurate this time. This barely a decade-old boy already attacked and destroyed an underground clan that had some reputation. It reminded him of Tsuna who declared just a few hours ago that he was going to waltz in the Kurogane family estate to wreak some havoc.

    It didn''t end at that. He was also informed of the existence of Domyouji Kuuga and what his friend Gakuto had neglected to inform him. He felt disappointed that such a thing happened and couldn''t blame his old friend from trying to hide it. He initially wanted to confront Gakuto but after hearing the continuation of the story, he had mixed feelings over it.

    Gakuto lost a grandson and has taken it upon himself to correct his grandson and his own mistakes. Even so, their current predicament was caused by his grandson. Kazuya informed him that the person who leaked the information that Mei was connected to Kazuno Technologies was, according to Suzaku, none other than Kuuga himself.

    Kurogane Shishio''s arrival today was a bit of a surprise but they slowly figured out his intentions after they finally had the time to review it. He successfully pinned all the blame on his nephew after being present on the day that Kazuya had squabbled with him. Suzaku had been used cleverly and none of the people present admired the clever way Shishio used his own nephew.

    "How are you so sure that he was present at the scene?" Kou curiously asked.

    "That man is a little capable. He can most likely make use of internal energy but the way he tries to use it is unique. I think he tried to teach himself and experimented on ways to use it. Because of that, he releases a unique kind of fluctuation that I also felt that same day" Kazuya explained.

    He was finally able to figure out the source of that strange feeling he had that day. Kazuya initially tried to shake off the ominous feeling because it felt too akin to the cult magicians he faced back in Edea. They couldn''t have existed here on earth which was why it bothered him. He was afraid that he would have to deal with an additional problem but it turned out to be no one else but his own father.

    If it was before they knew about Kazuya''s abilities, they would have thought that calling Kurogane Shishio ''a little capable'' was quite arrogant. The man was well known for having been capable of dealing with those that were against him in a brutal manner. Though many people targeted him, those who actually tried would never be able to come back in one piece.

    Shishio may have been afraid of Kouzuki Kou but it was not because of his prowess. It was mainly because he knew that behind Kou was a friend that would have most likely destroyed his own clan on a whim. This was why no matter how advantageous they were, they had to be really careful when dealing with the Kouzuki clan and their affiliates.

    "It''s a good thing that you were all able to figure out what he knew" Kou felt relieved. He shuddered at the thought that they would have been caught off guard. "So what are we going to do now?"

    "Unfortunately, I will have to move out" Mei stated. Though it was a bit early, they already discussed countermeasures in case Shishio did try and make use of his knowledge to cause a rift between her and Kyouko. "We have to make them think that he indeed has caused a rift. That scumbag can focus his resources on making sure that there won''t be any cooperation between the two companies so that the Kouzuki Corporation wouldn''t rise up above their own Kurogane Conglomerate"

    "That''s not all. With the Muimina family crumbling down because of uncle Gakuto, they will lose the most profitable ally they have" Kyouko added. "I assume that Shishio wants to play the long game and try his hand at manipulating the only heir our family has. I think he wants to consume the corporation from the inside using Kazuya"

    "I agree" Mei looked at the Kazuya and gave a mischievous grin. "Is that why you agreed to interact with that scum? Are you going to eat the Kuroganes from the inside?" She was confident that she knew more about Kazuya than his own mother.

    "It depends on how Kurogane Shishio acts from this point on" Kazuya had various considerations in his mind. He initially didn''t want to have anything to do with his father but he had been so persistent that Kazuya thought of specific benefits to be gained if he accepted.

    Shishio thought that he had a good and accurate read on Kazuya. He was trying to get close to him for various amounts of reasons but it mainly had to do with his own benefits. He wouldn''t have even spared him a glance if Kazuya had been like what he was in his first life. From this point alone, Kazuya really was curious as to how this man thought.

    Though Mei''s initial analysis was mostly correct, Kazuya would not have bothered to do so if he didn''t want to. From his understanding of Kurogane Shishio, he was one of the lowest types of people that could be compared to the fame-seeking nobles back in Edea. If Kazuya studied the inner-workings of Shishio''s mind, he could have a greater understanding of how devious and sinister people would consider things.

    Kazuya wanted to learn. He wanted to get inside the minds of the people he wanted to destroy so that he will be better prepared to deal with them when he gets there. He may have studied and thought of various ways to deal with them but he lacked a way to read their minds. With Kurogane Shishio''s help, he would at the very least, understand how those people perceived things.

    Do they immediately calculate the gains and losses whenever trying to meet new people? Are they thinking about how to effectively kill a person when they are starting to get to know them? These were only some of what Kazuya had been thinking about. Though he could rely on his memories to pick out the bad guys from the good, taking a different route would make him meet different kinds of people so his past experiences were hardly enough for everything to go smoothly.

    "Where are you going to stay?" Kou was concerned. This young lady was greatly spoiled by his grandson so seeing Kazuya calm as she left made him think that they have prepared themselves for this.

    "Kazu already had the office that was intended for him renovated for my use. I will be staying at Kazuno Tech''s headquarters so that there wouldn''t be any additional risks after I leave this house. Mei giggled as she remembered Kazuya being so adamant about her safety when she showed him a couple of places she was interested in when they were discussing her departure.

    "The headquarters itself will be upg¡ª" Kazuya stopped and instantly rushed to leave the room. He headed towards the gates where he had felt a presence breaking into the detection formation at great speed.

    "Huh?" He found it strange because such a presence disappeared from his senses. It couldn''t have been a bird that passed by because it hand jumped through the gates and landed directly in front of their house.

    "Kazu?" Mei called out looking a little concerned. It was at that moment that a shadow blew past her vision and headed directly for his back.

    "KAZUYA!" Kyouko, who sensed the murderous intentions, immediately called out. Her son already noticed the moment it had been directed towards him and activated the ring on his finger instantly.

    *CLANG* A surge of energy caused the wind to blow strongly. The impact of the katana that Kazuya pulled out versus the weapon the intruder had caused the ground to cave in a little.

    "(Mana!?)" The amount of mana shocked him. There was only one person who would visit their home that was at this level.

    "Really impressive" the man laughed before jumping backward.

    "You''re not too bad yourself" Kazuya sheathed the katana no one knew where he pulled out of and smiled.

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    "Looks like you really are who you said you were in the letter" he took off the hood that was covering his head. He spoke in the elven tongue so only Kazuya was able to understand.

    "It''s nice to meet you, my hero successor"

    .

 119 The Once, Insignificant Key 2 in 1

    .

    "It''s nice to meet you, my hero successor" Tsuna smiled warmly at the boy who just finished sheathing the katana that had come out of nowhere.

    Tsuna initially wanted to test Kazuya since he wasn''t completely convinced that he really was the one who sent the letter given to him by Kou. Kazuya had proven himself three out of two times by his standards.

    The first was his actual battle prowess. As a hero of Edea, even if one was sent back to the earth after being stripped of the blessing of the summoning like he experienced, the amount of growth that the hero received would still have been retained.

    Though the boy wasn''t as strong as he initially expected, both his knowledge and use of his mana was more than enough to prove that he had learned everything he knew from the sages of Edea.

    The second one was the language. Someone else could have written it and given to Kazuya to lure him out of the mountain. With the conversation they were having right now, Kazuya had proved that he indeed spoke the magical language of the elves.

    Tsuna was actually surprised the moment he entered the Kouzuki estate. He felt the detection formation the moment he stepped into the property.This was immediately followed by the quick actions of the boy who showed up to investigate as soon as he detected Tsuna''s intrusion. Kazuya''s clear ownership of the formation was the reason Tsuna didn''t immediately launch an attack against the boy as he waited to confirm if there had been anyone else that would show up that had access to it.

    "I see you''re very knowledgeable in formations" Tsuna walked towards the gate and grabbed a bag that he had left outside. "The amount of mana circulating in this place is quite impressive" he couldn''t help but praise.

    Though Tsuna had already been convinced that Kazuya was the real deal when Kou talked about him, he couldn''t help but feel a little pity because the boy had been too young to have been summoned to Edea. From what he could tell, the boy had already lost the innocence that a child like him was supposed to have and had already experienced things that no one from Earth would ever understand.

    "I''m impressed you were immediately able to escape its detection" Kazuya continued to speak in elven tongue. "I thought I would never be able to find someone else that came back from that world" Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that his expectations did not fail him this time.

    "Are you sure?" Tsuna grinned as he took out his trusty pipe and put it on his mouth. "You should be feeling the same as me after returning here from that chaotic place, right?" Tsuna once again grabbed the weapon on his back.

    How could Kazuya not understand how he felt? As summoned heroes, they were both used to the peace on Earth when they were suddenly thrown into such a chaotic one. Everything didn''t work out as smoothly in real life as it did in novels or manga because wars not only took time, they have a way of changing people that no one who hasn''t experienced it would completely understand.

    Both of them had an insatiable thirst for the battles that they had experienced. How could they not? Heroes experienced being thrown into wars that didn''t merely involve regular soldiers. They were sent up against the strongest threats that humanity had at their own respective eras.

    "On second thought, maybe you are an impostor after all" Kazuya grinned as he agreed that their earlier exchange hadn''t been enough. He grabbed the hilt of his sword before breathing in deeply to prepare for another battle with someone who he already knew he did not have a chance against.

    That didn''t stop Kazuya from wanting to battle with this predecessor of his. Though he had already experienced losses from his battles with Jirou, Kazuya had never really given it everything he had. A battle with each other was something that both of them never thought that they would experience again. This battle was going to be involving everything they had at their disposal.

    *puff* Tsuna blew out some smoke before placing his trusty pipe aside.

    The moment he got into a stance, the atmosphere completely changed between them. It had been a bright and sunny summer afternoon yet the wind felt like it had been from autumn. Kazuya focused on nothing else but the person in front of him. Both of them had experienced going through countless battles so both of them held high expectations for each other.

    "Oh hey! You''re finally here!" Kou excitedly jumped in between the two. Kou was completely oblivious to the atmosphere as he had just come out of the house after getting impatient at how long everyone took to come back.

    ""(This guy¡­)"" Kazuya and Tsuna''s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. This person really had a talent for getting on people''s nerves with his inability to read the atmosphere.

    "Hey, hey! Why are you two looking at me like that?" after feeling slight killing intent from both sides who were gripping their weapons, Kou wondered if he did something wrong.

    **sigh** The two admitted defeat and let go of their weapons. They knew they would have to wait for another opportunity because the mood had already been ruined by this insensitive guy.

    "Hey, hey, hey! Why the long faces, you two? This should be a celebration!" Kou continued. "Did this boy try to kill you, old friend?" he curiously asked after noticing both of them let go of their weapons.

    ""Enough already!!"" Tsuna and Kazuya shouted at Kou.

    .

    A few days passed by rather quickly. Unfortunately for Kazuya, due to Kou''s interruption on the day of Tsuna''s arrival, they focused on getting him updated on the current situation after learning what he had done after he arrived at the Kuroganes'' main estate.

    With Kazuya''s current busy schedule, he still hadn''t found an opportunity to have a good talk with this predecessor of his. The only consolation for him was that Tsuna had already agreed to stay in town for a while so there really wasn''t any hurry to discuss the matters that would still take a few years to happen.

    Tsuna wasn''t lounging around either. Word of his visit to the Kuroganes spread like wildfire amongst Kou''s circle of friends. No one actually expected Kou to be successful in pulling down Tsuna from his residence in the mountains. Everyone wanted to meet with him and catch up, so this other hero had a pretty busy schedule as well.

    Despite the festive mood the Kouzukis and their associates were in at the moment, a huge wave started to move on the modern-day battlefield.

    Kazuno Tech held a surprising press conference in which their mysterious CEO had introduced herself. Everyone who saw Mei walking out to take the stand was speechless at the secret boss behind the tech company that was supposed to have been the competition of the Kouzuki Corporation that she was supposed to be working for.

    Of course, the Kurogane clan didn''t miss the chance to sling some mud into her direction. Mei had been labeled as a traitor who betrayed the person who was responsible for where she was today. They even went as far as trying to instigate fights that thankfully didn''t escalate much.

    "I am very grateful towards the Kouzuki Corporation for teaching me everything and being responsible for where I am today" This line of Mei''s was shown repeatedly by the news across the nation. "Like everybody else, I also look to aim for greater heights and decided that it was time for me to build something that my mentor, Kyouko, would be proud of" was what she followed up with but some of the major news reports omitted this part of her speech for reasons that were obvious to those who were present or kept an eye on the actual press conference.

    No matter what the Kurogane Clan''s intentions were, the fact still remained that the legendary female duo that had taken the business world by storm looked like they had gone their separate ways.

    Some people rejoiced, some people lamented, and some people thought that it was inevitable. This was common in their world and no matter who they were or how famous they were, it did not make them exempt form the cruel reality that meeting is a prelude to the inevitable farewell.

    "Everything is going as planned" Shishio sat in his office and read the progress reports that his secretary had placed on his desk.

    He had gotten quite the scare when he met with Nagato Tsuna again after he saw this ageless old man in his family''s estate. Shishio was afraid that Tsuna would have killed his father as punishment for the events that befell Kazuya and the Kouzuki clan quite recently. Shishio was concerned for his father''s life but not for the reasons that a normal person would expect him to have.

    He could still recall the sense of relief he felt when Tsuna left peacefully after saying and doing what he wanted to. In Shishio''s mind, Kurogane Tenma should not die until he had appointed Shishio as the next head of the Kurogane family.

    A civil war within their family would erupt if Tenma had died without naming a successor. It had been ingrained in their upbringing that no matter which position a member of their family had, the clan head''s word was ironclad. Once a successor was named, his or her words would be followed by everyone in the clan. Those who failed to obey were to be taken care of by the people who were directly under command of the one sitting in the Kurogane Family''s seat of power.

    "Excuse me sir¡­" A man entered the room wearing a suit and sunglasses. He was one of the people that Shishio asked to perform specific ''tasks'' and it looked like he had come here with something to report.

    "Didn''t I tell you not to leave your post unless it''s something that needed my immediate attention?" Shishio tried to make sure that this man knew that he would not be let off lightly if he had something that didn''t require Shishio to personally look after or know.

    "It''s about the mistress" the man replied. "She started to make a move" he continued after handing his boss a file that was of utmost secrecy.

    "This woman¡­." Shishio read over the files and found a few disturbing things.

    The files were messages that his wife was exchanging with a few people. Shishio really didn''t care for most of them since they were nothing more than his wife''s usual ramblings. He immediately focused himself on the ones that were marked by this man.

    "[I want both of them dead]"

    "[I''ll give you extra if you can show me how you made the kid suffer]"

    "[Money is not an issue, I just want those two to be erased from the face of the Earth]"

    "[Just make it look like an accident]"

    It was more of the same thing as it went on, with each idea getting more absurd. Shishio''s brows furrowed until he finally let out an exasperated sigh. Turning towards the man who gave him the report, he shook his head. Nagisa had been growing more rampant as the days went by. He didn''t really mind since it had nothing to do with him but now that their interests conflicted, he had to do something.

    "Do you remember the matter I spoke to you about?" Shishio''s eyes turned serious as he looked in the man''s eyes.

    "Yes sir" he nodded.

    "Book a reservation at the restaurant. I will be taking Nagisa there for dinner" Shishio immediately conjured up a message to invite his wife for dinner outside.

    "I understand. I will make swift preparations" the man bowed and excused himself.

    Shishio glanced at the portraits on the wall of him and his wife. They appeared to be a perfect couple in the eyes of others but, like most political marriages, it was merely a hollow relationship that was for show. He harbored no feelings for Nagisa and if he had the choice, Kyouko would have been the ideal wife because of her talent and superior looks.

    In his eyes, women were nothing more than objects or tools that served two purposes: one would be to enhance a man''s influence and lifestyle and two would be to bear the next generation for him. He only preferred Kyouko over Nagisa because she had produced someone like Kazuya who he never expected would have that much potential.

    On the side of his desk was a picture of Kazuya and the reports about him that Shishio had read numerous times. Who could have predicted that something like a clone of him would ever exist in this world? He grinned as he continued to think of ways of making the boy see his side of things.

    Kazuya may have been a boy that reminded him of himself a lot but he was still a mere boy in his eyes. A boy that had been raised by someone as na?ve as Kyouko, so he still had some of his mother''s influence in him.

    Shishio saw this as a chance, a chance to exploit the boy and slowly paint Kazuya in his own colors. The boy was smart and had every right to suspect him for being after something. He was happy about it, Kazuya wouldn''t have been worth his time if he had been easy enough to sway. He wanted to take his time and enjoy it but unfortunately, there were only a few years left before the Kurogane Banquet.

    He had plans to bring his son to the gathering that would allow him to showcase the boy''s talents. Shishio wanted to show his whole clan that not only was he the right person to succeed his father, choosing him would also secure the generation after his with Kazuya by his side.

    .

    Nagisa was under house arrest for the trouble she caused Shishio when they visited the Kouzuki clan. She was upset because not only did her husband not defend her from Kazuya''s threat, Shishio even sent her away and barred her from exiting the estate until further notice.

    She didn''t want to take this lying down. The way things were going, her position had already been confirmed to have been in danger. Not only hers, but any child that was going to be born when Shishio and her had a child would always have Kazuya as the eldest son once he was officially recognized by the Kurogane clan.

    She had to do something to stop it and one of her friends gave her someone she could contact for such a request. Nagisa jumped at the opportunity and even got so much into discussing how this person was going to deal with the accursed duo of her nemesis and her son that she lost track of time. She fantasized about how wonderful it would be to see those two gone for good.

    It wasn''t until a message from her husband appeared that she snapped back to reality.

    "[Get ready for a dinner with me tonight. You may invite your friends if you want to. Take it as an apology for the act I had to pull to convince those fools that I was on their side]"

    She was surprised and quite ecstatic. Though the day initially started out as boring, things were finally looking bright for her. Any opportunity to show off Shishio to her friends was always welcome so she called a bunch of them to set up a dinner at the fancy restaurant that Shishio had booked.

    "Looks like he''s finally coming around" Nagisa giggled. "It won''t be long till I have you all to myself again"

    Shishio arrived at the Kurogane estate early that evening. The damage that Nagato Tsuna caused in their estate was almost fixed but all the members who witnessed the domineering visit of this man would never forget the words he said that day. Kurogane Tenma was no exception as he summoned his reliable son to his office.

    "You called for me, Father?" Shishio entered the room and politely greeted him.

    "I''ve heard about your plan. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Tenma tried to confirm. He believed in Shishio''s abilities but he still wasn''t sure about how focused this son of his was towards his supposed grandson.

    "I am" Shishio responded without hesitation. "I believe that you would share the same opinion once you''ve met him"

    Tenma was genuinely surprised by his son''s opinion of Kazuya. He knew this son of his and how his mind worked. Shishio would never praise anyone or even compliment them in his presence if they didn''t meet the extremely high standards Shishio had. What exactly does this Kouzuki brat did to have impressed this son of mine so? He pondered.

    "Though I still have doubts, I do trust your judgement and leave it for you to handle" Tenma gave his blessing. "I just hope that your efforts wouldn''t be wasted when the time comes"

    "Leave it to me" Shishio smiled. Though it wasn''t all that intentional, he was glad that Tenma had taken an interest towards Kazuya. It would make a lot of things easier for him in the future if his father found out more about Kazuya and began to think as he did.

    Shishio excused himself and left silently. Tenma stood up afterwards and walked towards the window to observe the damage that reminded him of the slap he had received on the day Nagato Tsuna visited. The old man couldn''t help but give a sigh at the calamities their clan was facing.

    Their biggest ally and supporter had already crumbled. Muimina Budou acted like a madman and went on an all-out assault against the Domyouji group.

    Without the left and right arms of the Muimina clan, how can they put up a fight against someone who had more than a few arms and legs? The prosthetic limbs that Budou forcibly tried to attach himself with, fell off as soon as things weren''t going in their favor. It was like something had happened to infuriate the Muimina clan to go against one of the strongest underground groups in the country.

    Tenma was upset at this because he wouldn''t have cared if Budou had committed suicide once the disappointing Suzaku and his daughter were married. The Kurogane clan not only lost one of their allies, they also couldn''t consume the Ringo corporation now that its head had been chopped off so mercilessly by the Domyouji clan.

    "I guess it would be up to you now, Shishio¡­" he whispered to himself as he saw his reliable son leaving their estate with his wife.

    Tenma didn''t want to admit it but there was no one else that could pull them back up other than him. It would have been different if certain incidents in the past few years didn''t happen but Tenma more or less agreed with Shishio''s judgement of the situation. What they needed the most now was for an opportunity to rise from the ashes and Kouzuki Kazuya was holding the biggest key to it all.

    Not even Kazuya knew how important his existence had become in this life. He probably wouldn''t even realize it unless he was told right to his face. For someone who had never experienced any limelight in his time on Earth. In Kazuya''s eyes was only the next step, there was no stopping or being content once he had finished out what he started.

    "You look beautiful tonight, my dear wife" complimented Shishio as the two of them sat in the vehicle driven by the driver whose vision was blocked from observing what was going on in the back seat.

    "What''s gotten into you?" Nagisa was a bit startled at how this blockheaded husband of hers finally took the chance to compliment her for a change. "Did you drink alcohol at the office before you picked me up?" she tried sniffing her husband''s clothes but found nothing.

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    "What''s wrong with complimenting my wife? Don''t you like it?" he laughed out loud.

    "You''re acting strange" she was glad to hear his compliments but she knew better than anyone what kind of person her husband was. It was likely that he was about to do or ask something that would make her lose her temper. "Are you going to talk to me about Kyouko''s kid again? If so, you shouldn''t bother. I don''t want to ruin my mood especially since we''re going to be meeting some of my friends today"

    "I don''t intend to talk about Kouzuki Kazuya but rather someone else who is connected to the boy" he moved his body closer and put his arm around Nagisa''s waist. "Did you hear about the visitor that caused the damage to the estate?"

    "Is it that man who carried around a spear and caused explosions when we went to meet Tenma-sama?" she asked. "What does that have to do with the bitch''s son?"

    "Do you know who he is and what he said on the day he visited?" Shishio asked.

    "I don''t. Didn''t the family already chase him out? What does that brat have to do with anything?" Nagisa had a strange feeling but she kept it to herself for now. She let herself be kissed by her Shishio and she fully immersed herself in it. She didn''t have any expectations but it seemed like there might be a chance that she would be able to produce a real heir today.

    "That man was Kazuya''s godfather" he softly said as their lips parted. "He is a man who can single handedly wipe out our clan if he wanted to. That man gave us a warning that if my son dies and his death was caused by anything other than natural causes, our clan was going to die with him" Shishio pulled Nagisa''s body into an embrace as he whispered the words directly to her ears.

    "I¡­" Nagisa was startled. She had already given the order to get rid of the boy and his mother. Her mind seemed like it was spinning at this point. There was no way she could contact the person as she had been informed that she wouldn''t be able to get in contact until the job had been completed.

    "I already know what you did. I''ve let you get away with most of the things you did because they weren''t much of a big deal but once you put the clan in jeopardy multiple times, you are forcing my hand" Shishio smiled at her. "You already know how important that boy is and my interest in him yet you still dared to do this. My son had even criticized me because of you"

    "W-what are you going to do" Nagisa stuttered. She of all people knew how her husband did things and they were heartless.

    "Be thankful. You''re going to be the bridge that will eventually connect me and the generation after me together" Shishio braced himself in front of Nagisa who noticed a bright light from behind her.

    *CRASH* Another vehicle collided with theirs as they were crossing the intersection.

    .

    Inside Kazuya''s magic training room, the predecessor stood while the successor was panting on the floor. They finally had their fight and it had been clear who was superior.

    Tsuna took out his signature pipe and puffed smoke as he watched Kazuya recovering at an alarming rate. Kazuya''s body still hadn''t grown to it''s peak and he hadn''t returned too long ago so it was obvious that he was at a disadvantage.

    That didn''t stop them from doing what they intended as their thirsts for battle had been somewhat quenched. The training room which Kyouko thought was indestructible had its walls cracked and some were destroyed. This was evidence of how intense the battle between the two former heroes had been.

    "I never thought I could fight like this that didn''t involve casualties in the end" Tsuna sat on the floor and started a conversation. "I can''t imagine the trouble you had to go through to have been summoned in a body like that. Your battle ability is quite high but I can tell that you aren''t very used to utilizing magic in the midst of battle" he commented.

    Kazuya''s body twitched as he heard his predecessor''s opinion. He didn''t expect any less from someone as experienced as him.

    Both of them found out about things they didn''t know about each other. Kazuya never thought that the greatest hero mage could battle better than him in close range and Tsuna didn''t expect Kazuya to try and combine magic with his fierce battle style. The two had been more alike than they originally thought as curiosity got the better of them and they both tried to delve into the things that were outside their comfort zone.

    "Nagato-san¡­ As you can see, I may not be the hero you expected me to be. I''m like an inexperienced soldier compared to you" Kazuya gave his honest opinion.

    He initially thought that he would have the upper hand in battle as long as he got close. The hero Natsu had the reputation of finishing battles before the enemies could ever get near him. Kazuya''s plan fell into pieces because not only was Tsuna able to fend him off at close range, he could have even finished the battle in it.

    How could Kazuya not look up to him? Both of them were heroes yet Kazuya was not only inferior, he was also fooled and killed after he had lost his usefulness towards the people who summoned him. Comparing himself to the hero Natsu who not only established a long era of peace, his influence was still felt after centuries have already passed.

    "The hero''s blessing was an advantage that would make anyone overconfident. I am no exception to this" Tsuna tried consoling him. "I returned to this world long before you. I learned how to adjust after losing the blessing so you don''t have to beat yourself up over it"

    "Would you be willing to teach me?" Kazuya mustered up his courage. This would make the difference between him returning to Edea with a knife or a gun.

    "You don''t need to be so formal" Tsuna gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Both of us are bound by a strange fate. Not only did you turn out to be my godson, you also are someone who experienced the same thing as I did and came back. What kind of godparent and predecessor would I be if I didn''t listen to the words of both my successor and godson?" Tsuna laughed.

    "Then you mean¡­" Kazuya looked up and saw the cheerful face that looked at him warmly.

    "I''ll teach you everything I know and you can teach me everything that you''ve learned there that wasn''t in my time" It wasn''t just Kazuya who was interested in this partnership. Tsuna was also looking forward to learning everything that had changed since his time in Edea. Surely they''ve had multiple progressions already right?

    "Thank you, Nagato-san" it was as if a large weight was lifted from Kazuya''s shoulders. This cooperation had not been a simple one and would play a big part in his return to the other world.

    "Prepare yourself. Your body may not be in its prime condition but I will make it so that when it grows, you will be capable of things that you never thought would be possible here on Earth"

    .

 120 Afterword/ Q&A II

    .

    Congratulations for making it to the end of Volume 2? How was it? I hope everyone enjoyed it. It''s been a really challenging experience for me so I hope that those who''ve made it this far appreciate just how much work and thoughts I''ve put into this.

    As for those of you who are dreading the spirit stones cost, fret not! I have decided to turn down the offer Webnovel has given because of their inflexibility to change the terms I found that were unreasonable. So until I receive something better (wherever that may be) everything will still be the same as it has always been.

    I especially want to thank the patrons who have given their support. I want them to know that their help is greatly appreciated. Every help is one step closer for me to be able to solely focus on this work.

    The next volume will begin after another time skip. So for those who have been asking for it, congratulations! Kazuya will be a little older at the start of the next volume.

    .

    Now off we go to the question and answer portion. I''ve browsed through the comments section for the whole volume and I''m glad that some people have been helpful in answering some of the new readers'' concerns. I didn''t get to see much that were left unanswered by the later chapters so I will address those that I''ve seen by the time I am typing this up. (Note that they are questions from both the comments section and discord)

    .

    Pavook: 2 years? (time skip) So he is 8y old now?

    A: Volume one ended in winter where somewhere it was mentioned that it was almost his birthday. Time skip took more than two years and started near the end of spring. So he is 9 when volume 2 began.

    .

    Jon1031: Should I put every typo I find in the comments?

    A: It would be faster on discord since I rarely check the comments section after my initial check when I post the chapter. Much appreciated for the help.

    .

    Lauwn: Ringo = Apple?

    A: If you''re asking about the meaning of the word then yes. Ringo Japanese for Apple

    .

    Tweis: I''m amazed at how much bad reviews are coming in. They stopped reading very early and most of them quit after the MC brush off Tomoyo and Kurumi. Why don''t you answer or reply to these reviews to make it clear to them?

    A: Not going to waste my time. If they don''t know what it means for literature to have ''character development'' then it would be better for them to stop reading early. These guys even went as far as using alt accounts to upvote their bad reviews so why feed the trolls? I just hope that the current readers can upvote the reviews that they agree with.

    Tweis: I did that. Why not just report them for abuse though?

    A: I have. But webnovel doesn''t seem to be doing anything about it. I don''t really mind bad reviews as long as the reasons they have for giving something as low as a 1 star is understandable. The ones that spam bad reviews for the heck of it or because of something that happened early on in volume just makes me laugh. Hopefully they find actual quality novels to broaden their horizons.

    .

    qostoc: Do you have any other novel you are working on right now?

    A: Not at the moment. Though I have been receiving a lot of requests asking where my previous stories have been published. My answer remains the same on the previous q/a section and say that I only have the raws of what I''ve written in the past. The ones that were published and edited were on sites that have already went down (I''ve checked most of them)

    .

    VersusZero: Is it just me overthinking or did the author''s Dao (of cliffhanger) is improving?

    A: That''s just an illusion¡­ I don''t know what cliffhangers are¡­

    .

    KuroKagami: Why is the story keep making kazuya ship with mei?? It''s my personal opinion but maybe he could be better with robot girl because of their age.

    A: Mei is the closest person to Kazuya because she was the only one he really cared about on earth in his previous life. She is, as mentioned in the first volume, his first love/crush.

    .

    BlackKnight42: Are there any extra chapters if we subscribe on *******?

    A: The way it works ''currently'' is that bonus chapters can be sponsored by patrons to be released on days where there are supposed to be no releases. Currently, my schedule is 3 chapters a week. So if you notice that the chapters are coming daily, it means that there are bonus chapters sponsored by these patrons.

    .

    GembeRForceS: From what I remember MC will get summoned in middle school right??

    A: He was supposed to be in his first year of high school when he was summoned.

    .

    WeepingAngel: I see Author has improved in his cliff-dao. I wonder which level Author is?

    A: Level 0¡­ It''s all an illusion¡­

    .

    LonleySnow: I don''t know why but I have to ask why almost everyone''s name and family name start with ''K'' ???

    A: That only applies to the Kouzuki clan. I made it somewhat of a tradition for them at this point (If written in the English alphabet that is). Though in Japanese, staring syllables don''t matter because they always change depending on the meaning.

    .

    CrimsonDragonKing: Did they have guns? Was there any mention of guns in this operation? Even from the fodder? Author-san care to explain why we still don''t have real weapons? Even Kaguya still doesn''t have a real sword. All we have are kendo practice swords and fists.

    A: There are many laws controlling the possession of firearms and swords. Even the in the police, there is a heavy restriction when they should use or sometimes even carry guns (only those detectives and ranked higher can carry them if I''m not mistaken). Even if one has a licensed gun, the law prohibits it from being carried out in the open because of the weapons and firearm ban.

    Guns have been controlled in Japan since the late sixteenth century.After the Second World War, gun control became very strict.Many civilians have never seen a gun in their lives. The relationship between gun possession and crimes or suicides has not been studied in great detail.There are very few deaths by gunshot in Japan, which has a low homicide rate overall.The suicide rate, on the other hand, is very high, and many speculate that if Japanese people were able to possess guns more freely, the suicide rate would rise sharply.

    Hopefully this sheds some light.

    .

    Lolhappy: Author San I would say it would be better if you add a character list

    A: I''ve already put one up at the end of Volume 1 and will most likely be putting one up at the end of volume 2 as well.

    .

    JadeGazardiel: Do you know the name of Bruce Lee''s brother?

    A: Which one? If it''s the vegan brother, then its Broco Lee

    .

    VirtuousParagon: What''s SS chapter?

    A: Side Story Chapters. They are going to be put most likely after this one.

    .

    Brezer: I am wondering how many chapters this story is going to have. Every time we start getting to the meat and potatoes of the story we end up going off on a tangent to stuff that seems to not have any effect on the story. All of these backgrounds characters, are they going to the other world are they driving the story.... why are we even reading about them. If we are building background for all these people to go over then ya ok but if they don''t then this is all useless filler that is detracting from the main path of the story. I like the story but really just trying to understand what we are reading all this filler for.

    A: Even I don''t know how many chapters this story is going to have. At least, not yet. Like most people who interacts with me in discord know, I have the story in my head, what''s going to happen, what needs to happen, etc. the only problem is how I tell the story. As for the other concern, someone already gave an answer I quite agreed with in the comments section. I''ll put it here as well.

    Overlord_Venus: There is actually a good reason for that, while these characters may seem like A,B,C but they are what slowly influence and change kazuya''s character, try to read once again from the first chapter then you''ll understand many subtleties you might have missed the first time ( I got to know why only in my second read), hope this helps

    .

    SootheSayre: How old is the Demon King and his daughter?

    A: Hellion is a few centuries old while his daughter''s age is currently unknown.

    .

    Funtastechick: How old was kazuya before he died when he''s at edea?

    A: He never aged when he was summoned. A high school kid

    .

    MeowY: Can I ask questions that isn''t related to the novel?

    A: As long as it''s not too off track?

    .

    overlord_venus: I''m trying to write my first novel. how do you write Ruruci?

    A: (posted this on discord somewhere)

    My take on when you are deciding whether you''re going to create something to publish or not;

    1. decide what you want to write about

    2. make sure that what you write about interests you, yourself (this is so that the chances for you dropping it when you eventually experience a block lessens)

    3. begin thinking about what kind of person your MC will be (if you can''t decide, make him/her similar to yourself)

    4. think about what you want to happen in your story

    5. start constructing specific main events in your head that should happen in the novel.

    6. start thinking about how you want to start it.

    7. think about whether the story is something that you are actually interested in because an aspiring writers who would drop their stories with reasons such as disinterest or blockage are absolute garbage

    8. Start writing it. and think about who/what types of characters you''d want your MC to hang around with or which characters would support him

    9. ask a friend to read it or tell them about it and ask for what they think (make sure this person is into reading because friends that are illiterates and prefer to watch shows rather than read are useless)

    10.If you want to post it, make sure you have a reasonable lead in case you end up with delays and what not

    11. Think about what you''re doing once again. If you really want to do this, make sure what you''re getting yourself into

    12. enjoy the ride and don''t let haters get to you. Not everyone will like what you write no matter what.

    13. Tank the haters and focus on the people that enjoy what you write. They are the ones who matter (This is important so i had to list it down again. People will try and bring you down)

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    14. Never stop learning and improving your craft and appreciate those who support and encourage you.

    .

    That is all the time we have for right now. So if I missed any questions, I do apologize. I will be releasing the promised SS afterwards and Volume 3 will begin after I take a little time to recover, think, and prepare the releases for Royal Road, Tapas, etc.

    We have reached the top 20 by the time I''m writing this and I would like to thank all those who have given their powerstones to make it happen. Thank you for your support!

    A special Shout out to those who have been helping out with the errors, typos, edits and what not. JadeGazardiel, Ryou, Arion, your help is much appreciated.

    .

 121 Volume 2 Characters

    Volume 2 Character Profiles

    .

    Kouzuki Kazuya

    Gender : M

    Likes: Mei, Kouzukis, Shiroyukis

    Dislikes: Traitors, Threats

    A boy who returned to his younger self after being betrayed in another world called Edea. He is slowly preparing for revenge as he trains himself in preparation for his return to the world where he had been summoned as a hero.

    Dubbed as the ''Young General'' after his show of intense will during the bloody incident which made him the youngest to have ever won the kendo nationals. He gained intense popularity after his identity of the Kouzuki clan''s scion at his school was revealed and has been quietly living his new life while training in secret.

    .

    Kouzuki Kyouko

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kazuya, Kazuya and Kazuya

    Dislikes: Kurogane Clan, Shishio

    Head of the Kouzuki clan and CEO of the Kouzuki Corporation. She is also the extremely doting mother of Kazuya and is often called a [son-con] by her assistant. After the incident, she had been overprotective of her son. It only eased a little bit after she learned about mana and discovered her own affinity to it.

    .

    Kazuno Mei

    Gender: F

    Likes: Food, Relaxation, Kazuya

    Dislikes: Men

    One of the two founders of Kazuno Technologies. She is the mysterious company''s CEO while working as Kyouko''s assistant. After discovering Kazuya''s secret, she tried to discern his mental age because of her own curiosity and to know more about the unbelievable and mysterious boy she used to treat as a little brother. She is currently training with Kyouko and is under the tutelage of Kazuya.

    .

    Kouzuki Kou

    Gender: M

    Likes: Adventure, Excitement, Friends, Family

    Dislikes: Kurogane Clan

    Former head of the Kouzuki House until he lost his wife. He left all the matters concerning their clan and corporation to his daughter that had just graduated from college. Later, he became an explorer and would rarely visit his family. This would last until he met with his grandson.

    .

    Stockton Kurumi

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kazuya, Plushies, Flowers

    Dislikes: Conflict, Violence

    The princess of Stockton International and a fresh transfer to Sacred Forest Academy along with her cousin. She spent time contacting Kazuya through calls and mail but their friendship fell apart after she revealed her intentions about reclaiming his memories. Ever since then, she decided to do her research so that she won''t offend him once she rekindles her friendship with him.

    .

    Fujiyama Akane

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kouzuki clan, Her Family

    Dislikes: Dirt, Messes, Shishio

    Trusted caretaker of the Kouzuki household and is known to have served them from the time of Kazuya''s great grandfather. She is the current head of her family which directly serves under either the company or their house. Referred to as Granny Fuji by those close to her.

    .

    Shiroyuki Tomoyo

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kendo, Grandparents, Kouzukis

    Dislikes: Blood, Losing

    Known as the [Robot Girl] in school because of Kazuya. She is a very talented kendo practitioner that had begun training in the same manner as Kazuya. She is known to be Kazuya''s protector in school because of the way she has been trying to defend him from strangers ever since the incident that took place two years ago.

    .

    Shiroyuki Jirou

    Gender: M

    Likes: Tomoyo, Kaori, Kouzukis

    Dislikes: Surprises, Kuroganes

    The current head of the Shiroyuki clan and the master of the Shiroyuki dojo. Also the head of the security company that was created by Kazuno Tech. He supports the Kouzukis in Kou''s stead and has already begun treating Kazuya as his own grandson. He always gets into arguments with his friend whose granddaughter also has taken quite a liking to the boy.

    .

    Domyouji Kuuga

    Gender: M

    Likes: Money, Connections, Influence

    Dislikes: Brothers

    A Student of Sacred Forest Academy''s high school department. He is one of the sons of the Domyouji clan which is well known for their power and influence in the underground society. He was one of Hashiyama Lee''s former friends and also had taken a liking to Mei. He wanted such a capable woman by his side because of her ability and talent that would suit his own ambition.

    .

    Domyouji Gakuto

    Gender: M

    Likes: Friends, Family

    Dislikes: Disloyal people, Cowards

    The head of the Domyouji Clan. A well-known figure in the underworld that is trying to break into a more legitimate way of living. He is Kuuga''s grandfather and although he later discovered his grandson''s business, he punished him without letting the rest know of Kuuga''s involvement in the incident with Kouzuki Kazuya 2 years ago.

    .

    Akabane Nanami

    Gender: F

    Likes: Fighting

    Dislikes: Complicated Things

    The one and only granddaughter of the head of the Akabane clan. A middle school student of Akaryuu Academy which is both the neighbor and rival of Sacred Forest Academy. She is the current rival of Kuronuma Ayame. She used to be a rowdy girl but has changed after she met with Kouzuki Kazuya. She once secretly recorded Kazuya calling her ''pretty girl'' and listens to it in private.

    .

    Akabane Isshin

    Gender: M

    Likes: Fighting

    Dislikes: Complicated Things

    The head of the infamous and violent Akabane clan, a Yakuza group that rules with an iron fist. He is sometimes called Kou''s clone. He is very straightforward and hates people who try to bully the weak.

    .

    Kurogane Shishio

    Gender: M

    Likes: Power, Glory

    Dislikes: Brother

    Kouzuki Kazuya''s biological father and one of the candidates to be the next head of the Kurogane Conglomerate. He is highly ambitious and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He is also a very prideful person and extremely calculative. He is confident in himself and is not afraid to show it.

    .

    Muimina Ringo

    Gender: F

    Likes: Suzaku, Money

    Dislikes: Kazuya, Nagisa

    The princess of the Muimina clan and the person after which the Ringo Corporation is named after. She is a very prideful girl and likes to get the attention of her peers whenever she enters the room. She is one of the most influential people in the Sacred Forest Academy''s elementary school though she should already be in the middle school department.

    .

    Kurogane Suzaku

    Gender: M

    Likes: Ringo, Shishio

    Dislikes: Nagisa, Kazuya

    Youngest of the next generation in the Kurogane clan. He is Ringo''s childhood friend and fianc¨¦. He dislikes Kazuya for the incident and the damage it caused to his family. He met Ringo at a young age and both of them spent a lot of time being tutored together in the Kurogane clan in their younger years.

    .

    Nagato Tsuna

    Gender: M

    Likes: Mana, Nature, Quiet

    Dislikes: Disturbances, Evil

    A hermit who lives in the middle of nowhere. He stays near the highest points habitable on the highest mountain. He met Kouzuki Kou after he fell into his house and formed a friendship with the straightforward man. He later accepted being the godfather of the boy who was later going to be summoned to the same world he had returned from. No one knows how old he is exactly, but he has said once that he was older than anyone in Kou''s circle of friends. He is well respected because of his humble personality and inhuman-like abilities.

    .

    Stockton Maron

    Gender: F

    Likes: Basketball, Kurumi

    Dislikes: Complicated Things, People who use her name

    A new transfer student to Sacred Forest Academy and the basketball team''s new captain. She transferred along with her cousin so that they could try and recover Kazuya''s memories. She lost to him in a match she initiated and has been trying hard to get her revenge match.

    .

    Kuronuma Ayame

    Gender: F

    Likes: People that can use mana, Komori

    Dislikes: Meddlesome people

    The Kuronuma clan''s princess and dubbed as the ''sword fairy'' by magazines. She became famous after being undefeated in her middle school career. She is a very prideful girl who bears a grudge against Kazuya for ignoring her and her advances. Her wish is to one day see him beg for her attention after Kazuya once again meets up with her.

    .

    Aoki Takaya

    Gender: M

    Likes: Acting, Plays,

    Dislikes: Musicals, Math

    Self proclaimed best friend of Kazuya and member of their class. He is the youngest son of the Aoki group and one of the most talented child actors today. He was initially a loner before he met Kazuya and has been trying to pull him into his interests ever since he saw the potential his friend had for acting.

    .

    Ika Munie

    Gender: M

    Likes: Oily Food, Sodas, Video Games, Snacks

    Dislikes: Diet Soda, Slow Internet

    Once a very famous hacker in Kazuya''s previous life. He serves in Kazuno Tech as the head of network security. He once drank a whole bottle of brandy in the gathering of employees which made everyone accept his way of addressing himself as ''The Legend''.

    .

    Matsumoto Kippei

    Gender: M

    Likes: Research, Math

    Dislikes: Loud Noises, Disturbances

    One of the head researchers in Kazuno Tech that was directly hired by Kazuya. He supports Mei and is one of the most trusted people in the company. He has access to communications with Kazuya so everyone always makes him ask for new things which always gets him in trouble.

    .

    Shiroyuki Kaori

    Gender: F

    Likes: Her Family, Kyouko

    Dislikes: Mess, Undisciplined Students

    Shiroyuki Jirou''s wife and Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s grandmother. She is the woman who manages the Shiroyuki house.

    .

    Miyamoto Shinichi

    Gender: M

    Likes: Teaching, Students, Women

    Dislikes: Unreasonable Women

    Kazuya''s homeroom teacher and serves as the kendo club''s advisor. He is also a self-proclaimed expert of women and strives to teach Kazuya the ways of understanding women. He is single and takes his job as a teacher seriously.

    .

    Sawada Matsuri

    Gender: F

    Likes: Mahiru, Mei, Kazuya

    Dislikes: Husband''s Family, Loan Sharks, Tardiness, Spies

    Mei''s secretary in Kazuno Technologies that handles most of the work. She regained her drive to work after being given a huge opportunity by both Mei and Kazuya. She handles most of the affairs inside Kazuno Tech''s headquarters and has been looking for ways to make things easier for her bosses. She currently lives on one of the top floors of the apartment building bought by Kazuno Tech to house their employees.

    .

    Sawada Mahiru

    Gender: F

    Likes: Kendo, Matsuri

    Dislikes: Arrogant People

    A middle school student of the Sacred Forest Academy. She is Matsuri''s only daughter and she currently lives with her mother in one of the apartments for Kazuno Tech''s employees.

    .

    Fujiyama Yui

    Gender: F

    Likes: Yumi, Kyouko, Akane, Cute Things

    Dislikes: Being called short, Kazuya(?)

    A high school student of the Sacred Forest Academy and the youngest of the Fujiyama sisters. She is currently under the guidance of her grandmother so she can serve the Kouzuki house full-time after graduation. She is trying to master cooking but she hasn''t gotten the hang of it yet.

    .

    Fujiyama Yumi

    Gender: F

    Likes: Mei, Kyouko, Kazuya(?)

    Dislikes: Boys, Persistent People

    After getting her certificate, she quickly joined Mei in the Kouzuki Corporation. With her mentor''s guidance, she was able to smoothly transition into her position. She is slowly getting recognized in the business world and some people start to see her as second coming of the Ice Queen.

    .

    Kuronuma Komori

    Gender: M

    Likes: His Granddaughter, His Students. Kazuya

    Dislikes: Losing, Being seen as a lesser Jirou

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    Ayame''s grandfather and the head of the Kuronuma Clan. He is the main instructor for his dojo but recently took up the position as a trainer for Kazuno Securities. He joined to give the students he trained better job opportunities as well as to try and help his granddaughter get a little closer to the Kouzuki clan''s Kazuya.

    .

    Kurogane Nagisa

    Gender: F

    Likes: Shishio, Jewelry, Attention

    Dislikes: Kyouko, Kazuya, Bugs

    The official wife of Kurogane Shishio. She was once the princess of the Hashiyama family before they merged with the Kurogane Conglomerate. The perfect marriage plan they had was ruined when it was revealed that Shishio had relations with Kyouko. This was the start of the grudge she had with Kyouko and has been looking to trouble her ever since.

    .

    Ousame

    Gender: M

    Likes: Money, Power, His Brothers

    Dislikes: Underground People

    One of the pioneer members of Kazuno Securities. He was a former loan shark who was trained by non-other than the legendary Shiroyuki Jirou. He has long abandoned his old and dirty ways and he is very thankful towards Kazuya for giving him and his brothers a chance at this new life.

    .

    Mame

    Gender: M

    Likes: Fantasy, Manga, Kazuya

    Dislikes: Intruders, Rule breakers, Rich people

    Used to be Ousame''s right hand man in the old days. He was later recruited to join Kazuno Securities where he found out that there was such a thing as internal energy and mana. He is like a boy that never grew up and hopes to one day be able to do the things he has seen Kazuya do.

    .

    Anri

    Gender: F

    Likes: Money

    Dislikes: Dokuro Clan

    A girl who the Dokuro group picked up after she got fired from the Ringo Corporation. She is very talented so she was used by the Dokuro group to further their power and influence.

    .

    Dokuro Domon

    Gender: M

    Likes: Money, Power, Women

    Dislikes: Non-affiliated Yakuza groups

    The head of the Dokuro clan that is secretly supported by the Muimina family. He and Muimina Budou were old friends in high school where he took care of the problems the talented friend of his stumbled upon. His clan functions as the bank for all the money that he and Budou can''t make public.

    .

    Muimina Budou

    Gender: M

    Likes: Power, Influence

    Dislikes: Rivals, Lawsuits

    Head of the Muimina family and CEO of the Ringo corporation. He was once a normal guy who met a friend that was talented in electronics. He stole the completed work of that man after learning everything about it and started his own company. He likes to take over small startup technology companies and let his own team develop what he sees as profitable.

    .

    Kurogane Tenma

    Gender: M

    Likes: Family

    Dislikes: Rule breakers, Stupidity

    The current head of the Kurogane clan and Shishio''s father. He stands at the top of the Kurogane Conglomerate and uses it as the testing grounds for his successor.

    .

 122 SS1: Test Subject 1

    .

    Note: This takes place after the assault on Kazuno Tech''s headquarters and before the assault on the Dokuro clan

    Warning: a little graphic?

    .

    Kiyota Anri was a woman with very strong will. She lost her job at the illustrious Ringo Corporation because of who her parents were and the feud they had with Muimina Budou. She was determined to file a suit for unlawful termination but that was when she was taken by the Dokuro clan''s people.

    For the first time in her life she learned how unfair it had really been. The laws only protected those who it could see and she was transformed into a girl that worked for these Yakuza. She was further thrown into despair and helplessness after finding out that the Dokuro group took an interest in her because of Muimina Budou.

    If the world had been unfair in the first place, then why should she remain fair? This was why she accepted her fate and just decided to work for the Dokuro clan. At least they wanted to have her work for them and they were easy enough to control.

    As an intelligent and educated person, she quickly rose up the ranks and held the respect of the simpletons who made up the Dokuro clan. The only ones she feared were the main lieutenants and Dokuro Domon himself. This was why she looked forward to taking over Kazuno Tech when she first received the order to do it.

    There was no one capable of running it aside from her so she thought that this was her way to get back on the work she originally intended to do. She showed much enthusiasm and even made intricate plans to make sure that their attack would go smoothly.

    Everything had been going well and it seemed like everything had been under control. The people from Kazuno Tech may have been very stubborn but they were slowly showing signs of breaking. This was made clear by looking at the ones who were supposed to be in charge the moment Mahiru was shown to be in their custody.

    To make things a little more interesting, one of her subordinates even brought back a child that seemed to have been conned into coming. The clueless child was surprised when he saw the situation and so were the people from Kazuno Tech who saw the new hostage. They seemed to have been more concerned about the stranger rather than one of their employees'' children.

    It wasn''t until Anri was sprawled on the floor with only one limb working did she understand why those people gave such looks when they saw the frail-looking boy. This was someone who held much significance to the company!

    She was taken to one of the rooms in the security office by two men who appeared to be leading figures of the security team. They actually followed the orders of such a kid and even showed him more respect than they did to Matsuri.

    "Lady, I will give you one piece of advice as a person that was once in your position. Do not try to reject anything the Boss tries to ask. I have regretfully gone against the young master before and after that, I don''t ever want to think about doing it again" Ousame warned.

    "Boss?" Anri was confused. When did she ever meet their boss?

    "You wanted to meet the person behind Kazuno Technologies right? You just did" Mame chimed in. He looked at Anri quite pitifully because he could tell that she didn''t take Ousame''s warning to heart.

    Anri was shocked. How could she not be? The mysterious boss was a frail looking boy that looked to have been in elementary school? She almost forgot all of the pain she was in as her mind tried to process just how can such a kid create this company from scratch. Who in the world was this kid?

    It wasn''t until the frail looking boy entered the room did she stop thinking about what was happening. Everything had been so unbelievable that she thought that she had been dreaming.

    "Now then, have you decided to change your previous rejection to answer my questions or shall I use you to improve my craft in making people feel endless pain?" The boy grinned mischievously at her.

    Anri had previously rejected answering any of his questions. She was confident in her tolerance for pain as proven by her current predicament. She didn''t writhe in pain nor did she cry. This was proof of just how much she had to bear while working for the Dokuro clan.

    "Do your worst. Let''s see how long until you get tired of it" Anri scoffed and looked the boy right in the eye.

    "Ah yes, I remember when Ousame here was in your position" Kazuya turned to Ousame who shuddered after Kazuya started reminiscing about the time they first met. "But first¡­"

    Anri braced herself as Kazuya slowly placed his hand over her broken limbs. She knew the basics and it would be to attack the places that are easy to inflict pain on. What surprised her however was that what she felt was not pain but relief.

    "Wha¡ª" witnessing her own injuries starting to heal, she couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise.

    "Shh!" Kazuya quickly silenced her and pulled the bent limbs towards their rightful place which caused another bone chilling scream of pain. Anri had not been prepared and Kazuya counted on it.

    Anri panted as she shivered on the couch she was placed on. Neither Mame nor Ousame made any moves to hold her down nor restrict her movements. They were merely standing there observing and made sure that she wouldn''t be able to pass through the door behind them.

    True enough, her willpower was strong and Kazuya noticed this. Anri was already thinking about how to escape and it looked like she was looking at him in an interesting way. The only thing stopping her was the confident smile plastered on Kazuya''s face as if saying ''come and take me hostage if you can''.

    "What d-did you do?!" She tried moving her limbs and although she was still feeling some lingering pain, her limbs were responding as they were supposed to.

    "I healed you" the boy answered as if it was a matter of fact. "You''d be too distracted because of the pain on other parts of your body for me to make an accurate judgement of the pain levels you''re going to be experiencing" without warning, a tremendous amount of pressure pressed down on Anri.

    "!!" She fell on her back as Kazuya pulled her to the floor. The two men who remained in the room looked at her pitifully as they tried to turn to head for the door.

    "You two will stay. I need both of you to keep that door closed so that grandpa Jirou or anyone else doesn''t disturb what''s going to happen to this woman" Kazuya ordered.

    ""Y-yes"" both responded as they moved to block the door.

    "Now then..." He turned back to Anri who seemed to have been paralyzed on the floor. "Compared to two years ago, I''ve actually studied the bodies of humans quite extensively. I''m going to be using you to see if my theories are correct, so I would like to thank you in advance for being a brave girl and hope you don''t break too early"

    Kazuya pulled a few short pieces of iron and pierced her palms through using them to hold her in place. The pressure he had been using to hold her down used mana and he wanted to save both his energy and concentration so he could focus on doing many things.

    "AHHHH¡ª" Kazuya placed an iron bar in her screaming mouth to shut her up. He tied it with a rag he found lying around the room to keep it in place.

    "Hmm¡­ Looks like that isn''t as painful as it looks" Kazuya''s judgement made the three look at him in surprise. Just how did it not look painful enough to him!?

    Kazuya placed his arm slowly on Anri''s wrists. This caused her to be afraid that he was going to cut off her hand but instead of feeling pain, the feeling in her hands disappeared.

    "Looks like that method works¡­" Kazuya crossed his arms and talked to himself. he moved towards her legs and before Anri could react, Kazuya mercilessly put additional bars through her feet and pinned her down completely.

    Ousame and Mame''s faces were deathly pale. They couldn''t believe how unfazed Kazuya was after pinning a human being on the floor like a frog to be dissected. The amount of blood on his hands and on the floor was not an amount that could be ignored! He even did something to Anri''s ankles so that she wouldn''t be able to feel the pain she was supposed to be feeling.

    "Don''t worry about your limbs. You will be able to regain feeling in them soon enough" Kazuya moved to the couch and took a pillow to place under Anri''s head. "This reminds me of the time they let us dissect frogs in school. The teachers say that it is in the name of science or learning but I''ve always found it to be barbaric"

    The three had the same thought. Just how old was this kid and what have they been teaching children in school these days? What they didn''t know was that Kazuya was talking about his experiences in his previous life.

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    "To be honest, I find humans on Earth to be hypocrites" he took out a few safety pins and a knife from his pocket and placed them next to Anri. "They like talking about peace and what-not but what about the creatures under them? They slaughter them without mercy or experiment on them when necessary. What if there were other species that were above humans and basically saw them as food?" He gave a chilling smile before he reached towards Anri''s face.

    "Humans would fight and eradicate them whilst telling their people it is for survival. They wouldn''t even try peace, they would label them human eaters and try to eliminate every last one of them. Peace is a convenient word that is used only when people find it necessary"

    Kazuya continued talking but as he lectured. Anri could barely understand what he had been trying to say. She tried hard to resist his overwhelming strength as Kazuya used the safety pins he took out earlier to attach them to her eyelids without mercy. He pinned her eyelids open so that she wouldn''t be able to blink or close her eyes.

    "Humans are peaceful when it is convenient but they turn on you once they have more to gain by betraying you. This is why I absolutely detest traitors. I will make every single one of the people who try to betray me suffer enough to make them wish they would die through all their reincarnations just to escape my grasp" he stood up and took a look at Anri whose eyes were secured to be open for what he was about to do next.

    "And I don''t just mean physical pain" He touched her neck and made Anri lose her control over her own body and sat on her torso and slowly unbuttoned the suit and shirt she was wearing. "People like to claim they know every inch of their body but that isn''t true" Kazuya placed the knife in her abdomen and swifty slid it down.

    "They have never seen their own insides before so how can they know every inch? Sounds silly doesn''t it?" Kazuya ignored whatever pain Anri seemed to be in because she had been pinned down to the floor. She could barely move from her position with her neck paralyzed.

    How could she have brushed off the serious warning given by Ousame before? She felt extremely foolish to have been confident about her willpower and confidence over the boy when he threatened to make her feel like she was in hell. This was worse than that!

    Not only was she subjected to levels of pain she had not experienced before, she was forced to watch the whole process. She was shown her own innards as the boy dug into her like he was playing in a sandbox. He even showed Anri her own intestines.

    She should have long passed out due to blood loss and extreme shock but a helpful little spell that Kazuya cast on her prevented her body from functioning as it should. She passed out from pain once before so what was the boy doing to prevent her from experiencing the same thing now?

    To the three, none of them could understand what the innocent looking boy was thinking as he dug through Anri''s insides. What they didn''t know was that he was doing things very slowly to study Anri''s reaction while trying not to make her mind break to the point of no return.

    "Hmm¡­" He looked at her and the status of her body before slowly putting things back together.

    To their surprise, Kazuya meticulously assembled everything back into place. Anri felt that she couldn''t possibly shed any more tears because this boy was indeed not lying when he said that she would experience hell.

    He traced the incision he had made on her abdomen using his finger and closed it as if he had done nothing to it. Kazuya looked a little pale because of how much mana he had expended but he was still not done.

    "How about we let you see your beating heart next?" He reached towards the other half of her clothes he had left untouched so far. Anri shuddered and squirmed and wanted to run away from the approaching hand but she couldn''t.

    "Young master!" Ousame couldn''t take it anymore and interrupted. Anri may have already been healed but the smell of blood and her insides still lingered in the room. Both he and Mame wanted to run out of the room the moment their boss opened up a human right in front of them but they feared that they would be next if they went against his orders.

    "What?" Kazuya''s brows furrowed. Anri''s reactions have been very helpful to him. Kazuya felt that he had a better understanding of the human body now. Truly nothing beats first-hand experience.

    "I was informed that Shiroyuki Jirou-sama has arrived" he was trying to hold the urge to vomit.

    "Is that so?" Kazuya moved towards Anri who looked at him with an incalculable amount of fear. This boy had been serious when he said that he was going to show her her own heart. She didn''t know how he was able to do the things he had done but it didn''t matter.

    He removed the things he attached to her and healed her wounds. The moment she was able to regain movement, she backed herself up to the corner and began mumbling to herself. Kazuya sighed because he knew that he had succeeded in breaking her.

    "Humans here are so fragile¡­" he shook his head looking disappointed. "I haven''t even begun to test out the methods I think are quite effective" his words sent cold shudders to the three inside the room.

    "(Just what exactly did he mean by those words? Was he really not human like the rest of them?!)" these were the questions that the three instantly asked inside their heads. They didn''t want to ask it out loud because they were afraid of what would happen if it actually turned out that this seemingly harmless boy was actually a devil in disguise. Who would believe them!? It was better for them to keep their mouths shut and remain on his good side because not only did Ousame and Mame benefit greatly from it, their lives have gotten a whole lot better.

    "You two step out of the room and delay grandpa Jirou a little" Kazuya ordered. He used his mana to clean up the room and restore any damage. "No one shall know of what you two witnessed you hear?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed at them threateningly.

    ""YES!"" the two answered obediently and hurriedly bowed before stepping out of the room. It wasn''t too long after they did that sounds of vomiting could be heard.

    "Looks like those two still have a long way to go" Kazuya smiled as he stood in front of Anri. "Now then, I stopped because I really don''t want to deal with explaining things to Shiroyuki Jirou but we can always continue this later"

    "I-I''ll talk... sir" Antri trembled. She felt that her hesitation would have earned her punishment like she did when she was still under the Dokuro clan.

    "You shall address me as ''Master'' or ''Young Master''. Do I look like a ''sir'' to you?" Kazuya scoffed.

    "N-no¡­ I''m sorry, M-master!" Anri immediately placed her forehead on the floor and did a complete dogeza as she was afraid of going through a similar hell she had just experienced. "I will follow all of your orders and do whatever you ask of me even if it is d-death" she was afraid of death before but not anymore. How could she prefer whatever this little demon had planned out for her instead of a quick death?

    Kazuya smiled and gave her a pat on the head. What Anri wasn''t aware of was that he cast a calming spell that made her feel warm as she looked up at the boy that she was going to serve from this day forth. She listened to everything he had to say and put it to heart and answered every query he had.

    This was the same person who put her through so much pain and agony but why didn''t she feel even a little resentment towards him? He even went as far as to heal her wounds and not even a scar remained. She thought that maybe, just maybe, this person was capable of protecting her from this unfair world.

    "Serve me well and you will be protected, rewarded and eventually given a chance to live as you want" Kazuya said just as she was thinking about it. "Betray me and¡­ well I think you would understand better than Ousame now" he gave a light grin before turning his back on her and leaving her alone in the room. Anri looked at his tiny back. It was the back that she would be looking at from this day forward.

    "Master¡­ my master¡­"

    .

 123 SS2: While he slept - B

    .

    Note: This takes place after Kazuya returned from his "night out".

    .

    No one knew what Kazuya did before he safely returned to the Shiroyuki household. There was just his little accomplice who held him tightly to cover up his absence during the night.

    Tomoyo fell in and out of sleep the whole night because she was worried that her grandparents might discover his absence. She was worried that he might get scolded or even grounded if they discovered that he sneaked out during the night so she tried various things in order to make it seem like Kazuya was in her room.

    The robot girl tried different things from rolling up a spare blanket to covering a couple of pillows under the blanket but she still wasn''t convinced that her grandfather would buy it. She stealthily sneaked into one of the senior instructor''s rooms and grabbed the wig he always wore before meeting with his students. It was after meticulous arrangement that she was finally able to make it look like a figure of someone was sleeping beside her.

    When Kazuya finally returned, he saw the relief on the sleepy girl''s face. Looks like she tried hard to wait for him and even made a clever ruse in case someone checked.

    "Silly girl" Kazuya patted her head gently which made Tomoyo relaxed and sleepy as she rested her head on his chest. "I should scold you but since you''ve tried hard, I''ll let it slide this time" he grabbed the wig threw it outside the window. He incinerated it so that it would leave no traces before Tomoyo could do anything about it.

    Tomoyo made herself comfortable but just when she was about to fall asleep, both of them felt Jirou''s presence heading towards them. It looked like he was talking to someone but since there was only one presence, they assumed that he was talking on the phone.

    "He can''t know that I left for the night" Kazuya told the robot girl who sat up and thought about what to do. It was then that she pointed towards the bunch of pillows that were supposed to be him.

    "Sleep¡­" Kazuya wanted to question her but they didn''t have time. He decided to trust this girl that worked hard for him not to get discovered and obediently pretended to be asleep under the sheets.

    Tomoyo couldn''t think of anything else so she pulled him close to her and hugged him tightly. She remembered that her grandparents said that she had a habit of not letting go when she grabbed something in her sleep.

    It was as if the situation had been reversed earlier and Kazuya was pulled closer to the robot girl where she held his head against her own body. Jirou slowly opened the door from outside not long after that and peeked in on the two.

    Kazuya concentrated his senses and eavesdropped on the conversation that Jirou was having. It sounded like Domyouji Gakuto had discovered what he had done and immediately looked to Jirou to see if he was in Jirou''s place.

    "(This old man''s intuition is sharp)" Kazuya thought. It was then he heard Jirou''s explanation about Kazuya having the perfect alibi.

    He was quite thankful to this robot girl and her quick wit. She protected him last night and was even able to provide him an alibi for the previous night. He couldn''t help but feel gratitude towards this girl who he never expected that he would get along with after what he experienced with her in his previous life.

    Thinking about it, there were a lot of things that had caught him off guard in this life. The Shiroyuki Tomoyo he met was almost the same girl he met in his previous life but she was easier to get along with in this life. He was open to the idea that they may have misunderstood each other but what was the reason that made her approach him in the first place? Was it just because she heard that their family had relations or did she have some kind of connection with him before he lost his memories just like that weird girl Stockton Kurumi?

    Kazuya was stuck in these kinds of thoughts now that he had finally relaxed. He was inside one of the places he considered safe so he slowly started falling asleep. He truly had pushed himself hard and he didn''t remember how much energy he had spent.

    With the thoughts in his mind before he fell asleep, he dreamt of a specific time in his past. It was the moment he met with someone he respected in his previous life yet in this life, it was someone whose cold corpse was resting inside the unknown space inside his ring.

    Inside a big park near the territory of the old alliance headed by the former groups in power, Kazuya made himself a comfortable little spot to sleep in. This was to skimp on paying fees to sleep in manga or internet cafes which still cost money. He might need to stay there during the cold season so he needed to save all the money he could.

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    *THUD*

    He heard the sound of someone falling. He stayed behind the bushes late at night so that any patrolling officers won''t be able to notice him. They would have asked him to leave the park since it was technically off-limits during night time.

    "(A civilian?)" He wondered what someone could be doing here at this time. Kazuya wondered if it was another homeless person who got drunk so he cautiously approached the man. What he found was someone who had been riddled with wounds. He looked to have been beaten up.

    Kazuya was very familiar with the kind of injuries this young man had because he suffered from them regularly. If it wasn''t from the robot girl who would beat him up whenever she caught him, it would be from the goons that Lee sent before the bastard took Mei away from him.

    *groan* The man tried to move but he was just too weak to do so.

    "Are you okay?" he tried communicating and saw the man''s face for the first time.

    "Do I look like I''m okay?" the young man asked sarcastically. "Can you help me get back to my place? It''s not too far from here" he weakly said.

    "Okay¡­" he was afraid to be led into a place where he would be robbed but what more could he lose? If this guy was willing to let himself be beat up just to trick and rob homeless people like him then why would he get beaten up so much? It made no sense. "Where do you live?"

    "It''s just by the Kitsune Udon place at Kuugan street" he tried convincing the boy for help. "I may not look trustworthy but I wouldn''t hurt someone who just tried to help"

    Kazuya didn''t have anything better to do so he quickly excused himself for a moment and grabbed his stuff from the bushes. He supported the young man and helped him up an old building that looked very suspicious.

    "Hey! I know what you''re thinking and I assure you it''s not!" The young man noticed Kazuya''s gaze on him after getting a good look at what looked like his home. "Haven''t your parents taught you that you shouldn''t judge a book by its cover?"

    Kazuya, of course, had no one to teach him such things or rather, he had no memories of having parents at all. The only parent he technically had was someone who had just abandoned him recently so he couldn''t help but frown after hearing the young man''s words.

    "Hey! You got in trouble again, Kuuga?" the stall owner noticed them and called out. "I told you to stay away from trouble since this place is becoming more dangerous lately, young man" he scolded.

    "See? The stall owner just verified that I live here" the young man noticed Kazuya''s change after he mentioned the word ''parents'' so he took the stall owner''s cue and changed the topic.

    "Fine¡­" Kazuya helped him towards the building where the young man who was just identified as ''Kuuga'' carelessly showed him the code. Though the building may have looked old, the interior itself wasn''t bad and it seemed like this young man lived well.

    "Can you fetch me the first aid box from one of the cupboards?" Kuuga asked as he took a look at his wounds while sitting on his couch.

    Kazuya didn''t really mind as he tried to search for it. He found this guy a little weird since he just asked a complete stranger to search his place without a care. It took a while for him to finally find a first aid box that actually had something that he could use. It seemed like this guy got himself into trouble frequently as different kits were already emptied out.

    "I got the¡­" He went to give the first aid kit but saw that the guy was already sound asleep. As a person who was also constantly beaten up, he understood the feeling this person had. Kazuya was mostly alone and Mei usually came home late because of work. He would pass out alone whenever he was injured and had to take care of himself afterwards.

    He dressed Kuuga''s wounds before leaving. He was given a free meal at the Udon stand for helping Kuuga out where the owner rambled on about how the area had gone downhill after the heads of the territory owners suddenly disappeared which caused the downfall of the clans that used to rule the area. Because of this, Kazuya had a better understanding of the guy he thought was going to lead him to a place just to rob him.

    He thanked the stall owner who even gave him a second helping. Kazuya didn''t have to sleep with an empty stomach for that and he was truly grateful. It felt like a good deed had been instantly been repaid. What he didn''t expect however, was that a few days later, the guy would come looking for him at the park and find him in another shrub of bushes as he was studying his books.

    "Yo! I''m glad I found you!" Kuuga had recovered from most of his injuries and cheerfully looked at Kazuya who felt a little disturbed about being searched for. He wondered if anything had gone missing in this guy''s house and if he was going to be blamed for it. "So you really are homeless huh¡­"

    Kuuga pulled the boy and forcefully took him back to the old building. It was still daytime so the old stall owner was nowhere to be seen so there wasn''t anyone that could help him clear his name. The stall owner saw him leave bringing only what he brought with him and without him, how could he prove his innocence?

    "I didn''t steal anything" was what he said the moment they entered Kuuga''s place.

    "I know you didn''t" Kuuga pointed towards small openings in the room. "Those are cameras so even if something was missing, I could go check it but the old man told me that you left with nothing else but the bag on your back.

    "Then why am I here?" Kazuya was relieved that what he suspected was wrong. But what did this guy want with him now?

    "I want to repay a debt" Kuuga smiled. "I have this place all to myself and there are spare rooms upstairs. If you hadn''t found me, I could have been found by those guys who beat me up and who knows what would have happened" he patted Kazuya''s shoulder. "So I want to repay this debt"

    "You really don''t have to¡­" Kazuya couldn''t believe that something good was actually happening to him after a good deed. For as long as he could remember, he hadn''t done anything wrong to people and they would cause trouble for him. That was how things usually went.

    "You don''t have to be hesitant because I won''t be letting you be a freeloader" He led him up the stairs and opened up a small room that was enough for one person to live in. "The utilities come with the rent and I''ll introduce you to some shops where you could work part time¡­" Kuuga went on with the details.

    Kazuya couldn''t believe it but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. This was a way for him to get started on his new life alone so he was very grateful towards this young man who he hadn''t intended to help at first.

    Kazuya was glad that he did and from what he gathered around the neighborhood, Kuuga used to be a person with somewhat of a bad reputation in the old days. It was only when the neighborhood had changed hands did he try to protect the shops and residents there, did people see how much he cared about their neighborhood. Kazuya had grown to respect this person and even started calling him Kuuga-nii like the other youngsters who respected him in the neighborhood.

    He didn''t suspect this guy at all even when he showed up randomly so they could go home together after work. Kazuya didn''t find any reason to suspect him after all. This guy was a bit rough but he seemed to care about him to even ask about his future plans and about how he could help if he wanted to move out of their town.

    The Kazuya now, however, saw this memory differently. He hated this memory now because it was supposed to be one of the few good ones he had in his first life. It all turned out to be a lie. Now he understood why Kuuga had been so intrusive of his private affairs and who the men he was rumored to be seeing privately were.

    As a person who has experienced a forced replay of his memories after his ''death'', how could he not know that this was but a mere dream? Kazuya watched on as if he understood why he was currently having this dream, he needed to see this one more time so he could finally move on to what he was planning next. He, in the end, still needed to see this memory one last time to be reminded that he was wrong to have put so much trust in someone who seemed to have been helping him without much reason.

    This was how humans usually were. Selfishness in the act of selflessness is what the humans of both worlds had in common. Prime examples of these were politicians on Earth and nobles on Edea. This was why most other races trusted humans far less than other races. They were labeled as a ''cunning'' race whose nature was to act for their own benefits.

    "Relax, that guy''s like a pet that will eat anything off of my hand now" these were the words that he once overheard that totally made sense now. Kuuga was merely a watchdog sent by Lee whose job was to watch over him and see what he had been up to all this while.

    He couldn''t help but wonder what Kuuga might have done if he had decided to tell him about his plans to slowly prove to everyone that he wasn''t just going to keep things as they were. Would he have revealed his fangs? Kazuya might have been just a mere high school boy back then but that didn''t mean that he would stay one forever. As long as he still lived, he would find a way for these people to know that one day, somehow, he would try to find and get back what was rightfully his in the first place. All he needed was time and he had plenty of it now that he only needed to work for himself.

    Kazuya didn''t have much time to think as his body felt a strange sensation. It was only when Kazuya opened his eyes did he freeze at the scene before him. He thought he was still in a dream because he fell asleep beside the robot girl but he now woke up and in front of him was Mei who had her hands on the last piece of clothing he had on him while having a serious expression on her face.

    .

 124 SS3: Reward 2 in 1

    .

    Note: As Promised. This takes place during the summer vacation some time after volume 2 ended.

    .

    Akabane Nanami, currently a respected middle school student of Akaryuu Academy where she was known as the fierce blade, was now standing in front of the Shiroyuki dojo feeling a little nervous. She was hesitating whether to go inside or just wait for the person who asked her to come.

    She received a message a few days ago and it was from no one else but the boy she had taken great interest in.

    "[Meet me at the Shiroyuki Dojo Wednesday at 7 in the morning if you are free]" was the content of the message he sent her through mail. She couldn''t believe her eyes and thought that she wouldn''t be receiving any messages from him after they exchanged contact details since the circumstances concerning her were resolved on the same day.

    "I didn''t expect you to be here so early" A familiar voice reached her ears and startled her from behind. She couldn''t mistake this voice for anyone else as she turned around to slowly find Kazuya wearing a tracksuit and looked like he had been out for a run.

    "G-good morning K-az¡­ Kouzuki-kun" she tried using his first name but opted to use his last name instead. She didn''t want to sound too overly familiar.

    "You can call me Kazuya if you want to" Kazuya smiled. He could tell that she was holding back so he found it a little interesting. "Well¡­ that is if you don''t mind me calling you by your first name as well pretty-san"

    "I-I-I-I D-don''t mind" she tried hard to give out reply with a straight face but being called like that again made her face heat up and sent her mind to the clouds. Being called rough, violent, monster, and other things that weren''t as remotely as close to what she saw him as is what Nanami was used to hearing. So even though this wasn''t the first time Kazuya has called her as such, she really couldn''t get used to it.

    *tug tug tug* the girl who was silently standing behind him pulled on Kazuya''s sleeve and pointed to herself.

    "No" he shook his head. "You will always be called robot girl until you learn how to call me properly and not just pull on my sleeve" Kazuya turned to answer the expectant girl beside him. Tomoyo''s expression didn''t change much but her eyes told him that she was disappointed.

    Nanami finally noticed Tomoyo''s presence and was able to pull herself back together because of it. In front of her were the only two people she and her rival had trouble dealing with when it came to Kendo. It may sound embarrassing if anyone heard that the famous first and second place rankers in the middle school national competition had trouble fighting these two elementary school students but to her, these two could even compete in the high school competition without having too much to worry about.

    "G-good morning Shiroyuki-san" Nanami greeted the robot girl. This was another person who she couldn''t beat before she left her elementary school department. This seemingly emotionless girl was similar to her in a way since both of them remained in second place but surprisingly, she didn''t seem all that bothered by it because she got along with Kazuya quite well from where she was standing.

    *shake shake shake* Tomoyo shook her head.

    Nanami was nervous. She thought that she was being rejected by Tomoyo. Kazuya asked to meet in their dojo so what would she do if this girl didn''t allow her to enter?

    "This is why I told you that you need to speak"Kazuya ruffled Tomoyo''s hair which the robot girl didn''t like as she looked back at him with resentment in her eyes. "Don''t expect people to understand you like your grandparents or me" Kazuya gave a sigh. "She thinks you''re rejecting her greeting and not her way of addressing you"

    "???" Nanami was confused. She didn''t know how Kazuya can tell what the Tomoyo meant but it was amazing that he could do so.

    "Sorry about this girl. As you can see, her nickname is self-explanatory. What she meant is that you can call her by her given name too since she already heard about how you''ve helped me from that day" Kazuya explained.

    True enough, Kazuya already told the robot girl that he wanted to invite a friend over to the dojo. He told her about how Nanami helped out when he explained the details of what happened on the day Kazuno Tech was attacked. This gave Tomoyo a good impression towards Nanami since she helped and protected Kazuya from further danger.

    "I see¡­ then if you really don''t mind then I can call you Tomoyo¡­-san?" she tried to confirm.

    *nod* Tomoyo gave her approval and put Nanami at ease.

    Kazuya grinned. It was good that these two got along because, in his mind, these two had beastkin like qualities. Although the qualities they showed were of different races, the beastkin usually got along with each other unless it was the violent ones that no other races got along with.

    While Nanami was like the proud people of the wolf-kin. Tomoyo showed qualities of the silent and cool cat-kin or as they would call it here as neko-kin.

    This was why Kazuya felt quite comfortable hanging around these two. They weren''t as complicated to handle like Ayame or Takaya who were cunning and calculative as humans were feared and supposed to be.

    "Now that the introductions are out of the way¡­" Kazuya looked at Nanami from head to toe. She was wearing a skirt and looked extremely girly. Of course, he didn''t really look at her in the way Nanami was assuming but the beast-like girl still couldn''t help but feel her face heat up and her knees weaken a little bit.

    "I-Is something the matter?" Nanami looked a little worried about how Kazuya was silently observing her openly. She really didn''t mind him looking at her but she was worried that she couldn''t handle his intense observation for a long period of time.

    "I think I should apologize for not making myself clear when I sent the message to you. I called you here because I wanted to ask you a question" Kazuya looked at Nanami directly in the eye. "Do you want to be able to get the chance to beat Kuronuma Ayame?"

    Kazuya''s unexpected question made Nanami''s body tremble. How could she not want a chance to defeat the enemy she''s been aiming for since they were in the elementary division? She wanted to answer right away but she was hesitant, if she was taught one thing that she actually listened to, it was that nothing was for free.

    "You don''t have to think about it much" Kazuya smiled as he noticed the change in her expression. He was actually thankful that she felt a little cautious about his offer. It means that she wasn''t as na?ve as she seemed. Kazuya''s opinion of this seemingly shy girl improved a bit. She was indeed raised by a family that was from the underground world. "I heard Kuronuma Ayame say that she doesn''t have her eyes on anyone in the same division and seeing after you''ve helped me a great deal in the last incident, I''ve been thinking of ways on how to repay you for all the help. This is what I thought of"

    "You don''t really have to. I didn''t do it because I wanted something in return. Though I am interested, I haven''t really done anything that a friend wouldn''t have done" Her response made Kazuya give a warm smile towards her. He already thought about making this girl a friend and it looked like she was already treating him like one.

    Nanami didn''t understand just how it was rare for this boy in front of her to even think about considering treating someone as a friend. She was probably the first he even considered for the position ever since his return. Though Kazuya had friends like Tomoyo or Takaya now, they were the types who proved themselves first.

    "Then going by your logic, should I put it as helping a friend out? I want to help you improve your skills if I can. That na?ve girl from before is growing to be cocky after stepping up to middle school and it won''t likely stop unless someone pushes her off that high horse of hers" Kazuya grinned.

    He actually had another purpose other than helping Nanami out. It was to let Ayame worry about a person that was on her level. When Kazuya and Tomoyo finally reach middle school, Ayame and Nanami would both be in high school. Though there may be a chance for them to find some challenges there, with Ayame''s natural affinity to mana, it was very unlikely for her to have some trouble.

    Starting from the middle school level, the genders were separated for the individual events. Though there were some tournaments that allowed mixed genders to participate, the main national tournament was separated by genders so Jirou had high expectations for his granddaughter and Kazuya to be paired together as the king and queen of the kendo scene.

    "I¡­" Nanami hesitated. She had actually brought a chance of clothes and they were inside the bag behind her feet. Kazuya invited her to a dojo after all.

    "Looks like you came prepared" he laughed. "Let''s go inside then. I will need to tell you a few things before we begin" he led Nanami who was still trying to process how things were going. She still hadn''t given a clear answer but Kazuya took it as her acknowledgment and followed after Kazuya and Tomoyo.

    How could she let a chance of beating Kuronuma Ayame go? She was considered her rival in the girls'' division even if she didn''t see her as one. Those standing at the top from the very start didn''t know how things looked from the bottom so with Ayame''s streak after she got separated from Kazuya''s division, what Ayame could think and focus on was the only person who didn''t even set her in his sight.

    There was no doubt in Nanami''s mind that Kazuya could help her. After what she witnessed herself, She couldn''t help but admire Kazuya further when it comes to his fighting prowess. She never thought that she would one day put someone younger than her on a pedestal in line with people such as her grandfather and his friends.

    "You need to get changed first" Kazuya said after they arrived in one of the empty dojos that were used by them to train with Jirou. He let Tomoyo take care of their guest as she didn''t seem to mind Nanami''s presence compared to others. "(I guess it was probably a good idea to have given her an explanation)" he thought.

    Kazuya was actually being sincere in teaching Nanami a thing or two. The only problem was that if she was able to feel the presence of mana and actually be able to naturally harness it.

    This was why the venue was chosen to be the Shiroyuki Dojo. Though Kazuya''s formation mainly started and formed at the Kouzuki house, the years he has run through the neighborhood, additional little formations were formed and as a result, the neighborhood they were in slowly gathered a suitable amount of mana. One of the strongest points was, of course, the place where he was slowly raising the robot girl and his company''s security team.

    From Kazuya''s point of view, he thinks that Nanami and Tomoyo were more alike than it seemed. In the times he''s faced Nanami in the tournament, it wasn''t that she was inferior to Tomoyo''s talent in the least. It was just that Tomoyo had touched the possibility what Jirou referred to as internal energy by her grandfather.

    The robot girl had more focused training while Nanami heavily relied on feral-like instincts which held back her prowess in a strict environment like a Kendo tournament. She was basically a very capable fighter but what she could do was very limited in a competitive environment. In this sense, Kazuya and she were alike. The only difference was that with his battle experience, there was really nothing much Kazuya needed to win such a constrained competition. Therefore, he knew how he could help Nanami get the better of Ayame soon enough, that is if she listened to what he had to say.

    "Kid" Jirou looked like he had rushed here. He was supposed to have left before they returned but he seemed to have rushed back for some reason. "Isshin just called me and said that you invited his granddaughter here?" he went straight to the point.

    Isshin called him up to brag about Kazuya personally inviting his granddaughter to meet up at their place. He emphasized that Nanami had gone out of them looking like she dressed up for a date so Jirou went on back and found Kazuya inside the dojo where he and Tomoyo practiced.

    "I did. Is there something wrong?" Kazuya was a little confused. He couldn''t have returned in such a hurry because of that, could he?

    "It''s not like there anything wrong with that¡­" Jirou couldn''t explain it well. He didn''t want to sound like someone who intervened with his personal relationships but Isshin''s bragging made him a little concerned, "Why did you ask her to come here?"

    "For a lot of reasons, one of them being so that she could beat Kuronuma Ayame off her throne" Kazuya grinned. He knew that Jirou wouldn''t be against that at all. Komori had been bragging that her granddaughter was the champion of the Kendo tournament in the middle school department while pointing out that Tomoyo was only in second place.

    "I like that idea!" he reacted as Kazuya expected. Komori was shameless enough to brag about it since Kazuya wouldn''t be in the same division as Ayame, unlike Tomoyo who was in the same grade. If Ayame gets beaten after her grandfather''s excessive and shameless boasting, Komori wouldn''t hear the end of it. Just thinking about this, Jirou''s face beamed with delight as he saw his friend''s granddaughter coming back with Tomoyo.

    "G-good morning S-Shiroyuki-sama" Nanami didn''t expect Jirou to be present when she returned so she was nervous. They really didn''t have much interaction since she rarely joined whenever her grandfather would meet with his friends so she didn''t know how to act around him.

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    "You can call me grandpa Jirou like this lad over here. Any friend of my grandchildren are welcome here" he laughed. "The kid has already told me about what he plans to do but everything, in the end, will depend on how hard you work" Jirou encouraged Nanami. She was the key to him bringing down Komori''s arrogance a notch. Since Tomoyo couldn''t do it because of the difference in their ages, one that comes from his dojo would suffice and would cause an even bigger hit to his friend''s ego.

    "Y-yes" Nanami was a bit surprised at the warm reception. He was told by her grandfather that Jirou might make things difficult for her but he was very accommodating. Was it a thing for these old men to talk badly about each other?

    "I''ll leave you kids to it then" he left merrily. Jirou Trusted Kazuya''s abilities to teach Nanami since his own granddaughter was a prime example of what Kazuya was able to do with his private lessons. Not only was Tomoyo able to improve upon her mana control, but also her progress compared to what he had planned out for her were monstrous.

    It could be said that once both of them entered their own divisions, Jirou was confident enough for them to rule their divisions even in the high school level. This was just how much these two children had improved.

    "Now then let''s start. I want you to say and describe if you feel any changes" Kazuya''s words confused Nanami but she nodded anyway.

    What came next was a weird sensation that she couldn''t accurately describe. Kazuya had directed the flow of his mana towards her. He hoped that his intuition was correct and this girl was like the robot girl who continued to watch. She did go through a similar process after all. The only difference was, Kazuya''s methods towards this girl was completely towards her who was given heavy pressure because of the enmity he had with her in his previous life.

    "Warmth¡­? I feel like I''m being soothed? I don''t know if that makes sense but that is what I''m feeling right now" Nanami closed her eyes to immerse herself in the feeling.

    Healing magic and destructive magic was the easiest to sense since they changed things physically and had some kind of manifestation. Healing magic is self-explanatory but some of its other effects recovered stamina or increased one''s capability to remain calm and such while destructive magic involved the five senses primarily.

    Though Kazuya had yet to spend much time with Nagato Tsuna, he had once warned him to be careful of how he excluded mana on default. Tsuna understood this very well because since they were both former heroes, they used to have an abundant amount of mana that made them unconsciously project or release mana on default. This was because they had no prior experience on handling mana since they were on earth.

    Tsuna compared Kazuya and him to cups that had a waterfall filling it constantly with water when they were in Edea. On earth, however, depending on the location, it was like a faucet that filling the glass that was Kazuya.

    "You need to get used to controlling your mana when you aren''t paying attention. You might attract unwanted attention if you continue as you are now" he warned. "Though you might not notice it, you can affect those close to you because of this and might even awaken some people you don''t intend to"

    "Awaken?" Kazuya asked. This term was something he wasn''t aware of.

    "Though Earth can be said to be a wasteland that barely has any mana, it still has a noticeable amount to people like us who can sense and utilize it. You should know the saying that you can''t un-see what you already saw? It is similar to that. We cannot un-sense mana even if we wanted to. It has already become part of our lives" Tsuna explained.

    "That still doesn''t answer my question" Kazuya frowned.

    "Basically, it''s something I call people who have been made to sense mana. Your grandfather, your mother, and your big sister are examples. Though I made Kou aware of mana, you made your mother and big sister aware of it. I call them awakened ones" he laughed. "Jirou''s granddaughter can be considered half awakened because you still haven''t decided whether to explain everything to her in detail"

    "Going by your theory, can every person on earth be ''awakened''?" Kazuya curiously asked.

    "Probably not. Even in Edea, you should be aware that there are still those normal citizens who don''t even have the right aptitude for mana even though the world is overflowing with it. It is the same here on Earth. The only difference would be is that it would be dangerous for those who have the capability to be awakened to all have the capability to harness it. This world''s mana is scarce enough as it is and the number of people that will abuse this will not be few.

    Since they experienced similar things, Kazuya understood Tsuna''s explanations quite easily. This former hero even imitated how Kazuya normally was but on a scale that befitted his experience. This made Kazuya become aware of the mistake that he has committed on earth ever since he gained the ability to utilize mana once again.

    "(This was probably what made the extremely sensitive Ayame pick him out amongst all the other people when they first met)" this memory made him frown because he could have avoided such a troublesome person if he was aware of it.

    Kazuya looked at the person he had chosen to awaken himself. Though he was still not sure whether his decision was right or not but he was at least sure that this person would not do anything that would put their families against each other. This was the first time he tried reaching out to someone because he knew that he would need to take a few risks with people because, in the end, he alone may not be enough.

    "You''re doing well. Now continue listening while trying to feel the changes" Kazuya praised Nanami and glanced towards Tomoyo who was listening in quietly. This robot girl was unexpectedly a pleasant companion who stayed by his side. He wouldn''t have noticed that he had still been unsure of how to treat this girl if Tsuna hadn''t pointed it out so he finally came to a decision to repay the loyalty she has shown so far.

    "What both of you are feeling is called ''mana''. This is not the internal energy you probably heard from your grandfathers already. That could only be counted as a branch of numerous ways to utilize it" Kazuya started his lesson on the basics of mana and its uses. Nanami had already passed the test and with the help of the secondary gathering formation he would activate whenever he was present in the Shiroyuki dojo, Nanami''s instincts and her trust in Kazuya made it easier for her to understand and get a grasp of what he had to say.

    It was obvious that Nanami''s affinity was the same as Tomoyo''s. Both girls were warrior types which Kazuya could relate to based on experience so teaching them didn''t require much effort. What surprised Kazuya, on the other hand, was that he realized that he had underestimated just how Nanami was in sync with her senses. What was holding this girl back whenever she fought was her ability to process thoughts while in the midst of battle.

    This was an extremely rare trait because from what he assumed of her, she was the type who relied on her instincts but it looked like Nanami was given another advantage. This was usually developed by veterans of battles so Nanami who didn''t have the amount of experience close to Tsuna or Kazuya clearly stood out.

    "(What an interesting discovery)" Kazuya smiled at Nanami.

    Though it might sound great at first, this trait acted as a disadvantage for Nanami. Her indecisiveness when it came to the competition and how she should act was why she lost matches that would really count. Against someone like Ayame who was used to completions and was formally trained, that slight hesitation of Nanami''s was deadly.

    Nanami was felt that Kazuya had shared a great secret with her. This es especially because of his strong warning about revealing these abilities even to their loved ones. From there, she could tell that he had placed quite the amount of trust in her. She felt truly grateful for such an opportunity because of the things that surprised her the most, is that her rival, Kuronuma Ayame, was already able to use it at an advanced level.

    What did this mean? This meant that no matter how she would have tried, Ayame would have been a step ahead of her If she simply used these abilities Kazuya informed her that Ayame was capable of. This made her even more determined to put to heart whatever it was that Kazuya would teach her.

    "(His offer was to defeat Kuronuma Ayame¡­ Can I really do it?)" was the question inside her mind. Just finding out that such abilities could be used by her if she tried hard but actually facing someone who had years of experience ahead of her? She didn''t think that she would have a chance anytime soon.

    "I know what you''re thinking" Kazuya gave her a smile that somewhat soothed her worries. "Aren''t I a lot younger than Kuronuma Ayame? Has she ever beaten me?" Kazuya grinned.

    He was right. Just his instructions on how Nanami should train before and after lessons with Kazuya convinced her of how hard this two younger than her trained. She felt that she had been slacking off compared to these two.

    "I''ll¡­ work hard" she shyly said.

    "That''s good to hear. I do have a lot of expectations from you and I also hope that we have a long-lasting relationship that will grow as time passes by. Out grandfathers may be friends but I want our relationship not to be affected by theirs" Kazuya patted her head. Nanami wanted to rub the itch on her ear to make sure that she heard him correctly.

    "(Did he just say that he wanted to have a relationship that would be long-lasting!?)" her inner monologue screamed. "(A relationship that has nothing to do with our grandparents!? Is this a proposal!?)"

    *tug tug tug* Tomoyo moved to his side. She was listening intently to his lecture but she didn''t need much to understand after staying by Kazuya''s side the longest amongst their age group.

    "What is it?"

    "Me¡­ too¡­"

    .

 125 SS4: A Walk to Remember

    .

    Note: I think it''s pretty self-explanatory when this takes place.

    .

    "What''s the matter Tsuna?" Kou was surprised at his friend''s reaction after reading the contents of his grandson''s letter. He had never seen anything that surprised this man before, not even guns pointed at him would make him feel anxious, rather it just made this crazy friend of his even more excited.

    Kou wasn''t one to shy away from danger but he was like a child compared to this friend of his. Tsuna would of course deny this and say that he would react just like a normal person if he thought it would be dangerous. This unbelievable statement just made Kou even more confused as to what Tsuna would even consider as ''dangerous''.

    "If I''m not mistaken¡­ your grandson isn''t even a decade old yet right?" Tsuna picked up his pipe from the ground and faced his old friend. What he read was something he thought had been unbelievable.

    "Yeah¡­" Kou didn''t know why Tsuna took a sudden interest in Kazuya. "(Did that brat say something inappropriate?)" was his initial thought.

    "Did something happen to him that caused him to change?" Tsuna went direct to the point which caught Kou off guard. Tsuna rarely showed interest in individuals so why was he so interested in Kazuya now?

    "Well¡­" Kou didn''t hide anything and explained what Jirou told him. Kazuya''s sudden memory loss that changed the boy and the plot of the Kuroganes by putting Lee in their midst.

    "I see¡­" Tsuna frowned. For a boy that was barely six years old to have been summoned in Edea. It was no wonder that the boy changed.

    He of all people should know what it was like to be a summoned hero. Although it had been a long while ago, Tsuna was suddenly thrown into an unknown world where his help was needed. He had been summoned when he was younger but compared to Kazuya, who was summoned in that age? He couldn''t imagine how the boy could have handled such a responsibility.

    "Wait here" he stood up and smiled wryly at Kou. "I''ll get ready to come with you to meet with this godson of mine."

    Tsuna was thinking about a lot of things when he got himself ready. He never expected for someone else to be summoned after him especially since everything seemed fine when he left ''that world''. He already figured that time flowed differently in that world so he wondered how long it had been since he left.

    What Kazuya wrote in his letter was simple. It was an invite to meet from a successor to his predecessor. The fact that it had been written in ancient elven language already proved that it was authentic. No one could duplicate the text in the modern era, much less write them with infused mana.

    But if there was one thing Tsuna learned from his time in another world that had a civilization that wasn''t as developed as Earth''s and it was to always be careful. He asked Kou a lot of things about Kazuya to make sure that it was indeed written by him and not someone else who might be luring him into a trap by using his acquaintances.

    By the time Tsuna and Kou reached the bottom of the mountain, he had more or less confirmed that Kou''s grandson was indeed the one who wrote the letter. It wasn''t possible for anyone else to have written such a convincing letter because no one in their world would know of the elves in Edea. These were especially in the case of the enemies that Tsuna was guarding himself against.

    The boy was able to beat up his own grandfather and even used a ruse to explain his control over the elements. It was indeed clever camouflage but it still contained some risks if those who had keen eyes knew what they were looking for. This reminded Tsuna of when he first came back, it was like he was almost never gone but he was able to gain much knowledge and experience in the process.

    "Looks like those people against you are being quite careful this time" Tsuna laughed after pointing out the number of people that began to observe them as soon as they entered the public''s eyes.

    "That old rat''s methods haven''t changed" Kou sighed. He figured that they would probably be observed all the way back to their town. He even expected to be delayed because the enemy they were dealing with didn''t hesitate to use despicable means as long as they were able to do what they were assigned to do.

    "The situation of your family is now tickling my curiosity" Tsuna laughed. "I want to know just how much your grandson has made them take losses"

    "Huh? How did you know that the Kuroganes took losses?" Kou was surprised. This hermit friend of his rarely went down from the mountain so he was out of touch with the real world.

    "From what I''ve heard about my godson so far, it seems that my assumption was correct" Tsuna grinned. "Looks like this really will be an interesting trip"

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    "I don''t get it" Kou grumbled. "(Was there something I failed to understand?)" Kou pondered because he was already used to being called slow and insensitive by his peers.

    "Why don''t we give those enemies of yours a surprise? While we''re at it, you should take up my offer and get stronger yourself" Tsuna suggested. "Not only do you have such a promising grandson, the way I see it your enemies probably won''t be able to stay in their high position for long so your clan''s future is very promising" he encouraged.

    "I don''t get what you mean" Kou never really understood this friend of his sometimes. Though he is probably the strongest and the wisest person he knew, he still had a bad habit of explaining things in a weird and roundabout way.

    "It''s simple. We''re going to lose those observers by taking a different path" Tsuna gave a mischievous smirk. "We''ll walk all the way back to H prefecture" he grabbed Kou''s arm pulled him before the old man could respond. This immediately alarmed those who were observing them but they had no idea where their targets went off to.

    They called to ask their informants by using the surveillance cameras around the area but this was a fruitless endeavor because they would later find out that aside from a weird blur from the footage, they wouldn''t find anything else related to the two that once stood before their eyes.

    "I wish I could have seen those guys'' faces. HAHAHA" Kou laughed heartily as he massaged his arm. The pain was well worth it because they not only lost the observers, the reports they were going to send to Kurogane Tenma would make the paranoid old man start overthinking of what their plans were.

    "We have a lot of time so as we walk, I''ll be explaining all the things you need to know" Tsuna touched Kou''s arm and healed the bruise that was caused by him earlier.

    This wasn''t the first time that Kou witnessed Tsuna perform magic so he wasn''t surprised. Rather, he felt more interested in the topic after hearing that his grandson had the same abilities as this reliable friend of his. Who wasn''t interested in those sorts of abilities if they were given a choice?

    Kou listened intently and even thought of ways on how to get back at his grandson for being shamefully treated. He didn''t care and was petty that he was schooled by his own grandson. It was his pride as the grandfather who was supposed to have authority over that rebellious grandson of his.

    Tsuna was already aware of how naturally talented Kou was so it came to no surprise that he was able to understand things naturally. Kou already learned the basics and openly used it in his misadventures as an explorer. His basics were pretty solid so it took little time for Kou to be upgraded into something that required him to actually do something.

    "Your first task is simple, I want you to carry this cane of mine on your back until I let you transfer it over to another part of your body" Tsuna handed over the weapon in his hand.

    "Oooofff!" Kou was caught off guard. The weapon Tsuna carried with one hand actually felt like it weighed a ton on Kou''s back. If his back or body wasn''t as tough as it was today, Kou felt like his back would have been already broken for sure.

    Kou grit his teeth and focused his mana like what this mischievous friend of his taught him. Slowly, he was able to stand straight as he supported the weapon that didn''t seem so simple now that he had carried it. This answered a few questions on how Tsuna was able to effortlessly break walls without breaking a sweat. Not only was his strength inhuman, so was his weapon.

    "Now then, shall we continue our talk as we go?" Tsuna urged Kou on and made him spill more about Kazuya.

    Kou wasn''t as stupid as he looked. He knew why Tsuna was doing this because of the old lessons he used to give. What he needed to do was to get used to the weight he had been carrying as if it was normal and to let his body circulate the increased amount of mana in the process.

    Tsuna didn''t befriend Kou just because of his strong affinity towards mana. What made him like this person was his strong and righteous sense of character. That is why he felt a little pity towards this friend of his when he found out what had happened to him after he got back to his home. To him, though Kou was indeed mischievous, there was something deeper that made Kazuya react so strongly.

    He felt a little bad for the boy. He must have been through so much for him to be that overprotective over his family. Kazuya''s aggressiveness said a lot about him and what he had experienced and it wasn''t something that a boy his age should have gone through. Tsuna couldn''t help but curse at those Edeans who didn''t spared such a boy from shouldering such a heavy responsibility.

    Tsuna wished he could go back to Edea and beat the living daylights out of those who made such decisions. He didn''t fight their war for them so that they could take advantage of another earthling when the need arises. It wasn''t that Tsuna didn''t understand the plight of those who previously summoned him. The fact that they involved a six year old boy was a testament to how selfish those humans in Edea really were.

    Time passed by quickly as the two made their way slowly towards the H prefecture. They avoided places that would attract attention and Tsuna made it so that this travel was prepare Kou for the likely upcoming trouble he predicted would eventually come.

    "You seem to be quite interested in my grandson old friend" Kou commented after they had travelled quite a long way. He already had gotten used to carrying Tsuna''s weapon to the point that he could carry it comfortably with both hands while having a conversation.

    "Didn''t you say that Jirou has taken a liking to him as well? Why can''t I?" Tsuna scoffed. He knew that Kou was trying to fish for information regarding Kazuya. It wasn''t his secret to tell so if Kazuya didn''t mention anything, neither would he.

    "You''re seriously comparing yourself to Jirou?" Kou couldn''t believe that Tsuna actually tried to compare himself to someone that could be considered normal.

    "We''re both humans so what''s wrong with that? My godson is quite the interesting topic since he was even able to kick you out of your own house" Tsuna mocked Kou who was really sensitive over this topic. "Your daughter shares the same aptitude as you so I''m looking forward to seeing her too" he laughed.

    "My daughter is too young for you!" Kou lashed out. He may not have seemed like it but he used to be an overprotective father. "You may look young but we all know that your appearance hasn''t changed ever since we met you. Who knows how old you really are" Kou sighed.

    "With your connections, it would be easy to find old records of me. It''s not like I''ve hidden anything, Even those from the Kurogane camp might have already studied my identity and wet their pants" Tsuna laughed out loud. Truly the fear he struck on the Kurogane Clan when he first showed himself to support Kou left a deep impression upon the current head.

    "I don''t like prying into other people''s businesses when it is not needed" Kou shook his head. Though he was indeed curious, he didn''t want that to be the cause of their friendship to fall apart. Something must have caused Tsuna to relocate in the mountains all those years ago but he wouldn''t prey too much about it because everyone had their own secrets to keep.

    "Come to think of it, didn''t you and Jirou have an agreement that his granddaughter and your grandson would be the ones to connect your two families in the future?" Tsuna asked. "Though I personally think that Komori''s granddaughter would be more suitable for him now considering his abilities, Jirou''s granddaughter only has a slight difference.

    "Ugh¡­ don''t remind me" Kou shuddered. "Those two have been fighting like cats and dogs whenever I see them. This is all because of this grandson of mine who impressed those two so much in so little time.

    "Stop evading the topic and answer my question. Are you going to stick to that agreement or not?"

    .

 126 SSj5: The Tragic Princess 2 in 1

    .

    Note: Should be the last SS? ...or is it?

    .

    Kanade and her staff members gathered around Kazuya to make sure that everything was perfect. They were at one of the locations where a major scene was about to be filmed. It was the fight scene between Ayame and Kaguya which was one of the highlights of their characters in the drama.

    There were major changes these couple of weeks that even shook the carefree nature of Kanade. Kazuno Mei, the mischievous guardian of Kazuya who she found a strange affinity with, was recently being portrayed as an ambitious person who had betrayed her mentor which was Kazuya''s mother.

    Only after Kazuya explained to her that it had all been a ruse with the Kuroganes fanning the flames from behind the scenes did she understand what was going on and calmed down. It would have been the end of this project if Kyouko suddenly pulled Kazuya out of filming because she was still this boy''s primary guardian after all.

    Though Kazuya and the rest wanted to keep everything to themselves, the scale of their plans exceeded their initial expectations. There were too many parties involved and a whole lot of things to be considered. Kanade was involved in the collaboration project with Kazuno Tech''s public relations so she was made an exception.

    "How long do you think this will last for?" Kanade asked when the rest of her staff made themselves scarce while preparing for the next scene.

    "I''m not too sure. I still don''t know what Kurogane Shishio''s intentions are for being interested in me but what I am sure about is that it is nothing good" Kanade was a little surprised because he said it like it didn''t concern him at all.

    Her son Takaya had already warned her mother not to be too offended by the way Kazuya speaks because he barely knows how to hold anything back. This was also one indication that he has lowered his guard around you so it''s really not that bad considering the kind of person Kazuya was. One should even be more afraid if he didn''t say what you''d expect him to.

    "I see" Kanade smiled. "So what are your plans with Kuronuma Ayame? Are you going to tell her who you really are?"

    "I''d rather not" Kazuya sighed. He checked himself once more in the mirror because of what Takaya''s mother said since he felt like her smile gave off a different meaning.

    "Please take your place, Kaguya-san" one of the staff members called their attention. He led them to the scene where the director and everyone else were waiting.

    Because of their proposal, multiple cameras had been set up to capture every moment of their bout. They were also handed prop weapons that looked like real swords except that these were blunt.

    "(They may be blunt but these toys would still be weapons in the hands of that girl)" Kazuya thought as he felt Ayame''s gaze on him as soon as he entered wearing his costume.

    The director came with the stunt coordinator they had for the drama. Both of them were reminded of the key points of the area and where the cameras were placed. He didn''t have many expectations when he heard the suggestion but agreed to it since the director wanted to give it a try because of Ayame''s reputation. They still didn''t know if both these rookies were going to perform well since they were new to the business so this was going to be the first test.

    "Alright! Everyone to your places!" The director grinned showing his anticipation. He had done his homework and looked up some of Ayame''s footage so he was aware of how much this girl''s popularity was deserved.

    "I hope you won''t be foolish enough to try and test the waters with me" Ayame stated before she went to her position. Kazuya turned and went to his with a smile. Just how long ago was it when the same kind of words were said to him?

    Kazuya or the clan princess Kaguya was surrounded with her clansmen as she was being escorted through the mountains so that she could meet with the people that would help her clan. It was here that they came across the group led by Ayumu, the clan they wanted help against. They were unexpectedly hunting in the area. Ayumu''s character didn''t like her brother''s engagement to Kaguya so she saw this as a chance to get her to back off from the engagement.

    Kaguya didn''t have many lines since his character was supposed to be a boy in the guise of a girl. Due to Kanade and her team''s techniques, however, no one even suspected him being a boy and assumed that an actual girl was cast. He didn''t have many lines to say because of this but Kazuya already modified his voice because he would need to let out a few sounds in this mock battle.

    This was also one of the talents Kanade was very fond of. The ability to change his tone on a whim made it more convincing that he was indeed a girl. She was glad that she didn''t reveal much about Kazuya''s identity even to the director who just knew that he was really a boy.

    They were in a real bamboo forest so if one were to look at the camera views, the scene looked very promising. Kaguya stepped up to face Ayumu''s challenge because he couldn''t risk this girl making things harder for his clan already.

    "Let''s see if this clan princess is as talented with a sword as she is talented with keeping silent" Ayumu loudly declared as she drew her sword and launched an attack against Kaguya.

    To be honest, Ayame didn''t expect much when she heard about this Kaguya girl''s suggestion. There has been far too many people who have been saying that they will beat her or they have set her as their targets in interviews but none of them even got close. This especially unknown girl that came out of nowhere and was the same as her in the industry so how good could she actually be?

    "(Looks like this girl is taking it pretty easy huh?)" There was nothing wrong with Ayame''s strike per se, but it was showy more than it was for battle. "(So if it''s a battle of showy techniques then¡­)" Kaguya lowered his stance and clenched the sword''s hilt tightly.

    "(Drawing technique!?)" Ayumu was a bit surprised at the stance. This was not a style that could be pulled off by kendo practitioners as wooden swords or bamboo swords had no scabbards.

    *CLANG* Kaguya drew the sword swiftly and caused Ayumu to get thrown back. This made everyone behind the cameras to feel goosebumps on their bodies. They all expected the middle school kendo champion to effortlessly make this look one-sided but in their initial clash, she lost just after Kaguya drew her sword.

    "¡­" Kaguya silently used his expression as if saying ''have you had enough?'' which everyone thought he did perfectly. This simple act made Ayame forget what she was supposed to do. She felt that she had only been caught off guard because she underestimated her enemy and they were using props that emulated actual swords.

    "So you do have some skill" Ayame regained her composure and took another stance.

    This wasn''t part of the script but the director didn''t mind. This was already more than he expected, the single shot from earlier was well worth allowing them to do it their own way. He signaled the staff members to stay quiet and continue to observe as he was hoping to get more of what happened earlier after Ayame finally showed some ferocity.

    "(This girl shouldn''t be in this kind of drama)" Kazuya sighed internally. He felt the blaze in Ayame''s fighting spirit as she took a more serious stance. Their spar resumed when Ayame once again launched her attack.

    "(Has this girl really been that lacking of capable opponents?)" he thought as he continued to defend against Ayame''s attacks. His character couldn''t win and it was supposed to end in a draw where both parties deemed that it was useless to continue but in Ayame''s current state, Kazuya couldn''t see that happening any time soon.

    This girl was a talented person with an affinity to mana so her stamina was stronger than even most athletes. There was also no one from the crew stopping them and the director could be seen grinning from ear to ear as he watched the different angles of their skirmish.

    Ayame was getting even more fired up. Her usual opponents, aside from that persistent Akabane girl wouldn''t last very long yet this unknown girl in front of her was fending off her attacks as if they were nothing. She didn''t even break a sweat and Ayame couldn''t tell if she was just trying to stay in character or she was that confident in herself.

    Ayame''s next strike was done swiftly but it was once again parried. This time, she decided to test this mysterious Kaguya''s response to the strike she had been practicing in case Shiroyuki Tomoyo or Kouzuki Kazuya faced her again. It was a thrust that used her mana to make the weapon stronger and a lot faster.

    "!!" Kazuya immediately felt the changes and knew that the girl was going too far. "(So unprofessional¡­)" he thought as he once again sheathed his sword and hid a sliver of his mana on the edge of the blade inside the scabbard to hide it from Ayame''s keens senses.

    "HAAAH!!" Their weapons clashed as a loud sound entered everyone''s ears.

    "CUT!" The director who was one of the few who just saw what happened stood up and clapped his hands. "Bravo girls! Bravo! I knew I felt something when I met the both of you!" He continued clapping and everyone who was clueless as to what just happened saw the prop swords in their hands.

    One had been cleanly cut in half while the other one was cracked and unusable. Despite the setback, it went as it was supposed to, a draw. Ayame only realized the situation after the director and everyone else started congratulating them. The scene was not yet over but everyone thought that they should say something after a stunning performance the two rookies just showed them.

    Ayame glanced at Kaguya who looked like she hadn''t done anything out of the ordinary and was intrigued. She felt puzzled at how that last strike got stopped when she didn''t feel any mana coming from the other side. Was this Kaguya really that skilled at using real swords? She wondered.

    "Remember what you came here to do" Kazuya whispered to Ayame as if scolding her.

    With his words, she felt a little embarrassed. She indeed lost her cool because she found an unexpected and worthy opponent in the oddest of places. She was here to make a name for herself that was big enough to intimidate the boy who dared ignore her. Ayame couldn''t help but feel a little guilt and gratitude towards this girl who hadn''t lost her cool despite her actions.

    "Sorry¡­ and thanks" Ayame politely bowed which caught Kazuya off guard. Was this girl really capable of being humble?

    The hardest part of the day was already over and because of Kazuya''s reminder, Ayame pretty much concentrated on her role. To Ayame, this day was quite fruitful, not only had she found a worthy opponent, she was even reminded of her own mistake which was a refreshing feeling because she had been spoiled by the people around her.

    "Hey, what should I call you?" Kazuya and Ayame were given a rest because most of their scenes in the area were already over. It was the other actors'' turn so Ayame wasted no time to talk to this interesting person she had found.

    "Just call me Kaguya, that is my name after all" Kazuya tried to stay as calm as he could after Ayame approached him out of the blue. "(Did she notice something?)" he nervously thought.

    "So, the name of the character turned out to be your name as well¡­" she paused as if realizing something, "The Aoki group sure know their way around making stars. Maybe I should sign with them?" she smiled as she considered it.

    Kazuya didn''t know what her purpose was for making small talk like this. Why didn''t she just ask whatever she wanted to like the Ayame he knew would? He really couldn''t tell what she was up to but before he could ask, Kanade stepped in.

    "Our group would welcome you with open arms if you''re seriously saying that Kuronuma-san. It would be an honor to represent the rising star of the kendo world after all" Kaname smiled at Ayame whilst taking the opportunity to keep Kazuya silent. Anyone who knew him could tell that he was about to shoo away this potential client.

    "Is the Aoki group confident in making me a star in the quickest way possible?" Ayame turned to Kanade and asked politely. She may have been proud of herself but this was still one of the heads of the illustrious Aoki group who could crush her plans on a whim.

    "Is there any particular reason why you''re in such a hurry?" Kanade was intrigued. This girl already had riches because of the family she belonged to and a reputation that would be respected more than a celebrity once she took her place in her family''s ranks so what was her purpose?

    "I want to make someone regret chasing me away and avoiding me as if I''m some sort of plague" she honestly replied which made Kazuya who was looking uninterested look towards Ayame in surprise. "By the time that boy finally takes an interest in girls, I want to be in a position that is above anyone else that is surrounding him" she boldly declared.

    "Someone actually dared to avoid the ''Sword Fairy'' like a plague? A younger boy it seems? Which boy could be so lucky?" Kanade asked curiously as she giggled. This girl was indeed very prideful.

    "It''s no secret since I''ve mentioned his name on every interview but his name always gets changed to ''someone that has beaten me before'' when they are published. Maybe because they are afraid to mention the name of the heir of the Kouzuki Corporation, Kouzuki Kazuya" Ayame answered without hesitation.

    Kazuya''s face grew black lines after learning of Ayame''s reasons. Kanade, on the other hand, couldn''t help but give a wide smile. She held back the urge to laugh because what Ayame didn''t know was that she had confessed her plans to the person she plotted against as he was just behind her.

    "I see¡­ since you''re very clear on your reason for wanting to become famous at a rapid rate, why choose our group then?" Kanade understood her motivation but what made her consider choosing them? She didn''t need to join a big group like them in case she wanted to make money because not only did she have her own reputation already, she could even go independent and still have a stable career because of her family''s influence.

    "I never considered it until today" Ayame honestly replied. "It was only because of Kaguya-san did I find that this endeavor may not be as uninteresting as I initially thought" Ayame smiled at the girl who she had taken an interest in.

    "You''ve taken an interest in Kaguya?" Kanade turned to the supposed girl who was also wearing a surprised impression.

    "I trust my intuition a lot and it has not failed me in the most important things. It tells me that she and I are kindred spirits especially after we''ve clashed blades" Ayame smiled which made Kazuya grow a more complex expression.

    "So are you planning on taking on the industry by her side? Is that what you''re saying?" Though Kanade found this strange situation interesting, this topic had to do with her business so she put those matters aside and asked Ayame what she intended.

    "That would be up for your company to decide if I do join it. Though I would prefer having more jobs with Kaguya-san, if your company can help me to reach my main goal for doing all of this, I would be more than happy to sign with you" Ayame declared.

    "Then that could be arranged" Kanade smiled as she put a hand on Kazuya''s shoulder after noticing his desire to object. "You can visit our office this weekend where we can present a formal contract as well. We will decide there whether you want to join or not"

    "Will Kaguya-san be there as well?" Ayame turned to ask him.

    "Kaguya''s big sister has a bit of a sensitive identity so we''re keeping both their identities under wraps for now" Kaname paused to see Ayame''s reaction. "I hope that even if you don''t join the company, once you discover a few things, please keep the secret" Kanade used this as a hint for both of them. "I''ll leave you two alone to get along before we move to the next location" Kanade then left them alone.

    "I knew you weren''t as simple as you seemed" Ayame waited for Kanade to leave before she grinned at Kaguya. She strangely felt comfortable around her which was unusual for any girl in her age group. This was especially now that the troublesome students in her new school got close to her because of other reasons than just simply being a friend. "Which school did you go to? How come I haven''t heard of you? Why don''t you participate in the kendo tournament?"

    Ayame didn''t waste time and asked a lot of questions. She was truly glad to have found someone who had as much skill as Kaguya. Though she didn''t confirm if the girl had mana control or not, even if she didn''t, with her skill, it wouldn''t take long for her to learn it.

    Kazuya, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with these questions and grew confused. Who was this girl? Was this the Kuronuma Ayame who chased him around and acted proudly in front of people? Why did girls have to be so confusing and complicated?

    "I¡­ don''t go to any school and I study with tutors at home instead" he made up his mind to answer Ayame''s questions since Kanade hinted that there was something else behind her intentions. He would leave it for later.

    "So that''s why¡­ I haven''t heard of you before" Ayame crossed her arms. Kazuya had a little understanding of this girl as well. He gave out answers that would protect Kaguya''s existence as well as not to feed Ayame''s curiosity for her to pry into his identity. "Who taught you how to fight?"

    "A few tutors. They trained me in swordsmanship and not kendo" he answered in a way that would depict the experience he had in his previous life so that his deception would be more convincing.

    "So that''s why you seemed to be used to handling such a weapon" Ayame looked a little envious. No matter how much her grandfather spoiled her, no one would allow her to touch such weapons.

    "Were you serious when you said that you were doing this to get back at a boy?" His question made Ayame''s smile widen. She finally had someone she could talk about this openly to.

    "Yes! That guy is so insensitive and doesn''t know how to see a good lady when he sees one! I want him to regret it!" Ayame grinned as if she could see the Kazuya in her future plans. This made the real one grit his teeth in silence because even though he knew that such a thing would never come to pass, it was still uncomfortable for someone to be thinking about him as such especially in front of himself.

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    "Since you know that boy is so obstinate, don''t you think that he will still choose to ignore you?" Kazuya asked curiously. He really didn''t know where Ayame''s confidence came from since he knew that he wouldn''t fall for such a shallow plan. He already met princesses, nobles, royalty, demon generals and even the demon king himself so what was a mere idol in his eyes?

    "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You seem to not understand how simple boys are since you probably don''t have much interaction with them" Ayame waved her finger from left to right repeatedly while confidently clicking her tongue. "Even if he doesn''t think much of me now, he will eventually hear my name once I get famous. Imagine a normal boy like that suddenly reuniting with someone he treated badly after they got separated in the passage of time? Isn''t it the perfect scenario where he would think back on how wrongly he treated me?"

    "(This girl is crazy. She truly deserves the name na?ve girl I gave her so long ago)" Kazuya sighed. He decided not to pay attention to this girl''s twisted imagination as it would just cause him more headaches. He just nodded every now and then and muttered words such as ''I see'' or ''that''s not bad'' which was more than enough to keep Ayame occupied.

    Their girl talk was interrupted when they moved to a different location where they had to work once again. Because of Ayame, Kazuya was more worn out mentally than usual and looked towards Kanade for answers once they entered the vehicle to go back to the Aoki group''s offices.

    "Guess who?" Kazuya''s vision was covered as soon as he took a seat in the van. He immediately knew who it was as soon as the hands touched him because it wasn''t only her aura that was familiar, it was even her scent.

    "Why are you here, Big Sis?" Kazuya didn''t move and just relaxed. He would have reacted differently if it was an unfamiliar person so he was glad that it had been Mei who he hadn''t seen ever since she left their house.

    "Uuuu!" She immediately pulled him to her arms and held him as if she was never going to let go. "I need to charge!"

    "Was this why you stopped me from rejecting Kuronuma Ayame earlier?" Kazuya turned towards Kanade who was pressured by the gaze.

    "Hey!" Mei bopped his head. "Don''t blame Kanade-san because it was her who came up with an idea so that we wouldn''t be separated for the whole time this thing is going on!"

    "What exactly is going on?" Kazuya was confused. It seemed that things have been settled without him being informed.

    "I was hoping you would notice it when the official scripts were given out but it looks like you really memorized the first copies they gave out after all" Kanade didn''t know whether to be impressed or disappointed as she handed Kazuya the official copy of their script which included the name of the cast.

    [Kaguya-hime ¨C Kazuno Kaguya]

    "Kazuno¡­ Kaguya?" He glanced at Mei questioningly.

    "Yes! That will be the identity of this side of you! You''ll be my little sister off-screen as well as the face of Kazuno Technologies!" Mei declared with an excited expression. "This way, we won''t be separated for the whole time and could appear as ''Kaguya'' when you''re with me and when you''re at home with Kyouko, you will be back to being ''Kazuya''"

    "We''ve also discussed this with your mother and she has agreed to it. Even the Kurogane clan can''t infiltrate something that they know nothing about and the only people who know your true identity are my husband, son and personal assistants" Kanade followed up.

    Kazuya didn''t know what to say and felt like a bomb had just been dropped on him. Sure he was glad that he didn''t need to be separated from Mei for that long but he would have had his ways if he wanted to see her.

    "I know what you''re thinking" Mei ruffled his hair. "There are of course other reasons we thought of to take advantage of your identity and that would be for Kurogane Shishio to be less wary of our relationship" Mei said in a somewhat serious tone.

    "Did that guy do something?" Kazuya didn''t receive any reports of anyone strange meeting with her so it was probably a private call.

    "He said that they would stop trying to label me as a traitor if I promised not to interfere with matters concerning you. He even threatened to hinder our company''s growth. Though he wouldn''t have that much power, he can still cause delays which is why I agreed. If the Kuroganes decide to leave the company alone, they would be the ones to regret it in the long run" Mei explained.

    Kazuya agreed with her decision. As long as the public get their hands on their products, no amount of bad press would be able to stop them from rising up. This was already proven from his previous life and with the Ringo Corporation out of the way, even if they started to hinder them, it would already be too late.

    "Your father looks to be planning something big with you in mind so we''ll use your identity as ''Kaguya'' to let him think that Mei has put her attention elsewhere or has moved on from any connections with the Kouzuki Corporation" Kanade grinned. "We can even use it to merge the two companies if Mei-san here proposes a marriage between your two identities" Kanade giggled.

    "So you plan on using Kuronuma''s fame to remove doubts about Kaguya''s identity?" Kazuya ignored that last comment and clarified the purpose of Ayame''s involvement.

    "Yes. Since she is looking forward to working with you, we can also make use of your reputation as friends to give a positive image towards Kazuno Tech. You shouldn''t underestimate her current popularity as many people are already paying attention to her" Kanade noticed the black lines growing on Kazuya''s head and smiled.

    "Fine but¡­ can you not come up with these kinds of plans without me in the future?"

    .

 127 The Divide

    .

    Over three years had passed ever since Kurogane Shishio visited the Kouzuki clan and caused a divide that set into motion the early revelation of the mysterious person behind Kazuno Technologies. This caused a lot of commotion in the business world initially but after a time, everyone started to accept it especially after the initial release of the products that were developed by Kazuno Mei and her company.

    Kazuno Technologies begun a revolution that combined reliable performance along with a support AI to help those who are less technologically inclined. ''Rucy-chan'' was an instant hit amongst adults and young people alike. There was even a collaboration to make different versions of ''Rucy-chan'' in the form of other well-known characters which boosted the company''s fame to great heights.

    It''s direct competitor when the company was still in its initial stages, the Ringo Corporation, lost their illustrious CEO and after that, the company''s remaining board members have been bought out by the Kurogane Conglomerate for scraps. Little did they know that their decision to build up the company in their own image would fail miserably once the mysterious new company exposed their cards.

    The Ringo Corporation''s products were known for their simple yet elegant look despite the obvious money-making scheme they placed on whatever programs they would use because they separated themselves from universal compatibility. There were still those that preferred to use them after Kazuno tech''s products reached the consumers but they were those that just didn''t like to change.

    With the assistance of Rucy-chan that was available for every device that Kazuno Tech made, even senior citizens felt like they could keep up with today''s technology. This caused the Kurogane Conglomerate to regret their decision on trying to revive the Ringo Corporation''s former glory. Even with their deep connections, there was no stopping Kazuno Tech which started a technological revolution.

    Kurogane Sousuke initially thought that he had gotten a one-up on his younger brother. He was the one who took the initiative and took over the Ringo Corporation the moment he found out that Muimina Budou had disappeared. He took advantage of the fact that Shishio had been focusing on his son and his ex and made a move without consulting the family. He used his own assets so he could claim the remnants of the Ringo Corporation for himself and take all the credit but it backfired on him miserably.

    Shishio, on the other hand, was thankful that he hadn''t made a move. He would have used his own assets but a great portion of them was given to Kazuya as a tribute to show his sincerity. It was given to the boy directly when they met again after the boy''s busy schedule had been cleared up. The boy accepted it and wasted no time to move everything to an account that was unknown to Shisho.

    Though initially, he felt that his deal with Kazuno Mei was to his advantage, Shishio later thought that he let her off too easily especially after the losses his elder brother suffered from his efforts to try and suppress Kazuno Tech. He felt that he had underestimated Mei greatly.

    He once feared that she would make use of his son like she did before but while he kept an eye on her, something came to his attention. A mysterious girl who popped out of nowhere had been seen living with her after she moved to live in the renovated headquarters of Kazuno Technologies.

    Kazuno Kaguya, a girl who was supposedly Kazuno Mei''s adopted sister. Not even he could determine the girl''s origins because Mei''s family had been complicated in the first place. Her father was from the suburbs of the large country that was southwest and while her mother lived with her for a while, she had already left this world.

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    Furthermore, Kazuno Kaguya was used as the public face of Kazuno Tech after the success of her debut in the historical drama along with the now extremely popular Kuronuma Ayame. These two were known as best friends and were said to know a lot about each other. Kuronuma even went as far as to state that she could answer most questions that fans had been trying to find out about the quiet Kaguya.

    Even if that weren''t the case, these celebrities usually have tight-knit protection over their privacy. Kazuno Kaguya and Kuronuma Ayame, in particular, were part of the Aoki group so their privacy''s protection was more or less guaranteed because anyone who would speak ill of anyone they were in charge of would suffer quite a number of consequences. With these two as their current rising stars, who would dare pry into the girls'' private affairs and risk getting buried in the eyes of the public?

    Shishio was suspicious about where Kazuno Kaguya came from but he was more concerned about both his son and that mysterious girl going to Aoki group. He was suspicious about it and thought that Kazuno Mei was using that unknown girl to communicate with Kazuya secretly. He only calmed down when he found out that Kazuya and Kaguya wouldn''t have many chances to converse much because not only did Kazuya not have good relations with Kuronuma Ayame, the two never had the chance to be in the same place at the same time.

    Other than that, things have relatively been going smoothly with his relationship with Kazuya. Though it was a very awkward start at first since Shishio had no idea what being a father meant, it became nearly simple because of his son''s intelligence and wisdom. He could imagine what Kyouko told his son if she did talk about him so he opened up the topic whilst telling his own story.

    This all happened when Kazuya came by for a visit at the hospital where Shishio had been confined. Shishio took advantage of his pitiful state to gain a bit of sympathy so that the child would listen with an open mind. Unfortunately, Nagisa did not make it out of surgery alive and she died shortly after the couple was rushed to the hospital.

    This was the reason why Sousuke had gained a little control over what Shishio left behind and made his move. While the latter had been building a foundation with Kazuya, the former made a move towards his individual ruin. Though these two were separate men, it was still their clan who took a blow.

    Kazuya who was initially surprised after getting word that Shishio and Nagisa got into an accident only had one thought. ''This guy sure acts fast''. He already mentioned that there would be no way for him and someone like Nagisa to get along so Shishio considered his options and chose Kazuya who had a greater benefit to him more than anyone.

    Kazuya immediately understood the moment he entered the hospital room. He scanned Shishio''s bandaged body and other than bruises and light injuries, he wasn''t as injured as he appeared to be. Nagisa had acted as a shield that the man took advantage of and she incurred most of the damage that led to her demise.

    "(You truly are befitting of your name)" Kazuya thought as he pretended to listen intently to the sob story Shishio told. Kazuya didn''t care whether it was true or not, what mattered to him were the facts. He didn''t know what Shishio''s endgame was but it didn''t matter. He was trying hard not to end his life at that moment so that this scum father would join his bitch wife in hell.

    .

    Kazuya was now in his second year of middle school and had passed the initial starting point of his previous life. He had been successful in preventing the event that changed his fate to a tragic one. He had already proven to himself that fate can indeed be changed as long as he took the necessary steps, so he was looking forward and had been preparing for his travel back to the world that had its people manipulate and murder him and his companions.

    "P-please!!!! Just k-kill me!!!" A man wearing a bloody suit was tied to a chair that had a pool of blood forming around it.

    This man is Asahi Daikichi, a board member of the Kouzuki Corporation who had been collaborating with the Kurogane Conglomerate in secret. He was only one of the not so obvious ones that Kazuya dug up as he spent more time in the Kurogane Conglomerate. This man was now Test Subject Number 92 of Kazuya''s studies.

    "There''s no need to be dramatic now is there? I haven''t even cut off anything that wouldn''t grow back" Kazuya grinned. This man was begging to die just when he was getting warmed up. He only had his assistant Anri use a nail cutter to slowly skin this man''s legs so what was the big deal? He didn''t even dig out an eyeball with a spoon as he tried with the others yet.

    "I just have one more question to ask" Kazuya had been wearing a mask but Daikichi saw the serious and sinister look he was given. This was probably the reason why he had been taken tonight. "A little over two years ago, someone broke into the Kouzuki clan''s residence. There was nothing stolen but the surroundings were made a mess out of. Did it have anything to do with the Kuroganes?"

    "I''ve told you everything I know! I don''t know who you are but the Kuroganes will definitely find yo¡ª" his mouth froze as soon as the masked man in front of him took off the mask covering his face.

    "There''s no need for them to find me because since you''ve signed the necessary papers to transfer all your shares to me in the event of absence, they would have signed it off as losing a mere spy to a company that they would eventually own in the future via me. You were quite clever to avoid letting my mom and the others who are truly loyal to the company to find out your affiliation to the Kuroganes, by doing it early but, too bad¡­ crushing traitors like you had become a habit of mine" he gave the old man a sinister smile before turning towards Anri who understood that she can take care of the rest.

    Kazuya was quite pleased with this assistant of his. Anri was supposed to be serving as Matsuri''s assistant but when she was given a choice on who she wanted to serve, her first choice was surprisingly the one who put her through so much torment when they first met.

    Kazuya was initially hesitant on accepting Anri, but it was better to keep an eye on her because even he wasn''t sure that what this girl experienced was enough to make her loyalty last. Anri was set to be Kaguya''s assistant and manager which Mei didn''t have any complaints with because not only was Anri reliable, she was trustworthy in her eyes.

    Kazuya found it convenient because this girl already had a glimpse of what he was capable of so he didn''t need to pretend with Anri. He was even able to let her help him with his studies whenever he fished out traitors within the Kouzuki Corporation which granted him a seat as a spectator as not only did this weird girl show complete obedience, she didn''t even flinch at the spectacle of what Kazuya did to the caught traitors.

    "Master¡­" Anri turned towards him with her bloody apron. "He broke¡­" She looked a little disappointed. Asahi Daikichi was already foaming at the mouth as he twitched and trembled uncontrollably.

    "Let me take a look" He moved towards the old man and gave him a suspicious look. There had been times a few test subjects feigned as they had been broken but what they didn''t know was that doing that only made things worse for them.

    *KRRRK* Kazuya bent one finger which made Daikichi groan but there was no change in his state of mind. Anri was not trying to break the test subject''s mind, but rather striving to find a balance, yet she had failed once again. It was truly a difficult endeavor without her master''s help.

    "What a shame. This one broke too easily" Kazuya sighed as he began to heal the old man''s wounds. This was a spectacle that Anri never grew tired of watching.

    "How will this one die, master?" She took off her apron and neatly folded it before placing it on the table that was crowded with tools.

    "Let''s see¡­" Kazuya concentrated mana at the tip of his finger and formed an air bubble. He shot it towards Daikichi''s body and after a few moments, the man started to convulse as if he was having a heart attack. Kazuya wasted no time and summoned his ring and put the man''s corpse inside it after he took his final breath.

    "Sorry master" Anri saw her master''s sigh as he couldn''t apprehend the one responsible for disturbing the mana gathering formation in the Kouzuki house.

    His primary suspect had been the Kuroganes but there was no one home at the time someone broke in and aside from the landscape being messed up, there had been nothing else. It was like a prank in everyone else''s eyes but Kazuya suspected something else.

    Tsuna was the first suspect because he knew about formations and recognized the mana gathering formation that was slowly being extended but at the time of the incident, Tsuna was with Kou and the others on a trip which was confirmed via a video conference when he asked for his predecessor''s opinion.

    It had been two years after the occurrence, even Tsuna thought that it had been an isolated incident. He didn''t know why Kazuya had been so paranoid about it, but since he lived in the mountains, Tsuna considered that it was akin to animals reacting to nature which may have been the cause.

    "It''s alright" Though this question came out of habit when he interrogated people, he didn''t hope to find any answers. "I''ll put this old man back in his home so you may head back to the headquarters" He took a look at himself and made sure that there were no traces left before using his mana to cleanse the place.

    "Ayame-sama has been trying to contact you and has been asking when she could meet up with you" seeing that their task was over, she immediately reverted back to her regular assistant mode. "Should I tell her the usual excuse?" seeing the frown on her master''s face, she immediately suggested his usual plan of action.

    "Just tell her we''ll meet up when the next project has been decided. Tsuna-san is returning soon so I need to prepare myself for it"

    .

 128 Common Ground

    .

    Inside the Kurogane mansion, Shishio was summoned to Kurogane Tenma''s office.

    "You called for me father?" Shishio greeted his father who sat solemnly behind his desk.

    It has relatively been a peaceful past three years despite their clan''s expectations to be involved in another war against the Kouzuki family who called in Nagato Tsuna early. Thanks to Shishio''s early intervention however, things did not go as they expected and their clan once again had the hope of reaching greater heights because of the existence of Shishio''s once considered mistake in the past.

    "How is the boy?" Tenma asked.

    "Kazuya? He''s at the shooting range on the east side of the mansion" Shisho replied. "He has taken quite an interest in your firearm collection father"

    "Oh?" Tenma was pleased to hear this. To be honest, he didn''t have a good impression when Kazuya first entered the Kurogane mansion. Not only did Kazuya not pay any respects towards any of the elders of the family, he even thrashed Kurogane Suzaku who tried to mark his own territory.

    It happened about two years ago when Kazuya had just entered middle school. He was taken to the Kurogane mansion by Kurogane Shishio but when he went to report to Tenma, Kazuya encountered Suzaku who thought that he had the upper hand because they were in the Kurogane mansion.

    "So you really did dare to show yourself in my place" Suzaku grinned as he approached Kazuya who waited patiently for Shishio''s return. He was accompanied by some of the elders who were quite curious about Kazuya so he showed quite the attitude.

    "¡­" Kazuya glanced at him only for a second before ignoring him and focused on the tea that was served.

    *SLAP* Suzaku slapped the tea from Kazuya''s hand wanting to let the boy get scalded but how could Kazuya let things go as this brat wanted? The elders were quite disturbed by Suzaku''s behavior but they kept quiet and didn''t reprimand him which made Kazuya displeased. What were they here for then? It was no wonder the children from the Kuroganes have been so arrogant and stupid.

    "Listen up, you''re in the territory of the Kurogane clan now so I want you to pay your respects to me and the elders. Didn''t you come here because you''re supposed to be uncle Shishio''s ''illegitimate son?''" he grinned while making sure to make it clear by pronouncing the word ''illegitimate'' slowly.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya looked at the elders directly in the eye but they avoided his gaze feigning ignorance of whatever they witnessed.

    Kazuya felt the presence of Shishio along with the presence of another man who he assumed to be Tenma so he decided to make his move.

    *GRAB* Kazuya used a hand to hold Suzaku by the neck and raised him from the ground whilst slowly choking him.

    "You Kuroganes sure have a unique way of treating your guests" he made sure that both Shishio and Tenma could hear him as he pretended not to see them enter the room from behind. "I only came here because of my father''s persistence but this is the welcome I get? Elders who turn a blind eye to this dumb kid''s stupidity once again? Do you really want to start a war with the Kouzuki clan so badly?" he slowly tightened his grip on Suzaku''s neck who struggled to breathe.

    "You¡­ dare¡­" Suzaku already saw Tenma and Shishio who were surprised by what was happening the moment they entered and thought that Kazuya was done for this time.

    "Looks like the truce my father convinced me of was only on the surface? You still dare keep grudges for the problems you yourself created for yourself despite the numerous warnings I''ve given you to not mess with me?"Kazuya took out a knife from his pocket and instead of pointing it at Suzaku, he pointed it at himself.

    "Do you dare see what would happen if I came out of this place bleeding or unconscious?" Kazuya smiled as he pushed the tip of the blade towards his arm.

    "Stop" out of everyone''s expectations, it was Tenma who grabbed Kazuya''s arm and prevented the blade from reaching the boy''s skin. "You don''t need to remind us because all of us know the consequences after Nagato Tsuna paid us a visit" Tenma looked at the determined face of Kazuya and immediately judged that the boy wasn''t kidding. This gave him quite the impression as it was very unusual for a boy his age to have this sort of expression.

    "And you are?" Kazuya let go of the idiot who tried to catch his breath as soon as he crashed on the ground miserably.

    "Your grandfather, Kurogane Tenma" he introduced himself.

    "I see¡­ I wished we could have met in better circumstances but as you can see, this house lacks quite a lot of discipline. If I knew that I would receive this kind of treatment here then I wouldn''t have bothered to visit" Kazuya sighed as he pretended to have not known who or what the head of the Kurogane family looked like while trying to tell him how unkept his own clan was.

    "You sure don''t hold back don''t you?" Tenma scoffed. Shishio on the other hand was feeling quite nervous because even he couldn''t talk to his father that way. He felt that all of his plans will fall apart if these two came into bad terms with each other but he could only keep silent he watched because he couldn''t take a side. There was one side who was going to be displeased if he took a side and he needed to be amicable with both of them.

    "Why would I hold back? I came here because of my father''s persistence despite my mother''s warnings. If I take a look at the situation now, my mother was right and my father didn''t take measures to ensure my safety" he used Tenma to scold Shishio who was keeping quiet from the side. Even though Suzaku approaching him was indeed an unexpected event, what about the elders who did nothing and pretended nothing was happening?

    This was the first meeting of Kazuya and Tenma. Ever since that time, the elders were instructed to treat him as if he was Shishio''s first born. Nagisa had already passed away and since Shishio had yet to announce any plans of remarrying, his heir was indeed Kazuya who he had brought to meet with the head of the Kurogane clan.

    "From his reputation, I assume that shooting is not an exception?" Tenma turned to Shishio who smiled after hearing the question.

    "Indeed. It only took him a little time before he was able to get used to shooting the guns from your collection father" Shishio noticed Tenma''s enthusiasm towards the topic since he made Kazuya try out shooting to impress Tenma who had a hobby of shooting and collecting firearms.

    Three years have already passed and each year, Kazuya would have been given a new nickname. It started out with Tennis. This was the first sport he tried out and competed in together with kendo. What happened after that was the assurance that Sacred Forest Academy would have at least another sport in which they would bring home the championship. This was all thanks to the monster who would completely dominate any sport he deemed worthy of trying out.

    "Is that so? I would like to see it for myself then" Tenma stood and asked Shishio to lead him to where Kazuya was.

    Shishio had succeeded in connecting these two once again. He had tried several times to do this but had very little success because of how these two met. Though Tenma acknowledged how superior Kazuya was compared to anyone remotely close to his age, he was still not a Kurogane but a Kouzuki.

    The two entered the shooting range that Tenma built for himself and watched Kazuya who was silently picking out the next weapon to use. There was quite the number of guns in Tenma''s collection so there were a lot of them to try out. He already felt the two enter his vicinity but pretended to be concentrated in his practice while picking out what Shishio informed him to be one of Tenma''s favorite handguns.

    It was a custom desert eagle that surprised Kazuya when he first tried firing it. The amount of recoil was unexpected which made him miss his mark quite a bit compared to the other guns he tried out.

    "Haha!" the old man made himself known after he saw what happened and approached the boy. "Looks like you aren''t an exception to how this gun of mine here is special" even Shishio was taken aback at hearing his father''s laugh since this man barely showed any emotion.

    "Grandfather" Kazuya politely bowed to greet him. This wasn''t their first meeting and things compared to back then were much calmer. From the looks of things, Kazuya got along quite well with the members of the Kurogane family except those who were against Shishio of course.

    "You have a good eye¡­ or did Shishio tell you to pick out this gun?" Tenma raised his eyebrow and watched how Kazuya would react.

    "No he didn''t" Kazuya shook his head. "I''ve already tried some of the guns here and didn''t even know that you arrived. You can check the surveillance cameras if you don''t believe me" he turned towards the camera on the corner of the room that was installed their to make sure that the collection that was kept in this place were safe from being taken out after the incident with Lee a few years ago.

    "Fair enough" Tenma looked convinced as he asked for the gun. Kazuya of course stepped aside and gave Tenma the gun. He wanted to see just what this old man who was known to be a world class marksman who once brought home medals for competitive shooting was capable of.

    *BANG BANG BANG* Kazuya was shocked at the old man''s swift yet precise movements.

    *BAM BAM BAM* It was if there was no strong recoil as Tenma used the force to shift to his next target.

    "(Impressive¡­)" Though it was very subtle, he could tell that Tenma could unconsciously invoke some internal energy which made this possible for him to do easily. This should have taken quite the amount of practice to perform with ease so despite the type of person Kurogane Tenma was, Kazuya began to respect him for at least being dedicated to something.

    With how scarce mana is on Earth and his experience in living life with knowledge about mana and without it, only people like Tsuna and Kazuya knew just how much effort it could have taken for people to develop an unconscious control to increase their own prowess. People termed them as having extreme concentration or entering the zone but from Kazuya''s perspective, the zone was akin to a state of mind where the one could increase what they were capable of in exchange for the exhaustion of their stamina.

    Needless to say, Kurogane Tenma''s performance impressed Kazuya as all the targets were hit accurately. The rapid rate of fire despite the gun''s firepower and recoil didn''t seem to faze the experienced Tenma as he made it shooting like some sort of art.

    *clap clap clap* Kazuya applauded as he thought about trying to emulate the old man''s movements. He wasn''t sure on how to regulate his strength or movements until he tried it himself but he knew that he would need to practice for it.

    Tenma of course didn''t miss the pure interest the boy showed in his performance. This made him a take quite a positive impression on the boy since the people who dared step into this place only did it to get into his good graces. None of his relatives or descendants ever showed real interest in Tenma''s hobbies so seeing the boy''s enthusiasm over his performance was something refreshing for him.

    Shishio on the other hand was quite glad at the development he orchestrated. He wasn''t sure at first on what advantages he could gain over Kazuya so he tried many different things to please the boy. To his surprise, what caught on the most was letting Kazuya do things that his mother wouldn''t dare let her son do. This included things like letting him try out weapons like guns or swords and teaching him the ways on handling business matters which he didn''t even think would interest the boy. His son was like a sponge that absorbed all the information and experiences that he was being shown which made it easier for Shishio to take a major part in his son''s growth.

    "Not bad, Not bad at all!" Tenna laughed as he watched his grandson try to emulate the performance he did earlier. He felt the boy was quite brave to have tried an advanced technique like he did after just seeing it once.

    Though Kazuya failed as expected, it was still impressive of him to at least miss the targets by a margin that wasn''t too far off. What impressed Tenma even more was that the expression of determination he saw in Kazuya that disregarded what anyone else thought after his failed performance. The boy focused on nothing else but completing the task and could care less of what everyone else thought.

    "You should stop there Kazuya" Tenma had called him by name only for the very first time so Kazuya couldn''t help but listen. He wasn''t intending on doing it but it seems like he had gained some kind of approval from this obstinate and paranoid old man. "That gun was customized for my use so you getting used to it won''t do you much good" Tenma laughed.

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    "Is that so?" Kazuya took another look at the gun before placing it on Tenma''s hand.

    The old man began lecturing him about his favorite gun and disassembled it whilst explaining the modifications he made on them as well as the effects they included. Even though he didn''t expect Kazuya to understand what he was talking about, that didn''t stop him from talking since he had no one else to talk to them with. Seeing the kid with a pure interest and actual talent in his hobby, he thought that it wouldn''t be long until the child would come to him for advice when it came to this hobby of his.

    "You should try out a couple of other guns first to see which one you would prefer" Tenma suggested a few others that he thought would be good for Kazuya. "Only when you''ve found the one you''re most comfortable with should you think about your customization options. Of course, if you need help with it I wouldn''t mind giving you a few pointers"

    "I am interested but I don''t know if I''ll be able to practice much. Mom and grandpa don''t like the thought of me using guns after all" Kazuya sighed.

    "Why don''t you join an official competition then? They didn''t object when you joined and won the archery tournament right? Guns are just the modern version of a bow and arrow which was renamed to a gun and bullet" Tenma scoffed at the mention of Kouzuki Kou and the boy''s manner of referring to that old nemesis of his as grandfather. He felt that Kou wasn''t worthy of a grandson like this and now that he had found something in common with Kazuya, he felt quite displeased at Kou being referred to in a more familiar manner.

    "Hmm¡­ I''ll talk to them about it" Kazuya hesitated.

    "There''s no need to" Tenma waved his hand. "Aren''t we family as well? I still know a few people in the association and I''ll have you registered. You would need to pass a few tests since this will be your first time competing so you should stay here and I''ll personally guide you" Tenma didn''t want to take no for an answer and used the excuse as family to convince Kazuya.

    "I guess there shouldn''t be anything wrong about that" Kazuya smiled as if agreeing to go along with Tenma''s scheme.

    The old man smiled since Kazuya took the hint. He may have been a Kouzuki in name but the three of them inside the room knew that despite that fact, he still had the blood of Kurogane coursing through his veins. With their history of clashing against each other and spending time with each other, the two sides were already aware that despite Kazuya''s sterling reputation, those who really knew him would know that he had a devilish side in him which instilled fear to those who were against him.

    .

 129 Internal Strife

    .

    Because of the recent turn of events, Kazuya started his extended stay at the Kurogane Clan''s estate. This surprised Kyouko and Kou who didn''t know what to say when Kazuya called to inform them because they couldn''t say anything too sensitive over the phone.

    It wasn''t just the Kouzuki side who were surprised at this sudden development, even the side that was against Shishio taking over their clan as the next successor was alarmed at the development where Tenma himself started to mentor Shishio''s illegitimate child. Those who even went to see what was happening were shocked to see the head of the family grinning and looking like he enjoyed himself while conversing with the boy.

    Though it looked extremely bad for their side, it wasn''t that beneficial to Shishio''s side as it seemed. It may have appeared that because Kazuya was spending time with his father that he was leading when it came to his father''s favor, Shishio himself was actually barred from interfering with the two just like everyone else who held no interest in what the two were doing.

    "Looks like you actually have quite the amount of free time to be lounging about here instead of doing work" Sousuke arrived outside the firing range where Shishio was waiting for the two to take a break and have their lunch. "Should I praise you father and son to be alike? While you skip work he is in there with father skipping school" Shishio glanced at his brother and smiled.

    "And you''re like¡­ oh right, my apologies. I forgot that you don''t have any descendants because your wife lied to you by bearing another man''s child" Shishio shrugged his shoulders. "You really do have to change your habit of not looking into matters before putting your dirty claws on them you know"

    "What do you mean by that?" Sousuke held back his anger. This was a low blow but was always effective to someone as prideful as this elder brother of his. It wasn''t like they held anything back against each other so why should Shishio?

    "Who says Kazuya is skipping school? My son already joined Saint Forest Academy''s illustrious S class when he was in 6th grade. The class that you were kicked out from when you studied there because of your negligence" Shishio informed. "You shouldn''t gauge people by using yourself as an example, that''s only setting yourself up to suffer" Shishio laughed.

    "You¡­" Sosuke''s expression turned ugly. This younger brother of his sure had a way with bringing up the past.

    "This is serious advice from your younger brother, You should learn to invest time In finding and gathering information than taking things by how profitable it seems lest you make a fool out of yourself or ever worse the family" Shishio obviously meant his brother''s blunder with the Ringo corporation which made his personal assets plummet and made him lose a lot of supporters.

    "If you two are going to bicker then it''s better for you two to get out of my sight" Tenma arrived with Kazuya who didn''t bother to glance at this distasteful uncle of his. There had been no good that happened whenever they met so he treated him like any other member of the Kurogane family who didn''t try to be polite with him.

    "Father I was just concerned about you hanging around with this child. He is not a Kurogane after all" Sousuke''s main reason wasn''t to banter with Shishio but to remind him that Kazuya was ultimately a Kouzuki despite him being the son of his younger brother.

    "Do I look like the type of person who would need to be reminded by someone like you?" Tenma of course didn''t hold back because he had been utterly disappointed by this eldest son of his. He had the gall to remind him of something obvious even after his constant chain of failures. "He may not be called Kurogane but it is obvious that our blood is strong within this child. If you even had half of the capabilities of Kazuya here then you wouldn''t have turned out to be such a failure" he sighed and looked at Sousuke with disappointment.

    "Father¡­ I¡­" Sousuke didn''t expect to be rebuked heavily. Was his father really rebuking him for his younger brother''s illegitimate son of all people?

    "Don''t try and interfere with my teaching this grandson of mine the skills all of you failed to inherit" he glanced at Kazuya who didn''t look like he cared at all about Sousuke''s remarks. This was one of the aspects that impressed him about Kazuya. The boy was even better at ignoring such obvious taunts though he knew that he had more than his fair share of mud to fling around if he so desired.

    Kazuya had spent enough time in the Kurogane clan to have already gotten used to the internal strife it had despite its incredible influence amongst those outside of their clan. There were three main factions and they were the Shishio''s faction, Sousuke''s faction and those who were loyal to no one else but Tenma. They would follow anyone Tenma named as their successor but they would still be loyal to this family head who brought their clan to great heights.

    To the elders who supported Sousuke, what they saw was a puppet that was easy to manipulate. They joined that faction because they had more than enough confidence that they could reap benefits by secretly controlling someone like Sousuke from behind. Shishio was the direct threat to that ambition because he was one who wanted to reform the family and chase away those who didn''t deserve their current positions.

    The Kuroganes had a unique structure and numerous members that help the seemingly dysfunctional clan work as if it was a harmonious clan from the eyes looking at them from the outside. The clan rules were absolute but that didn''t stop the infighting amongst those who were ambitious. To them, there was an unspoken clan rule which every person of the Kurogane clan applied even in their daily lives.

    [As long as it doesn''t cross the line it''s fine] was something that even Tenma couldn''t deny.

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    Kazuya had learned a lot after spending time in with this clan and finding out how it worked. It gave him great insights on how people who only cared about their own profits thought. The way they operated was an eyeopener for him and their methods even more so.

    It was simple to call someone devious and underhanded but it was only until he got to learn all about the Kurogane clan''s innerworkings did Kazuya understand that those were just things that were on the surface. There had been so much more things that he never thought of or imagined that was common practice amongst those in the Kurogane clan. The bad reputation and deeds that the Kurogane Clan was looked down for was merely the surface of the black iceberg that was this clan.

    "You may have your meal first Kazuya" Tenma turned to Kazuya with a smile before turning towards his other son who sired this excellent grandson. "Come with me, we need to discuss a few things"

    "Yes father" Shishio followed closely behind Tenma but not before he flashed a grin towards Sousuke who seemed to have come only to be shamed. He had no problems leaving Kazuya with this elder brother of his and wished that he would act like he expected and make trouble so that Tenma''s opinion of him would go even lower.

    Kazuya acted as if he was interested in the meal that was presented by the maids who served exquisite food after Shishio and Tenma stepped out. What those two didn''t know was that Kazuya had already attached a listening device on Tenma when they started today''s activities. He wondered what those two could be talking about so he paid no attention to the glare of Sousuke who had no one else to vent his anger on.

    "Tell me kid, what would it take for you to get lost?" Sousuke decided to change his tactics. Seeing as his father gave this kid some favor, he started to negotiate.

    "What would it take?" Kazuya repeated his question and looked at Sousuke from head to toe before grinning. "After your consistent blunders? You wouldn''t be capable of having anything that would make me raise an eyebrow" Kazuya gave a light laugh before reaching for the soup in front of him.

    "You conceited little¡­" he stopped his words as he remembered who this kid was. He knew just how much his younger brother gave to this kid to get on his good graces. What about his mother then? The head of a corporation that was on the same standing as his father who was known for pampering her only son. He swallowed the arrogant words he was just about to spout because even though the was the eldest son of Kurogane Tenma, he really had invested his money in a lot of dead ends.

    "Why are you still here anyway? Grandfather is gone and you have already failed in whatever you were planning to do" Kazuya gave him a condescending look. "You''re making the food taste bad so can you leave?" he didn''t hold back because after what happened to Suzaku when he first tried to suppress Kazuya, no one dared to approach Kazuya with similar intentions.

    But who was Sousuke? How could he compare himself to a mere youngster like Suzaku? Though he knew about the incident at that time, he paid no heed to it because he thought that any possible relationship between his father and this kid would never blossom.

    "Remember kid, you''re not a Kurogane. The rules of the clan don''t apply to you or¡­ let''s say your mother" as a grin was growing on Sousuke''s face, he watched the boy slowly rise from his head and move closer to him.

    *SHUUP* Kazuya lightly kicked the spot behind Sousuke''s knee which caused him to lose his balance. He was still taller than Kazuya who was only a middle schools student so Kazuya did this so that he could grab this arrogant man''s head.

    *BAM* Kazuya held Sousuke by the hair and slammed his head on the table before grabbing a fork on the table and stabbing it towards his left eye.

    "You''re right" Sosuske didn''t dare blink as he could feel the points of the fork almost hitting his eye. "I''m not part of the Kurogane clan as you said so I''m not bound by its rules as well" Kazuya emitted a cold pressure that made the maids lose their balance and look at him fearfully.

    This was not the first time they served Kazuya and when the servants compared them to the other members of the family, he was the nicest and politest they have ever met. They couldn''t believe that this was the son of someone like Shishio but after witnessing what was happening, there was no doubt in their minds that this boy was indeed a member of the Kurogane clan.

    "I-if you hurt me¡ª" Sousuke stuttered but he mustered up his courage to speak.

    "Nothing will happen to me" Kazuya laughed coldly. "A useless waste of a son versus the illegitimate grandson that has Nagato Tsuna behind him, who do you think a man like grandfather would choose?" Kazuya raised the hand that was holding the fork and immediately slammed it down.

    *BAAM!* the fork stood upright just beside Sousuke''s head. Kazuya moved his face close to Sosuke''s ear so that no one could overhear what he said.

    "The only reason you''re alive after uttering the words you just said is that there is a camera in this room. I would be suspected by grandfather if you died too early so take care of that dog life of yours while I still care about what this stupid family thinks of me because even someone with your stupidity should understand that it''s your clan that needs me and not the other way around"

    Kazuya shoved Sousuke''s head to the side before returning back to his seat. He wiped his hands with a wet towel that was presented to him by one of the butlers before turning to see Sousuke''s back who scurried away in panic.

    The servants pulled themselves together and continued to serve Kazuya who was impressed by their professionalism. Because of Kurogane Tenma''s paranoia, most of the servants that served the Kurogane estate were members of branch families or those who are distantly related that failed to meet the main family''s standards. They were indoctrinated of how the family worked since they were young and knew the consequences of going against the main family.

    They were the reason why the head of the family knew what happened inside their estate and therefore knew what everyone was up to. Kazuya knew that this incident would reach Tenma''s ears so he didn''t go too overboard.

    "Why did we go all the way here father?" Kazuya heard Shishio''s voice over the small device in his ear and knew that those two had arrived at their destination. It was inside Kurogane Tenma''s office which was safe from any person who would try to eavesdrop.

    "We can never be too careful. After all, your son is still the apprentice of someone like Nagato Tsuna so there would be no way of telling how sensitive the boy''s senses are" Tenma sat on his chair and faced the son of his who gave a silent agreement to his explanation.

    "Does this conversation have something to do with Kazuya?" Shishio couldn''t hide the expectation on his face. The past few weeks that those two spent together was finally showing its effects. The seed that Shishio planted were finally bearing fruit.

    "The rest of your siblings would be returning soon but all of you should be aware of who has been the most successful by far" Tenma''s eyes narrowed towards Shishio who gave a proud look. "The Kurogane Banquet that is held once every ten years is soon going to be upon us and I''m planning on naming you as the temporary head of the Kurogane Clan"

    .

 130 Kurogane Tenma

    .

    Shishio couldn''t believe what he just heard. He never expected his father to give him advanced notice of his succession. It was only until he was able to recall what his father had said earlier did Shishio realize that there was something wrong.

    "Temporary?" Shishio asked. This had never happened before. Though the former head had the right to revoke the qualifications of the successor he named, that will only be applicable if it is within one year of the appointment or the new clan leader was found to have broken the main clan rules.

    "Looks like you realized it quite faster than I thought you would" Tenma scoffed. He knew just how ambitious this son of his was. Shishio even sacrificed his own wife who although was betrothed to him for benefits, was still the wife he had chosen among all the candidates that were given.

    "Though you are indeed the one with the most success over all the other candidates, your methods can be far bit too extreme and although effective, still has some risks towards our clan" Tenma spoke. "I am willing to give you some time to accomplish some tasks that only you should know about. After they are completed will be the day you will be officially the next head of our clan" he stated.

    Although Kurogane Tenma saw Shishio as the most capable amongst all the candidates for succession, he found him to be a little too ambitious for his own good. He had a bad habit of executing plans that involved high amounts of risk than Tenma would have liked. Though these mostly worked out in Shishio''s favor, a cautious and paranoid man like Tenma couldn''t see this as something the next head of the clan should continue doing. He would bear the whole clan on his shoulders once he took the position after all.

    *KNOCK KNOCK* both men turned towards the door. This manner of knocking was from one of Tenma''s most trusted attendants.

    "Pardon my intrusion but an incident has occurred that I thought you should be aware of Tenma-sama" the butler bowed politely at the two and gave his report on the incident between Kazuya and Sousuke.

    Shishio was indeed correct in his assumption that Sousuke would try something after being humiliated. Tenma on the other hand couldn''t help but sigh after hearing another disappointing move from his eldest son. He wondered where he had gone wrong in raising the eldest to be the most useless whereas the youngest to be the most useful.

    "Cancel all of that idiot''s spending privileges immediately" Tenma ordered. "If he wants to spend money, he should first make his own without relying on the clan from now on" he really didn''t know what was going through the head of Sousuke because he was as useless as he was when he was with his first wife.

    Unlike most of Tenma''s other progenies, Sosuke was the eldest so he was heavily favored. He was probably the only one amongst his children to have been allowed to take a wife of his own choosing regardless of whether she had been useful to the clan or not.

    Who would have thought that he would have suffered humiliation when it turns out that the firstborn daughter he cared so much about turned out to be born from another man. This twisted the proud man as he crippled his wife who tried protecting the daughter of someone that wasn''t his.

    "Right away" the butler bowed politely and left after receiving his orders.

    "At least your boy knows how to hold back now" Tenma commented after the door was closed. He could more or less guess what Kazuya whispered to his eldest son but this was the reason why he had summoned Shishio alone. "You should have expected this to happen right?" he scoffed at Shishio who also knew that Sousuke would try something.

    "You knew that elder brother would threaten Kazuya?" Shishio was a little surprised. He knew that Tenma had already taken a liking to Kazuya so why would he let the arrogant Sousuke threaten him?

    "Who do you think raised all of you? This has something to do with the task I''ll be using as your test so it is better that you are aware of it. It has something to do with the boy''s relations with the Kouzuki family"

    "Relations to the Kouzuki family?" Shishio didn''t seem to understand what his father meant and tried to clarify.

    "With Nagisa gone, that kid is now officially your first-born son. Why haven''t you done anything to remedy that situation? I already know that you are fond of the boy and although I have avoided meeting with him, I am aware of everything he has done as well as the plans you have for him" Tenma looked his youngest son in the eye which made Shishio a bit nervous. "Surely you aren''t going to allow your successor to bear the name ''Kozuki'' right?"

    "I¡­" Shishio couldn''t reply because he already knew about that problem but has been avoiding it since he was too focused on his plans regarding both Kazuya and Tenma''s relationship as well as handling most of the problems of the Kurogane Conglomerate.

    "Though I believe you are capable, I don''t want to hand the clan over permanently to someone who has a successor that is capable yet not officially bearing the name he should" Tenma made his stance clear. It wasn''t that he ignored what Sousuke had to say, rather, he was already aware of this problem thus avoiding Kazuya for the past three years.

    "Although my relationship with Kazuya had indeed improved over the years. He has only recently acknowledged me by referring to me as father not too long ago. It might take some more time for me to convince him of taking the Kurogane name so I haven''t really talked to Kazuya about it yet" Shishio decided to come clean because he knew that his father was serious about this and there was no way he could fool him otherwise.

    "Looks like actually having a son has affected your way of thinking like you used to" Tenma grinned. "What''s funny is, you don''t even realize it yourself" Tenma gave a mocking laugh at the son who didn''t dare show any emotion when it came to sentimental things. Shishio, though still focused on his ambitions, had strayed off his usual path and started to act like a father although still a twisted one.

    "Me...?" Shishio couldn''t believe it as he thought about what his father was talking about. He really didn''t find his actions different from what he would have done in the past.

    "You don''t need to think too deeply about it. I can just tell you that you started caring about what your son thinks about you. This is why you still haven''t thought of the fastest way for him to accept his identity as a Kurogane" Tenma spoke.

    "¡­" Shishio stopped. He couldn''t deny it and thought deeply about what he had been doing to make sure that Tenma''s observation was indeed correct. He thought for a while but the fact that he indeed cared about what Kazuya thought of him more than proved Tenma''s point. He tried pleasing the boy to gain his favor and was extremely careful with him even more than he was careful with his father.

    "So you haven''t realized it until now." Tenma smiled. He could see this ambitious son of his finally realize his status as a parent and therefore hoped that he could understand his own point of view at times. The only thing that was missing to make him a complete parent was the complicated situation this excellent son of his had with Kazuya''s mother.

    "By the fastest way of Kazuya accepting his identity as a Kurogane¡­" Shishio thought for other solutions other than the first idea that came to his mind. There was nothing that would have worked in the deadline that was stated other than the method he initially thought of. Shishio was almost sure that his father was thinking the same thing because he was raised by this man after all. "Do you mean¡­" his voice trailed off because it was something that was very risky.

    "That''s right" Tenma gave him a deep nod. "After the boy loses his mother, you will be the only parent he has" Tenma didn''t say it outright but the father, son and even the grandson who leaked out an intense amount of bloodlust on the other side of the property was clear on what was implied. "Be warned, it should even be more convincing than what happened with Nagisa or with the boy''s wisdom, he will find out"

    "But what about Nagato Tsuna?" Shishio was very cautious of this man. He believed that Tsuna''s existence was also part of why he never even thought of touching the Kouzuki family. His bold declaration of ending their clan wasn''t something that could be ignored after all.

    "As long as it is done properly, even if he suspects it, he can''t do anything without proof" Tenma stated. "His warning was only concerning any harm that comes to Kazuya who even we don''t want to lose now. Once Kouzuki Kyouko is out of the way, that old fool Kou will grieve and most likely leave for another journey until he dies this time. Nagato Tsuna''s hands will be tied because the boy has already started treating us as family"

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    Shishio didn''t want to admit it but Tenma had a point. It wasn''t that he had gone soft but he indeed had started to care for Kazuya. He was proud of him and wanted the boy to experience and show him more things. The only problem he had with Kazuya was that he was still closer to the Kouzukis more than he was close to the Kurogane clan that it was only three years later did he agree to stay with them for an extended period of time.

    Kouzuki Kyouko still had complete monopoly of her son and was even in charge of when he was able to visit. Things have only been going smoothly until now because she valued what Kazuya wanted and as time went by, Shishio was getting more confident in his influence with the boy.

    "Take these" Tenma pulled a bunch of papers from his desk and showed it to Shishio. "These will be the foundation of your plan so that you wouldn''t be suspected of anything" This made the son look at his father in shock.

    Shishio''s confidence was shaken. He thought that he had gotten a grasp of everyone in their family yet his father has been showing him that things were not as he thought they were especially now that he was shown this hand. Tenma had taken an interest in Kazuya long before he even pushed for the two to get along and these documents proved it. Tenma had indeed planned for this ahead of time.

    "This¡­" he was utterly speechless. Tenma had not lost his touch and it made Shishio wonder just how much more his father was holding in his grasp.

    "You really didn''t think that you''ve actually surpassed me, right?" Tenma gave a smug laugh. "I''ve been the head of the clan for a long time and from how I raised you and the others, how can I not have some measures of my own? I do have to make sure that the clan''s rules are followed after all" Tenma''s statement was a reminder as well as a warning. He was still the head of the clan and even though he might pass it on to someone else, he was still capable of making everyone of them uphold the rules of their family.

    "Are you going to leave things for me to decide?" Shishio tried to make sure because with these in his possession, it would save him a lot of time in trying to make sure that he was going to be implicated.

    "What kind of test would this be if I did it all on my own?" Tenma scoffed. "It is best that you take care of things flawlessly because if you don''t¡­ I have another candidate who I think will do even better than you given time"

    Kazuya who was listening in on the other side of the estate was trying to hold himself back from barging into Tenma''s office and finishing those two off. The Kurogane estate was indeed Tenma''s domain as the paranoid head riddled his territory with an insane amount of security cameras.

    It would be hard for Tenma not to know everything that was going on under his roof and anything unexpected that would happen might implicate him so Kazuya tried hard not to make a move as he heard of the two''s plot. What made him even more anxious was that the two never discussed what it was that was handed to Shishio.

    "Another candidate?" Shishio''s eyes narrowed as he had never heard of anyone that could have compared to him when it came to abilities or achievements.

    "Don''t be too sensitive about it" Tenma laughed as he slightly applauded this youngest son of his'' ambition. "If you fail this test then I would be naming Kazuya as the successor so that he may take the Kurogane name despite your failure. He may assign everything for you to handle but once he is capable enough, your reign will come to an end sooner than you would have hoped" he crossed his arms.

    For Tenma, regardless of Shishio''s failure or success, he had plans of making Kazuya take the Kurogane name. He believed that even Kyouko would encourage him because even though they had gone through a rough patch, the Kuroganes were still a clan that could stand toe to toe with any family in the country. It would also remove any suspicion towards Shishio who would have failed his test.

    Shishio didn''t know what to feel. He focused his whole life for this and it was almost within his reach. Kazuya was the perfect candidate to take over after he was done with his reign in the Kurogane clan but his failure would lead his son to skip over his time as the clan head. he was confused for a time but there was one thing that he knew, he had to make sure to pass the test that Tenma had given him so that everything will go the way he designed it.

    "I will make sure to finish this task perfectly" were the words that came out of Shishio''s mouth as his eyes was filled with determination.

    .

 131 Who Wants Tainted Meat?

    .

    Kazuya returned to the Kouzuki Clan on the same day that he heard the conversation between Tenma and Shishio. The two men did not stop him this time because Tenma already taught him the basics and even promised to have a gun made especially for Kazuya. Shishio on the other hand, needed to make plans silently for his succession so he let the boy spend what remaining time he could with Kyouko.

    "(It took you guys three years but you''ve finally made a move)" Kazuya thought as he looked back at the Kurogane estate. He was still feeling anxious about the unknown plan that Shishio and Tenma thought of but he couldn''t do anything at the moment.

    Even with his abilities, he still couldn''t be confident enough to get through every security feature that was installed in the Kurogane estate. Even if he did, the suspicion he would put himself in would be even more disadvantageous because at this moment, both the current clan head and the next clan head of the Kuroganes valued him to the point of taking measures against someone like Nagato Tsuna who they feared to the bones.

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    Though he feared what they may have planned, Kazuya has learned a lot throughout the years. He had a lot on insights at how the Kurogane clan worked and how Kurogane Shishio thought. Though he was still a little too concerned about his own image in front of Kazuya, the boy could see from the past actions he took after Kazuya gained access to the Kurogane clan''s database.

    Kazuya cast a small protective barrier around him to prevent any sound from being heard by Shishio''s personal driver. HE immediately dialed up the number of one of Kazuno Tech''s now leading personnel, Munie Ika.

    "Did you call this legend?" he answered the call with his usual demeanor.

    "Your access to the Kurogane network still hasn''t been discovered right?" Kazuya tried to confirm. He placed a special access point that masked their access to their network like someone else who was currently on. It wasn''t perfect because it relied on the limited people who had access to secret files but it was enough for them to find out what they want as well as monitor any strange movements coming from the Kuroganes.

    "It''s still in place since you didn''t allow me to use it as much as I would have liked. How did you get access to their direct network anyway? Doesn''t Kurogane Tenma keep everything in that fortress of his?" Ika asked. He was quite curious as to who their boss really was because he had done some amazing things that even he wasn''t able to. Furthermore, the skillset Kazuya only let him know was more like of a spy in the movies rather than a mysterious company owner who didn''t show himself.

    "You''ll find out soon enough" Kazuya answered in the same manner like he usually did whenever Ika asked. "I mean it this time. The Kuroganes have started making their move so make sure to take note of every suspicious changes or moves" he instructed. With their access to the famed Kurogane network, they could keep tabs of anything that went through the family''s private system.

    "Are you looking for anything specific boss? If you tell me something like look out for something suspicious, considering who the network belongs to, every move they make is suspicious if you ask me" Ika commented. He wasn''t as familiar with the Kuroganes as Kazuya was so of course his understanding of them was not as deep as Kazuya''s.

    "Kurogane Tenma has instructed Kurogane Shishio to do something to Kouzuki Kyouko" Kazuya didn''t hesitate and told Ika of what he discovered. "From what I''ve found out, it looks like Kurogane Tenma has been planning it for at least two years so whatever they''re planning, they should have taken very careful precautions" he reminded.

    Ika was of course shocked. He didn''t expect such a bomb to be dropped on him all of a sudden. Though most of the people didn''t know about the hidden alliance between their Kazuno Technologies and the Kouzuki Coproration, Ika was one of those who knew.

    "They want to swallow the Kouzuki Corporation by using Kurogane Shishio''s illegitimate son?" This was what anyone would automatically think which was why it made Kazuya curious as to what Tenma prepared.

    "I guess it would be something like that. I didn''t find out how they would do it, I just found out that those two would make a move" he replied with a sigh while noticing the driver looking at him from the rear-view mirror with interest. Kazuya knew that the man was interested in eavesdropping on his conversation because the intercom had silently been turned on.

    "I''ll keep an eye out. I didn''t think it would be a serious matter since all you''ve made me do for you lately were simple things" Ika slightly looked forward to what he would be assigned to do next since things were turning quite serious. Kazuya ended the call.

    "Okay, I will be going to school since the thing I was doing with my grandfather is over" Kazuya pretended to be talking to someone which pleased the driver who was curious who he had been talking to on his cell phone for so long.

    Kazuya arrived at the Kouzuki house where he got off at the gates. He entered the house and immediately activated the formation to find out where everyone was. To his surprise, Kyouko immediately sensed his entry and access so she rushed to meet the son that had been away for a while.

    "Kazuya!" despite his expectations to be welcomed home with his mother''s smile, he was instead welcomed with a stern look from Kyouko.

    "Ohoho, you''re in trouble now kid" Kou who appeared not long after Kyouko grinned as if he looked forward to the trouble Kazuya would be in.

    "I''m hom¡ª Ow!" Kyouko reached for his ear and pulled him to the house. Kou laughed as he enjoyed seeing his grandson in pain and followed them back towards the Kouzuki house''s living room.

    "So you still know how to come back here huh" Kyouko dragged him to the couch and crossed her arms before him wearing an annoyed expression. "I''ve read that all parents have to go through a child''s rebellious phase but I never expected to go through it. Are you in your rebellious phase now?" Kyouko pouted and gave a look as if she didn''t want to hear an answer to her question.

    "Rebellious phase?" Kazuya found his mother''s assumptions to be quite amusing. "Didn''t I already explain it at the phone? Kurogane Tenma suddenly showed some interest in me and it has never happened throughout the time I spent there" Kazuya explained. "How can I not come home without a good reason?" Kazuya moved closer to his mom and opened his arms wide.

    "Don''t think you''re getting away this lightly!" Kou tried to move between the two as he knew that his daughter was weak to this move. She almost jumped into his arms when he interrupted. "What did that rat make you do? Do you know what he did?"

    "What he did?" Kazuya didn''t know what this troublesome grandfather of his meant. Judging from Kyouko''s reaction which like she had been reminded of something, Tenma must have done something without informing him.

    "You didn''t know?" Kou looked at him doubtfully.

    "I don''t. He only taught me a few things about his hobbies" Kazuya mused. He tried to remember if he had been told anything but he was drawing blanks.

    "That old man registered you for the junior shooting competition! He taught you how to use those dastardly guns right!?" Kou scolded. "That was the only thing that rat was good at anyway"

    "Well he did teach me a thing or two about guns whenever he spent time with me" Kazuya confirmed. "He also told me that I should consider joining a competition because of my talent but he never told me that he would register me himself"

    "That old rat¡­" Kou clenched his fists. "Do you know that he didn''t register you as Kouzuki Kazuya but rather Kurogane Kazuya!?"

    "I didn''t" Kazuya was surprised to hear this. The old man sure was sly and was already taking steps in letting him get used to that name. "What a troublesome old geezer" the two calmed down a bit after hearing Kazuya insult Kurogane Tenma. They were worried that he had been corrupted by them so they were relieved to see that his view of the head of the Kurogane Clan hasn''t changed.

    "Did they treat you alright?" Kyouko bumped Kou out of the way and made herself comfortable on Kazuya''s chest. She found herself soothed as her son grew and had claimed this as her spot now that Mei wasn''t there to fight over her son.

    "I did get a bit of trouble with Kurogane Sousuke but I made sure that he knew his place" Kazuya smiled. He slowly told them about the incident in which they felt a little pity over the man who dared to spout such words in front of this overprotective boy. They knew that he skimped on the details but it was definitely a terrifying existence to have been on the other side of Kazuya''s wrath.

    "You should just ignore that stupid man''s empty threats" Kyouko said worriedly. "That man has a reputation for saying empty threats"

    "Which brings me to the next agenda" Kazuya reached for his pocket and summoned the familiar looking jewelry who didn''t look as shabby as they did when he first made them. "Always wear at least the necklace no matter where you are mom" he put the necklace on Kyouko and handed her the earrings.

    "Didn''t I just say that Kurogane Sousuke is known to give out empty threats? They can''t afford to make a move against us right now" Kyouko looked at the earrings and was immediately pleased. No one would dare call her son''s handiwork cheap because they looked like something that was handcrafted by a famous expert.

    "It''s not that¡­" Kazuya began to tell them about the conversation between Tenma and Shishio.

    "How dare they!?" Kou''s blood boiled as he listened on how those two were planning to take care of his daughter. "I''ll destroy them!"

    "Calm down father" Kyouko didn''t feel threatened after hearing the plot against her. She touched the pendant that hung from her neck and it felt as if the jewelry her son gave her took all of the fear away.

    There was an incident which caused these pieces of jewelries to return to her son''s hands. It was when she was inspecting one of the buildings that was being constructed for their company. An accident caused a few metal bars to fall from above in which no one noticed but despite the injuries of some people, Kyouko was without a scratch as she stood in the middle of the debris that appeared to have been shattered.

    As advanced as Kyouko was with her training with mana, there was nothing she could do against something she didn''t expect. She had been caught off guard and would have suffered like anyone else if she didn''t activate her defenses. She witnessed how a barrier protected her from everything but at the cost of her precious jewelry getting shattered.

    "You''re being too calm about this" Kou noticed his daughter playing with the pendant Kazuya made and sighed. He knew about the incident and when he asked his friend Tsuna about it, the man laughed and told him that even if a truck had been rushing towards Kyouko at top speed, it would have been disintegrated before it hit.

    "I hate to admit it but grandpa is right" Kazuya frowned as he agreed with Kou. "Kurogane Tenma has proven himself to be a lethal snake that has survived despite his clan''s reputation. "He was confident in his plan to not implicate themselves and even with my time there, I didn''t know what he was up to nor what his preparations were" Kazuya tried soothing his mom by caressing her hair gently.

    "Are you planning to eat the Kurogane clan instead kid?" Kou noticed a unique grin on his grandson''s face. Whenever he saw this grin, there was never something good that would happen to those people it was supposed to be directed at.

    It has been proven throughout the years where several members of the Kouzuki Corporation that were known to be troublesome all experienced unfortunate accidents. Not everyone of them were specifically involved with the Kurogane Conglomerate but they were mostly the ones that had ties to other corporations that didn''t have a good relationship with them.

    The spies were carefully rooted out and there were no suspicions after they were found. None of the other corporations dared to point their fingers at them because no matter how they investigated, it yielded no results. There was just one thing that Kou noticed when all of these incidents happened, all of them took place whenever Kazuya was performing his duties as Kazuno Kaguya.

    Kou was already aware of what happened when the Dokuro group assaulted Kazuno Tech while Mei had been there. When he asked his grandson about it, it seemed like Kazuya had treated it as something that happened long ago and forgot until he was reminded. This was the same feeling he got from his friend Tsuna when he asked him about how it felt to have killed a person. It was like they were already numb to it.

    It wasn''t like Kou hadn''t hurt anyone, but knowing how it felt, the amount of bodies that would have been needed would have been enumerable for him to even begin to feel numb about it. This made him fear and respect his grandson a little because he was still able to show such pleasant expressions to please Kyouko.

    "Eat them?" Kazuya inclined his head looking a bit confused.

    "Didn''t they want to name you as their successor? If Shishio fails, wouldn''t that make you the next head of the Kurogane clan?" Kou looked quite expectant. Kyouko was startled after hearing this as well, her father had a point.

    "Please don''t make me feel sick grandpa" Kazuya frowned. "Why would I want to eat tainted food?" Kazuya rejected the Idea. Even if he considered it, it was Kurogane Tenma in the end who still had the power despite who the successor was. It wouldn''t benefit them at all if he took the helm of the clan.

    "Then what you plan to do about them?" he asked curiously. Kou refused to believe that this boy would sit and do nothing now that his mother was threatened directly.

    "The Kurogane clan has already outlived their usefulness. They already ate the gangrene to disinfect the wound. I shouldn''t wait until these maggots turn into more bothersome flies"

    .

 132 Warm Reception

    .

    It was early in the morning but the middle school students of Sacred Forest Academy were very excited. Some of them even went early because they heard that starting this week, Kouzuki Kazuya was going to attend his classes once again.

    Though Kazuya was already included in the S class'' roster ever since his first year of middle school, everyone knew that it was only due to the recent revelation that he was the son of the most likely successor to his own clan''s nemesis. This unexpected twist of events even turned the eyes of the prideful students that were also members of the upper class.

    Kouzuki Kazuya was no longer a person that could be ignored and while being related to two of the most powerful families in the country, his status could even be compared to the likes of Stockton Kurumi. Unlike his previous life, he couldn''t avoid being the center of attention even if he wanted to since he was attending a school like Sacred Forest Academy who had most of its students understand the value of making connections at such an early age.

    Since most of the students that were in the middle school department have been with him in the elementary school department, information about Kazuya was easily acquirable to those who weren''t informed. They were quite intrigued at his history as well as his personality that deviated highly from all the other students that were members of the illustrious S class.

    "He''s here!" one of the students shouted as they saw the van that was pulling up. This hadn''t changed from those who paid attention when they were in elementary school.

    Everyone that gathered at the school gates weren''t just waiting for Kazuya, most of the boys that that were here today were present to catch a glimpse of someone else whose name was synonymous to hearing the name of Kouzuki Kazuya.

    "She''s here!" one of the boys shouted as they saw the van stop and its doors slowly open.

    A girl stepped out from the van silently. She had long light grey hair that was tied up neatly in a long ponytail that swayed whenever her head moved. The serene and stoic expression on this pretty girl''s face was what mesmerized all those that saw her. This was Shiroyuki Tomoyo, the robot girl that was secretly called the mechanical fairy by her fans who didn''t want to acknowledge the name that Kazuya gave her.

    It was quite the bright day where there were hardly any clouds so the sun''s rays highlighted Tomoyo''s snow-like skin which made a lot of girls envious. She glanced at the time and realized that she was still early as she turned around to wait near the gates.

    "Hey robot girl!" a loud energetic voice called out Tomoyo''s nickname as a tall girl disregarded the attention she garnered and walked directly towards Tomoyo no one dared to approach.

    "?" Tomoyo turned to find a tall and tanned girl who despite being in the same S class as Kazuya, regularly attended the class she was in so that she could keep up with the difficult exams the school was known for.

    "He''s coming today right?" This was Stockton Maron, the girl who declared herself as Kazuya''s rival despite her numerous defeats in all the challenges she made him accept throughout the years. It all started with basketball but after Kazuya''s continuous refusal to take part in the sport, Maron came up with different methods of challenging him which all ended up in her loss.

    *nod* Tomoyo gave a nod. She was already used to this person. Despite their rough meeting, Tomoyo didn''t actually mind Maron''s aggressive and hostile attitude towards Kazuya because under Kazuya''s tutelage, she has learned how to understand and read people which the version of her didn''t have in Kazuya''s previous life.

    *glance glance* Tomoyo glanced around as she heightened her senses. She tried finding the girl who usually accompanied Maron but there was no sign of her. Stockton Kurumi actually transferred out of Sacred Forest Academy when they were in 6th grade but she returned this year unexpectedly. Kazuya still hadn''t met this girl but since Tomoyo could feel that there was something off in the area, even if she couldn''t tell where Kurumi was, she could sense her presence.

    "You really can tell if she''s here or not" Maron smiled. She was impressed because even she couldn''t tell if Kurumi hid herself. She thought that it was the result of some kind of training that was given to Tomoyo. "She''s over there" Maron used her head to point towards the tall tree that was a few steps away from them.

    Because Tomoyo glanced over, a lot of people also noticed the strange yet beautiful blond girl who almost blended with the surroundings. Some of them wondered why they didn''t notice her before but this was the princess of Stockton International and known as the weird stalker-like girl that followed Kazuya around before she left the school and after she returned.

    "Good morning Tomoyo-san" Kurumi held her skirt as she jumped down from the tree. "I still can''t thank you enough for answering my questions last time about Kazuya-kun. I really don''t want to mess up like I did last time and offend him like I did in the past" Kurumi smiled and expressed her gratitude.

    When Kurumi returned to the school and took the exam once again, she was disappointed to find no sign of Kazuya who she looked forward to seeing after being gone for a while. She kept up with the news about Kazuya and even paid attention to Kazuno Kaguya''s career. This was when she talked to the girl who Kazuya usually hung around with and explained to Tomoyo that she wanted to be able to get along with him this time around.

    Tomoyo didn''t know why Kazuya didn''t get along with this girl until Kurumi told her the reason why. Kurumi proceeded to ask a lot of questions to find out more about Kazuya from the person who was called his personal robot. Tomoyo didn''t think much of it and answered the questions she could thinking that it would help Kazuya better if this girl didn''t piss him off so much.

    Some of the boys couldn''t help but be envious towards Kouzuki Kazuya because not only was the famous idol in their middle school waiting for him, even the famous Stockton Kurumi and her cousin whose status was well above theirs weren''t exceptions.

    The most annoying thing about it was that aside from Tomoyo, Kazuya treated the other two beautiful girls as if they were nuisances.

    "Wow¡­ look at this crowd" another luxurious car stopped and let out a boy who was amazed at the amount of people that gathered around. He moved towards Tomoyo after spotting her and greeted the robot girl. "I gotta hand it to this school. News really travels fast"

    "Not like you came here to study you fool" Maron commented after seeing Takaya''s usual carefree and frivolous look.

    "Hey that stings a little" Takaya showed off his skills as he clutched his chest as if he was hit by an arrow. "I can''t help it if my schedule keeps me from going to school as much as I''d like"

    "Stop joking around. Although you''ve been getting more roles in television lately, we both know that it takes less effort compared to the continuous theatre performances you used to do" Maron scoffed at him and they started arguing.

    These two started to talk to each other after Maron gave late thanks when she thought that it was Takaya who saved the two from Ringo and Suzaku when it was their first day in the academy. With Kazuya and Kurumi gone, Takaya and Maron found something in common when they wanted to talk badly about Kazuya when he wasn''t present.

    While the others were distracted with Takaya and Maron''s usual loud banter, Tomoyo turned towards the gate and waited silently towards the group of students who were entering from the uphill path. Everyone was a little curious as to where she was going and were shocked when she stopped in front of a messy haired student wearing thick glasses.

    *tug tug* she tugged on the sleeve of the student who ignored her and passed by stunning the students who paid attention. ''How dare this guy brush off our mechanical fairy!?'' was what they thought.

    "You should have just followed quietly you know" The boy sighed as he gave up. This voice stunned all those who thought badly of the seemingly random student who turned towards Tomoyo sluggishly.

    "Good morning¡­ Kazuya" it was soft but a lot of people were waiting to hear the voice that could only be heard when she talked to one person. Everyone realized who the strange boy was after Tomoyo confirmed it with her voice.

    "I give up" Kazuya took off the thick glasses and took a hair tie from his pocket and fixed the mess that hid his identity almost perfectly. "Good morning to you too. I thought I would get to enter school quietly this time" it was as if he had transformed after he fixed himself. No one expected Kouzuki Kazuya to walk himself up the steep slope leading to the school or disguising himself as a student who would normally have been ignored.

    *nod* Tomoyo was satisfied after he returned her greeting and pulled him to enter the school. She knew that he didn''t want to stay for much longer because of the crowd so Tomoyo wasted no time and pulled him towards the classroom before everyone recovered from the shock.

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    "Looks like there''s one thing that he can''t beat Shiroyuki-san at" Takaya commented.

    "What''s that?" Maron was interested because it might have been something she could be better at Kazuya too.

    "He can''t beat her when it comes to being conscious of each other" Takaya laughed. He meant it as a joke but apart from Maron who whacked him for it, Kurumi stared at Tomoyo and Kazuya''s back and couldn''t help but feel a little envious at how close they looked.

    Tomoyo may have been an extremely quiet girl but everyone knew that she was someone that was considerate towards Kazuya alone. No matter who tried to approach her because of her popularity, she never gave them a second glance or treated them indifferently. This could also be said towards Takaya who was considered part of their group. There was only ever one person who the robot treated differently. It was who everyone recognized as this robot girl''s owner, Kouzuki Kazuya.

    Kazuya and the robot girl pulling him along moved swiftly so by the time everyone regained their senses, the two were already entering the building. They moved towards the school and expected there to be a lot of commotion because there was something that still hadn''t been settled yet. It was the club activity apart from Kendo that Kazuya would be participating in this year.

    A lot of clubs anticipated Kazuya''s attendance because a lot of them were hoping to recruit him because not only did a club he joined improve a lot, all of them even went to win national championships for that year so the sports clubs had their eyes on him while the others who he had already participated in could only wish that he would pay them another visit.

    Kazuya had already been clear about it that he wouldn''t join a club that he had already joined or the ones who didn''t meet his requirements. A lot of them would visit shrines to pray that their tournament schedules wouldn''t coincide with any of the Kendo competitions because only then would they have the chance to recruit Kazuya not only for his good luck but also for his yet to be broken legend of making champions out of any sports club he joins.

    Thankfully, Kazuya had been a part of S class so he had privileges to enter the classroom where no one who wasn''t invited in was allowed to enter. He stayed there with Tomoyo until it was finally time for their class where he was taken to class 2-B of the middle school department.

    This was the robot girl''s homeroom class and hasn''t changed since it was also the sports class. Tomoyo could have also joined the ranks of the S class elites but Kazuya and Takaya didn''t want her to have such privileges. There was also the matter with the exams that would be a burden for this robot girl so they discouraged her from joining such a troublesome class in which she reluctantly accepted.

    They entered the 2-B''s classroom just as it was almost time for class to start. Strangely enough, Tomoyo sat down on the usual seat which hasn''t changed much ever since they entered Sacred Forest Academy. Though Kazuya wasn''t part of the regular class anymore, his seat was till reserved right in between Tomoyo and the window.

    "You''ve been away for a while so I bet you don''t know about our new music teacher" Takaya grinned mischievously. "She''s very very pretty" Takaya''s eyes looked as if it was glowing as he told Kazuya about their new teacher. Knowing Takaya who was usually surrounded by attractive people in both the theatre and entertainment circles, Kazuya couldn''t help but be a little curious. He was still a boy who is now in puberty after all.

    "Alright class, we''re about to¡ª" the teacher stopped and noticed that a lot of new faces in the classroom.

    "Huh!?" Kazuya froze. "What is she doing here?"

    .

 133 Out of Nowhere

    .

    Throughout the years, Aoki Takaya has seen Kazuya make various types of faces. He''s even seen his bloodthirsty self. Today, was another day that he got to see a rare emotion that he hadn''t seen this friend of his make. Taka didn''t know whether it had been shock or awe but this seemingly indomitable friend gawked at the assistant homeroom teacher that was assigned to class 2-B.

    *tug tug tug tug* Tomoyo reacted immediately and tried pulling Kazuya''s sleeves. She felt a little disturbed because she hadn''t seen him like this either.

    "(How can this be possible?)" Kazuya''s eyes met with the teacher''s eyes and both of them stared at each other for a few moments.

    *THUD* Takaya took matters to his own hands and threw a textbook that hit Kazuya''s face. This was the moment that Takaya knew that his friend was genuinely dumbstruck. Kazuya would have normally caught the book and throw it back.

    "Hey!" the beautiful teacher glared at Takaya for throwing such a thick book around. She moved towards Kazuya and asked, "Are you okay?"

    "I''m fine. Thank you for your concern" Kazuya handed the textbook to Tomoyo who passed it on back to Takaya who received it nervously. "It was my fault for not paying attention to my friend''s weird sense of humor. This will be my first time attending this class for the year and I''m not sure we''ve seen each other before. May I know your name?" Kazuya asked.

    There were odd reactions all around the room. Though the question itself didn''t seem that odd at first look, those who thought too much into it thought that it seemed like Kazuya was hitting on the beautiful teacher he just met.

    "I''m Hamasaki Hikaru. The temporary homeroom teacher for class 2-B. And you are?" She didn''t read too much into it since she was dealing with a middle school student and introduced herself. She was a fresh graduate and was only going to serve as an assistant for the real homeroom teacher that was going to be in charge for class 2-B but the real homeroom teacher had to take a leave of absence because of trouble back in her hometown.

    "I''m pleased to meet you, my name is Kouzuki Kazuya" Kazuya politely introduced himself. He tried to hide how shaken he was because he was hoping that she just looked like the Hamasaki Hikaru he once knew but reality worked very differently.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya¡­" Hikaru was slightly startled and stepped back. Kazuya felt a tinge of hostility but it went away as soon as he felt it. "You should be one of the members of S class that attend this class" She quickly got herself back together. "I trust that with what I''ve heard about the members of the special class, there wouldn''t be any trouble for you to catch up with the lessons?" her disposition changed a little and seemed somewhat cold.

    "I don''t think there would be any problems" Kazuya tried to smooth things out with a smile but it didn''t change anything. It seemed as if her attitude towards him even became colder. "Confident huh¡­" she muttered as Hikaru went back to the front to begin the class.

    "(Did I¡­ do something to make her mad?)" he couldn''t help but wonder as he continued to look at her in deep thought. There wasn''t any way for them to have crossed paths in this life so why was she in his school of all places? "(This doesn''t make sense¡­ she shouldn''t have been a teacher in the first place)" he still couldn''t get a grasp of a situation since their lives should have nothing to do with each other.

    Despite the demeanor that Hikaru showed, she was actually very nervous. Why did she have to meet with Kouzuki Kazuya of all people? Did he purposely attend the class she was in charge of? Was he here to make things difficult for her? These were the things that ran through Hikaru''s mind as she avoided looking at Kazuya but observed him in her peripheral vision.

    The two observed each other in their own way but except for those two, everyone else knew that something was up. The two were creating a strange atmosphere that made everyone curious. Kurumi especially was curious because she quite liked this teacher because she was unlike the usual teachers as she was still very accommodating and didn''t make anyone who approached her feel like they were bothering her like most teachers.

    Tomoyo felt quite conflicted as well. Ever since Hikaru had taken over their class, she felt like they finally had a teacher like Miyamoto who took care of them back when they were in the elementary department. This teacher was now feeling a bit of enmity towards Kazuya who she regarded as one of the most important people in her life. This made her a bit confused on how to treat this person.

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    When she learned empathy, Tomoyo was very sensitive to how people feel, or mostly how Kazuya was feeling. With someone like him who masked his emotions majority of the time, Tomoyo could tell how normal people felt very easily. Though she initially thought that learning this was a waste of time, Tomoyo still listened to Kazuya''s words. Because of this, she was thankful because it had improved her relationship and understanding of the people around her.

    Tomoyo now knew who to avoid and who were genuine. This was the first time however, that there had been a conflict because while she felt that this new teacher of theirs was kind and genuine, the hint of hostility that was directed towards Kazuya, made her feel very uncomfortable.

    Hikaru was still a professional so she tried to hide it as best she could. What she didn''t know was that with how these children were raised, only a few of them didn''t realize that something was amiss. Kazuya on the other hand was still a bit unsure on what to make of this. He was doubtful that it was because of him personally because he had never met this person in this life and on his previous life before today.

    "Did you do something to Hamasaki-sensei?" Takaya immediately asked as soon as the three of them made it to the roof of the middle school department''s building during their lunch break.

    "So it wasn''t just me who noticed it huh¡­" Kazuya sighed. He was hoping that he had just imagined it but seeing Tomoyo''s interest on the topic made him even more convinced. "I''ve never met her before today so I don''t know" he shook his head.

    "Are you sure?" You didn''t accidentally dump her like most people that try and come up to you?" Takaya grinned before getting hit in the head from both sides. Tomoyo and Kazuya reacted as as soon as they heard the words come out of his mouth.

    "Stop joking around. This is my first day back and I don''t know how long it will be until I need to stop coming to school again when Tsuna-san comes back. I don''t want to have a misunderstanding with the homeroom teacher with the class I''m attending so it would be better to clear things out"

    "Well we do have music class this afternoon. So why don''t you try to impress her there? You have an unfair set of talents that even leaves me envious which is why being such a big celebrity suits you" Takaya took a step back expecting to get hit once again but Kazuya just glared at him instead. He could feel a presence nearby so he wasn''t sure because it had been very distinct. "You still haven''t told me who that old gentleman really is and I''m quite curious as to why my parents seem to be happy that I met him" Takaya quickly changed to topic after he realized he was safe.

    "Old gentleman? Tsuna-san is even older than your grandfather you know" Kazuya laughed. Looks could definitely be deceiving because rather than being seen as an old man, everyone else assumed that Tsuna was a man who had yet passed the age of being 50. "He''s basically the strongest person you''d meet and he''s been teaching me ways to get stronger. That''s all there is"

    "Strongest?" This was something that Takaya didn''t hear before because Takaya already knew that both Tomoyo and Kazuya were receiving some kind of training from Tsuna. "I don''t even know why you two even bother to get stronger. You''re all set to dominate even the High school division as you are now. Didn''t you train the current champion like she mentioned in her interviews?"

    "I only helped. It was her own effort that got her that far" Kazuya replied. It was true that Nanami got her win from Ayame with her own effort while he was there to help her already developed style. She was taught what Tomoyo learned when she began learning from Kazuya and because of her determination, she was able to finally get that win off of the complacent Ayame.

    There were mixed reactions with Ayame''s undefeated streak from middle school being broken. Some were impressed with Nanami''s sudden burst of improvement while some attributed Ayame''s entry to the entertainment scene as an excuse for her loss to the rival who has all her time to train. Nevertheless, Jirou was the person who took advantage of Nanami''s win the most and made Komori eat a lot of his words.

    *tug tug tug* Tomoyo pointed at herself as soon as Kazuya took a glance at her.

    "That''s right. She helped as well" Kazuya smiled and gave her head a pat. Now that he was taller than her, it didn''t look as unnatural as it did a few years ago. He found it funny that Tomoyo wanted to be credited for her participation in Ayame''s training because she would have remained without a care if it were her former self. She was no longer the emotionless robot everyone thought her to be.

    "No wonder Akabane-san beat Kuronuma Ayame" Takaya laughed. With these two monsters training someone, it was only a matter of time before whoever they taught would take over the division those two weren''t able to participate in. "How does it feel training someone that made a ''certain someone''s'' supposed best friend lose her undefeated streak?" a mischievous smile grew on Takaya''s face.

    Kazuya frowned. He took one of the chopstick he used and threw it to the side. It embedded itself in a corner wall where a sound of someone falling was heard.

    "Kyaa!" Kurumi appeared from the corner and fell on to the floor after that surprise attack. "Ouch¡­" she rubbed her behind and noticed a shadow looming over her.

    "Compared to a few years ago, following me secretly is quite dangerous nowadays." Kazuya appeared by the wall as he pulled out the chopstick. "I am dealing with devious people after all" he looked at Kurumi who immediately straightened herself out.

    "S-sorry¡­" she bowed apologetically. "I just wanted a chance to speak to you and was waiting for a chance"

    "Well here is your chance." Kazuya didn''t change his expression. "What do you want?"

    "I just wanted to apologize for what I said three years ago. I was only thinking of myself and didn''t consider how you felt" her sudden apology made Kazuya a bit surprised.

    He received a call from Stockton Jonson when Kurumi first left the academy after a year of enrolment. The doting father thanked him for the patience he gave his daughter and even revealed Kurumi''s intentions for following him around. He wanted Kazuya to understand that Kurumi meant no harm and he didn''t explain anything to her because he wanted his daughter to handle her own matters so that she wouldn''t have to rely on him for everything in the future.

    Kazuya of course understood what the doting father meant but he couldn''t help but put some blame onto Jonson. Though he did apologize, Kazuya was the one being pestered and the doting father only informed Kazuya when the pesky stalker left. Jonson said that one of his associates wanted to partner up with him as well as introduce Kurumi to a person that would appreciate her growing talents. This was why this annoying girl had disappeared for a few years.

    Maron of course stayed because she wanted to settle scores with Kazuya. It was unfortunate that she had yet to win any kind of competition she set. Kazuya would have wanted this cousin to have followed Kurumi when she left but the girl stubbornly stayed in the country.

    "Is that so? You finally understand why I didn''t want to deal with you back then huh¡­" Kazuya was a little amused. It seemed like this girl had somewhat the same growth as Tomoyo did even though he wasn''t the one who was mainly responsible for it.

    Kazuya couldn''t help but wonder if there was some sort of fate that connected the two. He was responsible for the changes that the robot girl went through but Kurumi went through a similar change even though he was not the one who was mainly in charge of it.

    Kazuya began to think about these things because of the unexpected appearance of Hamasaki Hikaru. Was she connected to him somehow too?

    He found this preposterous because they never even met in his previous life. Though he changed some parts of the business world, this change was to happen in the future anyway. Even if he did enter the entertainment industry as Kazuno Kaguya, the ripples he made shouldn''t have affected the rise of Hamasaki Hikaru''s career. Just what could have happened for them to meet like this? Was this a mere coincidence?

    "Yes¡­ My tutor told me that I had a strange way of approaching things so she told me to be more honest in talking about matters I am unsure about. She wanted me to be a bit bolder so I wanted to apologize and tell you something else" Kurumi looked at him with determined eyes. She ignored the people that were gathering around after being summoned by her reaction to Kazuya''s attack.

    "Oh? Your tutor has a point. It makes things easier for you if you are straight about it" Kazuya agreed with this because Jonson already informed him of Kurumi''s weird approach to his rejection.

    "That''s why I want to tell you that¡­" Kurumi took a deep breath.

    "What?" Kazuya suddenly had a bad feeling. He wanted to stop Kurumi because even though this girl learned a few things, there were still some things that she was oblivious to. "Wai¡ª"

    "I like you. Please marry me"

    .

 134 Into a Corner

    .

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    "I like you Kazuya-kun. Please marry me" the words uttered by this beautiful blonde girl echoed in the ears of Kazuya whose mind had gone blank.

    He wasn''t the only one. Various people who came to see what was happening as well as those who were glad to have found where Kurumi and Tomoyo were spending their break times were shocked to hear such a thing as soon as they arrived.

    Kouzuki Kazuya had just been confessed to and it wasn''t just any confession. It was a confession and a proposal! Those who heard it thought that this princess really didn''t waste any time as she was the first to confess to Kazuya on the day of his return.

    Of course, the crowd that was gathering and learning what had happened weren''t all admirers of the people present. There were also those that were informing their parents, friends, of the shocking development where the princess of Stockton international just asked the Kouzuki clan''s successor for his hand in marriage. This was big news to those who knew the implications of this.

    "(I take back my words. She hardly changed!)" Kazuya instantly thought.

    He didn''t expect these words to come out of this girl''s mouth just after they met again. Though Kazuya knew that this girl held some affection for him because of the friendship she had with the version of him that didn''t have his past memories, he had hoped that it would disappear after she grew up.

    "(Was I wrong in how I handled this?)" he doubted himself. After analyzing the version of Kurumi in his previous life, that girl was simply curious about him more than anything else. Even if they did have a friendship that was lost after his accident, this girl didn''t even show hints that she was interested in him romantically.

    Kazuya was confused. He might not have been experienced in matters of the heart but he had learned enough from Miyamoto''s ramblings to at least have a better understanding than his old inexperienced self. He really couldn''t understand what this girl was thinking or more accurately, he believed the words that Miyamoto said that ''women were the most unreasonable and confusing creatures in the world''.

    This conclusion wasn''t just because of this moment. There were a lot of times where Kazuya couldn''t understand his own mother and Mei''s actions. Just when he thought he knew how they would have reacted, there were a lot of times where they would surprise him with a side of them that was unreasonable.

    In a matter of minutes, what was happening at the rooftop of their middle school department spread throughout the whole school. Everyone anticipated to hear what Kouzuki Kazuya''s reply was going to be.

    Would the successor of the Kouzuki clan and possibly the Kurogane clan in the future as well agree to the proposal of the princess of the illustrious Stockton family? Will a match made in heaven be born at this moment? What about Shiroyuki Tomoyo who was the closest candidate to having a relationship with the most sought-after student in their department?

    "Stockton-san sure knows how to joke" Kazuya finally broke the silence as he took the proposal as a joke. He made use of his acting skills to make those who eavesdropped believed that they were making a fuss for nothing.

    Kurumi on the other hand frowned. She was given a look by Kazuya telling her to play along but how could she? The confession she mustered up her courage to give was brushed off just like that? Some of the things she was taught while she was away was how to be bolder and more confident.

    "I''m not kidding" she got down on one knee and met Kazuya''s narrowed eyes head on. "I, Stockton Kurumi confess my love to you, Kouzuki Kazuya and ask for your hand in marriage" she gestured with utmost sincerity which made all those who were watching admire this girl''s courage.

    They all turned to Kazuya to wait for a response but those who were present couldn''t help but notice the heavy pressure that was growing stronger from behind him. Though Shiroyuki Tomoyo remained silent this whole time, the moment Kurumi got down on one knee, they all felt a silent pressure coming from this girl who had always been seen by Kouzuki Kazuya''s side ever since he transferred to this school.

    The girls who wanted to get close to Kazuya were jealous of her because she had taken the initiative when he was still new to the school and never let anyone else get close even if it was unintentional. She had complete monopoly over Kazuya before his identity was known to everyone.

    "I refuse." Just as everyone had started paying attention to Tomoyo, a crisp and familiar sentence was heard.

    They all turned towards Kazuya who had regained his usual neutral expression. This had not been his first confession. Kazuya had received numerous confessions before so he had learned how to deal with them. He had recited the very words all those who had paid attention to him had heard at least once.

    "Why¡­" Kurumi''s voice trembled. she never expected to be rejected. She had been hopeful that after she had reconciled with Kazuya and showed her new self that he would be able to accept her proposal.

    "I have nothing against you but your confession is something I cannot accept. You should have already gathered information about this so I don''t believe you have not heard about how all the other confessions have ended" he replied.

    "That''s not a good enough reason! You should also be aware that if you accept my proposal, you would also be able to avoid any other confession in the future¡­" she tried to reason with him which made Kazuya give a sigh. He didn''t expect this girl to try and negotiate his acceptance.

    "Not a good enough reason? Then let me say that I am currently too busy thinking and doing other things to be concerned by things such as romantic relationships." Kazuya gave a more honest response. "You should know my current activities, position, and responsibilities. I challenge myself to do another activity other than Kendo every year, I study all kinds of books to learn everything that will help me, I move around to each of my parents'' side and not to mention that I have to train myself in the middle of everything."

    "I won''t disturb any of that. I don''t mind waiting as long as you accept" Kurumi looked at him with resolute eyes.

    All of the people that listened couldn''t help but admire this girl''s determination. Was she an example of a virtuous wife. Kurumi said that she would wait patiently and not ask for much but for his acceptance. It was just too bad that this girl confessed to the wrong guy because any other boy their age wouldn''t be able to reject such a confession.

    "I will not change my mind. Not only will that be unfair to you, that will make me seem like the type of person who accepts such things for benefits. No matter your intention, you are still the princess of Stockton International. I do not wish to climb up the social ladder by using such means." He shook his head. Because of this, many of the students felt a little ashamed for what was on their minds. Some of the boys who were after Kurumi for the reasons of benefits admired the decision Kazuya made.

    "D-do you have someone you l-like?" This was the question Kurumi hesitated to but had to ask. She was afraid of his answer.

    "Why do you ask?" Kazuya was quite curious. He just rejected her proposal so what point was there in knowing?

    At the same time, he also pondered on this question. Though he had travelled back to his past, he hadn''t thought about this at all. His focus had always been to prevent the tragedy that was to befall him and his family while also making sure that they were going to be safe once he sets out for his revenge.

    The images of Mei, his companions and that treacherous princess came to mind when Kurumi asked him this question. "(Do I still hold such sentiments?)" he felt a little bitter because he was unsure. He didn''t want to think about such things because other than making sure that his loved ones were safe, he had been preparing himself to come back to that world to pay back the people who had plotted against him.

    He knew the time and day of his summoning so there was no doubt that if those people''s plans hadn''t changed, his return was in just a few years. There was only one requirement that he had to fulfill according to the information he got from the information he had at hand and that was that he had to retain his purity. Though it may have sounded absurd and embarrassing, he didn''t think that it would be a problem after the life he led.

    At least that was what he thought. He was no longer the poor boy whose body had been riddled with injuries. His face, body, and capabilities were the same as when he was healed by the blessing of the summoning. His life now was the silent life he had once led. He was the center of attention even though he didn''t want it.

    "I will wait. No matter how long it takes" Kurumi declared aloud. Her demeanor told everyone she was serious. Her words alone were enough to make Kazuya feel some kind of pressure coming from this girl.

    "There''s no need" Kazuya sighed as he had come to a decision because he was constantly getting cornered by this girl. He hadn''t experienced such an intense confession so he had to make sure to shut this girl down completely else she might find some reason to come after him again.

    "No need?" Kurumi was a bit annoyed. "Are you questioning my feelings? Do you think I am joking with you?" she clenched her fists in agitation.

    "That''s not what I mean" Kazuya sighed again which made him gain more of Kurumi''s ire. She wondered if her feelings were such a burden that it could make him sigh like this. "I really didn''t want to say this but you''ve been constantly putting me in a bind." Kazuya glanced at the time on his wrist before looking at Kurumi seriously. "I already have a fianc¨¦. It had been established long ago and both myself and my partner don''t have any qualms against it." Kazuya replied with seriousness that matched Kurumi''s declaration. He used his mana to exert some force in his statement which left those who heard it dumbfounded and convinced.

    There actually wasn''t a need to do so. Kazuya''s announcement made a large enough impact that even Takaya who had been grinning mischievously at the side the whole time almost dropped his jaw. From the day he knew Kazuya, he had never told a straight lie. He would give half truths or vague answers most of the time so saying something this direct would only say that this was the truth.

    Even the usual expressionless Tomoyo who was behind him couldn''t help but develop a slight blush on her cheeks. She had never heard Kazuya speak about the engagement that had been settled before they were born but her grandfather already mentioned that Kazuya was aware of it and had already accepted it. She didn''t hear it herself so even if her grandfather declared it, she was never really sure. That is, until now.

    Kazuya on the other hand, felt a little relieved after seeing Kurumi''s sullen expression. He knew that she believed his words. He didn''t exactly lie because his mother had an arrangement with Mei that they would be engaged unless he found someone else. It was just that Kyouko would only allow it once Kazuya had grown to an age that she would be convinced that he was mature enough to make such a decision.

    "Who¡­ is it?" Kurumi''s misty eyes were apparent but she asked in a weak but loud enough voice for Kazuya to hear. She had taken a major blow after hearing that not only did Kazuya have a fianc¨¦, both he and his partner had no qualms about such an arranged marriage. Kurumi also suspected something as soon as she saw the strange reaction from the usually expressionless girl that always stood by his side. She wanted to confirm just who it was it that not only stole her rightful place which even made him acknowledge it enough to reject her.

    "I have already spilled enough secrets. I have no intention of informing you more than this because this concerns mine and her privacy" Kazuya coldly rejected her. He glanced at this watch and as if it was right on cue, the chime that indicated their lunch break was almost over reached their ears.

    *tug* Tomoyo stepped to his side and pulled on Kazuya''s sleeve. He turned towards her and found a faint flush on the robot girl''s face which had him concerned. Was this girl getting a cold? He placed a palm on her forehead but Tomoyo grabbed his hand and pulled him to exit the rooftop. Takaya followed after the two wanting to find out more about this juicy piece of information that was just announced.

    This seemingly youthful event in the rooftop of Sacred Forest Academy was the start of something that not even those involved expected. They had severely underestimated just how much various people had been paying attention to them. Those who shouldn''t have been involved in such a matter soon received the details of what had just transpired.

    The heartfelt marriage proposal of the princess of Stockton International was rejected by the heir of the Kouzuki Corporation who was also the son of the most likely next head of the Kurogane Conglomerate. After the princess persisted, Kouzuki Kazuya had no other choice but to announce that he had been engaged to someone else and both of them had plans to go through their engagement without any problems.

    .

 135 From a Ripple to a Tidal Wave 2 in 1

    .

    Of course, the first place the information spread was throughout Sacred Forest Academy. One S class student in particular received this piece of information as she was in her dressing room preparing for a pictorial.

    "What!?" Kuronuma Ayame stood in surprise after clicking on the notification that indicated that there had been news on the school boards about Kouzuki Kazuya.

    "Is something the matter ojou-sama?" her manager and bodyguard asked with concern. The young miss was only affected by little things and seeing her pale complexion, something must have definitely happened.

    Ayame didn''t answer the question because she had a lot of things on her mind. She would have believed such a thing could have been a rumor because the school forums liked to talk about such things. If it weren''t for the various posted photos and other evidence, she would have scoffed at them as well. Wasting no time, she immediately called someone who could confirm such a thing.

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    "Grandfather!" she shouted at Komori as soon as he answered the call. "I thought that you were going to take care of Kazuya-kun''s engagement!"

    "Huh?" Komori was glad to receive a call from his lovely granddaughter despite her now busy schedule. That was until she heard the temperamental girl''s shout as soon as he answered. "I''ve been discussing it with Old Kou but there hasn''t been anything officially set yet. Why do you ask?"

    "Nothing officially set!!!?" Ayame couldn''t help but get annoyed at this and immediately informed Komori of what she just learned.

    "This¡­" Komori couldn''t help but frown. He hadn''t heard anything about it because even if it had already been settled, he would be the first person who Jirou would gloat to. That old rival of his didn''t even waste time to rub salt in his wounds when Ayame lost to Nanami in the recent tournament.

    Ayame already knew about the agreement of betrothal between Kouzuki Kou and Shiroyuki Jirou because of her grandfather. Though she didn''t think much of it because it was rare that such things were to be successful in this day and age, what she heard today would have made her efforts for the last few years worthless.

    Komori had been trying to convince Kou to consider Ayame as Kazuya''s partner by using everyone''s reluctance in the past. What he didn''t expect was that Isshin shamelessly agreed with his reasoning so that he could put his own granddaughter on the table.

    "Everything I''ve been preparing for¡­ Everything¡­" Komori heard his granddaughter''s sullen voice and felt heartache. He was aware of what Ayame was planning and he didn''t object to it because if Kazuya had eyes, he would definitely choose Ayame over the others. It was just she needed time to prepare to appear before him again as a person who had a complete transformation.

    Everything had been going well and Ayame had been satisfied with her rise in popularity. It was only until recently that she had experienced a setback. This was her last year in high school but her undefeated streak was broken by Akabane Nanami, the girl who was supposed to have been beneath her all her life.

    "I don''t think you should believe what you heard" Komori finally spoke. He explained the absence Jirou''s gloating as evidence. "The boy could have been bluffing for all we know. He did get confessed to by an influential person after all" he reasoned.

    "But¡­" though Ayame''s found a little hope after hearing that. She still wasn''t convinced because Tomoyo''s existence that was always beside Kazuya was like a shadow that was looming over her heart.

    It all started out with a simple feeling she had when they first met. She felt some sort of force gripping her soul as soon as her eyes fell upon a boy that was a few years younger than her. The words that the respected Nagato Tsuna said to her when she was a little girl came to mind as she approached the boy and declared him to be a person that was most likely described to her by Tsuna.

    Though Kazuya already tried explaining to her that what she detected was the mana that leaked from his body, she didn''t believe it. She had seen people with affinities to mana before but none of them gave them the same feeling as he did when she first found him. Nagato Tsuna, Kouzuki Kou, Shiroyuki Tomoyo, Nanami Akabane were examples of people that had some control over mana yet none of them was able to reproduce the feeling she felt when looking at Kazuya.

    "I''ll try and confirm it with old Kou. These kinds of things wouldn''t have been unknown and unannounced to us friends so I''m sure that the kid was just worming his way out of a tight spot" Komori confidently declared. He was already familiar with the tactics Kazuya had invented as well as the strategies in their manual that would have to be called shameless yet effective. He couldn''t tell Ayame such things because it would be a breach of trust so he could only console her with this.

    "I understand" Ayame ended the call and looked at herself in the mirror. She needed someone else''s opinion so she started typing out a message to send to that strange friend of hers that always had answers to her questions.

    .

    While Ayame had been sullen inside her dressing room, another girl was grinning like a little girl after she had just finished reading the information in the school message boards.

    "Hehe~finally it comes out of your mouth" Mei listened to the recording again and couldn''t help but have this satisfied feeling. She had been a little worried after hearing that Stockton Kurumi had once again returned to Sacred Forest Academy. The girl had locked on to Kazuya from a young age and although she left for a few years, her return meant that she still had some intentions towards Kazuya.

    The last time Kazuya mentioned the engagement between them was when he still hadn''t been completely truthful about everything and acted or at least tried to act like the age he was. This made Mei unsure if he really considered the deal between Kyouko and her valid inside Kazuya''s mind.

    Even though he only mentioned it when Kurumi was cornering him with her persistence, Kazuya admitted their engagement with his voice and that was all it took to make this busy CEO happy. The two of them could barely spend any time with each other because of what happened when Kurogane Shishio made his move so she had to make an effort to learn any news about Kazuya that he didn''t mention to her.

    "This is a good opportunity to speak about that agreement." Though Mei was sure that Kazuya was still aware of it, she was still unsure if he just used it as an excuse to throw off Kurumi''s pursuit. She was glad that her Kazu rejected that princess at every turn but she wanted to learn if he really had their engagement in mind.

    While Mei was happily doing her work, her former boss who was inside her office in the Kouzuki Corporation''s headquarters had a frown on her face after reading reading about what had just happened. As her son grew up and officially entered puberty, he never mentioned such things and like the books she read before, the boy had started to keep silent about topics like the opposite sex.

    Though it wasn''t really on purpose on Kazuya''s side, it didn''t help that the main reason for them to talk about the opposite sex moved out of the house. The casual agreement she had with Mei was now turning out to be more of a problem that she had expected. Stockton Kurumi was really a good candidate for her son''s future wife but it looks like he really had no interest in the girl.

    "It shouldn''t be¡­ right?" a thought came to her mind as she thought about the stuff Kazuya said in his younger years. It was when they were talking about marriage in the future.

    "[I will also marry mom in the future. She and big sis are my wives]" was what he said just a few years ago. This thought made her heart warm as well as her face a little flushed. The proud son who had been innocently saying those words turned out to have a mature mindset so she didn''t know if he really meant those words or not.

    "What did you mean by ''it couldn''t be?'' Kyouko-sama?" the girl had taken over Mei''s duties officially asked. Yumi was the one who showed her the information about Kazuya on the message board of Sacred Forest Academy.

    "Err¡­" Kyouko snapped out of her thoughts and was reminded that she was not alone. She couldn''t help but look at Yumi who had completely taken over Mei''s former position as her trusted and main assistant.

    "If only Mei was more like you Yumi" Kyouko couldn''t help but compare the two especially since this Yumi had learned the ropes from Mei herself.

    "Like me?" Yumi couldn''t help but wonder what Kyouko meant by that. She had idolized Mei and was more than happy to take over her position because her mentor needed to be the head of the company that the young master had created.

    "Yeah! You listen to me and give me adequate advice like she does except without all the other nonsense" Kyouko smiled. She was more than satisfied with Yumi and her performance. The only thing she had problems about was how this girl had liked to imitate Mei to the point that she inherited the actions Mei did with the men who tried to approach her. She was afraid that her former assistant would make this new assistant of hers be unable to find a suitable husband in the future.

    "I don''t think so at all Kyouko-sama. Though Kazuno-sama may be a little roundabout with her words, I cannot be like her and casually point out things that I cannot bring to say" Yumi honestly responded. Mei was more blunt with Kyouko and didn''t hesitate to point out her mistakes or argue with her. Yumi on the other hand was part of the Fujiyama family who serves the Kouzuki family and she had been taught ever since she was young to always be respectful to any member of the Kouzuki family. This was one thing that even Mei''s teachings couldn''t change about Yumi.

    "Is that so? You''re plenty helpful when I ask for your opinion and although you do it politely, you still point out mistakes that doesn''t require much arguments" Kyouko appreciated this girl and her opinions. She was truly a good student that Mei raised herself. "Say¡­" Kyouko had a funny thought. "Are you interested in my Kazuya? Do you want me to talk to him into marrying you instead?"

    "!!??" Yumi immediately looked down and tried to hide her face that was heating up. "I w-wouldn''t d-dare Kyouko-sama. Please don''t tease me" Yumi stuttered.

    "Hehe¡­ you''re really cute Yumi-chan." How could Kyouko not notice the feeling of this assistant of hers had for her son? Her son was probably the only person in the Kouzuki household who hasn''t noticed yet. If there was no requirement Yumi to have her attention on something else, she would always turn towards the direction of her young master who would be concentrating on his own thing. "If you can marry my Kazuya then he wouldn''t have to worry about taking over the company since he has such a capable wife to take care of it for him."

    "I would be more than happy to help the young master if he wishes it. I wouldn''t dare fight with Kazuno-sama over his affection." She politely declined Kyouko''s offer.

    "You should learn to be more honest and selfish Yumi-chan. That selfish girl Mei doesn''t even think I''m aware of how she really feels about my Kazuya. She still thinks that I think she''s using him as a way to get to me but her actions have already told me what I need to know. One thing she could learn from you is how to be honest" Kyouko giggled. Mei had been trying to prevent anyone from noticing the feelings she had been nurturing for Kazuya. It was most likely due to their difference in age.

    "I will be satisfied as long as I can serve the Kouzuki family as well as make the young master happy. That is my current wish" Yumi didn''t hesitate to say.

    "I want you to answer me truthfully. Do you have any other men that interest you other than my son?" Kyouko inquired with a serious look. She was really impressed by this girl''s loyalty and if it weren''t for her being in the Fujiyama family Kyouko would probably prefer her over Stockton Kurumi as Kazuya''s partner.

    "None" she answered without hesitation.

    "Why?" though Kyouko knew what this girl felt for her son, she never asked for the reason until now.

    "One of the reasons is because the young master is unlike any of the other men. Most of them would look at women like they were objects or would be mainly motivated by lust. Though the young master has already awakened such instincts, he has not changed from when he was a boy and has focused on his matters above anything else"

    "Oh?" Kyouko was proud of her son and was very satisfied with Yumi''s answer. There was just one thing about her answer that was a little strange. "How do you know that he has awakened a man''s natural instincts?"

    "Because¡­" Yumi hesitated. She knew that she messed up by being too honest with her answer. It was already too late for her escape Kyouko''s questioning now so she just decided to come clean about a certain incident that happened when she tried to wake Kazuya up on one occasion.

    "I didn''t expect you would be a victim of his sleeping habits as well¡­" Kyouko sighed. "There''s no need to worry. I will make my son take responsibility for his actions hehe¡­ I won''t let you take back your words you said that you would be happy as long as my Kazuya was by your side" Kyouko lauged.

    .

    On the other side of town, Kurogane Shishio had been arranging several matters in the headquarters of the Kurogane Conglomerate. He had been quite busy in not only planning to pass his test but also dealing with the responsibilities of being the one calling the shots in the company. His father had done this singlehandedly in the past and led their clan into the peak before letting the other members of the family take several responsibilities. It resulted in their current state which was still recovering from the recent losses in the past few years.

    Though Kurogane Tenma was still the head of their clan, he basically already handed most of the matters of the family business over to the other members and used it as a test to figure out the structure of the next generation. Very few people didn''t notice this intention so all those who caught Tenma''s eye worked to meet his expectations and those who didn''t always worked hard so they would catch his attention.

    "Shishio-sama, there is a phone call" his assistant came inside the office to inform him.

    "Didn''t I tell you that I wasn''t going to take any calls?" he glared at his assistant.

    "But sir it''s Tenma-sama saying he wasn''t able to get through your private number" this statement made Shishio notice the phone on his desk that he had failed to charge. This made him look for the phone in his desk that was already covered by the scattered papers on his desk.

    "Father? I was a bit careless and forgot to charge my phone. I apologize" he quickly apologized after picking up the call.

    "Looks like the talk from before has gotten to you" Tenma scoffed. Shishio who had usually careful with his every move made such a careless mistake. This had proven that he was indeed very busy and affected by their last talk. "You don''t even know why I called right?"

    "Did¡­ something happen?" Shishio knew that he couldn''t hide anything from his father so he decided to come clean. His assistant still hadn''t informed him of anything major happening so it looks like it was something that happened today.

    "Look at you, already diverting your attention from your son as soon as you became complacent on becoming the next clan head." Shishio heard his father''s sigh and became slightly nervous. Disappointing Tenma was easy to do but impressing him was like earning trust that had been lost.

    "Did Kazuya get into trouble?" he couldn''t help but ask. His father had gotten news of what Kazuya had done before him so this made Shishio get assured that the interest in his father showed towards his son had been genuine. The only matter now is what the boy actually did that could have earned the displeasure the grandfather he had impressed enough to consider making this stubborn clan head to skip over a generation.

    "He didn''t. He just let an extremely rare opportunity pass by him because of his upbringing." Tenma didn''t hide the displeasure he felt. "Do you know if your son has been engaged by the Kouzukis?"

    "Engaged¡­?" Shishio pondered for a bit and remembered a report that he received when he was gathering information about Kazuya. It was reported by a waiter that was more than willing to spill the information he overheard at one of the venues that hosted the gathering of Kouzuki Kou''s circle of friends. "I believe that there was a prior agreement between Shiroyuki Jirou and Kouzuki Kou that was made before Kazuya was born" he reported.

    "So it''s true¡­" Tenma once again sighed. This report was ignored by Shishio because he knew his son''s personality. He wouldn''t have let an engagement decided by his grandfather affect his life. They weren''t in the best of terms and that didn''t change after Kouzuki Kou came back and rejoined the family.

    "What happened father?" Shishio was still unclear about what his son had done for his father to have asked such a question.

    "Your son just declined a marriage proposal by the princess of Stockton International. He stated that he had already been betrothed long ago and wanted to go through with it. Such a wasted opportunity! He could have had a grasp on Stockton International in the future yet he didn''t even hesitate to reject that Stockton girl!" Tenma was mad just remembering what he considered as a stupid mistake that someone as capable as Kazuya just made.

    "What!?" Shishio was shocked as well. He initially wanted to use the friendship his son had with the princess of Stockton international to gain some benefits for their company. After hearing about what happened from his father, Shishio was both enraged and disappointed at his son for letting such an opportunity pass by. If it were him, he would have taken such a proposal in a heartbeat and broke any engagements he already had.

    The Kurogane father and son couldn''t help but blame the Kouzuki blood in him for making such a mistake. The boy was still a little na?ve and like any other Kouzuki, a slave to his promises and commitments. Though the boy was plenty capable, these traits were not from their blood because for them, benefits for their own clan was above everything else!

    "I¡­ will have a word with him when we meet next father" Shishio made up his mind and decided to talk to his son about it. He wanted his son to at least think about what kind of decision he just made.

    "No. You will only give yourself a bad impression if you tried." Tenma rejected his son''s idea. He had gotten an understanding of how his grandson''s personality. "Any attempt we make to change his mind will only repel the few good impressions our clan has on him."

    "Then¡­ are we going to let him make such a mistake?" Shishio understood what Tenma was saying and agreed. He had spent more time trying to know everything about his son and interfering with such a matter would automatically have the opposite effect towards him.

    "Though Kazuya has already made such a mistake, that doesn''t mean that we can''t do anything about it. I''ll be giving you another task and this will be something that both of us have to work on" Tenma hatched up a scheme. "You should have dinner later tonight at the Great Century restaurant. Stockton Jonson and his daughter are booked to have dinner there after tonight. That will be your chance to make a connection"

    "A connection? Aren''t we on bad terms with their company?" Shishio couldn''t understand what Tenma was planning. He already tried to get in contact with Stockton Jonson in the past but everything he tried was only responded with a ''not interested'' response.

    "Are you sleep deprived? Who are you? You''re not a representative of the Kurogane Conglomerate when you talk to them, you are going to be speaking with them with your identity as Kazuya''s parent!" Tenma scolded.

    Shishio felt stupid after his father explained. He would have usually understood such an idea right away but he had never considered using his status as a parent to improve his connections before. Being a parent was something very new to him and he never expected to make use of Kazuya to bridge such a connection with such a powerful person.

    "I understand father. I apologize for not realizing it sooner. I never thought about it from that point of view either. It looks like I still am not used to being considered a parent" he confessed. Though it was true that he cared about his son a lot to have changed without noticing, he had never really had the chance to be a parent because his son had been capable and mature enough. Shishio never had any chance to experience being a real parent.

    "I''m going to be borrowing my grandson from you as well." Tenma also wanted to make use of this. "I will be taking him to be seen in public with me so that I can help changed their perception about our family and company.

    "But father¡­ Didn''t Kazuya just reject the proposal of Stockton Kurumi?" Shishio couldn''t help but ask. He felt something was wrong because his father didn''t usually overlook such a basic yet important piece of information.

    "This is precisely the additional matter I am going to be asking you to handle along with your test" Tenma''s voice lowered.

    "You can''t possibly mean¡­" Shishio had a scary thought.

    "Looks like your brain still hasn''t gone completely rotten" he laughed.

    "Going against the Shiroyuki family¡­" Shishio was quite hesitant. Though they were not as rich as the Kouzuki clan, they could be considered very powerful because of the number of people in power that had been indebted to them. Not to mention the number of students that were trained by a living legend such as Shiroyuki Jirou had their own influence.

    Unlike the plan with Kouzuki Kyouko, they didn''t have any preparations because they never knew that such a thing happened today. Neither family had been open about this arrangement, no one could blame Shishio when he didn''t take such a report that was mentioned once to be true.

    "Is that too much for you to handle?" Tenma scoffed at his son''s hesitation. It was true that this was sudden but from Tenma''s point of view, it involved less risks than the plan they hatched against Kouzuki Kyouko. Their clan had no clear hostilities with the Shiroyuki family aside from them being allies with the Kouzukis.

    "I would need some time to come up with a plan to deal with the Shiroyuki girl" Shishio had no clear plan nor any idea on how to approach such a plan.

    "What are you worried about? As long as you play your cards right, our clan would not be suspected" Tenma tried to give his son a hint because he was only saying such things because the plan he had in mind to divert suspicion was something that required his son to have been informed about information that normally wouldn''t have been available after his own generation.

    "!!" Shishio came to a realization after pondering for a bit. "I will make appropriate preparations father."

    "Good! Once that Shiroyuki girl has been taken care of, the relationship we made with the Stocktons would be of great use. Her death will leave Kazuya open to accept the proposal of the princess of Stockton International."

    .

 136 Pastâ€™s Melody

    .

    Unaware of another plot that involved him, Kazuya''s pocket vibrated with a report coming from Ika. He had just entered the music room along with the students of class 2-B.

    "[I don''t know if it is relevant but Kurogane Tenma was looking into the whereabouts of Stockton Jonson]"

    "(Stockton Jonson?)" Kazuya pondered. He didn''t know why Kurogane Tenma wanted to know such a thing. His advances towards Stockton International was rejected by them multiple times so it was strange for him to make a move now.

    "[Kurogane Shishio also booked a reservation for the same restaurant tonight]" an additional message was sent. Since Kazuya had Ika monitor what the two were up to, this was the first update he got. The Kuroganes were confident in their private network so they made use of this to get in touch with their shady contacts. Kazuya''s infiltration of this private network was what led him to discover the hidden cards that the Kuroganes had inside the Kouzuki Corporation.

    As Kazuya was lost in thought, he failed to notice Hikaru who was silently observing him from the teacher''s stand. The bad impression she had on him was increasing further. She was relatively a new teacher in the academy still so she didn''t know about Kazuya until he arrived in her classroom.

    After asking a few of her colleagues who were more than happy to tell her the tales of such a legendary student, she felt that he had a reputation that was too perfect. She couldn''t believe it when the other faculty members showered him with praises while she on the other hand thought that he was like a wolf in sheep''s clothing.

    Perhaps the only shortcoming that they told Hikaru about Kazuya was that he didn''t pay attention to any of the lessons. He would read different kinds of books concerning various topics. Each teacher said a different book when she asked what he was reading about. Law, Forensics, architecture, technology and various other books that gave no specific pattern.

    Though he acted as such in class, what surprised Hikaru the most was when they said that Kazuya had the right to do so because he was only attending class because of his mother''s wishes. The boy actually had intellect that already surpassed his various levels when he was first admitted to the academy. He was only attending school now because he lacked empathy and social skills.

    "(Hmm?)" Kazuya felt a strange gaze looking at him and found that it had been coming from his teacher. She already noticed him fiddling with his cellphone which he believed annoyed her.

    "[Right, I want you to send me information about a person. Her name is Hamasaki Hikaru, a new teacher in the Sacred Forest Academy middle school department]" Kazuya sent another message to Ika. He was curious to find out why this person''s fate had changed in this life.

    "[Is she a babe?]" it was almost an immediate reply.

    "[What does it have to do with anything?]" Kazuya frowned. Ika was trustworthy and capable but he tended to babble on about mundane things.

    "[Does the lady boss know that you''re looking into another woman?]" another prompt reply that made Kazuya even more annoyed.

    "[Just do it. You''ll find out whether she is a babe or not after you look her up wouldn''t you? Stop spouting nonsense and just do the work I told you to!]" he replied.

    "[So domineering! You''re definitely hiding something! Perhaps this person will lead me closer to your mysterious identity!]"

    "Student Kouzuki! Would you care to share some of your skills with instruments with the class? I heard from the other teachers that you have many hidden talents" Hikaru was quite bothered with Kazuya''s lack of attention and wanted to see for herself if this student was indeed as talented as he was advertised.

    Kazuya on the other hand was quite annoyed. Hikaru had let it slip that she had asked about him from the other staff members. He wondered if it had anything to do with why she was paying more attention to him specifically.

    "(Is she perhaps making trouble for me?)" he thought as he stood up and stepped in front of the class. He had still been concerned about what Tenma and Shishio were up to since Kurumi didn''t show up for classes after he had rejected her. Meeting into those two devious men wouldn''t be very good for her or him.

    "Is there a specific piece and instrument you would like me to play sensei?" Kazuya came up with an idea. He wondered what her reaction would be if he played a song that this person wrote from his previous life.

    "Since this is your first time attending my class, I won''t make it hard for you and will see how your abilities are" Hikaru gave him free reign as she couldn''t wait to pick out any mistake he would eventually make.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya moved towards the grand piano on the end of the platform. "Then I will play a piece that I believe was entitled ''My Love from Another World''."

    Hikaru only instructed him to play so he didn''t use his voice to sing the lyrics that was on his mind. This song was composed and performed by this beautiful teacher of his from his previous life so he hoped to get some sort of reaction from her.

    This song was used as one of the songs in a story that revolved around a protagonist that had gone to a new world and found love. Though he believed that the Hamasaki Hikaru didn''t make it for such a thing, he always wondered why she had written such a song. Kazuya hadn''t grown attached to this song when he first listened to it but after he went to Edea, he had used this specific song to make an impression towards one of his companions.

    Kazuya felt a glare behind his back which meant that he had gained some kind of reaction from Hikaru after playing this song. What Kazuya didn''t realize until he had finished his performance was that it wasn''t only Hikaru who showed a reaction. His classmates were also looking at him in a strange way.

    "Huh? Why is everyone looking at me this way?" Kazuya couldn''t help but ask. Even Takaya was giving him the same look. The only ones who had different reactions were the usual expressionless Tomoyo and the somewhat upset glare from his teacher.

    "Where did you learn this song from?" Hikaru finally broke the silence and asked.

    "It was a piece that was composed by a person I look up to" Kazuya replied without hesitation. This made Hikaru''s glare grow sharper.

    "A person you look up to? Are you kidding me?" Hikaru tried to control her temper. "Are you playing dumb or do you really don''t know why your classmates are looking at you in a strange way?"

    "I really don''t understand. Can someone please enlighten me?" he looked towards Takaya who was usually the person who wasn''t afraid of speaking up.

    "This is a song sound very similar to Kuronuma Ayame''s song ''Feelings from faraway''" Takaya commented. "Though the tempo is much slower compared to her song, the melody is very similar to it" Kazuya wasn''t a person who would usually make such a mistake or listen to such songs so Takaya could only share his honest opinion about it.

    "A song by Kuronuma Ayame?" Kazuya couldn''t help but glance at the person who was supposed to have performed this song in his previous life."(Did that na?ve girl steal the song from sensei?)" he didn''t believe that that prideful girl would do such a lowly thing because of her pride.

    What bothered him the most was the strange reaction Hikaru showed. This was confirmation that Hikaru had indeed been familiar with the piece he just finished playing. All of Hamasaki Hikaru''s songs were composed and written by her in his past life after all.

    Kuronuma Ayame had recently just joined the music scene with her rising popularity. Kazuya was aware that she had already released an album and even had a copy that was given to him personally by the na?ve girl, but he never glanced at it after he had put it on the shelf of his room on the day he received it.

    "Where did you hear the song you played?" Hikaru looked at him suspiciously. "Don''t tell me you composed it?"

    "I''m not a composer nor a songwriter, I just heard it a long time ago" his reply made her all the more suspicious.

    "A long time ago? That doesn''t sound convincing at all" Hikaru scoffed at his excuse. "That song came out not too long ago and the original composer of that song never got the chance to name it" she found Kazuya''s words absurd and couldn''t help but berate him. She was the original composer of the song before it got changed a lot before its release after all.

    From her reaction, Kazuya was sure that something indeed happen which made the song she composed land on Kuronuma Ayame''s hands. He was not sure what the changes were that led to this kind of development in this timeline but, although Kazuya wasn''t completely convinced that it was his presence alone that changed something unrelated to him, he found no other explanation for what caused Hamasaki Hikaru''s predicament.

    Though whatever happened to her may have been his fault, Kazuya still felt a bit annoyed because she was scolding him for something that he might have triggered but was not part of. Whatever happened to her, he was not the actual person that did her any wrong so he felt that he was being wronged because her frustrations were directed towards him.

    "I say sensei, are you accusing me of plagiarizing?" Kazuya didn''t hide the annoyance in his expression.

    "You claim to have heard this piece before and even had a title for it while I know the composer of the song, what do you think?" Hikaru didn''t stand down. In her mind, she had already labeled this boy as a bad apple so him showing some attitude towards her only made her more hostile.

    "You should get a dictionary and look-up the meaning of plagiarism" Kazuya grinned. She fell for his trap because of her impulsiveness to answer back. "I neither claimed ownership of the song nor gained any profit from performing in front of class. I simply said that I heard this song a long time ago, if you compare it with writing, almost all the material today has some sort of source material or something that inspired them to write something"

    "You¡­" Hikaru was speechless.

    "Besides, are you the one who wrote the song? The one who composed the song has the right to complain but not to me but whoever I heard it from. I shouldn''t be blamed for something I performed from memory for your request. By your reasoning, any person who misspeaks a title of something before singing at a karaoke place is plagiarizing?" it had been a while since someone had been on the receiving end of Kazuya''s famous tongue lashing. It had been quite a popular discussion among students whenever it happened because he had not lost before. No one expected the target this time would be the new and popular teacher that everyone had no complaints about and rather liked.

    *tug tug* Kazuya turned to see that Tomoyo had already been beside him before he opened his mouth again. She shook her head to say that he had already said enough as their teacher was already trying hard to stop tears from forming in her eyes.

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    "*sigh* (Did I go too far?)" Kazuya nodded to Tomoyo and made her go back to her seat. He thought of something and approached the grand piano once more. The curious classmates'' eyes were all on his and watched as he breathed in deeply and played a slow melodic tune.

    "(This¡­)" Hikaru who was trying to get ahold of her emotions immediately turned to the boy who started playing a tune that was similar to her own style yet something that she hadn''t heard of before. It strangely attracted her interest as she could somehow predict what note he would strike next for some unknown reason.

    "There are words I want to say yet cannot say~

    I have questions that contradict your and my way~

    We have been together for years,

    And come to understand each other''s fears.

    Yet a simple rule that was set

    Has continue to haunt me when we first met"

    No one expected Kazuya to open his mouth as soon as he closed his eyes. A voice that shook everyone came from the boy that continued to play as if the crowd had not existed. This was a song that Kazuya Knew Hamasaki Hikaru hadn''t written yet. It was from the album that had been released before he was summoned to Edea.

    According to the interviews with her in his previous life, this was a song that wasn''t supposed to be included in her album because it was somewhat of a personal song that she wrote to discriminate herself. It was only released because she had hoped that it would reach the person she had criticized herself for which solidified her image as a pure girl who used raw emotions to compose her songs.

    "(This guy¡­)" Takaya was frowning. His mom had taken over responsibility over Kazuno Kaguya''s matters once suggested Kaguya to collaborate with Kuronuma Ayame''s music career. He declined saying that he had no musical talent yet here he was causing even a veteran in the entertainment industry by now to have goosebumps after hearing the powerful voice that hadn''t been supported by a microphone.

    Kazuya''s voice, the melody and the lyrics made a lot of these students unable to hold back their tears. This struck them as they were in the age where they were developing feelings that were both complicated and new to them. Though they were considered the sports class, they were still students that had some kind of status which was why the song hit them harder than normal people would.

    After the final note echoed throughout the silent room, sounds of sobbing reached Kazuya''s ears. He knew that he had accomplished his goal. He secretly glanced towards Hikaru who didn''t have any reason to hold back her tears as she now had a valid excuse to let them out. He felt that he had done his part and walked back to his seat.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya" Hikaru broke the silence in the room after she had wiped off her tears. "I want you to see me after school"

    .

 137 Idols Demand

    .

    Inside the car that was sent from the Aoki corporation, Kazuya looked back at the school that still had the students inside their classrooms. Summer had already passed and the temperature was slowly getting colder as the days passed by.

    "Are you sure you want to ignore Hamasaki-sensei''s instruction to meet her after classes?" Takaya who was sitting beside him curiously asked.

    "Do you think I can afford to wait until classes are over to handle the situation?" Kazuya glared at him. Though he had no plans to interact with Hamasaki Hikaru before he found out more about her, Kazuya knew that not meeting her today was going to have some kind of repercussion.

    Kazuya didn''t want to increase the enmity coming from Hamasaki Hikaru but he didn''t have a choice. Both Takaya and himself had received a message from Aoki Kanade, Kuronuma Ayame had been demanding to see Kazuno Kaguya.

    Ayame would have been normally ignored since this was not the first time she had demanded to see her so-called best friend but she also sent a message to Kazuya declaring that she was going to barge into Kazuno Tech''s headquarters if she didn''t meet with her today. She didn''t have to worry about disturbing Kaguya from her classes since it had long been known that she was a student that was ''home-schooled''."

    "I guess not." Takaya concluded. He was already familiar with Ayame since they had been involved in a few projects together so he knew how this girl was. "Good luck man" he felt a little pity for Kazuya because although he wasn''t a stranger to playing a girl throughout his career, he didn''t have to portray a real one like his friend of his has to. "Which reminds me¡­ that song of yours¡­"

    "You never heard me sing" he narrowed his eyes and looked at Takaya seriously. "You''re lucky I needed to keep the identity of Kazuno Kaguya or you have owed me too much."

    "Ugh¡­ fine! I got it, I got it!" Takaya crossed his arms and looked outside. He was going to inform Kazuya about something but he decided to keep quiet after being treated badly. All he wanted was to know who wrote such an emotional song because if such a person joined their company as a songwriter, even if it wasn''t Kuronuma Ayame who got ahold of such songs, they would be really popular.

    They rode Takaya''s van which was used to go to various places. Since he was a rising star, the windows were tinted and no one could peek inside. Kazuya was assigned a similar van but he opted to change to ones that weren''t being used so that no one could track the mysterious Kazuno Kaguya who had been like a ghost to both his fans and paparazzi alike. She had a reputation of mystery which made her even more popular among her fans in which people would only see her if she wished to appear.

    The van entered the restricted parking space inside the building that was reserved for the higher ups of the Aoki group. Even known celebrities in the company would only be able to enter this space for emergencies so Kazuya had no problems when it came to the security here.

    "You''re finally here" Kanade met them accompanied by her trusted team of make-up artists who were grinning at Kazuya. They couldn''t wait to get their hands on him and transform him into Kazuno Kaguya.

    "Where is she?" Kazuya asked with a frown.

    "I don''t know what happened today but Kuronuma-san is in an especially bad mood. She never demanded to see you like this so something must have happened.

    "Does it have anything to do with what she was doing today?" Ayame was a prideful person and although she was demanding at times, they were always somewhat within reason. He didn''t know what had happened for her to be especially demanding when asking for Kazuno Kaguya but this was the first time that she was this pushy.

    "Her appearances today went as scheduled but¡­ her pictorial during lunchtime was delayed a little because her manager said that she felt a little under the weather. It was finished after she had gone out of her dressing room but she sent a message asking to meet you after she was done" Kanade explained.

    "I guess I''d have to meet her to find out¡­" Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh. He had no idea why this girl suddenly wanted to call her best friend but he could guess what it was likely about.

    "Did you send her a message yet?" Kanade asked. "You better send her one before she becomes even more impatient and leaves to disturb Mei-san''s workplace. You know how she doesn''t like that girl" she warned with a smile. She knew how Kyouko and Mei were overly attached to Kazuya. Unlike his mother though, Mei was especially against Kazuya interacting with Ayame or any other girl that was close to his age.

    "I guess I should" Kazuya pulled another cellphone from his bag. It was was similar to his original one yet it did not have the same features and was in a shade of velvet that was supposedly Kazuno Kaguya''s favorite color.

    "[I will arrive at the Aoki group soon. I came from out of town so be patient]" was the message he sent before he let himself be taken away by Kanade''s team.

    .

    Ayame received the message and felt relieved after she heard from this antisocial friend of hers. Even though they got along and gotten close throughout the years, Kazuno Kaguya still remained a mystery to her. She felt that she was a little secretive because she was the adopted sister of the same Kazuno Mei that was labeled as a traitor by the mass media when it was announced that she was the CEO behind the company that took the country by storm with its products.

    Though Ayame initially felt repulsed after learning that Kaguya was the sister of someone who had betrayed the Kouzuki family, she later found out from her grandfather that Kazuno Mei had left the Kouzuki Corporation on good terms and the bad press was the work of the Kurogane Conglomerate who didn''t want the two companies to work together after they had acquired the remnants of the Ringo corporation.

    This made her feel a little guilty about avoiding the quiet and innocent girl who didn''t seem to mind her sudden hostility towards her so she apologized and tried to make it up to her as best as she could. Ayame felt that Kazuno Kaguya had been anti-social because of her upbringing in the first place so she didn''t seem to know how to handle the changes between their relationship and tried to remain indifferent as best as she could.

    To make up for her mistakes, Ayame even did a few projects together with Kaguya to promote the extremely popular products of Kazuno Technologies. Though she didn''t gain much because she did most of them as favors, her popularity rose even faster because of the people who became die hard fans of the products the company produced.

    Though Kaguya was supposed to have been younger than Ayame, she appeared to know a lot of things and almost had an answer to all of her questions. Whenever she asked for Kaguya''s opinion, the quiet girl would always have a logical answer that she was satisfied with. There were a lot of times where she wanted to meet with Kouzuki Kazuya so that she could initiate her plan but she followed Kaguiya''s advice to wait.

    The Name Kuronuma Ayame had grown more popular through the years. She started out as a pretty and popular athlete who had remained undefeated. Now she was a personality that was known for her talents in acting and recently, singing.

    Kouzuki Kazuya on the other hand had also become a popular athlete who was not only undefeated in the same field she was once undefeated in, he showed his superiority by dominating a championship in a different sport that started when he was in fifth grade. He had gained a name in various magazines as ''The Conqueror'' because of his repeated conquests in any sport he participated in.

    Because of this reason, Ayame was convinced by Kaguya to hold of on her plan. The words this logical friend of hers used were; ''Become a star that will outshine his popularity before and only then will your plan will have a tremendous effect.''

    What Ayame wasn''t aware of however was that she was sharing her thoughts with the exact same person she was making plans for and he was delaying her plans on purpose. Kazuya simply didn''t want to deal with Ayame and listened to her plans so that he could find out what this girl had concocted in order to disturb the peace and quiet he wanted to have with his family.

    *tap tap tap* a familiar soft knock on the room Ayame was waiting in made her jump up expectantly. She opened the door to find the neutral yet attracting expression of the friend she had been waiting for.

    "Hehe, it took you long enough!" she pulled Kaguya inside the room and he was followed by the smiling assistants that had finished transforming him to his current appearance. She looked at Kaguya who was wearing a kimono. "You''re really like a girl who was raised in the feudal era" she giggled at her friend''s strange taste in fashion.

    "So? Why did you selfishly demand to make me travel all the way from another town? I warn you, even if you decide to make a scene in onee-sama''s workplace, I will ask them to not even let you through the gates" Kaguya warned.

    "Don''t get mad. I have a valid reason I wanted to talk to you. Do you know that you''re very attractive when you''re stern like that?" Ayame praised. She knew that she needed to calm her friend down first because even though she seemed like she didn''t have a care in the world, Kazuno Kaguya would instantly get triggered when it was about her elder sister.

    "Talk?" Kaguya frowned. "Did you really need to come all the way here just to chat? You could have called me"

    "Oh please! You are barely reachable whenever there aren''t any projects we are working on. I sometimes wonder why you even have a cell phone in the first place since you never pay any attention to it." Ayame was after hearing Kaguya''s complaint. "It''s your own fault that I needed to ask someone else to contact you!"

    "Now, now, you two don''t need to argue." Though Kanade found their quarrel interesting, she interjected before things got out of hand. Though Kazuya had always described Ayame to be prideful, he was the type to not back down when it was against someone like her. "I did what you requested and was able to call Kaguya-san here. I have completed my end of the bargain have I not?" she looked at Ayame who seemed to have agreed to something if they were successful.

    "A deal is a deal. I will attend and perform at the next charity event" Ayame nodded towards Kanade. It was at that moment that Kazuya understood that these two parties collaborated to get him to come as Kazuno Kaguya.

    With Kanade''s knowledge about him, she instructed Ayame to send a message that would immediately catch his attention while Kanade''s side herself used her son and her own message to inform Kazuya of how serious Ayame was with her threats which immediately caused him to come and show up. He couldn''t help but glare towards Kanade.

    "I didn''t lie to you Kaguya-chan. Ayame-chan here initially came and demanded that we reveal your personal information. You are aware that we can''t break the contract that you strictly wrote so I could only handle the situation like this before Ayame-chan made trouble for your elder sister" Kanade explained.

    "Don''t be mad at her Kaguya. It was me who wanted to get in contact with you today no matter what. Tell you what, I''m going to do a couple of promotions for your elder sister''s company as well" she gently held her friend''s hands to calm her down.

    "Sigh¡­ I''m already here so what''s the point in getting upset¡­" Kazuya felt wronged but there was nothing he could do. Ayame already promised to give Kazuno Tech some benefits so he could only accept.

    "Then I will draw up the necessary papers for your manager to look through" Kanade smiled and Ayame''s manager who had remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal stood up to follow. They left the two alone in the room so they could discuss their business.

    Kazuya moved to make tea for the two of them because he knew that they might be here for a while. Ayame always liked to talk about her stuff and since it had been a while since they last met, he was most likely going to talk until he was up to speed about everything.

    "You know¡­ sometimes I''m quite jealous of how you present yourself" Ayame commented as she admired her friend who was quietly making tea. Ayame admired the simple actions Kaguya did because she knew that she wouldn''t be able to make such a simple task look as elegant.

    "(No matter how much you try to make it sound nice, it only sounds like an insult to me)" he thought. "Flattering me won''t work" Kaguya poured tea for the both of them before taking a seat on the opposite side of Ayame. "Why did you go through all the trouble to get me here?"

    "Something major happened today." Ayame took out her phone and handed it over. It was the Sacred Forest Academy''s message boards. Specifically, the one that had the most information about what happened during lunch break.

    "(These people really have nothing else to do)" he cursed the students who made these posts. Since school was already over by now, this information should have reached the parents of those students who had some kind of influence or connection. He could do nothing about it except prepare for the incoming backlash of what he had mentioned today.

    "You and my grandpa are the only two people who know my plans and how I feel. I already talked with my grandfather but I still feel a bit uneasy. Since you always listen to me and give me good and logical advise, I wanted to talk to you about it so that I can ask for your opinion on the matter"

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    "I don''t think you should be too concerned about it. From what I''ve read here, it looks like Kouzuki Kazuya was forced to say that he already had a fianc¨¦. He probably didn''t want to offend Stockton International for rejecting their princess'' proposal" Kazuya tried to soothe her worries in one fell swoop.

    "No. He wasn''t lying. You may not know it but Kazuya''s engagement had already been set before he was even born"

    .

 138 sGirls Talk

    .

    "You don''t know about it because I haven''t mentioned it before but Kazuya''s marriage was arranged before he was born." Ayame''s declaration was a like lightning that struck Kaguya. This was the first time that he had heard about this.

    "Judging by your expression, it seems like you understand why I am concerned" Ayame sighed after seeing the pale expression on her friend''s face. She didn''t know that Kaguya was shocked because he knew that it wasn''t Mei she was talking about because he had already been born before Kyouko met Mei.

    "A-are you sure about this?" Kaguya couldn''t help but ask.

    "I wouldn''t be this concerned if I wasn''t. Unfortunately, this is the reason why my grandfather was initially against me pursuing him. He was present when the engagement was decided after all." Ayame answered as she observed the different expressions that her friend was making. This made her feel a little touched since Kaguya rarely made any expressions yet she was now showing a lot of emotion because of the difficult problem she now presented. Ayame believed that her friend was trying her best to think of a solution for her.

    In reality, Kazuya didn''t know what to think at the moment. Various thoughts entered through his mind as he realized that he had dug himself a hole when he decided to use that method to reject Stockton Kurumi. Anyone in his grandfather''s circle would have assumed that he accepted the engagement that was set by them once they hear about what happened.

    Kuronuma Komori was already informed by Ayame so it was only a matter of time before their whole circle learned about it. He suddenly regretted announcing what was supposed to be vague agreement between his mother and Mei. This secret agreement between the old men just made things a lot more complicated because it didn''t seem like Kyouko knew about the arrangements his troublesome grandfather made for him in advance.

    "First things first, do you know who Kouzuki Kazuya was arranged to marry?" Kazuya tried to calm himself. There was no turning back time so the only thing he could do now was to find out everything that he could so that he can figure out a way to deal with the hole he just dug himself.

    "That''s the problem. His fianc¨¦ has always been beside him. I''ve spent too much time with my plans because I didn''t think that such an engagement would push through in this day and age. Kazuya gave off the impression that he wasn''t interested in such things yet but it turns out that he didn''t put his mind into it because he already made up his mind" Ayame couldn''t help but feel sorry for herself and bitterly smiled.

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    "You mean¡­ he''s engaged to Shiroyuki Tomoyo?" this came as another surprise because Jirou never mentioned such a thing to him. The doubts he had about Jirou being overly supportive of him was now cleared up. He was already seen as his future grandson so Jirou spared no effort in helping him in whatever he needed help with.

    Kazuya always found it strange that Jirou had been such a supportive figure when they got to know each other. He had always been lenient no matter what absurd thing Kazuya did and always defended him even if he didn''t agree with his way of doing things. Ayame''s revelation cleared up the doubts he had for a long time. It wasn''t the close ties of their families that made him responsible for taking care of Kazuya, it was a grandfather doting on his future grandson!

    "Yes, he is engaged to the Shiroyuki girl I was talking to you about last time. She has already taken over the female division in the middle school level and I have been considered someone from the past. This is especially because of my loss to Akabane Nanami who I heard was thanking Kazuya for all her improvements" she said with a sullen expression.

    "I see¡­" he was starting to think of ways to get out of such an engagement. He assumed that Tomoyo was in the same position that he was in and was not aware of the engagement as well. Kazuya didn''t even think that the robot girl he slowly raised would conspire against him especially since it involved both their fates. They did get along well and have been close throughout the years, but he treated her as a friend that he had a large amount of trust towards.

    "To be honest¡­ I feel betrayed." Ayame leaned on the table in low spirits. "Here I am working as best as I can for him but he goes and trains Akabane Nanami and had her ruin the undefeated streak I was supposed to have before graduating.

    "(Me? Betray her?)" he scoffed at her in his mind. "He didn''t betray you. You were just too busy with your plan and neglected training. This made Akabane Nanami catch up and defeat you after years of being under your shadow." Kaguya didn''t try to sugarcoat his words as he defended his alter ego.

    "You of all people know how busy our schedules were¡­" Ayame felt wronged that Kaguya didn''t take her side. Then again, this friend had always been like this and wasn''t afraid of telling her if she was wrong. "Akabane Nanami wasn''t supposed to catch up. I paid attention to her progress and estimated that she wouldn''t be able to catch up even if I stopped training. I didn''t expect her to try and seduce Kazuya¡­ that thieving cat" she grumbled.

    "Seduce?" Kaguya shook her head helplessly. "(Looks like this girl is still na?ve as ever.)"

    "There''s are a few things that you should know. Though Kazuya and Shiroyuki Tomoyo may have been betrothed to each other before they were born, it was Shiroyuki Jirou who drew the short end of the stick amongst all those who had granddaughters that was close to his age." Ayame told the story of how they were engaged. She knew the story from Komori because it was used as the catalyst so that they could convince Kou to switch the engagement over to Ayame instead.

    "What a troublesome bunch of old guys" Kaguya couldn''t help but put a palm on her face. Who would have thought that these bunch of respected old men were like kids whenever they were gathered together.

    "That''s not all, Akabane Nanami''s grandfather had the same idea as my grandfather and has been pushing grandpa Kou to accept the engagement between the two of them. Don''t you think that''s too shameless of them?" Ayame didn''t miss the chance to badmouth them.

    "(Aren''t you guys doing the same thing?)" was what Kazuya thought. Kouzuki Kou had always been a troublesome person but he didn''t expect that he already gave trouble for his own grandson before he was even born. Kyouko was most likely not aware of this which was why he never heard of it before.

    Kazuya was a little thankful towards Ayame. He wouldn''t have known these things if it weren''t for her. His identity as Kazuno Kaguya finally gave him something that didn''t involve what they had planned for it. This information wouldn''t have been available to Kouzuki Kazuya because from his perspective, his grandfather was taking advantage of the situation and enjoying being fought over by his friends.

    He understood how Kouzuki Kou thought. He was silently taking revenge for his friends who didn''t want to agree to a betrothment before they found out how capable Kazuya was in this lifetime. This was what was holding the old man back from informing them or announcing it officially which gave Kazuya a little time to think of countermeasures for this.

    Though he initially thought of this as a troublesome chore, he was starting to find a couple of advantages when taking on a girl''s identity. Combining his experiences with what Matsumoto taught him about women, he was slowly finding women to be a good source of information in which a boy or male like him would have to go through a lot to find out.

    "Did he use the Kouzuki clan''s promise?" this was probably the most important point.

    "Do you think we would have made a move if they did? Even I would have lost hope if the engagement was sealed with the Kouzuki clan''s promise" this was what Ayame was feeling unsure about. Kouzuki Kou may not have used the unbreakable promise in the name of the Kouzuki clan but she wasn''t sure if Kazuya did.

    "What do you plan to do?" Kaguya asked curiously. Ayame was a prideful girl so he hoped that she would back down quietly.

    "I''m going to just start the plan and show myself in front of him after my concert!" she declared as if she had just decided. This startled Kazuya because this was exactly what he was afraid of. This girl just made a rash decision that will make his situation even more precarious.

    "Don''t be stupid and impulsive" Kaguya tried to remain indifferent and scolded. "You will be given the same treatment Stockton Kurumi was given if you recklessly go through with your plan." He had no choice but to try and convince this girl to keep quiet.

    "What do you think I should do then? Let them quietly get married without even trying!?" Ayame was clearly agitated. Though Kazuya wanted to answer with a simple yes, he already knew that this girl was not going to listen.

    If there was one thing he learned about this girl after spending time with her as Kazuno Kaguya, it was that she was not as bad as he thought. Although she had quite a unique way of thinking, she was but a stubborn girl who seemed to have taken an interest towards a boy.

    Though he was not an experienced person when it came to relationships, he believed he wasn''t dense. Kurumi was attached to him because of her obsession when they were friends. Although he had no memories of the time spent between them in their childhood, comparing the current one and the one from his previous life, he judged that what happened between them was nothing serious enough that would cause the princess to chase him around like she did now.

    From Kazuya''s point of view, Ayame was very similar to the spoiled princess of Stockton International. The difference between them was the starting point. Ayame immediately felt a bond between them because of the secret they instantly shared with each other. She steadily grew fonder of him as time passed by in which she observed and watched him grow into the impressive person that he was today. Adding the fact that she felt highly competitive over the Shiroyuki Tomoyo who she had lost to in the past.

    Both girls were used to getting what they wanted and they most likely grew attached to him because of his rejection towards them. Kazuya was aware of this and he put more importance towards Ayame''s feelings because although he didn''t have a choice, he got to know her and her feelings more while he was playing the role of Kazuno Kaguya. Comparing her to what he assumed was Kurumi''s obsession towards him, although this girl''s initial approach towards him was strange, she truly had developed feelings towards him that now had nothing to do with why she paid attention to him in the first place.

    "(These girls really have a way of making me realize how pathetic I was in my previous life¡­)" he couldn''t help but feel a little pity towards the old version of himself. Ayame would have never noticed him because of his inability to use mana and Kurumi would have remained the curious girl that would pop up to disrupt his daily life.

    "(Wait a minute¡­)" a sudden thought popped up in his mind. If his hunch was correct, not only would he have gotten a lot of answers in this life, Kazuya would also have solved a mystery that bugged him from his previous one.

    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Ayame was growing impatient. The Kaguya she knew, although was supposed to be younger than her had opinions about the matters she tried to discuss. She was afraid to hear that she had to give up on her plans after all the effort and sacrifices she made.

    "I''m thinking about the consequences if you hastily implement your plan. Don''t forget, although you are extremely popular, the power and advantages of being engaged to a person such as Stockton Kurumi outweighs a relationship with you." He tried to calm Ayame down. He didn''t want to be badmouthed by her fans when he rejected her and the Kouzuki Corporation would suffer in the aftermath of it all.

    "Then what are you thinking about?" Ayame urged to get an answer.

    "I''ve been thinking about what happened. Although I''m not sure, I think Kouzuki Kazuya was bluffing. You said that there have been a lot of students he had rejected yet this was the first time that he had mentioned that he already had a fianc¨¦." He didn''t want to reveal what he had done but it was better than letting this girl recklessly pursue in in the eyes of the public.

    "Are you saying that he lied?" Ayame was startled. This was almost the same conclusion that her grandfather made earlier.

    "From your stories of him, I think he had no other choice. He could have mentioned this so-called engagement when he first received a confession or even the ones that followed after that yet it was only after Stockton Kurumi showed her stubbornness to continue pursuing him that he had no choice but to cut off her intentions." Ayame''s eyes instantly lit up after hearing what her best friend had to say. She didn''t find it strange and it was as if Kaguya knew what was going through Kazuya''s mind.

    "Actually¡­ my grandfather said the same thing¡­" Ayame narrated her earlier conversation with Komori.

    "(Damn¡­ looks like they were on to me)" Kazuya felt like he was going to have a headache. Kouzuki Kou really had many ways of making trouble for him.

    "Thank you Kaguya." Ayame couldn''t help but give this friend of hers a hug after seeing that she was still thinking about the matter. "I''ll tell you immediately after I get news from grandpa" she kissed Kaguya''s cheek.

    This made Kaguya extremely embarrassed. Not only did he let Ayame approach him while he was deep in thought, his hormones seemed to have responded to this attractive girl''s scent. He could only struggle free as Ayame giggled after seeing this anti-social friend of hers reacted.

    "I have one thing I am curious about." He immediately decided to change the topic. "Is Shiroyuki Tomoyo aware of the arrangement between her and Kouzuki Kazuya?"

    "She is. That girl has been aware of it from when I first fought her in the competition." Ayame saw a bit of surprise coming from Kaguya so she decided to give a little more detail. "My grandfather told me that Shiroyuki Jirou already introduced her to their group when their family hosted a gathering." Ayame sighed. "Do you know what she told me when we faced each other in a match?"

    "What did she say?"

    "She was only in second grade at the time but her declaration still left me with an impression." Ayame shrugged her shoulders.

    "??" Kazuya was a little confused. Tomoyo shouldn''t have talked to Ayame who was a complete stranger at that time.

    "Her words were, ''Kazuya is mine''."

    .

 139 Matters of the Pas

    .

    Kuronuma Ayame was successfully cheered up by her best friend Kaguya and she left after promising to send any update about the matter. Though she was still a little worried about the whole incident, Kaguya''s opinions about the matter convinced the girl that relying on her best friend was the right thing to do. Ayame secretly praised herself for having such a good eye on people.

    Unlike Ayame however, Kazuya was quite upset. He felt that Kanade and Mei had him right where they wanted him. He had no choice but to go with the act because Kazuno Tech was raking in all the benefits of his current identity.

    Though he was initially bothered by how he needed to make an appearance as Kazuno Kaguya just because of Ayame''s demands, because he was able to obtain information that he normally wouldn''t have gotten with his real identity, Kazuya didn''t could only shake his head as another issue suddenly appeared.

    The issue of being betrothed to the robot girl Shiroyuki Tomoyo was something that he never expected at all. Well, it was something that fit the troublesome nature of Kouzuki Kou but seeing at this incident happened before he was even born, there was no way he could have prevented it.

    "(Was this the reason that robot girl has been hanging around me all the time?)" Kazuya thought.

    He didn''t think of himself as one of those dense characters that were most of the times annoying inliterature because he was aware of some people''s feeling towards him but how could someone get an accurate read on the feelings of someone who barely even talked?

    That''s not the hardest thing about it though. Kazuya started to ponder about how he was treated by the Shiroyuki Tomoyo of this life and from the other one. While he was not sure of how the current one felt about him, what he learned from Ayame a few moments ago shed a lot of light into the matter on how the Shiroyuki Tomoyo who persistently hunted him down treated him.

    "(So she was my fianc¨¦ without my knowledge¡­ That was her way of integrating herself into the past me''s life?)" he shrugged his shoulders and was a little glad that he was able to change the Shiroyuki Tomoyo in this life. Though she wouldn''t be able to do anything to him as he was able to retain his past life''s memories, just the fact that she would be gunning for him like that again would definitely be troublesome.

    The robot girl though as unemotional as she might appear was a very abedient girl after all. she would remember everything that she was told and would follow them as much as she could. If she chased after him in the state he was in his previous life then it meant that she was aware of their grandfathers'' arrangements at a very young age because Kouzuki Kou, Shiroyuki Tomoyo as well as a bunch of their friends did disappear even before his mother and him got into the accident that changed his life forever.

    "(Then did I¡­ hate her while she had good intentions?)" Kazuya''s frown got a little deeper since he felt a little guilty about treating her like an enemy he wanted to kill when they first met in this life. If he wasn''t aware of the good relations both their families had then he would have hurt her very badly just because of what he experienced in his past life.

    "(No¡­)" Kazuya sighed and shrugged his shoulders. Though found himself unreasonable, anyone else who was in the same situation wouldn''t have acted differently. Even though he was given a second chance, he still considered himself as normal as everyone else when it came to reacting as a human being. He had no way of finding out the reason why he was treated by her that way.

    Hashiyama Lee would always find ways to create trouble for him and would even send a few of his goons just to beat him up. The princess of Stockton International wasn''t helping with her stalking antics either as multiple fans of hers would pressure Kazuya and would sometimes vent their jealousy on him which was why the addition of Shiroyuki Tomoyo didn''t make much of a difference to him at that point.

    Never would anyone as handicapped and disfigured as his previous self would think that she approached him because she was his fianc¨¦. Even if he was told, he wouldn''t believe that someone who approached him and beat him up that badly would be willing to be his wife.

    Kazuya comforted himself as he thought about this and gave another deep sigh. Even though he knew that he was right about this, the fact that knowing about it now made him feel a little guilty. This was no one else''s fault except for this troublesome grandfather who seemed to have forced Shiroyuki Jirou to give his word on the matter.

    "You seem to have a lot on your mind despite gaining so many benefits." a mischievous voice immediately snapped Kazuya out of his inner thoughts as he found Kanade grinning at him together with her son whose mischievous personality was definitely taken from his mother.

    "What benefits? All the benefits are towards someone or something else other than me who has to deal with everything else." Kazuya couldn''t help but give another sigh.

    "You should really stop that bad habit of yours of sighing too much. Don''t you know that each sigh takes away a little of your life''s happiness?" Kanade scolded in a light tone.

    "How can I not sigh? I''m the one who has to deal with all these troublesome things just for things I didn''t even ask for." Kazuya complained in a self depreciatingly.

    "That''s why you''re the boss. It''s your job to shoulder on these responsibilities" Kanade''s words surprised Kazuya and made her look at her in surprise. It was rare to have this mischievous lady say something appropriate and insightful.

    "¡­" Kazuya was speechless as she looked gazed at her and Takaya who was also taken by surprise. Both youths expected Kanade to add salt to the wound.

    "Why are you two looking at me like that?" Kanade felt a bit insulted as she twisted her son''s ears. "Can''t I say something worthy of a parent?" She looked at Takaya sternly and made her son tap out a couple of times before finally letting him go with a throbbing ear.

    "Can''t say I can deny those words but even though you''re correct, it doesn''t mean that I can just take everything in stride. I do have a conscience after all. Though I do not have any favorable impressions about Kuronuma Ayame, it doesn''t make what I''m doing right." Kazuya again gave another sigh.

    "It''s already too late the moment we accepted her to this company. I''m surprised you haven''t confronted me yet about telling her the truth as I have prepared myself." Kanade paused a little after taking a look at Kazuya''s reaction. "It looks like my worries about it are for nothing because you don''t seem to have any intentions of telling her separately." Kanade was inwardly surprised by this. She already gave him the chance to open up the topic.

    "Why?" Takaya whose grin disappeared felt a little uncomfortable. He felt that though Kazuya was a little selfish, he didn''t do anything that was wrong. This was what he liked about him as he expected Kazuya to want to expose the identity of Kaguya to Ayame the moment he was used as a person she could gain information about him from. "Don''t you think that all of this will hurt her deeply once the truth is revealed? Don''t you have any plans of telling her at all?"

    "She will know once everyone else knows. Kuronuma Ayame will be hurt along with the fans that admired Kazuno Kaguya." Kazuya couldn''t help but answer bluntly.

    "Looks like I''ve misjudged you. I thought that even though you''re not a person who would help someone out selflessly you wouldn''t keep doing something as bad as taking advantage of a girl that has deep feelings for you." Takaya couldn''t help but scold his friend. He was the person who tried to convince his mother to give Kazuya the chance to at least let Ayame know who he was.

    "Idiot" Kazuya looked at Takaya before turning his head over to Kanade.

    "I didn''t explain anything to him because even I don''t know what''s going on in your mind for sure. You may have reasons aside from what I''m thinking of so I''ll leave it to you to educate this son of mine." Kanade smiled.

    "Fine¡­" getting the go signal from the mother, Kazuya turned to his friend. "Do you think I want to keep up with this farce?" he narrowed his eyes.

    "Uh¡­" Just from the first sentence that came from his best friend''s mouth, Takaya knew that he barked up the wrong tree. "Then why¡­"

    "What do you think her reaction would be if she found out that the friend she talked to Kouzuki Kazuya about turned out to be the person himself?" Kazuya didn''t answer and asked another question that left Takaya speechless.

    "The existence of Kazuno Kaguya is still necessary I can''t risk anyone exposing the secret. This is one way of keeping the Kuroganes on their toes as they have been spending a lot of effort into making sure that there isn''t a chance of collaboration between Kazuno Tech and the Kouzuki Corporation because that would only make things a lot worse for those prideful swine who would rather create troubles rather than accepting defeat towards the clan that they bullied the most.

    Kuronuma Ayame wasn''t even supposed to be involved with this but you shouldn''t blame me but rather the person beside you for letting her get involved in this." Kazuya turned towards Kanade who wasn''t able to avoid blame.

    "Hey it wasn''t just me! Even Kazuno-san agreed to it! Besides, if it wasn''t for both of you, Kazuno Tech''s popularity would be a lot less than it is now." Kanade replied.

    This was true. Kazuya wasn''t able to refute it since not only did the combination of their surprisingly high popularity as friends help Kazuno Tech, it also helped the Aoki theatre group a lot. Another good part that came from this was Kyouko''s permission for him to join S class which gave him a lot of time to train and take care of matters that had to be done.

    "It''s fine, I think I get it." Takaya immediately backed out after Kazuya turned to him once again with the intention of continuing. He felt a little dumb for doubting Kazuya who put his overprotectiveness over his family before anything else. Though he was supposed to be older than Kazuya and considered himself to be the more mature one, he slowly losing his confidence when it came to serious matters such as these.

    "Then if you would be as kind as to restore my appearance¡­" Kazuya turned towards Kanade. "I would like to get back home and have a word with my dear ''grandfather''" Kazuya emphasized the last word which gave the mother and son pair shivers.

    Looks like Kouzuki Kou was in trouble this time. Both of them wondered just what Kuronuma Ayame said to incur the wrath of this scary youngster.

    -

    Kazuya arrived at the Kouzuki household after discussing a few matters with Kanade and Takaya. It was already night out when he arrived.

    "Kazuya!" he was immediately pulled by his mother into her arms as soon as he arrived. This habit had developed as soon as Kazuya entered middle school. Kyouko had been afraid that now that he was entering puberty, he would act like the other children who would always avoid their parents and rebel.

    "I''m back mom¡­" Kazuya didn''t reject her since he was well aware of why this habit developed. He already promised her that he wouldn''t change so he let Kyouko indulge herself whenever she could. This was also caused by the anxiety of him spending some time with the Kuroganes after all. "You''re back quite early today?"

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    "I heard about what happened in your school today" Kyouko nervously played with his hair as they sat on the couch.

    "A day hasn''t even passed by¡­" Kazuya frowned. He originally planned to open this conversation up once the culprit he wanted to punish showed himself but Kyouko had already taken the initiative.

    "You forget, Yumi was once a student in your school. She pays attention to any news about you." Kyouko reminded.

    "Yumi-nee-san huh¡­" Kazuya thought about the pretty secretary who was probably left in the office to deal with the rest of his mother''s work.

    "Even if Yumi didn''t let me know, I''ve received a lot of calls today from various peers who asked about your revelation both directly and indirectly. Your school is filled with the next generation of these people after all." Kyouko informed.

    "You didn''t answer them didn''t you?" Kazuya was a little nervous. Kyouko wasn''t a stranger to the discussed method they had to use if they had no choice but to answer.

    "What do you think?" Kyouko gave a mischievous smile as she softened her hold on Kazuya so that he could peek at her face.

    "Phew¡­ so I''m safe¡­" he relaxed after getting confidence in his read on his mother.

    "Muu¡­" Kyouko pouted. "Am I really that easy to read?" she felt a blow to her confidence because she was a queen in her field after all.

    "My mom is the best woman who cares for me after all!" Kazuya hugged her tight and returned her affection. Kyouko did like to be hugged by him after all.

    "Hmph! I''ll let you off this time¡­" she returned the hug but her nose caught a whiff of something.

    "You reek of women¡­" she frowned. After finding about his secret, she had started to pay attention to these things because she was afraid that he might give into his hormones at a young age. "Hmm¡­ the usual ones are there but why is the one from grandpa Komori''s granddaughter so strong?"

    "Well¡­" Kazuya was about to explain himself when he felt a familiar presence enter the living room.

    "You shouldn''t be too overprotective of that aspect of his growth my dear daughter. He is a man of the Kouzuki house so he should enjoy himself like a real man before he settles down." Kouzuki Kou entered the room with a grin on his face after hearing Kyouko''s inquiry.

    "My Kazuya isn''t the type to fool around with women!" Kyouko turned to her son. "Right?"

    "Don''t worry mom. I don''t plan on getting into that kind of relationship until later on" Kazuya tried to alleviate Kyouko''s worries before turning towards Kou. "Grandfather¡­"

    "!!" Kou immediately took the hint and tried to leave the room. He enhanced his legs quickly to get away but he felt a threatening presence holding onto his clothes to prevent him from getting away. His grandson would only call him formally when he was in trouble and it would usually end up with him being a sparring partner for this little monster who he has seen numerous times fighting on par with Tsuna Nagato. How could he not be afraid?

    "What did you do now father?" Kyouko narrowed her eyes and looked at her father as if he was already guilty.

    "I don''t know! I''ve only been busy with the plans for your security and haven''t had any time for anything else I swear!" Kou didn''t know what he had done this time and was pulled to the couch where the mother and son pair stood in front of him with their arms crossed.

    "What did he do?" Kyouko turned to her son. She didn''t doubt that her father had done something but was curious as to what this troublesome man who was more of a child than his actual grandson had done this time.

    "Mom, were you aware that grandfather tried to arrange my marriage before I was born? It was even towards all his friends who had granddaughters!"

    .

 140 Kazuyaâ€™s own Theory

    .

    Fujiyama Yumi was on her way home after handling the rest of the matters for the day after Kouzuki Kyouko left for the day to avoid the phone calls that have been bothering her ever since the news of Kazuya rejecting the proposal of Stockton International princess had spread. People had less guts to ask someone who was the successor of the name Kouzuki Corporation''s Ice Queen because she, like her predecessor, was as cold as ice when she dealt with business matters.

    It was when she was driving home that she got a call from the only person who she had no problems explaining the situation to.

    "Were all the things I read true? The young master was really proposed to by that princess?" This was the first words that Yumi''s sister who was now away in a university asked.

    "It''s true. The mistress went home early today to talk to the young master¡­" she explained what happened.

    Yui was originally planned to work full time after she had graduated from her studies but the girl had decided to learn more about cuisine so that she could satisfy the palates of both Kyouko and the young master that she was supposed to serve. Because of her reason, their grandmother had approved of Yui''s decision. The young master was a bit of a gourmet after all.

    "So that''s what happened¡­" Yui''s voice was convinced. The actions suited someone like Kazuya after all. "Was the person he was describing Mei-chan?" she couldn''t help but ask.

    "Who else could it be?" Yumi parked her car after arriving at the Kouzuki estate.

    *BAAM*

    A loud sound that was accompanied by a tremor immediately alerted Yumi as she got out of her car and rushed to the source of the commotion.

    "Welcome home Yumi" Akane greeted her after she had arrived.

    "What''s going on grandma?" Yumi peeked at the garden that was covered in a cloud of dust. The moment it cleared up, she found the master of the household lying on the ground while the young master who seemed to have been the one who caused this, stood proudly over Kouzuki Kou.

    "The miss and the young master just found out that Kou-sama had arranged a marriage for the young master before he was born." Akane replied.

    "It''s your turn mom. He won''t be able to bully you now." Kazuya tagged Kyouko in to have a chance at punishing Kou who had most of his strength used up by now. Kyouko wasn''t fit for battles against someone like Kou so she was usually bullied by her father who had been growing a lot ever since Kou was being taught by Tsuna again.

    "Welcome back Yumi-nee." Kazuya already knew the moment she arrived and went to greet her after Kyouko had started another round of punishment towards her father.

    "I''m home young m-master." Yumi stuttered as she remembered her conversation with Kyouko during the day. She tried to hide the flush on her face and was a little glad that it was night time.

    "I know things have been busy but how is your progress lately?" Kazuya asked since he hasn''t looked over her progress for a while.

    If this had been three years ago, both Yumi and Akane would have been shocked at the scene that was taking place at the yard. Tsuna''s arrival however changed Kazuya''s plans a bit as he added an entry to the book that was produced and entrusted to him by the demon lord; Hellion Mallum.

    [Theory of Potential Unlocking]

    ¡¤Taking into consideration the theory of omnispecies, Earth may have once had an abundant amount of mana but in the span of time, the planet''s inhabitants have evolved or devolved to adjust the scarce presence of mana itself.

    ¡¤The capacity for creatures to take full advantage of the usage of mana has been locked through the passage of time to make sure that the planet, with its lowered level of mana to survive.

    ¡¤All creatures have their genes working in their lifespan. These genes have been inherited from the past and while some of them are active, most of them are in a dormant state.

    ¡¤Certain conditions like battling or danger may unlock additional potential and/or increase the chances of improvement. It would depend on a person''s available unlockable potential but most of it is unknown at this point.

    - An example of this when a creature is in it''s growing stages, genes that are responsible for growth of both the body and the mind are activated and accelerate a person''s capabilities.

    - Another example is when you grow up and those genes are locked slowly. An adult will no longer have the metabolism they once had as well as the healing factors.

    ¡¤Certain triggers in the environment will trigger the dormant genes of these creatures to be activated. It is possible that everyone has an innate ability to take advantage of the once abundant mana in the planet. The potential however has been locked and remains dormant because of the planet or the environment''s condition.

    With Kazuya''s access to earth''s technology as well as his memories of his time in Edea, this was one of the experiments he had confidently added into the legendary book that was made by his predecessor. It was taken after his study of genetics as well as the various notes of Natsu''s theory of omnispecies that fascinated him the moment he read it.

    The Kouzuki clan''s main house had an abundant amount of mana ever since Kazuya had formed the mana gathering formation. It was only until a certain incident that this formation had grown unstable and the abundant mana it once had needed some time to recover to its ideal state.

    With that in mind, the people inside it like Mei who was like Kazuya and originally did not have the talent to naturally control or sense mana eventually had the capacity to because of the knowledge that Kazuya had imparted to her. While the two of them unlocked their potential through knowledge, their growth was unlocked because of the environment.

    Kyouko and Kou who originally had the talent and capacity towards mana grew even more because of the environment in their natural habitat. This gave Kazuya the idea to see if the other people that lived in their household like Fujiyamas could potentially unlock their capacities because of it.

    The Fujiyamas, especially Akane, Yumi and Yui had already proven themselves to be trustworthy in Kazuya''s eyes so to increase the protection in their family, Kazuya and Tsuna decided to give teaching them how to use mana a try. They were not the only ones who were taught as Kazuya already started on Tomoyo and Nanami whose homes were inside the range that was affected by the formation Kazuya had slowly expanded throughout the years.

    Tsuna and Kou were responsible for Akane while Kyouko and Kazuya were responsible for Yumi''s learning. Yui, was a little unfortunate because she was going to leave and train her culinary skills so she was not included in the plan.

    As for the results, Kazuya had included notes in his theory that recorded Yumi''s progress that was a lot similar to Mei. The only difference in their path was their primary elements which were a complete contrast of each other. Yumi had an affinity to the water element and had taken a liking to using ice spells that fit her nickname in the business world quite well.

    "I have made some progress young master." Yumi opened her palm and within seconds, a small ice sculpture started forming in her palm. The finer details took a little time but it was a lot quicker compared to when Kazuya last asked.

    "Impressive!" an honest praise startled Yumi a little as Kazuya held her hand to feel the flow of mana that came from her hand. "You have grown quite fast despite how busy everything¡­ huh?" Kazuya was a little surprised because the mana flow he felt had been quite disturbed causing the sculpture to form a few cracks. "Your control has improved a lot but as usual, your concentration¡­" Kazuya''s voice trailed off as he couldn''t think of why someone like Yumi had problems with her concentration.

    "I apologize young master¡­" Yumi couldn''t help but feel a little bitter because anyone else wouldn''t have been able to put a dent on her concentration. The fact that Kazuya held her hand so casually every time he asked her to perform this made her want to cry as her resistance towards him was something that she couldn''t improve.

    "It''s fine Yumi-nee. I''m just a little worried that you might have been overworking yourself after seeing that you''ve made such progress." The worried gaze Kazuya gave her filled Yumi''s chest with warmth and her stomach butterflies.

    "Kazuya, Stop bullying Yumi-chan." Kyouko appeared by his side.

    Kazuya glanced as where Kou was and saw that Akane had already moved towards him and used a spell that helped recover injuries. Though it was one of the basic spells, it was better than nothing and it gave Akane some practice as well.

    "I would never bully Yumi-nee. She''s kind and tries to help me with things even if I don''t ask." Kazuya replied and made Yumi''s knees weaken. Kyouko found this amusing.

    "Then how do you think Yumi-chan will be like as a wife?" Kyouko asked while grinning towards Yumi who tensed up.

    "A perfect wife" Kazuya replied nonchalantly.

    "I didn''t know you had such a high evaluation of Yumi-chan. Does that make her your ideal wife then?" Kyouko saw the begging expression on Yumi''s face but she asked her son anyway.

    "Who wouldn''t want a beautiful and elegant person like Yumi-nee for a wife? They would probably have something wrong with them!" Kazuya nodded to himself as his mood improved after taking his frustrations out on Kou.

    "Then what do you think about¡ª"

    "Y-young master!" Yumi immediately interrupted the conversation before Kyouko could finish her sentence. "Who did Kou-sama betroth you with?"

    "Shiroyuki Tomoyo"

    -

    34th floor of the Salt Lake Hotel, inside one of the most famous restaurants in the city, Jonson, Kurumi and Maron were having dinner. This was the place where Kurumi liked to eat the most when they dined outside and her father made reservations immediately after hearing about what happened during the day.

    "I didn''t know something like that happened during the day¡­ Sorry Ku-chan. I should have been there to back you up so that that idiot wouldn''t have had the guts to reject your proposal." Maron grit her teeth and tried to comfort the sullen Kurumi who had looked gloomy all day.

    "Stop it Maron." Jonson stopped his niece. He was quite upset since his daughter had once again made another blunder just after her return. Kurumi didn''t tell him about her plans even though this had to do something with her future. Jonson couldn''t help but be both a little annoyed and thankful towards Kazuya for his reaction today.

    "Don''t tell me that you''re on Kouzuki Kazuya''s side uncle?" Maron talked back and got a glare in reply.

    "At first, I didn''t want to interfere with Kurumi''s matters because I wanted my daughter to mature and be responsible for her own decisions. I can only blame myself for spoiling you too much Kurumi. This is my fault." Jonson surprisingly apologized towards Kurumi who was taken aback at her proud father''s apology.

    "This has nothing to do with you Dad. I¡­ didn''t do enough research¡­" Kurumi replied as her voice turned softer.

    "No, I should have given you a bit of advice. I knew you were already heading to a direction that put yourself farther away from your goal of getting closer to Kouzuki Kazuya but I remained silent and hoped that your EQ would improve as was initially low because of your identity." Jonson sighed.

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    "EQ¡­ Is it really that bad?" Kurumi asked while wondering if that really was the case.

    "I''ll put it in a way that you''d get a clear understanding¡­ You''re unable to see past your own preferred scenario. You may have been researching Kouzuki Kazuya but you never thought about how he thought and assumed that he would react possitively in your imagination. He is not me my dear daughter. He will not react positively to whatever you do." Though Jonson sounded harsh, he originally wanted to say that the level he put Kurumi at was Maron''s EQ level while Kurumi''s was even lower but he couldn''t bring himself to say that.

    "I¡ª"

    A beautiful melody suddenly interrupted their conversation as the grand piano in the restaurant caught the attention of the people that were dining.

    "That''s weird¡­ there shouldn''t be anyone playing tonight¡­" Jonson didn''t recognize the person that was playing the piano. It was probably a customer who was quite capable but unlike him, his daughter recognized the person playing as soon as she saw his face.

    "Kazuya-kun''s father¡­" she muttered. Kurumi had done all sorts of research on Kazuya. After hearing about his introduction to his father, she of course did her research on Kurogane Shishio. Though the father and son had their differences, Kazuya resembled this man quite a bit so Kurumi was able to recognize him immediately.

    "The crown prince of the Kurogane conglomerate huh¡­" Jonson immediately fell into deep thought. This person''s position was already in the bag and their banquet was not too far off.

    "Like father, like son" Maron commented. "Looks like both of them have similarities other than their looks. I wonder if he could sing as well as his son?"

    "What do you mean Maron-chan?" Kurumi instantly reacted to her thoughtless comments. "Did you hear Kazuya-kun sing!?" as if forgetting about her current situation, the envious look Kurumi gave her made Maron think that there was no saving this cousin of hers.

    "He... performed in the music class and made most of the people who listened cry, including sensei¡­" Maron retold the story and didn''t forget to add the argument that led to the shocking event.

    "That''s unfair¡­ I want to hear¡­" Kurumi felt even more regret. She left after Kazuya had rejected her after all.

    *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP* the people in the restaurant applauded after Shishio had finished playing his piece.

    "Thank you. I was only dared by my father who didn''t believe that I had retained my piano lessons as a child but I am glad that everyone applauded my shameful performance." Shishio bowed politely at the crowd. He looked over to the table that was right next to the Stocktons where Tenma had been sitting with a glass of wine.

    Jonson didn''t notice it until now but the current head and the next head of the Kurogane clan had been sitting near him all this time. He was in his doting father mode so he really didn''t pay attention to the people in the restaurant but Shishio''s performance immediately made him very much aware of his mistake.

    "(I should have given a closer better look at the patrons before taking a seat¡­)" Jonson thought to himself as he wasn''t able to tell if those two were here before him or arrived after they have. It may be the same to most people but to Jonson, the presence of people like them just knowing this fact would have shed some light in knowing why these two were here.

    "Hmm?" Shishio passed by the table and looks to have noticed the Stocktons. "I didn''t think I would run into the Stocktons. Good evening to you." Stockton Jonson couldn''t tell if this person was acting or not. If he was, he was quite good at it because Stockton Jonson already had a trained eye that was used to reading all sorts of people.

    "You''re Kouzuki Kazuya''s father right?" Maron spoke before anyone else could.

    "Hmm? Yes he is my son. It will be Kurogane Kazuya soon though." Shishio acted as this didn''t have anything to do with the conversation. He was secretly thankful to the rude Maron who helped him steer the conversation directly into the main topic. "Did he perhaps do anything that displeased this young lady?"

    "Tell me, who is he engaged to and do you have the capability to make my cousin take over that position?"

    .

 141 Freedom

    .

    H prefecture prison, a large facility that used to be a place that housed a lot of prisoners from the wars many decades ago. In this day and age, this place housed the criminals that have committed different crimes.

    "Mail!" one of the prisoners that was entrusted with handing mail over to the other inmates made rounds. There was one cell that he hesitated to go to and that was in the farthest corner of the block.

    This specific cell contained the man who was supposed to have been executed long ago but due to some technicality with a number of his cases, he ended up getting sentenced to a life imprisonment instead. He was caught after getting wounded after an unexpected retaliation from one of his victims that led to the survival of the witness that caused him to almost be executed.

    "T-there is some mail for you again Shiriharu Kira-san¡­" he stuttered more as the man turned around with a threatening presence.

    Shiriharu Kira didn''t usually get any contact from the outside world because everyone who knew him made sure to deny any connection towards him after he was caught. He recently started getting strange letters that contained two kinds of notes.

    One was supposedly a report on an appeal to his case that he never had the intention to pursue because of after he had been condemned by the public, he found no chance to overturn his situation because he had offended a figure that had both power and influence. The second note however, contained instructions that wanted to confirm if he had not lost his will after being locked up for so long.

    Since he had no idea who was trying to contact him, there were specific instructions written in these notes that would indicate his reply. Kira figured out that whoever was trying to contact him had someone observing him from inside the prison. He couldn''t tell if it was another prisoner like himself or one of the guards that were looking over them.

    He decided to humor whoever it was that was trying to contact him because although he may have decided not to file any appeals to his case, he never intended to stay locked up in this place if he could help it.

    Shiriharu Kira''s response of course was rewarded in the span of just a few days in which he realized that whoever it was that had contacted him was quite serious. He ate the small notes that were attached to the progress reports so that there wouldn''t be anyone that found them after he had learned that whoever this person was, their goal was simple; they wanted to give him back his freedom.

    [Enjoy your pudding. See you on the other side]

    This was the very last note he received inside the prison. He felt extremely suspicious about this because he still wasn''t sure of the person or people who were trying to get in touch with him were really on his side or not. He had a lot of victims and was probably the best serial killer in his generation. He both had skills in killing and loved the feeling of blood on his skin.

    "(Well whatever. Might as well take this chance rather than rotting inside this place. At least in hell, I would have the chance to bathe in my own blood at least.)" he grinned before eating the pudding he was given whole. Moments later, he felt his body convulsing and he had lost consciousness.

    Kira wasn''t aware how much time had passed but he woke up because of the pain his head was in after the bright sunlight that passed through the gap of the curtains landed on his eyelids. He felt extremely sluggish like he had been in bed for a couple of days.

    "(Huh? Curtains? Sunlight?)" his eyes opened wide and immediately sat up to find himself inside a small room that looked like an apartment.

    He quickly opened the curtains and couldn''t help but think that he was in a dream. Shiriharu Kira was still inside the H prefecture but he was no longer in prison. His gamble had paid off and he was somewhere in the city.

    It didn''t take long for him to come back to his senses as he closed the curtains once more. He was still someone who was just recently behind bars. He still didn''t have any information on how he got out of prison nor did he know where he was right now. Kira immediately scanned the room he was in and immediately found what seemed to be the keys to this place along with an envelope that contained a few things.

    "(Identification, money and a note¡­)" He found the basic means to survive for the time being. There were even used clothes that were actually his size in the closet. He couldn''t help but wonder who in the world helped him get out and what was their purpose in going though all that trouble for a killer like him? He turned to the folded note as it was his only clue.

    [Welcome back to the outside world. I''m sure you are wondering why you were freed but we''ll save that for later. There would be a time where we can meet each other so enjoy your new lease on life as much as you want. Let''s just say that I wanted to help another person with similar interests and it wouldn''t hurt to have you owe me one.

    I''ve taken care of the basic things you would need to rejoin society. It is up to you now on how you wish to proceed. Don''t let this debt stop you from doing your work. I only ask that you be extremely careful with how you do things because even I would not be able to help you once more if you are caught again.-K ]

    "A person with similar interests¡­?" he couldn''t help but mutter as he thought of a person in the same profession that had eluded the authorities even before he had the thirst for blood. "He wants me to resume my work?" glancing at the bedside table, he found a familiar object and played with it in his hands. This was a set of knives that was neatly rolled together. These knives were a similar set that baffled investigators when they initially found his victims.

    He used several types of knives so there were already a number of victims before anyone could figure out that it was done by only one person. This was how he got the nickname ''Knives''.

    "Its good that this person doesn''t or hasn''t asked for anything from me just yet. It gives me time to settle some scores¡­" he grinned as he turned on the worn-out computer that was placed in the corner of the room to look for a specific people that were the cause of his downfall.

    -

    A few days later, at Sacred Forest Academy, Kouzuki Kazuya was having yet another argument with the homeroom teacher of class 2-B. He was being questioned about his disappearance after he was specifically asked to meet up with Hamasaki Hikaru after the last time he attended school.

    "I had no choice in the matter. I was instructed to meet with a person that I wouldn''t normally meet under normal circumstances. That person is very busy so I had no choice but to follow their schedules." He calmly replied.

    "Is that your excuse? Is that how famous personalities such as yourself excuse yourselves nowadays?" Hikaru had no intention of backing down. She originally intended to give this boy a chance and get to know him better but she ended up getting slapped in the face.

    "I really had no choice in the matter so I apologize if I offended you by doing that." Kazuya tried to sincerely apologize but Hikaru didn''t buy it. She was too used to people that had some kind of backing and they would always have two faces to them.

    "I don''t buy it. I heard from the staff that you are one who doesn''t listen in class and even snaps on teachers who try to fix your demeanor in class." Hikaru took the chance to scold him for the other teachers'' grievances as well. Though she ignored the part where they told her that it was better than Kazuya taking advantage of his privileges and not show up at school at all like most of the other members of S class.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya was annoyed. He was no longer the Kouzuki Kazuya of his first life. If he was asked the question; what do you think changed? The answer would be that he was no longer the nice and na?ve version of himself who would have apologized and nodded his head to almost everything just because it sounded right. "So, I take it that you are nitpicking and picking on me?" he looked straight at Hikaru''s eyes.

    "You¡­" she didn''t think that he would reply that way. She was already warned not to mess with him because those who have tried have failed.

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    "If you''re really going this continue pursuing this after I explained my circumstances and apologized, then let me enlighten you on a few things. One, as a member of S class, it is part of our privileges to come and leave as we please unless attendance is mandatory. Two, I did not have to explain myself to anyone other than the person in charge of the middle school department if they do so ask about why I left early. Three, though I do my own thing in most of the classes, I do not disrupt the class and even help the students who approach me and ask for help. Four, I do not know what I have done to deserve this kind of treatment but most of the class members have already asked if I did something to offend you. I haven''t met you before outside of this school so I really am curious as to why you are so eager on making trouble for me." Kazuya wasn''t the type of person to hold back like he used to but he still did not mention a few things because he still had not understood why this woman had been persistent in going against him.

    "I¡­" Hikaru''s mind was drawing blanks as she understood why the teachers warned her about getting into verbal arguments with him. They warned her to never try unless there was irrefutable proof that this kid was wrong.

    "Since this is the way I''m going to be treated here, I will just spend my time in here in another area if I come here." Kazuya went to his desk and recovered his things intending to leave the class. Hikaru was surprised to see that it wasn''t only Kazuya. Takaya, Maron and the recently returned Kurumi also prepared to leave.

    *rustle rustle* Tomoyo also started preparing after blanking out.

    "You, stay here."

    *Shake, shake* The robot girl''s reaction shocked Hikaru even more because she had gotten along with this girl as well.

    "Don''t be stubborn. You are a member of this class. We''ll meet up during break time alright?" Kazuya made her give a reluctant nod as he left the room without glancing at Hikaru who was just starting to regret her actions. She didn''t expect things to escalate this far.

    "So where are we headed?" Takaya grinned at him after they got some distance from the classroom.

    "We?" Kazuya halted his steps and looked back at Kurumi and Maron who were following them.

    "Hmph! Don''t get full of yourself. You were the main reason we attended that class in the first place." Maron glared at him.

    "I know." Kazuya nodded. "I''ll let you two walk on ahead" Kazuya didn''t want to argue with her so he decided to let them go on before his conversation with Takaya went any further.

    "Umm¡­ Can I talk to you Kazuya-kun?" Kurumi fidgeted and nervously asked.

    "¡­" Kazuya finally took a good look at her and wondered if she was going to try and convince him to agree to her proposal like last time.

    "D-don''t worry. It will not be a confession¡­" her face flushed as soon as she said that. Kurumi was a little relieved to find his expression to lose a bit of vigilance after she said that.

    "What is it about then?" Kazuya was a little curious about what was going on in this girl''s head because even though he belonged to a well-established family himself, he couldn''t get a good grasp of her way of thinking.

    "I apologize for not thinking about you when I confessed. I realized that I have been selfish all this time." Kurumi''s trembled and fought hard to hold back her tears.

    "(This is a bit unexpected¡­ Did Jonson-san finally educate his daughter properly?)" Kazuya wondered.

    "I would still like to be your friend if it''s possible¡­ Not the you who lost your memories but the you now." She finally looked at him straight in the eye. Her expression both anxious and a little expectant which Kazuya found strangely familiar.

    "(Are the memories I lost reacting towards this girl?)" Kazuya felt strange. For a moment, a younger version of this weird girl''s face just flashed by his mind to overlap with the current her. He didn''t know what it was, but he always felt that he had always been unexpectedly tolerant towards this girl for some reason. Even his old self didn''t get mad at her as much as he did with Tomoyo no matter how much trouble she caused him.

    "I also want to apologize for the trouble I''ve caused." Kurumi bowed sincerely missing the surprised expression she was always looking for when she followed him secretly. While she was a little happy that he was sensitive towards her presence, she always wondered what kind of surprised expression her Ka-kun would make when she was able to catch him off-guard. Today, she missed it.

    "(Sorry Ku-chan but looks like I ended up being the one that benefitted.)" Maron grinned as she was able to see it.

    What both of them didn''t know was that Kazuya was surprised not because of the apology itself but how it was delivered. He always wanted to receive an apology from this girl for all the trouble she caused him in his previous life. The her now was the version of Stockton Kurumi that was fresh in his mind because she was at the age she caused him all kinds of trouble.

    Kazuya didn''t want an apology from the Tomoyo of his past life. He was now aware that it was not even right to get back at her. Kurumi was different, this girl was selfish but was unaware of the trouble she caused him. What he wanted from this girl was an apology which was different from what he originally wanted from Lee and Tomoyo. He had never really considered this girl as an enemy because he knew that they most likely would have ended up being friends if she were just a normal person like his past self.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya himself didn''t believe it but all it took was a simple apology for him to lose all prejudices from this girl. He was already aware that everyone in this lifetime was already not the same person from his previous one but after what experiencing what he has, no one knew how hard it was to change the impressions that was embedded into his soul.

    "Does that mean¡­?" Kurumi didn''t dare assume what he was trying to say and looked at him with a hopeful expression. Kazuya already went back to his neutral expression so she didn''t realize how her apology affected him.

    "I forgive¡ª"he was cut off as he was hugged by the weird girl who couldn''t hold her sobs in anymore. He didn''t know how to conform her so he instead gave her a pat that he usually gave Tomoyo. What he didn''t know was that this was something she had been waiting to feel once more for the longest time.

    "(Will I react in the same way if ''those'' people sincerely apologize?)" Kazuya couldn''t help but wonder as he looked at the girl who didn''t care about the attention they were already gathering since they were still in the hallways just outside the classrooms.

    What Kazuya wasn''t aware of however was the thoughts that were currently in Kurumi''s mind.

    "(Uncle Shishio is wise. I have to thank him since I was finally able to become friends with Kazuya-kun again.)"

    .

 142 Unknown Changes

    .

    At the Kurogane estate.

    *BANG! BANG! BANG!*

    Multiple gunshots echoed throughout the halls as the targets swiftly got taken down. Kazuya waited a few more seconds before finally putting down his left arm. There were no more targets left.

    *clap clap*

    "Impressive. So it really is true that you''re ambidextrous." Tenma applauded as he gave this grandson of his a proud pat on the shoulder. "I''m sure you''ll break records and give those fools a surprise at the competition.

    Tenma expected to get some resistance from Kazuya after it was announced that he would be participating on the shooting competition under Kurogane Kazuya. The conversation he had prepared for turned out for the better as it never happened. This convinced him that it must have been Kazuya who convinced the stubborn Kou to accept the entry as it was. He assumed that Kazuya was proudly going to carry the name so he didn''t ask about it.

    "I''ve hit the targets but it takes me a few shots before getting used to the gun. I think I would need to practice with the guns that would be provided in the competition so I won''t have to waste a few points." Kazuya honestly replied as he took a glance at the number of customized guns that his grandfather let him use.

    "Speaking of which, I have something for you." Tenma grinned as he signaled one of the servants to bring over the wooden box he was holding.

    "This is¡­" Kazuya already knew what it was judging from the box that was similar to all the other ones that held the different types of guns in Tenma''s collection. Kazuya opened it to find a gun that he had not expected.

    "M1911 Style, chambered for .45 automatic colt pistol rounds. It has a muzzle compensator that will reduce recoil and muzzle rise together with the reinforced and thickened slides around the chamber and firing mechanism." Tenma proudly announced.

    "Did you have this made by the person who makes your guns grandfather?" Kazuya asked while still looking at the gun presented to him. "The ejection port is on the left side¡­ so this is for left handed people. The trigger is also customized from the usual M1911 and the double stack magazines you always have customized on your guns." Kazuya picked up the gun and gripped it with his left hand. It surprisingly felt to be made just for him.

    "I didn''t know what kind of sight you preferred so I just used a combat sight. You seem to have no problems with both of them anyway." Tenma smiled after seeing the knowledge his grandson said. It hadn''t been long since he first held his first gun so Tenma was glad that the customizations he didn''t mention were given notice.

    Kazuya grabbed Tenma''s favorite desert eagle with his right hand and had them prepare the moving target practice at a high difficulty setting. It was at that moment that Kazuya realized just how much better he could perform with a gun that was customized for himself compared to ones he adjusted to himself.

    *TINK TINK TINK TINK* Targets continuously got shot down as Kazuya''s concentration improved.

    "(Looks like I''ve been underestimating the skills of this grandson of mine¡­)" Tenma watched in awe as he differentiated Kazuya''s earlier performance and his current one. Other people may not have the eye to notice because of how much of an enigma this boy was but Tenma could.

    Just the sheer weight of the heavily customized weapon was enough to make someone in Kazuya''s age have difficulty holding it in one hand. Tenma selected the heavy amount of customization carefully as he spent time with this amazing grandson of his who continued to surprise him despite all his experiences. Kazuya also didn''t require much instructions as he took it upon himself to learn more about guns after he got a slight interest in them.

    This was very much unlike the current generation of Kuroganes in which Tenma had to nurture and instruct most of them so that they could do better for the clan. Tenma''s fondness towards this grandson of his grew more whenever they would meet this was why he couldn''t wait until for the moment the enemies that he shared Kazuya with have been dealt with.

    "(This rotten old bastard may be too late from saving but he sure does know his stuff.)" oblivious to the feelings of Tenma, Kazuya stared at the weapon on his left hand and held a little appreciation for Tenma''s keen eye. This gun was customized for him but it would better suit him once he grows more. A grin couldn''t help but form on Kazuya''s face as he thought about the sentiment that was shown through this weapon.

    .

    Meanwhile, in the faculty lounge in the middle school department of Sacred Forest Academy.

    "Sigh¡­ it has been two weeks." Hikaru sighed on her desk. She was scolded after the news reached the ears of the department head about her argument with Kouzuki Kazuya.

    She was reprimanded after news spread that Kouzuki Kazuya will not be participating in a club aside from his usual participation in the kendo club. The boy in question answered multiple clubs that he was going to be participating in the national gun competition so he had no time to participate in another club.

    There was a strict anti-firearm law in the country so this kind of competition was not allowed in schools. Even normal individuals would have to go through a lot of processes before they would be allowed to be in possession of guns. Even if they had licenses, these firearms were only to be kept and not to be carried because even law enforcement officers who had the right to carry firearms had to apply for various permits before they even had the permission to carry one with them.

    Though Kazuya provided a legitimate reason, the department head thought that it had something to do with his argument with Hamasaki Hikaru whose own students seemed to have sided with Kazuya. A more decisive proof of this was the halted attendance of known S-Class students who have helped improve the reputation of the special class over the years.

    "Don''t worry too much Hamasaki-sensei, it will all be cleared up once Kouzuki-san returns to school." One of the other teachers tried to comfort her. "Kouzuki-san is actually a very reasonable person. I''m sure that you would be pardoned once the department head confirms that his reluctance to participate in another club has nothing to do with you."

    "I¡­hope so¡­" she sighed at her desk once again. She wasn''t very optimistic about it because Kouzuki Kazuya had already avoided entering class 2-B''s room. There were reports of him either being in the school library or inside the school''s training facilities whenever he went to school. She wasn''t sure if she was really wrong in her assumption about him or if it was another way of him trying to mess with her.

    "If you want to make up with him, why don''t you ask for Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s help?" another teacher joined the conversation. "She''s the only person outside of S class that is close to Kouzuki-kun."

    "I¡­" Hikaru was a little perplexed. She was quite fond of Tomoyo but she had grown a little cold towards her after Kazuya stopped attending their class. She was initially afraid that a pure girl such as Tomoyo was spending time with Kazuya but other than her weird attachment towards him, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At least, once you disregard her reluctance to speak.

    Kazuya was right to think that Hikaru had some kind of prejudice towards him. He already asked Ika to find out any leads that connected them together but aside from her clean record, there seemed to be nothing else that would connect the two. This was something that he had not expected because there had to be a connection between them somewhere so he instructed Ika to keep digging. Her record may have been clean, but it did not match the one in his previous memories.

    "I will try my best¡­" Hikaru couldn''t think of any other option as she was afraid that her chance to continue working at this prestigious place would be in peril if the situation remained the same.

    It had already been two weeks but the talks about Kazuya hasn''t died down yet. Students liked to gossip about who he would have been engaged to or who was a perfect match for him. The scene of Kurumi hugging him while sobbing which was witnessed by a few students were also being talked about. Many students opinions were convinced that it was Tomoyo because of their history together but there were some others that believed Kazuya''s partner to be someone either much older or younger than him.

    Hamasaki Hikaru sought Tomoyo and met up with her near the garden at the school gates where she would usually have lunch with Kazuya and Takaya. She was still hesitant about it but after giving it much thought, Tomoyo was probably the only one who knew Kouzuki Kazuya well enough to let her find out if her suspicions were correct.

    "Shiroyuki-san?" Hikaru calmly called out as she brought a lunchbox together with her. "Can I join you?"

    "¡­" Tomoyo didn''t respond but looked directly at Hikaru''s eyes as if trying to figure out why she was here.

    Hikaru felt as if Tomoyo''s eyes were able to see through her soul. Her beautiful yet expressionless face couldn''t give her a clue as to what Tomoyo was currently thinking. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments as Hikaru waited for Tomoyo''s approval.

    "I know you might have grown to dislike me because it was my fault that your friends stopped attending classes." Hikaru broke the silence and walked closer. "That''s why I wanted to talk to you and try to understand more about your friend. I want to clear up any misunderstandings so that things would go back to how they were before." She explained.

    *¡­nod* Tomoyo finally responded. Hikaru was finally allowed to sit with her.

    Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s circumstances were explained to her before she met class 2-B. This was so that Hikaru wont give her a hard time for not speaking much because since they met Tomoyo, there have only been a limited number of times in which they heard this girl speak. Since Tomoyo wasn''t mute, Hikaru tried her best to help change this pitiful girl as she empathized with the robot girl. It was then she knew that she was a little late because the key to this innocent girl''s voice was already with someone who she didn''t get along with.

    "Why don''t we start with telling me how you two met¡­"

    -

    Police headquarters, detectives department. A number of officers gathered as they were baffled with the current case that has started in the past few days. The higherups have been pressuring them to solve this incident as these involved the murder of several people that had to do with law enforcement.

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    "Alright everyone, I know there are people here from various different departments. I''m aware of the rivalries between most of us but this is a case that requires us to think and work together so that we can avoid any more deaths of our people." One of the lead detectives spoke.

    "So far, there are three detectives and two prosecutors that have been murdered. Even though the reports say that their causes of death were different from each other, there has been five deaths in just a span of a few weeks. I do not think this is a coincidence.

    First and foremost, for all of those who don''t know me, I am Lt. Takagi Heiji. I hope that everyone cooperate and inform us of any clues that may help solve these crimes. Our reputation as law enforcers as well as the lives of future victims are what''s at stake."

    From all the detectives present, there weren''t many people who didn''t know Takagi Heiji. He was a detective from the main headquarters but he used to be a local officer in the prefecture. With his talent, he was able to rise up through the ranks and was involved in many high profile cases. His knowledge of the area as well as his reputation was the reason he was sent to solve this case before this causes panic amongst the citizens.

    "Sir!" a lady officer approached Takagi after everyone started discussing about how they should contribute to the case. "I think this case may have something to do with organized crime." She whispered because this was a topic that was a sensitive one.

    "Oh? Why do you think so?" Heiji didn''t know who this young officer was but from her attire, she looks to be a detective.

    "I originally thought that this was connected to a certain person because of the connection that the victims all shared but after I found out that that person died already, I moved on to my second theory. I think that it may be something like a cleanup job after the big moves that these clans have been making these past few years." Her explanation caught Takagi''s attention immediately because aside from him, she was the only person who came to him after finding the same connection that he did.

    Things in the H prefecture have been shaky for the past couple of years. Since this was the place where big families are not as harmonious as they seem, there have been a lot of troubles that have made the public lose their trust in law enforcement.

    This was especially during the case about the war between the founder of the Ringo corporation whose sudden disappearance made their corporation fall into the hands of their future in-laws. Though they were aware of most of the details that led to the fall of the Muiminas, there was nothing they could do about it because it involved large clans such as the Domyouji clan and the Akabane clan.

    Though these two groups are categorized as ''Yakuza'' clans, they are on the list that are on the better side because not only do they help or cooperate when the law asks for it, they hate it when there are crimes committed in their territory. They are the rare kind of former yakuza clans that hate dishonorable things or people who prey on the weak.

    The police aren''t openly allowed to go against these types of people because not only are most officers afraid of what might happen to their friends and family, their own government tries to prevent large scale disturbances so that the other countries wouldn''t label the country as a dangerous place.

    But it isn''t as if the police aren''t doing anything to arrest these bad groups. These types of Yakuzas have grown smarter when it came to grey lines with the law ever since the last attempt of the government to crack down on yakuza groups. The higher-ups only decide to move against them when they are sure that there is a 100% chance of conviction and little to no retaliation in the process.

    "You may be young but I''m impressed you found the connection among the victims." Takagi crossed his arms and took another look at this promising young talent. It was only then that he noticed the attention they were getting from the males amongst the area which Takagi assumed were her admirers. "Let me just make sure we share the same opinion, are you talking about the guy who recently died in prison?" he ignored the people and focused on this interesting detective''s theory.

    "Yes. The serial killer known as ''Knives''. The person who Takagi-san helped put in prison as well as the person who killed Shiroyuki Touya, the son of the Shiroyuki Jirou."

    -

 143 Bunch of S***s 2 in 1

    .

    As the time for the marksman competition neared, Kazuya spent more time in the Kurogane residence. Despite Tenma and Shishio''s hopes that Kazuya was preferring his identity as a Kurogane rather than being a Kouzuki, Kazuya had other reasons for staying in the residence.

    Kazuya spent his time training his skills and practicing with the different types of guns that were involved in the competition. This made the Kuroganes satisfied as they were unaware that they were under being observed by Kazuya despite their eyes being on him.

    His routine would be composed of training. The people who were still unconvinced about Kazuya observed him to find anything suspicious. This made Kazuya spend a lot of time in the familiar game which he slowly had little time of over the years. It was only when the people keeping an eye on him saw Kazuya playing a game like a regular person, they were relieved.

    "(This enigma had something he did that matched his age.)" they all thought.

    Kazuya of course didn''t spend most of his free time playing his online game without a reason. His access to the network enabled Ika to freely get whatever information he could on the network. This was Kazuya''s primary reason for staying in the Kurogane residence for the time being. Though he already knew that Shishio and Tenma were up to something, Kazuya had no idea what it was.

    There had only been a few movements made by them recently. Surprisingly, suspicious actions have been made by Kurogane Shishio himself. According to Ika''s observations, Kurogane Shishio had been very keen on sending gifts to Kouzuki Kyouko for the past few weeks without even trying to hide this fact.

    "[Do You think that Kurogane Shishio wants to get back together with his ex now that his wife is dead?]" Ika''s message made Kazuya''s eyebrow twitch.

    Unaware of Kazuya''s true identity, Ika respected his boss for being able to infiltrate the enemy fortress. He was quite worried the first time Kazuya informed him that he would have the opportunity to dig deeper as he was going to access the network himself. It did not occur to Ika that Kazuya was an inside employee because the only people that were allowed to stay in the main house of the Kurogane clan were the trusted and loyal branch members of the family.

    "[That''s just an excuse so he wouldn''t be suspected. With how Kurogane Shishio is, I doubt that their plan is something so simple.]" Kazuya didn''t like the idea of Shishio coming onto his mother but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He would risk his current good relations with the Kuroganes if he had shown his rejection towards the idea of his parents getting back together.

    "[I can''t find anything regarding to any kind of plan against her. All I can see are different kinds of arrangements that Kouzuki Kyouko seem to have a liking to.]" Ika reported.

    "[Same here. Just keep an eye out.]" Kazuya ended the conversation and unlocked the function on his character to block all incoming messages.

    [Void Android: Boss! You''re finally done lurking?]

    Kazuya immediately got a message from the acting leader of the group since he stepped down from most of the matters regarding the game.

    [Winter Fog: I''m surprised you''ve been paying attention to the game. Don''t you have work to do?]

    [Void Android: Whose fault is it to be almost unreachable in person? This is the only place where most of us get to see your shadow.]

    [Winter Fog: Is there anything I particular you need me for?]

    [Void Android: Mist has been looking for you for a while. You would be away when she tries to talk or you''d just block all messages.]

    [Winter Fog: Is there anything important?]

    Autumn Mist had been in charge of some matters regarding their guild since she was one of the few people that weren''t employed by him. There were other family members of the trusted employees that were allowed to enter the guild so they looked to Autumn when most of the employees of Kazuno Tech were too busy to play the game.

    With Autumn''s presence, most of the activities and other guild related matters became her responsibility. Kazuya was already aware that she was capable of such things because he knew her from his previous life even when Autumn couldn''t believe the amount of responsibility and trust given to her. She knew that Winter Fog was younger than her in real life so she took up the challenge to lead their group while most of the main members had become too busy with their jobs.

    [Void Android: She said that there was someone who wanted to talk to you personally before joining the guild. It peaked my interest when she said that it was someone you had your eye on when we were still forming the guild so I discussed a few things with him.]

    Kazuya was a little surprised. He always thought that he would have to approach SummerBreeze first. It looked like the seed he planted when started bearing fruit. If there hadn''t been any effect on his interference in the past, Summer Breeze would have already taken the path to inventing many things that would revolutionize the technology of the next few years.

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    [Winter Fog: What do you think of him?]

    Kazuya''s grinned. Void Android and Summer Breeze were the two people he wanted to collaborate with the most. With these two working together, he would finally be able to step down from interfering too much with the future of the company. As long as things went smoothly with these two, The future of Mei and Kyouko''s companies would be unshakable.

    [Void Android: He''s a genius! His research even compliments most of the incomplete work you''ve presented for the past few years! It was like they were waiting for this person to complete them! I don''t'' really know why you''ve waited until now to recruit this person to our company!]

    Kazuya couldn''t help but give a dry laugh as he could feel this passionate scientist''s excitement through his typing. What Void didn''t know was that it was his boss that was more excited about this than anyone. The two people he looked up to the most in his previous life working together was a dream that he never knew would work out even in this life. Kazuya was truly happy that everything was going in the right direction.

    [Winter Fog: Is he with Autumn?]

    [Void Android: I still haven''t informed the miss that you''ve opened your communications. They are currently in a dungeon right now.]

    [Winter Fog: Wait for them to finish before telling her. You know how Autumn gets when she gets distracted.]

    Kazuya moved his character towards the markets to buy some supplies so he could craft a few things while he waited.

    While their guild had caused quite the storm when New Gods Online first got released. They were eventually surpassed by the competitive and professionals that focused on nothing but the game. The guild Winter Fog established was among the guilds that were legendary, but they slowly faded from the spotlight as the main members focused on their jobs.

    [Void Android: I don''t know if I should tell you about this or not but there has been an issue that''s been a little troublesome. This is a matter that has nothing to do with our jobs but rather the game.]

    [Winter Fog: A game related matter?]

    Kazuya was a little curious because it wasn''t like Void to try and talk to him about an issue like this. He would just resolve it as he saw fit so opening up something like this meant that this genius was troubled by this concern.

    [Void Android: Are you familiar with the ''Yamata no Orochi'' guild?]

    Who wouldn''t be familiar with this guild? Even in Kazuya''s previous life, the casual adventuring group Kazuya had been in heard tales of these people. The guild itself was named after a legendary serpent that was said to be a dragon.

    The most interesting part about this guild was that they were made up of different types of people that originally had no relation with each other. There was only one thing that gathered them all in one guild; they all had troublesome personalities.

    [Winter Fog: What about them?]

    [Void Android: They have been harassing the little miss and the group of players she plays with when we are not around. Autumn Mist didn''t want to let us know but I was in their party recently when they tried to harass her so I found out that it had been going on for a while.]

    Kazuya was a little troubled. Why would that guild take actions against the players from their guild? They have been falling farther away from the spotlight as they were no longer as active in the game as they used to be because of their schedules.

    [Winter Fog: Let me guess, Autumn didn''t want me finding out about it?]

    [Void Android: Right.I also didn''t want to involve you but I don''t think it can be resolved without you making a move yourself.]

    [Winter Fog: Me?]

    [Void Android: They are harassing the little miss because they want to get to you. Looks like they''re planning on making your and the guild''s reputation as a stepping stone.]

    [Winter Fog: I see¡­]

    The guild ''Midnight Wanderers'' was synonymous to the name ''Winter Fog'' because at the start of NGO, they pioneered the most challenging parts of the game. Winter Fog had been someone who was known in the past as an invincible player whose parties knew no failures. The most incredible part about all of it was that aside from Winter Fog himself who was a relatively unknown player in the first place, every person of his guild was known as either a casual player or an average player that had no past achievements.

    Kazuya immediately understood the intentions of the Yamata no Orochi guild. The Midnight Wanderers were still relatively famous even as they were slowly getting left behind. Before they completely lost their fame, the individual players who were known to be troublesome wanted to make use of Winter Fog''s reputation to put them on par with the current leading guilds.

    [Void Android: Do you know how we can stop them from bothering our members?]

    Though Void android had been busy and focused on his responsibilities at work, he still valued the game because this was the place where his and the original staff members'' fates changed. They all had the game somewhere in their hearts so this was where they would spend most of their free time.

    [Winter Fog: What else? I''ll just give them what they''re looking for (?£à¦Ø¡ä?) ]

    Matsumoto Kippei who was behind the screen couldn''t help but tremble after reading Kazuya''s message. He felt a little sorry for the guild that only wanted to compete against the leading players. Kazuya personally making a move was like an assurance that those against them would only end up regretting on choosing their guild as a stepping stone. This was how much confidence Void Android had towards his boss.

    Though they still haven''t met in person after all the time they''ve known each other, Kippei was glad that he took the risk and trusted this mysterious boss of his. Throughout their years of knowing each other, Kazuya had given him the trust and respect that he never got but always sought from his peers.

    Many people wanted to meet Kazuya but they all assumed that he was reluctant to appear before them because Kazuya was much younger than them. After all, he openly told everyone that he was still a student.

    [Void Android: I''ll go and see if I can find out where they are right now¡­]

    As Kazuya finished spending more than he expected on the player markets, he immediately started crafting equipment that he could use to battle on his current level. Kazuya had been used to wearing his casual crafting gear so he never thought about making himself another set of equipment until it was time for one of their guild events.

    "With this patch, I guess I''ll go with the drake bone armor at my level." Kazuya quickly set the ingredients the equipment set which no crafter has been able to discover via independent crafting yet.

    While it was true that a single individual like Winter Fog had yet to leave the names of famous people in the game, what people did not know was that this was not because of his previous records or achievements. This was mainly because of his current achievements as one of the highest sought after crafters in the game.

    When Winter Fog stepped away from the battle stage, his levels were gained through the assiduous process of crafting. With his advanced knowledge about the game, combined with his casual and general playstyle in the past, Winter Fog was able to make use of what he learned about the game in his past life. The person who was once known as the main pioneer of the unexplored regions now became a pioneer for the underestimated crafting professions.

    [Void Android: Boss¡­ I found some of their main members.]

    A message came through as Kazuya checked his parameters after equipping the nostalgic set that his character used to wear. Though his character basically looked the same as he did in his past life, the parameters were vastly different as he had gained a lot of advantages because of the knowledge he brought with him.

    [Winter Fog: Where?]

    [Void Android: They somehow learned which dungeon the little miss is doing so they are waiting for her.]

    Void took a few moments before deciding to input send his message. If there was one thing he learned about Kazuya, it was that he was extremely overprotective of the people that were on his side. While he might have been careful to the point that they didn''t know how to get his trust, once they were considered under his wing, Kazuya would do what he can to protect them.

    This was especially shown back when the employees were targeted a few years ago. They all heard from the CEO that their added security was an order from the only one she answered to. Even while he had them sign, what they referred to as the ''devil''s contract'', they could all still feel the concern that this big boss showed towards the people of the company.

    [Winter Fog: I''m on my way. How is Autumn''s progress on the dungeon?]

    [Void Android: They said that they were at the last part. They should be done by the time we get there]

    [Winter Fog: Why are you going as well? Don''t you have more work to do?]

    [Void Android: Their leader isn''t present so maybe I can diffuse the situation. They''re still a relatively big guild so we have to come up with a solution since we won''t be able to protect the little miss and her friends 24/7!]

    Kazuya paused after he heard that. Kippei''s reminder made sense because Winter Fog himself and the main force could take care of most of these harassers but they didn''t have as much time as the players who did this for a living. He calmed himself and smiled bitterly. Kazuya scolded himself for letting his temper get the best of him just because he knew he could take care of these people.

    Though Kazuya had the confidence to crush them, this was a game and they could respawn after all. He knew that this was most likely the reason why his help was needed. Simply killing these fools would just make them come back for more.

    "A way to make cockroaches like them who never disappear not come near the guild members¡­." Kazuya smiled bitterly because simply killing them in the fantasy-like world in the game was not enough.

    [Winter Fog: Don''t worry. I know what you mean.]

    Kazuya sent the message as soon as they met up at the forest near the dungeon where Autumn Mist, SummerBreeze and his party just completed. They were a little late in their arrival as they saw Autumn Mist already losing her temper in front of the men who were surrounding the dungeon they just completed.

    This was a dungeon they cleared for SummerBreeze. He had been away from the game for too long that he had a lot of catching up to do. Autumn Mist and SummerBreeze got along relatively well so it wasn''t a problem for her to reconnect with this returning friend and taking him along the other players who have joined their guild. She remembered Winter Fog telling her that the time for him to be recruited will be once he came back. To her surprise, SummerBreeze made the first move and contacted her so that she could arrange for Winter and him to meet up.

    [Void Android: I''ll talk to them first boss]

    Looking at the situation, Void Android moved before sending the message to his boss. He was afraid that Kazuya would start slaughtering them after he saw the agitated messages Autumn were sending in public chat. Kazuya used a cloak skill that was granted to him by an accessory and hid himself so that he could observe the situation.

    Seeing Void Android coming closer didn''t agitate the members of Yamata no Orochi. Rather, they were glad that this person who was known to be Winter Fog''s right hand man had appeared because of Autumn Mist. They immediately sent word to their guild master that their mission had progressed.

    [Autumn Mist: What are you doing here Void?]

    [Void Android: I came to pick you up. ''He'' is currently available and I told him about meeting with SummerBreeze-san over here.]

    [Autumn Mist: Really!? That annoying guy! He should have just told me himself! (?_?) ]

    [Void Android: Boss didn''t want to distract you from leading the party.]

    [Autumn Mist: That''s not making me feel any better!]

    Autumn Mist was probably a big reason why SummerBreeze had no problem asking to meet with Kazuya. This girl was as honest and straightforward when they met a few years ago. It surprised SummerBreeze when he was told that Winter had taken an interest in him but judged that it was not time for him to be recruited by them just yet.

    [Atroxxaz: It looks like you people don''t know the situation you''re in.]

    One of the armored members surrounding the group took a step forward.

    [Mercury Overlord: Why don''t you just call your guild master and hand us the girl?]

    [NaTuRaL Muscle: want to see me flex my muscle girly? Come let me steal you from your boss]

    [Blackie-chan: Settle down guys and remember the mission¡­]

    [Kaki-K: Tsk! Screw you little black! You just don''t want her because she isn''t a little girl!]

    The five captains of the Yamata no Orochi guild were known for their rowdiness whenever they were together. Though they were skilled, they were very much infamous for their troublesome and unique personalities.

    [Void Android: Do you really have to do this? There are other and better ways of doing things that will be better for your guild.]

    [NaTuRaL Muscle: Don''t tell me what to do or I''ll stalk you and steal everything you want before you get it! We have our own way of doing things, so you either do it or I''ll steal everything you want before you get it and I''ll parade it around you and make you suffer!]

    Kippei couldn''t help but sigh. This person really did suit his thief job class. If they weren''t a clear indication that these people belonged to a guild, anyone would label them as bandits.

    [Blackie-chan: Then Void-san, can you call your guild master and ask him to come here? This is a better way of resolving this right?]

    Autumn Mist and her party couldn''t help but send whispers to each other as this specific captain tried to act coy. It was obvious that he was using a male character but acting all cute in his little boy avatar made them shiver. Did this guy really think that they were stupid?

    Kazuya on the other hand was gathering information on the game forums. He needed to know more about these people and how to deal with them more efficiently. The more he found out about them, the more he thought about how it was amazing that such a bunch were able to form a guild that was ranked decently.

    [Void Android: It looks like no amount of reasoning will convince you.]

    Finally losing his patience, Void Android decided to give up on negotiation. He already saw a slithering mount coming closer and he recognized the person who was riding on it.

    [Nyan-E: Just let us kill Winter Fog and it will all be over.]

    Aside from the captains, the guild members stepped aside and made way for this arrogant character. Void Android felt an even bigger headache coming to him because from all the members of this guild, this was definitely the most unreasonable scumbag of the bunch.

    [Autumn Mist: Beat Winter? With just you guys? (?_?) ]

    Autumn immediately responded. This person really ticked her off the most.

    [Nyan-E: If you believe in him so much then why don''t you call him here? We won''t have to go to all this trouble if he just shows himself.]

    Autumn tried to hold back her rage. Every player who knew Winter Fog was aware that he had taken a step back from the main stage and focused on crafting. These people are shamelessly making it sound like they''re looking for a fair fight. Though Autumn believed in Winter Fog, she also understood that these people wont stop messing with them until they get what they wanted.

    [Autumn Mist: I''ll personally ask him to take care of you bunch of scum with eighth grade syndrome!]

    [Nyan-E: Call him here right now. We have time to spare]

    They had no plans of letting Autumn and her party leave. Nyan-E was willing to have people guard this place if they were desperate enough to just log out to escape. Since NGO had limited the capability of teleportation items, they were currently stuck at the entrance of their dungeon.

    [Autumn Mist: All of you are nothing but a bunch of sneks [NEEDSEMOJI]! Yamata no Orochi? Pu! Don''t make me laugh! You''re all just wanna be dragons!]

    Nyan-E and the captains were obviously enraged. They named their guild after the eight headed dragon serpent that was famous. They believed that with a full party made of 8 captains, They would be able to stand amongst the strongest of the game.

    [Fishounen: Boss! Check the world chat!]

    Before the captains could do anything, they were reminded by their members who were paying attention to the public chats for information.

    "[Winter Fog: As all of you currently watching my game stream can see, these people have been harassing my guild members so that they could challenge me, who now focused on crafting so that they could boost their reputation.]"

    "[Winter Fog: I''ve posted a replay of this video on my game profile in the forums so everyone can see just how desperate and shameless these people are.]"

    "[Winter Fog: I''ll accept the challenge of this ''little snek'' guild on one condition¡­]"

    "[Winter Fog: I want him the player to stream not only his gameplay but also the person in question as they play. This way, there would be no doubt about substitutes and whatever excuse a shameless person can think of.]"

    The last part was some mischief Kazuya thought of. Though he hadn''t met these people in his previous life, their notoriety had reached regular players like him. There had been rumors that the guild leader of the Yamata no Orochi guild was a middle aged man who lived in a net caf¨¦.

    Nyan-E had been prancing around declaring that he was just an adolescent student so many people admired him because despite his troublesome behavior, he still had some degree of skill in the game. Though Kazuya cared little about whether this rumor was true or not, it would serve as something to disturb the other party''s morale.

    "[Winter Fog: I will give the leader of the little sneaks half an hour to prepare.]"

    After sending the last message, Winter Fog appeared right in front of the six captains that were gathered in front of Autumn Mist''s group. His intimidating bone armor startled the bunch as they had never seen such a terrifying looking set.

    [Winter Fog: Are you guys going to make way or are you going to force me to fight all of you with all of the viewers watching? (£þ©`£þ) ]

    Nyan-E and his group were still talking in their guild channel so they were already aware of how many people were currently watching the stream of the most mysterious expert in the game. They couldn''t act recklessly right now or their much desired fame was going to turn into irreversible notoriety. The captains reluctantly stepped aside so that Winter Fog and everyone else could pass without trouble.

    [Nyan-E: If you dare not show up, I''ll make sure that everyone in your guild is hunted down as soon as they leave the safe zones!]

    Feeling a little humiliated by making way for them, Nyan-E tried to provoke Winter Fog so that he could have the last word.

    [Winter Fog: Don''t worry. I''ll make sure you understand the fact that snakes are not dragons.]

    .

 144 Influence

    .

    In the nearest safe zone, Winter Fog and Void Android led Autumn Mist and her party as they wondered what he was going to do. It was not that the members with them didn''t have any faith in their guild leader, it was just that these members were not the pioneer guild members that really knew how Winter Fog was.

    Though they were aware that their guild had somewhat some kind of reputation, they didn''t really look up to their guild leader who hardly showed himself before them. They were afraid that this headstrong guild leader of theirs was being hotblooded and impulsive and might cause their guild to lose some of their reputation.

    "[Winter Fog: It''s good to see you again SummerBreeze. How long has it been since we last talked? 3 years?]"

    "[SummerBreeze: More or less. I heard from Autumn-san that though you were interested in recruiting me at that time, you felt that it hasn''t been the time to do so. That certainly piqued my interest because I think that I never showed much interest in what I do now back then.]"

    Kazuya looked over at Autumn Mist''s character. He felt that this person had changed too much. She was very tight lipped about secrets or sensitive information but she was a whole lot more social and trusting in this life compared to the past.

    "[Winter Fog: Would you believe me if I said that it was a hunch?]"

    "[SummerBreeze: I would have if we had met face to face. As for looking over our avatars over the screen¡­]"

    "[Winter Fog: Though I would like to have had this conversation in a more controlled environment, it looks like I have to take care of a nuisance first.]"

    Kazuya glanced over the server chat that was going crazy. The members of the Yamata no Orichi guild were fanning the flames and invited people to come and watch the duel that was going to happen soon. Kazuya gave a dry laugh and fixed the camera that had a stand and placed it to face the keyboard that was in front of him.

    "[SumerBreeze: With your reputation, I don''t believe that these people would pose that much of a threat to you. I shall stay online longer so that we can have a chat about a possible collaboration between us.]"

    "[Winter Fog: Thanks. I''ll be sure to make it quick.]"

    Kazuya didn''t care much about the people challenging him nor their motivations. Their mistake was picking his guild and his people to mess around with and that was enough reason for Kazuya to make sure that they would regret it. This would also serve as a lesson to those who were thinking about the same thing against their guild that was no longer in the center of the spotlight.

    Meanwhile, the guild leader of the infamous Yamata no Orochi guild was stuck in a predicament. Nyan-E, or the person behind the character himself was cursing at the screen as he saw his own guild members fanning the flames. He wanted to back out of the challenge as soon as Winter Fog had mentioned that they needed to stream themselves.

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    Nyan-E liked being the center of attention. This was the reason why he had developed a troublesome persona online. He would often call himself a ''rebel'' and made trouble for those who acted with manners online. To him, being online had offered him a sense of freedom that made him say or do whatever he liked.

    He had some decent progress in game and found like-minded people over on the course of playing his game. This led to the formation of his guild. While he gained a reputation for himself, he decided to paint himself as a skilled genius of games and told everyone that he was still just a young person in his adolescence and he had yet to reach his full potential.

    In reality, he was man who had been laid off of work and was currently living in his parent''s house in the countryside. This was why he had been so mad at his guild members because now that they have fanned the flames to this point, there wouldn''t be anything left for him if he backed out now.

    What Nyan-E didn''t know that Kazuya was already aware of his secret because it was one of the scandals that even a regular player like him in his past life had heard of. In one of the offline meetings of the Yamata no Orochi guild, one of their former members who was bullied actually released a video of him getting drunk that immediately made him unable to log onto his character due to the shame of being discovered.

    "Let''s see what choice you will make." Kazuya grinned over his screen as he placed his character inside the arena and began typing out a message in the server''s chat.

    "[Winter Fog: My streaming preparations are complete. I will begin the stream as soon as my opponent arrives and activates his. I will be waiting in arena #0869. The password will be the word that completes this sentence; The Yamata no Orochi guild is a guild made up of a bunch of _ _ _ _ s]"

    "fufu¡­ your father is just too mean and funny!" the person behind the screen of Autumn Mist patted the stuffed animal on her desk and giggled.

    As Kazuya expected, the one who showed up in the arena was not Nyan-E but rather, NaTuRaL Muscle. Kazuya had already begun streaming his gameplay except for the bottom right that had been blackened out because he had yet to turn on his camera.

    "[Winter Fog: Don''t tell me that you showed up to say some kind of excuse that your guild master can''t fight right now. Is he hiding some sort of lie that he didn''t want discovered?]"

    Nyan-E cursed from behind his screen. Winter Fog had beaten NaTuRaL Muscle to the punch so anything that he said would have been deemed an excuse. He wasn''t in the game so he had to pay Winter Fog''s fee to be able to see his stream. This way, once he hunted him down to get back at him, he would be able to catch a glimpse of how this former legendary player played the game.

    "[NaTuRaL Muscle: Our guild leader doesn''t need to deal with you himself. Though it is true that he suddenly had an emergency, my skills aren''t inferior to his. He is just the one that gathered us into one group after all.]"

    Though Nyan-E was cursing at this arrogant guild member of his, NaTuRaL Muscle''s statement wasn''t exactly false. If people were asked if who among the upper echelons of the guild was the strongest, most of them would most likely lean towards NaTuRaL Muscle because of this person''s relentless efforts in flexing not only his equipment but whatever he has over other players would be used to make them feel inferior.

    "[NaTuRaL Muscle: If I win, I want that armor set of yours.]"

    Without regard of what Winter Fog was thinking, he immediately showed his greed over the armor set that Winter Fog was wearing. None have seen this set before so he immediately wanted it for himself. NaTuRaL Muscle already started imagining himself wearing the set while he paraded down busy streets.

    "[Winter Fog: You have no right to speak to me you inferior reptile. You do not have the title of guild master. As this is battle between guild masters to resolve the trouble your guild has caused mine, a mere senior member has no place in this discussion.]"

    Winter Fog, being the owner of the arena room activated the mute function. Kazuya already knew the importance of information so he had already briefly looked up information about these peculiar individuals. This person specifically had a loud mouth so taking it away from him made his empty pride take a hit.

    Of course, NaTuRaL Muscle was enraged. As it was an arena, he could only spam the challenge button so that the duel could be initiated. He even went as far as activated the conditions for beginning the duel which let the people who were watching to see the person behind the braggart of a character.

    What the people paying attention saw was of course, something that was a person that was so far from his known name in game. It completely shattered the image they had in their mind of a person who flexed his muscles as frequent as he flexed his items.

    "[Winter Fog: Seeing as your courage, which of course is leagues above your guild master. I''ll reluctantly accept this duel.]"

    [COUNTDOWN!]

    [3]

    [2]

    [1]

    [DUEL!!]

    Wasting no time, Winter Fog was immediately attacked. Kazuya cast the spell he had prepared before turning on the camera. This made the people have even more of a shock than when they saw NaTuRaL Muscle''s real identity. Winter Fog had chosen to stream the hands that he used to play the game with along with his keyboard.

    The senior staff members of Kazuno Tech were gathered in one of the board rooms which streamed the battle. These members were here for one reason, and that was so that they could catch a glimpse of their mysterious boss.

    They felt a little bitter and tricked because of what they saw but this was the first time that they caught a glimpse of the mysterious person that they owed their current success to. They felt a little pity for the man who showed himself because they were obviously getting messed with by their boss.

    "[Winter Fog: I heard you were the type to flex your equipment over people.]"

    Kazuya quickly typed messages as he dodged and started to change the equipment set he was wearing. This was to prove that he was indeed the one whose hands were controlling the character.

    "[Winter Fog: I may just be a crafter who faded from the spotlight, but you should know who you people are messing with. I don''t need that new set to deal with you. If I wanted, these rare items you''re so proud of will start becoming common equipment sold on the market.]"

    This caused the person behind the character to hesitate for a second before missing his next attack. He has yet to land a single hit on Winter Fog while the opponent had been typing messages, but also changing equipment and dodging attacks at the same time.

    NaTuRaL was wearing a special set which was crafted with very rare materials from bosses and had a very low success rate. He would also buy the same set whenever it hit the market or would harass players who had this item so that there would be limited number of these sets that people possessed. He would parade around in this set whilst discouraging people to even have an interest in it.

    "[Winter Fog: I believe most of the people under the pioneers alliance are watching the stream so I will refrain from sending this in the server chat. From now on, if the Yamata no Orochi guild is able to secure a guild NPC in the monthly auction, a raid strategy from me will be withheld from the alliance.]

    New Gods online had a system that helps guilds strive to become better as well as control the economy. There is a monthly auction where a specific number of guild npcs that would be able to open up the guild shop feature would be put up for auction. Their contracts would last for a month and players found this extremely useful because one of the main features lets all guild members able to use this NPC to sell the stuff they had no time to waste in trading. Players would also check if these NPCs had what they needed before visiting the marketplace because not only were the prices on them usually lower, the taxes the game charges are also significantly lowered.

    This immediately put pressure among the famous players that were part of guilds who formed the alliance. Those who were part of the alliance knew that most of their success in clearing the raids that were constantly being released in the game in a proper fashion was due to their constant purchases in strategies and tactics that were being provided by Winter Fog. This was the reason why no pioneer adventurers dared to mess with the Midnight Wanders.

    [Winter Fog: Now then, I believe I already made my point clear.]

    Without warning, Winter Fog had stopped dodging around and immediately drew a weapon. While everyone was being distracted by the pale and young and feminine looking hands that was on the corner of the screen, the viewers saw both the character and the hands speed up from the already surprising fast pace they moved before.

    Many players who knew of Winter Fog and his reputation from playing from the early release of the game hailed him as a genius as he led unknown players to finish raids that were barely just released. He was rather a player who didn''t mingle much in the competitive Player Versus Player scene but he had a reputation for wiping out parties that tried to kill him for fame.

    Though people believed that it was because of Winter Fog''s tactics and intelligence that he was able to achieve his current achievements, the players now caught a glimpse of what the player behind the character was capable of. A player like NaTuRaL Muscle had only lasted for seconds against Winter Fog who didn''t even use his main set.

    Though Kazuya''s recently slain opponent nor the guild master watching the stream didn''t quite understand the real meaning behind Winter Fog''s announcement, those who were in the know understood that there was no more future left for the Yamata no Orochi guild in this game. Every pioneer guild will make sure that the infamous guild and their players wouldn''t be included in any high-end raids as well as those guilds would work together to make sure that their guild would never be granted a guild NPC every month.

    [Winter Fog: If your guild still has the stupid idea of messing with mine, it will not end with me just preventing your guild from getting a guild NPC.]

    The mute was still in effect and Kazuya wasn''t interested in hearing what this person had to say so he just turned away before finally closing the arena. The stream was also ended despite the numerous number of people who were requesting for Winter Fog to stay longer. He had more important things to do as SummerBreeze was still waiting for him in the guild headquarters.

    [SummerBreeze: I heard you weren''t quite as active in the game as you were before. Looks like I was worried for nothing.]

    [WinterFog: Sorry for the wait. Now, shall we talk about your recruitment?]

    [SummerBreeze: Though I am grateful that you''ve taken an interest in me before I was able to grow up, I would still like to know who the person I will be working for. Though I really am quite interested in the approach your company is doing when it comes to unique inventions, I would still like to see for myself whose ship I''m getting on.]

    Kazuya couldn''t help but give wry smile after reading SummerBreeze''s message. Unlike the time where he was recruiting people, the difference between SummerBreeze and them was that he was not desperate to find partners to work with. What he stated in his interviews was that he was looking for a collaborator who he could trust.

    [Winter Fog: Would a video call suffice?]

    .

 145 Doub

    .

    It was a relatively quiet afternoon at the Kouzuki household. As the sun set, an eventful night was slowly coming to

    Inside his research area, Kazuya was wearing a smile as he practiced magic. He was in a relatively good mood ever since the negotiations with SummerBreeze were successful. Though he wasn''t very optimistic about gaining such a person he looked up to in his previous life, the personality of this quirky inventor was easy to get along with.

    There was only one problem, Kazuya had introduced himself as Kazuno Kaguya when the two of them had a video conference. It would not have made sense if Kouzuki Kazuya was the person behind Kazuno Tech because the Kouzuki Corporation and them were publicly competing with one another.

    Kazuya didn''t want to take the risk of his lie being exposed because there was too much at stake. Even though he idolized SummerBreeze from his previous life, for the sake of his plans, he can only hope that the genius inventor would understand the choice he made.

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    There were only a few years left before his return to Edea and the preparations he made was slowly falling into place. There were only a few things that still needed to be done along with his own preparation for when he returned.

    "I wonder if I should tell them¡­" Kazuya whispered to himself.

    This was one of the hesitations Kazuya was still undecided about. Though he had been telling them most of the secrets he held, it was not the complete truth. Kazuya had no idea how long his stay in Edea would be nor had an accurate estimate in the time difference between the two worlds so telling them about it or even his reason for going back would only make them worry about him or worse, stop him.

    He had previously lived for over 8 years in Edea in his previous life. Kazuya had more memories of Edea rather than the time he spent after waking up until the time of his departure. His life was relatively a struggle which made a complete 360 turn where he was hailed as someone of great importance.

    Though Kazuya only read about the people who were hailed as great sages, he felt a little bitterness towards them. They were the ones who created the limitations on the hero summoning circle in which it exploited the ones who would fit the criteria. He left as though the limitations were set upon the people who were easily manipulated.

    Kazuya gave himself a bitter smile as he mocked his na?ve self when he thought about how gullible he had been to those who would have caused his demise. Though still human, he actually shared the opinion of most demi-humans that the human race was a dangerous race that cared about nothing but themselves.

    *knock knock*

    "Young master? The mistress is calling for you." Akane informed him that it was almost time. Kazuya moved quickly and went out of the building because he had lost track of time.

    "Is it that time already?" looking at the dark sky, he knew that he was going to get in trouble if he didn''t get cleaned up. "I''ll take a quick shower!" he rushed into the house. Though Kazuya could have cleaned himself with magic, he would get scolded by his mom if he didn''t smell like he took one. Though magic was pretty convenient, Kyouko didn''t let Kazuya neglect living like a normal person.

    Tonight was a special night. It would be a charity event that was held by various influential organizations. Kyouko who initially didn''t want her son to get involved with the people in her world had reconsidered after learning the achievements he made on his own. There was no one else who would take over their company after all. Meeting those behind the future people in his generation would let Kazuya get an opinion of those he would be competing and cooperating with in the future.

    Kazuya went to the living room with a bag of his things over his shoulder. While going together with Kyouko tonight, he would be going back to stay with the Kuroganes because the competition he would be participating in would start tomorrow. The mother and son would be apart for a few days so it helped Kyouko to make a decision to bring him with her. This way, she would have more time to keep Kazuya to herself.

    "You''re late" Kyouko frowned at the sight of his luggage. Though she was confident that her son would never side with the Kuroganes, their influence in him was another matter. She had experienced first hand just how heartless they were so she was worried that Shishio may have been putting bad things into her son''s mind.

    Kazuya wore a formal suit that was tailored for him. It complimented him quite well and he looked like a dashing young man. He looked at his mother who was wearing a dark blue dress that made her look absolutely stunning. No one would think that she was a mother of such a young man from the way she looked.

    "You look very beautiful mom." Kazuya quickly put into action one of Miyamoto-sensei''s most repeated lessons.

    "Glib tongue!" how could she not notice the quick change of the topic?

    "I''m not lying though. You look very beautiful mom. Is this a new dress?"

    "Do you like it?" While she knew that Kazuya was avoiding trouble, how could she not be affected with her son''s honest compliments? She turned around to show him the dress she bought for tonight''s event and was satisfied when she saw her son nodding in approval.

    "I like it but¡­ don''t you think it is too¡­" Kazuya wanted to say revealing but refrained. The dress highlighted all of Kyouko''s greatest assets so he didn''t know if there would be men that could stop themselves from approaching her.

    "I have you to escort me so I don''t think there would be any problem." Kyouko didn''t usually wear this kind of dresses but since Kazuya was accompanying her, she felt that it would only be appropriate to wear something that would cause quite an impact. What her son was oblivious to however was that his own looks were slowly making the mother worry about his eventual pursuers.

    "Hmm¡­" Kazuya crossed his arms and thought for a bit before giving a nod. "Right."

    "You won''t be taking care of me alone." She looked towards the door leading to the kitchen. "How long are you planning on hiding? Come and let Kazuya take a look!" Kyouko smiled as a figure shyly walked out of the kitchen.

    "Whoa¡­" Kazuya''s eyes was immediately attracted by Yumi who walked out wearing an elegant velvet dress. Kazuya saw her almost everyday but never had he seen her wearing something like this. "You''re really beautiful Yumi-nee."

    "T-thank you for the compliment young master." With a slight stutter, she tried to hide the blush on her face after being complimented by Kazuya.

    "See! I told you Kazuya would like it!" Kyouko smiled and pushed Yumi to stand beside her son. "You two look quite good together! What do you think Kazuya?"

    "I will have to work extra hard to keep all the flies away from Yumi-nee." Not knowing what his mother was up to, he replied honestly as he knew that Yumi had only been growing prettier as time passed by.

    "You''d date a pretty girl like Yumi-chan if you had the chance right?" Kyouko tried pushing further.

    "I would be considered lucky if I entered Yumi-nee''s eyes." Kazuya thought nothing of the question and replied. He had already mentioned quite the number of times that he had no plans of dating or otherwise until he was in high school.

    Kyouko was appreciative of this but worried that her son was focusing on the future too much that he was wasting his youth. While it gave her a sense of security that her son wouldn''t be fooled by women who would look to him for what he had, the worry of something as illogical as love taking over her son''s rationality was still present. This was why she tried putting his attention towards Yumi who she definitely approved of.

    "Young master¡­" Yumi was of course surprised by his reply. Though she had already decided that the feelings she held towards her young master will be buried deep within her, both mother and son didn''t make it easy for her.

    Akane saw the three of them off as they boarded a car that was driven by none other than Mame. They headed towards the venue which had a red-carpet walkway where the press would be able to take pictures of the attendees. This event was not limited to people from the business world after all. Many celebrities were also going to attend as well.

    "We''ve arrived at the Jazz Star Hotel." Mame announced as their vehicle lined up with the various ones that waited their turn to make an entrance at the red carpet.

    Kazuya immediately caught a glimpse of various people that were familiar to him. Kyouko paid attention to her son''s expressions and hoped that he wouldn''t be nervous in such a setting. This may have been a little too much for his first attendance but she believed that if Kazuya could handle the pressure from attending such a big event, there would be little that would faze him in the future.

    Unfortunately for Kyouko, her worries were for naught as Kazuya already labeled this event as something very similar to what he had been used to attending in his previous life. Humans were really similar no matter what world they were in. They sought out extravagance and liked big events like these.

    As a hero, he wasn''t a stranger to large banquets. He was even hailed as the main focus of parades that would be held in the different kingdoms that he visited. He looked at the business people and celebrities like he did the nobles and merchants of Edea.

    Though he was not part of the main focus of this gathering, his social standing was something that wasn''t below many people. Just being able to attend such an event spoke of how the Kouzuki clan considered him as the next generation bearer of their legacy.

    "Whoa¡­."

    "Isn''t that beautiful lady a celebrity?"

    "Idiot! That''s the head of the Kouzuki Corporation!"

    The crowd as well as the reporters were all focused on Kyouko as soon as she got off the car. Kazuya of course was alert as he felt various stares that were mixed with ill intent. As numerous as they were, he couldn''t quite discern which of them were dangerous.

    "Who is that handsome young boy escorting her?"

    "Is he her young lover?"

    Their gazes fell upon the long haired boy who came with Kyouko and was helping another lady out of the vehicle. The men especially were feeling envy as he was able to stand beside Kyouko and their jaws continued to gape as soon as they saw Yumi step out and stand on his other side.

    "Let''s go" Kyouko didn''t mind the stares as she was already used it. Yumi on the other hand put on a cold expression as she gently held onto one of Kazuya''s arms.

    They walked across the red carpet stealing the attention from the well-known celebrities who were currently walking through. Kyouko was looking more radiant than ever especially after finding out that this kind of thing didn''t even faze her precious son.

    "Kazuya! Kyouko!" A man who immediately made the trio frown came and stood in their way as they walked. He was holding a bouquet of flowers and immediately presented it to Kyouko.

    Who had the guts other than the shameless Kurogane Shishio himself? He didn''t care about how the public would react but he openly tried to pursue Kyouko in front of reporters. Since his official wife had died, there had been rumors that he was finally pursuing the love he had lost because of his responsibilities towards his family.

    Shishio wasn''t aware that his plans have been compromised by Kazuya but his son didn''t react much to him openly pursuing Kyouko. He took this as a sign that things were going according to plan. Shishio didn''t realize that Kazuya was allowing this because he would serve as a deterrent to anyone who even had the thought of approaching Kyouko with those kind of intentions.

    "The rumors were true¡­"

    "Kurogane Shishio is finally trying to repair his broken family?"

    "Kazuya-sama, we will escort you into the venue." One of the security personnel accompanying Shishio tried to lead him and Yumi away from Kyouko. What upset both of them was that these men weren''t even being as courteous as their words and tried to block them away from Kyouko.

    Kazuya stopped his steps and caused the man to bump into his back. To the man''s surprise, the boy who was a lot shorter than him wasn''t even knocked from the spot he stood.

    "I am escorting my mother and Yumi-nee tonight. You can recover my things from the vehicle we came in." Kazuya spoke in a commanding tone that didn''t leave any discussions.

    How could he leave Kyouko alone with Shishio knowing well that this reptile was planning something? Separating him from his mother was something that put him on high alert. Could they be planning on doing something during this event?

    Like the Kouzuki family, the Kuroganes were just guests attending this event. Kazuya didn''t believe that the Kuroganes could have collaborated with the organizers of this party because for one, the venue itself was one of the properties of Stockton International.

    "I said it many times, don''t bother me." Kyouko coldly looked at Shishio. She had already forgotten her grudges with this person long ago but the fact that he wanted her precious Kazuya was something she could never forgive.

    Even someone as prideful as Shishio shuddered under Kyouko''s look. Never had she shown that much hostility towards him. This made him lose some of his confidence because he thought that this woman would still harbor sentiments towards him.

    "(Father was right. This woman will definitely stand in our way)" Shishio''s eyes had a strange glint in them as he finally made a decision. He walked closer to Kyouko and held the bouquet directly in front of her.

    Both Kazuya and Yumi found this to be strange. Yumi moved to get past the man who blocked them but the man had no intention of letting Kazuya pass.

    "Shishio-sama has a few matters to talk about with¡ª"

    *BANG*

    .

 146 94th

    .

    In the building not too far from Jazz Star hotel, a man stood in the darkness motionlessly as he peered into the scope of his rifle. He was waiting for a signal that was supposed to be the flowers pointing towards the heart of the intended victim.

    He had to hand it to his employers. Though he already had a reputation for his secrecy and completion rate, they were very careful not to let him know who the target was until Kurogane Shishio had approached her. The target was a beautiful woman who looked coldly at Shishio. Even a hardened man such as him couldn''t help but feel attracted to this elegant woman who he was supposed to eliminate.

    "Such a shame¡­" he noticed the gesture Shishio made as he stepped in closer so he adjusted the angle of his rifle. This had to be done perfectly or even he would be hunted down if there was a slight mishap.

    *BANG*

    He was determined to do a good job because he was informed that there was possibly another target that they wanted to get rid of.

    "Bullseye!" he praised himself as the bullet directly hit the back of Kurogane Shishio.

    "Huh?" the smile on his face immediately froze as the woman who stood in front of Shishio was startled but remained standing. He was baffled because he used special rounds and even shot in a place that was sure to have his bullet pass through.

    He took aim at Kouzuki Kyouko who was still in a state of shock but the scope''s view was immediately blocked by a young man with long hair. This sent shivers down the sniper''s eyes because from what he was seeing, the boy was directly looking at him. The boy kept staring at him and even pulled out a phone while preventing another shot from being taken

    "Damnit!" he cussed and immediately rushed to pack up his equipment. There was a strict instruction that he couldn''t take a shot at that boy so he had no other choice but to start retreating before people could figure out where the shot came from.

    The sniper felt nervous because he knew that his client had taken a the risk of being shot just to fend off suspicions. Their plan was that Kurogane Shishio was supposed to be the target while Kouzuki Kyouko was just there at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Kuroganes had no shortage of enemies after all.

    "(I better get out of this town fast)" he thought after throwing the bag that contained his disassembled rifle down the garbage chute. This was to ensure that he wasn''t seen with any luggage for the areas with security cameras.

    Though he had rare instances that had him fail jobs, he was aware of the fact that his clients weren''t exactly good guys either. He knew the risks of failure that was why he intended to leave as soon as he could. If they were reasonable, they would accept the result calmly. This had been their plan from the beginning and he had done everything perfectly. He just had no idea how Kouzuki Kyouko managed to avoid the bullet that supposed to have passed through Kurogane Shishio.

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    "Did that guy have some kind of bone abnormality that blocked the bullet?" he wondered as he recovered his equipment and headed for his vehicle in the underground parking area.

    "Are you him?" a female voice reached his ears and startled him. He had been on full alert ever since he failed his mission, so he was shocked that someone had come so close to him without him realizing it.

    He turned around and saw a woman who was wearing a dress and was strangely trying to catch her breath. Her hair was a bit disheveled and it looked like she was rushing.

    "You must be mistaking me for someone else." he wanted to leave already so he didn''t wait for the woman to reply and turned towards his car.

    "A rifle in the bag." The woman fixed her hair and revealed a grin. "looks like I hit the jackpot."

    "Now you shouldn''t have said that." he glanced around to make sure that there weren''t any other people in the underground parking lot before putting his bag down. He looked at this girl who was still grinning at him. He didn''t know if the woman understood that he was going to silence her for her careless remark. "How did you know?"

    "Because I was sent to see who the unlucky bastard was who dared to take a shot at my master''s mother." The high heels she wore made clacking sounds as she fearlessly approached the man. "I am in a bad mood since I won''t be able to see the young master tonight but since you seem to be a man who doesn''t look like he will break easily, I will have some sort of consolation."

    Anri immediately rushed towards the man who was shocked by such a direct approach. He couldn''t tell if this woman was reckless or had been hiding something but the fact that he had to get rid of her didn''t change.

    *BAM* Anri''s abdomen was quickly punched. She was knocked a few steps backwards but the man didn''t immediately follow up because his instincts warned him that something was amiss.

    "As expected of a professional. Your physical strength is definitely above the norm." Anri rubbed the place where she was hit and smiled. She kicked off her heels and looked at her opponent. "Unfortunately for you, this body of mine has gone through a transformation thanks to my master." She attacked once again and this time, her opponent''s counterattack didn''t even faze her.

    "Who¡­ who the hell are you?" the man was shocked. Though it was obvious that this woman wasn''t as skilled as he was, her vitals being hit did nothing. She kept attacking and it was as if she was enjoying it.

    "Don''t tell me that''s all you''ve got?" Anri mocked. While she was still unable to subdue this man, she was slowly getting used to his movements as well as she was successfully making him lose more stamina.

    *GRAB* a surprise attack caught her off guard as her leg was swept and she crashed to the ground.

    The man wasted to time and immediately grabbed her neck with both hands and started strangling her.

    "Die! Damn monster!" finally this zombie-like woman was showing a suffering expression. He gripped tighter and watched her struggle with satisfaction.

    *STAB*

    His arm suddenly felt sharp pain as blood immediately scattered around. He tried to pull his arm back but the woman whose hand looked to be embedded on his arm twisted it and made him lose the strength he had on his legs.

    *SPLURT*

    Anri pulled her hand off his arm. The man''s expression grew even paler when he saw how sharp the nails were on Anri''s bloodied hand. He could have sworn that the length of her nails weren''t even long when he first observed this opponent of his.

    "Looks like you''ve killed with your bare hands before." Anri looked at her bloodied hand before turning towards the man who witnessed her transforming her nails back to normal.

    He had been in the business long enough to know that there were certain mysteries and certain people that bends the normal sense of reality. He wasn''t exactly a spiritual man but he had once failed a mission because of someone that had came out alive after his bullet passed through the victim''s head. Luckily, he had escaped the chase which was why he ended up wandering the eastern countries.

    "What are you¡­" he had already given up as his legs had grown numb. He was afraid that this woman was still hiding more of her abilities and would kill him if he escaped. If he figured that if he cooperated, he might just have a chance to walking out of this situation alive. He was just a hired hand after all.

    "I am but my master''s servant."

    -

    While everything was transpiring at Anri''s side, the supposed charity event had turned into a crime scene. Kazuya thought about what had just happened and remembered the moment when he held back Yumi who was going to attack the guard who blocked their way. He pulled her back as he felt an object heading directly towards their direction. What surprised him was that it had hit Shishio''s shoulder before it went through and shot towards Kyouko.

    *CLINK*

    The gems on the elegant earrings Kyouko was wearing shattered immediately as the bullet hit an invisible barrier that made it dissipate into nothing.

    "(So this was their plan¡­)" Kazuya frowned and moved past the guard who was still in a state of shock.

    Kazuya extended his senses and directed it towards the building where the bullet came from. He immediately found the sniper who was intending to take another shot at his mother.

    "(These bastards already got away with it once. Do they really think they can get away with treating my mother like they did Kurogane Nagisa?)" he took out his phone and immediately dialed Anri''s number. He knew she would be around because as the CEO of Kazuno Tech, Mei was supposed to be in attendance as well.

    "Master?" a slightly excited voice answered.

    "You should already be in Jazz Star Hotel for the charity event right?"

    "Y-yes, I''m with Kazuno-sama. We heard that there was a commotion outside¡­" she realized that it might be because of her master.

    "Quickly head to the building east of Jazz Star Hotel. A sniper tried to target my mother. Capture him and let him be the 94th test subject." His tone was serious as his eyes narrowed towards the man who backed away from the windows.

    "Y-yes!" Anri didn''t expect that something this serious had happened. Kazuya had eradicated the Dokuro clan just because they threatened Mei''s safety. This time, it was a direct attempt to kill his mother. How would her master react this time?

    Kazuya ended the call and turned towards Kyouko who touched her earrings to find that the gems have already shattered. She felt a little heartbroken because this was something her son had made for her and even improved over the years.

    "Mom¡­" Kazuya held her hand after seeing her expression and waved his other hand to clean away the blood that splattered on her clothes. He turned to Yumi who was relieved that nothing happened to Kyouko. "Take mom inside the venue, Yumi-nee."

    "What are you talking about? You''re coming with us!" Kyouko snapped out of her daze when Kazuya wanted to stay behind.

    "[The danger already passed mom. This was the Kurogane''s plan to take care of you without arousing any suspicion. Just like they did with Kurogane Nagisa, they think that suspicions towards them would be close to none if they paint themselves as the victims.]" Kazuya couldn''t say this out loud so he used this whisper skill to explain.

    "[Are you sure?]" Kyouko was skeptical because the risk had indeed been great. One small mistake and the shot would have hit Kurogane Shishio''s vitals.

    "[I''m sure. The sniper backed away as soon as I blocked his trajectory towards you. It was obvious that it was the Kuroganes because I would have been shot if it were someone else.]" Kazuya''s statement indeed proved his point but Kyouko was glared at him because he put himself in danger just to prove that point. She wanted to scold him but now wasn''t the time.

    "[I haven''t allowed you to leave without telling me okay?]" Kyouko turned around and finally left with Yumi who looked at Kazuya before she followed her boss. Yumi already understood that her job wasn''t only a secretary. The moment she learned about mana was the moment her responsibilities towards the Kouzuki family had increased.

    "Now then¡­" Kazuya finally turned towards Kurogane Shishio. He wanted to crush the head of this arrogant piece of trash for their attempt tonight but killing this bastard while he was unconscious was too good for him.

    "(It looks like your usefulness is no longer worth it. You people would have lived longer if you had just behaved.)" Kazuya approached his father with a glare and brushed aside the security personnel that surrounded him.

    "Step aside!" the guard who earlier prevented him from going back to Kyouko was knocked aside immediately when he tried blocking Kazuya. This served as a warning to anyone else who decided to block him.

    One guard supported Shishio and put pressure on the injured shoulder. Kazuya took out his phone once more and dialed a number that a few people had access to. He gestured the guard to remove his hand so that he could see the wound on his father''s shoulder.

    "What is it grandson? Aren''t you supposed to be at the charity event with your father?" Tenma''s voice sounded like he knew nothing of the events that were going to happen.

    "Grandfather¡­ father was hit by a bullet while we were walking towards the venue." The guard immediately lost all hesitation and allowed Kazuya to inspect as he liked because he had been reporting directly to the clan head.

    Kazuya of course took advantage of the privilege and pretended to check the wound while using his mana to make Kurogane Shishio regret using his own body to paint his innocence. Kazuya killed a few of Shishio''s nerves and made sure that the healing process was going to be slow and painful. He had to hand it to the sniper, the shot had been quite precise and there wouldn''t be any noticeable problems once Shishio had healed. It was just too bad that Kazuya wasn''t going to let him off this lightly.

    "I see¡­ are you alright? Did you or anyone else get injured?" Tenma tried to show care whilst masking the question about other casualties.

    "The crowd and everyone else immediately scattered so I don''t think anyone else was injured. An ambulance was already contacted and we''re waiting for them to arrive so that they could take father away." Kazuya pretended not to know what he had been asking about. He could just imagine the disappointment in this old fogey''s face as he held back the urge to grin.

    "I see¡­" it took a few moments for the information to sink in. "You can let the security take care of your father. You would have to attend the charity event as the representative of the Kurogane clan." Tenma''s reply shocked Kazuya. This old man was quick to take advantage of the situation. This old man had shifted his plan towards making Kazuya take on responsibilities and it was most likely another test to see if he really was as capable as Tenma expected of him.

    "I¡­" Kazuya didn''t know whether to accept or decline. Though it was only for a moment, he truly was caught off guard by how quick Tenma processed the situation.

    "Don''t worry too much about the details. I''m sure you''ll do fine. You have the blood of us Kuroganes running through you after all." Tenma said in a comforting tone. "I have to make a few calls and make arrangements for your father so I will leave it to you Kazuya." Tenma didn''t want Kazuya to refuse so he abruptly ended the call.

    *BZZ* his phone received a message after the call had ended.

    "[I''ve caught the test subject master -Anri]"

    "[Good. I''ll leave that subject to you. I''ll be expecting a good report]"

    .

 147 Silent Retaliation

    .

    Kouzuki Kazuya was escorted by some of the security personnel that weren''t able to accompany Kurogane Shishio to the hospital. The security team weren''t aware of the plans that transpired earlier this evening so they were tasked by Kurogane Tenma to protect their precious young master. It looked like someone was targeting the next head of the Kurogane clan so this was a necessary step to prevent any form of suspicion from leading back towards them.

    Since there was an incident, Kazuya was held up and asked a few details by the officers who arrived at the scene. To his surprise, there were a lot of detectives that showed up. One of them was a young woman who unlike the other detectives, was both familiar to him and appeared to be a detective as well.

    "(Officer Sanada? Why is she a detective?)"

    This woman was Sanada Yuriko, a police officer that was stationed in the vicinity of the Doumyouji clan''s territory in Kazuya''s previous life. This girl was a fresh graduate of the academy who was stationed there to get some experience before moving higher up in the ranks in Kazuya''s previous life.

    Thinking back, he had a couple of conversations with this person and knew that she was a clever person. She stopped him a couple of times because he usually worked late so he had to explain his circumstances to this person. If he should describe this person, a simple ''straightforward and courageous'' would not be enough.

    This woman''s career was regrettably hindered because of an unfortunate apprehension she bravely made against the groups who were creating havoc when they were taking over the Domyouji clan''s territory. Because of their influence, this talented woman''s career was sealed and she wasn''t able to rise up from her current predicament in Kazuya''s previous life.

    "(Looks like she made it in this life)" Kazuya was glad that she didn''t share the same fate as Hamasaki Hikaru who somehow had her blissful life as a celebrity taken away in this life. He smiled at the detective who coincidentally looked over his direction and immediately walked towards Kazuya.

    "Halt" the overprotective guards that surrounded Kazuya immediately blocked her path. The security personnel of the Kurogane clan was infamous for not respecting authorities so even though there were various detectives who arrived at the scene, not many wanted to get close to them.

    "Let her through. I want to be able to go inside already." Kazuya looked towards the surprised woman who didn''t expect him to do that.

    Yuriko was a little surprised by Kazuya''s attitude. She did indeed approach him but she had long heard about how those who had a large influence were always uncooperative. This was even more so with those involved with the Kuroganes. What''s more was that she felt that the smile this boy directed towards her felt that it didn''t come from a stranger.

    "Have we met someplace before?" Yuriko wasn''t the type to think silently about matters that confused her so she immediately asked. Kazuya was a little surprised but smiled after he heard her question.

    "If I didn''t know any better, I would think that that was a pick-up line ''detective''." Kazuya gave a light laugh. He was truly glad that this person hadn''t changed a bit. He was amused at the woman''s shocked reaction before continuing. "This would be the first time we''ve met. (in this lifetime anyway) My name is Kouzuki Kazuya." He knew this woman''s personality as she would always react violently to those who tried to take liberties with her. As an attractive female officer in a troubled area, she had no shortage of these fellows.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya¡­" she muttered and wore a face as if she had gained some sort of insight. She believed that coming here had suddenly been worthwhile because this person played a very important part in her theory towards the case she had been working on.

    "Is something the matter?" Kazuya didn''t miss the changes in her expressions and was somewhat confused. Why did she show that kind of reaction? He never had any contact with the authorities nor this woman who was once a deterrent for those individuals who tried to bully him when he moved around late at night.

    "Ah, pardon my rudeness. It''s just that I am a person that practices kendo myself. I have heard of your reputation but this is the first time I''ve put a face to the name." Yuriko quickly made an excuse. For some reason, she had her guard up against this kid who didn''t seem like a kid at all. She couldn''t understand it herself but it was basically her instincts acting in reflex.

    "Is that so?" Kazuya of course didn''t believe a word of it. He believed that there was something she was definitely hiding. "I would like to enter the venue before the event begins so¡­" as much as he liked seeing an old face, they had nothing to do with each other in this life and Kazuya preferred it to stay that way. He didn''t want her involved with him in this life because her position would not be of any help to him compared to his previous life. It would only put him in risk.

    "I understand. I will be taking your statement then." Though both of them didn''t believe each other''s excuses, they both judged each other to be a lot smarter than they let on. Yuriko didn''t let her judgement stop her from doing her job as she listened to Kazuya''s narration of what transpired.

    Of course, Kazuya explained it in a way that didn''t involve his mother much. That way, they wouldn''t even bother her as he did not want this woman and her intuition to grasp the tail of the Kuroganes and their failed plan. Going against them was only going to let her suffer the same fate in Kazuya''s previous lifetime after all.

    "¡­ and that''s what happened." Kazuya finished telling his story. He watched Yuriko crossing her arms as if deep in thought.

    "Why didn''t you go with your father to the hospital?" This was the first thing that she asked. Though she already knew of Kazuya''s past through his records, she was curious as to why this young man appeared so calm and collected after seeing his own father getting shot by a bullet.

    "My paternal grandfather asked me to take my father''s place as a representative for the Kurogane family." Kazuya answered directly but, in his thoughts, he didn''t care whether Shishio lived or died after the stunt he just pulled tonight. He was only lucky that nothing happened to Kyouko or the Kuroganes would have been wiped out if there had been as much as a scratch on her.

    "Don''t you care what happens to him?" she observed Kazuya''s every reaction and tried to get some insight into this boy''s personality.

    "Though you may not believe me, I''ve studied a bit of medicine. I already checked my father''s wound. The bullet had gone through and it did not hit any vitals. Though it would take some time to recover, it was not a fatal wound." He calmly replied.

    "But he¡­" Yuriko stopped as she remembered that this boy already had an experience of being shot before. Even as a police officer, she had never experienced any cases that involved firearms. This boy could have already been considered to have more experiences than her when it came to danger so she could only think of this as the reason for his calmness.

    "If there is nothing else, am I free to go now?" Kazuya wasn''t interested in hanging out with her for much longer. He knew that she was up to something and didn''t want to feed her curiosity because it would only cause this person to relentlessly go after him like whoever her prey was in his past life.

    "Yes¡­ you are free to go. I will be putting your statement in my report." Having no other excuses to detain him, Yuriko had no choice but to let him go. She didn''t want to arouse this clever boy''s suspicion so she could only hope that tonight''s meeting could open up another opportunity for her in the future.

    "As much as it is a pleasure to be hanging out with a lovely lady such as yourself, I hope that the next time we meet, it would be under non-official circumstances." Kazuya couldn''t resist teasing this lady officer who detained him as a suspicious individual before he left.

    Yuriko stood there dumbfounded as she had been shocked by Kazuya''s words. Did a kid just flirt with her and get away with it? She wasn''t the only one who thought so as the guards that walked with Kazuya looked at their young master with admiration.

    *pat*

    A senior detective patted Yuriko on the shoulder with a grin. It was only then that she realized that most of the busy looking detectives when she was talking to Kazuya only looked to be doing something else while paying attention to their conversation.

    "Sir¡­" she felt embarrassed that she was fooled around with.

    "What are you frowning for? You should consider extremely lucky." He lightly knocked on her head. "Most people in that kid''s standing are a bunch of arrogant brats. Not only had he been greatly cooperative when he didn''t have to, he even answered all your questions. Having a connection with that kid might prove helpful to a headstrong person like you. I advise you as your senior to not ruin it!"

    How could Yuriko not understand what her superior meant? While it was true that she was a detective, she was still inexperienced and was like most young people who believed that everything would be alright as long as justice was on their side. A person that was connected to various influential families that had much influence in their force like the Shiroyukis or the Kuronumas was indeed a great asset for someone like her.

    "Thank you sir. I will keep that in mind." Yuriko turned around and returned to the crime scene. She pieced together Kazuya''s statement with the reports from the other witnesses. While they already had another big case in their hands, a case like this which was witnessed by various reporters needed to be solved immediately.

    -

    Kazuya entered Jazz Star Hotel and was led to the venue. He immediately found Kyouko and Yumi with his senses and they were sitting on a table together with Stockton Jonson and various other foreign businessmen. He was relieved when he saw his mother in her usual business mode and decided to not to disturb her. He didn''t want to ruin her image with his presence after all.

    "(Hmm¡­?)"Kazuya immediately felt a few intense stares directed at him. He already caught the attention of a few people when he entered the hall with the Kurogane guards but the starting was a little intense.

    "[You order one of my secretaries and leave me without protection while you escort Kyouko and Yumi around in a grand fashion?]" a bitter voice entered Kazuya''s mind.

    "[Sorry big sis. There wasn''t really any time for me to ask someone else. It would have been more suspicious if I went myself after attracting that much attention.]" Kazuya turned towards Mei who was coldly standing close to a pillar with a wine glass on her hand.

    "[How do you plan to make it up to me?]" a mischievous grin appeared on the cold expression Mei held to fend of those who wanted to approach her.

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    "[isn''t our company part of the selection for tonight''s charity? I happen to have been granted Kurogane Shishio''s authority for selecting where their funds will be going to.]" Kazuya made his intentions clear.

    Kazuno Technologies were indeed involved in tonight''s selection. They were researching the integration of the technology for one of their most popular innovations; ''Rucy-chan''. Their research will help this A.I. be integrated into something that can be used for education. Their goal is to help those places or countries where there is a lack for educational institutions. If everything went as they planned, ''Rucy-chan'' can become a teacher and reach areas where education is a luxury rather than a privilege.

    "[Won''t you get in trouble with Kurogane Tenma for that?]" Mei was surprised by Kazuya''s decision because not only was the Kouzuki family supposed to be at odds with Mei, the Kuroganes have taken a stance of leaving Kazuno tech alone because of their agreement. Helping Kazuno Tech now will only bury Kurogane Sousuke''s dying Ringo Corporation even further.

    "[You leave that to me big sis. I just have one question¡­ is this enough to make it up to you?]" There was no longer a need for him to be courteous with the Kuroganes after what they did tonight.

    "[Not enough! Do you think you can get away with neglecting your big sis with money!? I want to be accompanied to a grand event and enter in even a grander manner with you!]" Mei demanded.

    "[That goes without saying.]" Kazuya grinned. He truly missed spending time with Mei and wanted her to return back to where she belonged. "[One day, I will accompany big sis to walk down the aisle as you wear a grand white dress in front of everyone.]" he referenced the dream he envisioned in his previous life unaware that he was unconsciously sending his personal thought through the whisper skill.

    This immediately made Mei almost spit out the wine she was drinking. She tried to hide her embarrassed expression from his sight and hid behind the big pillar. She breathed deeply and tried to control her heartbeat as the unconscious and careless thought Kazuya made reached her.

    "Huh? [What? Did something happ-]"

    "Kazuya-kun" a voice interrupted this transmission as the guards allowed a person past their perimeter.

    "It''s you¡­" still having a presence that was hard to detect if he didn''t concentrate, Stockton Kurumi stood behind him with a smile. "You really should avoid standing behind me like a ghost. It''s dangerous you know." Kazuya warned.

    "Hehe¡­" Kurumi giggled. She thought that he was just trying to hide his embarrassment. "Is uncle going to be okay?"

    "Uncle?" Kazuya took a few moments before he understood who she meant. This was his confirmation that something indeed happened between Shishio and the Stocktons for this girl to refer to him that way. "He''s going to be fine. Did you guys meet before?"

    "He was having dinner with your grandfather in the same restaurant. I didn''t know that he played the piano like you do." Kurumi was happy, she longed for these kinds of normal conversations with him.

    "He did? I wasn''t aware. I''ve only started spending time with him not too long ago. All he ever talks about is business though." Kazuya couldn''t care less about Shishio. This girl seemed to be thinking that since he was Kazuya''s father that they would get along. What he could only do was ruin the image Shishio implanted in this na?ve girl''s head.

    "Do you¡­ not get along with uncle Shishio?" Kurumi asked with concern. She pinned some hope on this uncle and it was with him that her chances of getting engaged to Kazuya lay.

    Kazuya successfully baited this girl, he had already cast an invisible sound barrier between them as soon as they talked about Shishio to prevent the guards from eavesdropping. He couldn''t use his whisper skill with this girl after all.

    "Kurogane Shishio wouldn''t have shown up in front of me if I remained the same boy before I lost my memories. What he is interested in is not that I am his son, rather how my standing and capabilities will help the Kurogane clan. This is why he has been trying hard to get close to me."

    .

 148 Her Thoughts

    .

    The news reports the next day were filled with what had happened before the charity event even started. Kurogane Shishio of the Kurogane Conglomerate was shot by an unknown culprit while he was making his entrance at a charity event.

    While he received pity from those who were unaware of what the Kurogane clan was, most people in the same field felt no pity towards him. They thought that whoever shot at him must have been in the right because to them, the Kuroganes really have angered too many people.

    Of course, not everything about the event was bad news. Kazuno Tech has announced that they would be developing an innovation that would be helping with the places in the world that have a lack of educational personnel or institutions.

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    *tug tug*

    Tomoyo who saw the news reports as they were having breakfast immediately tugged on her grandfather''s sleeves.

    "The kid''s fine. He should be on a plane heading towards the western prefecture right now." Jirou answered her concern. "He didn''t even forget to have me make something I''m having trouble with." He shook his head.

    "?" Tomoyo tilted her head.

    "What did Kazuya ask you to make dear?" Kaori was curious as well. Jirou was a skilled craftsman who once crafted along with his workers so declaring something troublesome was something that rarely came from this confident man.

    "These things." He pulled up a few papers from his pockets and showed the two.

    The papers contained detailed drawings together with measurements. Each one looked very detailed pieces of metals that were of various shapes and sizes. The two of them couldn''t figure out what they were for but like Jirou said, the various engravings on them made it look complicated.

    "Do you know what this is or what it is for?" Kaori couldn''t help but ask curiously. She was interested in the intricate looking engravings on the metals.

    "I''m not really too sure but it looks like they are assembled together. The kid told me that he could help with the engravings but how can I let an amateur do it?" Jirou believed that though the kid may be the most talented he''d ever met, Jirou was still a master craftsman that had a lot of experience under his belt.

    "I know you''re upset about him joining a competition involving firearms but you should let him try. He might even be interested in being a craftsman." Kaori decided to be the voice of reason. To her, Kazuya was already a grandson.

    "Tsk! I wouldn''t have let him go if there was any choice. Though guns may indeed be superior weapons, the sword is much better at training the people who wield them." Jirou wasn''t one of those people who refused the common fact even though he was above the norm.

    "I''m sure he is just doing it to humor Tenma, that old coot. He is keeping the peace between the clans after all." Kaori gave Kazuya her support. She knew very well how much Kazuya had been sacrificing for the sake of preventing the both sides of his lineage from fighting.

    "I know." Jirou nodded. "Anyway, you better hurry off to school Tomoyo. The instructors will be taking you since I have to think about how to make the things that kid asked for." He already knew that Kazuya was using himself as a sacrificial lamb to appease both families. His concern however, was when the boy was going to make his move and what he was going to do. With what the Kuroganes tried to pull last night, he felt nervous about what his future grandson might do.

    While he did use a large amount of funds to help Kazuno Tech with their research project, it was still an amount of money that was meant to be spent that night. Jirou did not believe that the boy would be satisfied with just that amount of payback. The boy had done worse things for reasons that don''t even come close to Kyouko being exposed to such danger.

    Jirou watched his granddaughter as she left. He wondered if Kazuya would react in the same manner if she was ever in danger. The two of them had gotten relatively closer over the years and the boy himself even announced his support of their engagement publicly. Of course, he didn''t want Tomoyo to be put in any danger but only through certain situations will certain things will be revealed.

    -

    Tomoyo looked towards the sky as soon as she got off at school. Kazuya should have already arrived at the western prefecture for his competition. He had been quite busy these days so she was a bit lonely. Takaya also didn''t go to school as much because he was part of yet another production that kept him quite busy.

    She was the only one who had a normal schedule among the three of them ever since Kazuya had gotten himself involved with Kurogane Shishio so Tomoyo was left to attend her classes on her own. What the two friends weren''t aware of however, was that Tomoyo had gained a new and unexpected companion that she would spend time with if her two friends weren''t present.

    "Good¡­ morning¡­" a soft voice came out and greeted the pretty teacher that smiled as soon as she spotted Tomoyo. It was still relatively early in the morning so Hikaru was

    "You were able to do it well today Shiroyuki-san. You''ve made a lot of progress." Hikaru praised. She was slowly helping Tomoyo make use of her voice which Kazuya and Takaya had been trying to improve for years. No one would have thought that someone else would be continuing their efforts without their knowledge.

    *nod*

    These two have grown a lot closer ever since Hikaru approached Tomoyo to get to know a little more about Kouzuki Kazuya. Though it was a rough start in which the two of them couldn''t communicate well because of Tomoyo''s reluctance to use her voice, a sudden breakthrough was achieved when the question of how the two became friends was asked.

    Hikaru had no reason to doubt Tomoyo because this girl has always been pure and innocent. She found out that all of her assumptions towards Kazuya had been a mistake. Her initial prejudice against him was because if the words spreading around about how Kazuya was the lost son of the Kurogane house and how they intended to make up for their mistakes in the past.

    She felt quite stupid because this was how the Kurogane clan usually operated. They manipulated the information towards those who weren''t informed so that majority of those who knew nothing about them would feel sympathetic. The Kouzuki house would have been painted as hindering the parental rights of Shishio if he was not allowed to visit or have time with Kouzuki Kazuya.

    Tomoyo had been separated from her only friends because of her selfish prejudice towards a boy who was caught in the crossfire of two clans. This was something that Hikaru felt extremely guilty about. She no longer felt any hostility towards Kazuya, but rather she empathize with him more after learning more about his past.

    "The competition Kazuya-kun should be in should be shown somewhere. Do you want to watch during your break time?" Hikaru looked at Tomoyo gently. Though she knew the answer already, she liked seeing this girl''s expressions change. Even though they were subtle, her eyes would light up whenever it was about Kouzuki Kazuya.

    *nod nod*

    "Then I''ll meet you in the counseling room during lunch." She watched Tomoyo obediently leave for their classroom. She still had to attend the morning meeting. Hikaru headed to where the other teachers were and though she still hadn''t talked with Kouzuki Kazuya ever since he stopped coming to her class, from what Tomoyo told her about him, there wouldn''t be any problems if she admitted her mistake and apologized.

    She wondered if anyone else knew that the key to Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s voice was Kouzuki Kazuya himself. Though she initially thought that the girl was mute, the very first time she heard the girl''s voice was when she talked to the boy in question. Tomoyo liked talking about Kouzuki Kazuya and Hikaru definitely felt the fondness this so-called ''robot girl'' felt for the boy who was initially hostile towards her when they first met.

    Not much people really knew the initial relationship that Kouzuki Kazuya had with the Kuroganes. Though the incident that happened between him and Hashiyama Lee was well-known, to people like Hikaru who didn''t pay much attention to recent events, she only found out about it when she was informed about it.

    Who would have thought that the son that was being praised and declared as one of the most talented youngsters of the Kurogane clan was a victim who experienced the arrogance and dirty tactics from that family.

    It was only when she learned about Kouzuki Kazuya that she understood just how much he had helped the school and the students. Though it may have been involuntary on his part, many people have been influenced by his strange presence. Though Sacred Forest Academy frowned upon those who flaunted their backgrounds, they really didn''t have any means to prevent any actions that would be taken outside. This was especially if the parents themselves got involved. Though the school technically had some kind of power, enforcing punishments on these offenders would have to be clearly justified.

    Kouzuki Kazuya was a deterrent for those kinds of people because he had shown in several occasions that he was unlike those people and would even take action whenever he would encounter something that did not sit right with him. It was because of him that the behavior of S class students have changed. It may have been out of fear of Kazuya''s growing influence but it was still a good thing for the regular students who were once like Mei in the past.

    Hamasaki Hikaru''s thoughts about Kazuya had undergone a complete turn as she sat to watch the coverage of the boy''s participation after her morning classes.

    "Good Luck!" she wished him after Kazuya appeared on the screen to take his first turn in the competition.

    Tomoyo was looking forward to the break period and appeared to be restless as she was in class. No one tried to call her out on it because no one would expect an answer from her because Kazuya would serve as her translator whenever he was around.

    *dun¡­ dun¡­" the chime for lunch rang and Tomoyo rushed towards the counseling room.

    "YES!" Hikaru hadn''t noticed Tomoyo''s entrance as she cheered out loud.

    "?" Tomoyo entered the room and looked at the screen and immediately recognized the person that was being featured.

    "You''re here!" Hikaru noticed Tomoyo as the girl stepped closer towards the screen. She felt a little embarrassed because she found herself cheering for Kazuya before she knew it. "Kouzuki Kazuya broke another record! Even the commentators can''t believe that he''s the youngest competitor in the competition." Hikaru explained what happened while Tomoyo was in class.

    Both of them knew nothing about the competition nor about guns so Hikaru explained it as she heard from the commentators. Initially, she was a bit skeptical about what she heard about Kouzuki Kazuya. The boy was highly valued by the middle school department because any competition he would join would always grant a victory.

    Now that she witnessed it herself, she understood how much of a marvel Kazuya was. The only problem she had while watching the program was that instead of using Kazuya''s official name, he was broadcasted with the identity of ''Kurogane Kazuya'' in which Hikaru believed was the work of the Kuroganes. The same competition was one of the achievements of the current head of the Kurogane clan after all.

    "(What a kid¡­)" comparing the middle school kid to the other young people in the competition, other than the name he bore, Hikaru thought that Kazuya would have to be intimidated as the youngest competitor in the competition. Yet, not only had the boy have his usual indifferent look, he also broke the records that have set by predecessors who was older than him when they were set.

    "(I wonder what kind of person his mother is towards him¡­)" Hikaru began to think. She had her own responsibilities as the homeroom teacher of class 2-B. She was interested in meeting Kouzuki Kyouko but Kazuya was not officially registered as a student of her class. The home visits that she was supposed to do did not include him.

    "Shirayuki-san, can I come and visit your grandparents later?" Hikaru asked as soon as the broadcast had taken a commercial break.

    *¡­nod* Tomoyo gave a nod after thinking about it for a few seconds. It was already announced that there would be home visits and their previous teacher, Miyamoto-sensei had already done it a while back.

    "Great! We can go directly to your home after your club activities." Hikaru smiled. "I will inform your grandparents that I will be coming along with you later"

    -

    Meanwhile, in the western prefecture competition grounds.

    *BZZT BZZZT*

    "What''s the matter?" Kazuya answered his phone after seeing who the caller was.

    "Boss! You won''t believe where I found out the information you were looking for!" Ika sounded very excited as if he had uncovered something of great significance.

    "What is it?" growing curious, Kazuya expected something out of the usually bored hacker.

    "You were right! Hamasaki Hikaru''s identity really was fishy!" Ika exclaimed. "It turns out, her identity was something that was changed by the Kurogane family!"

    "Huh?" Kazuya''s mind stopped. He couldn''t wrap his head about what was going on. "Are you telling me that her identity was something that was fabricated by them?"

    "Right! Hamasaki Hikaru is a false identity that has not existed for very long! Her real name would shock you!"

    .

 149 From the Shadows 2 in 1

    .

    Unfortunately for Tomoyo, the competition was not yet done when she had to go back to her class. The first day of the competition had already ended before she went to the kendo club so she would only be able to watch the replay when she got home.

    "Are you ready to go?" Hikaru saw Tomoyo exiting the club''s dojo and asked.

    *nod*

    "Your grandparents told me that you usually go to the dojo with a friend from Akaryuu School and asked if we can pick her up on the way." Hikaru smiled as they walked towards the neighboring school.

    Hikaru didn''t mind that Tomoyo didn''t respond with her voice all the time. Though she wasn''t aware of just how much progress she made by making this girl use her voice, Hikaru wanted to let this innocent student of hers slowly understand and get used to using her voice. This was why she would usually converse with her in a way that would not let her respond with her gestures.

    After looking into the pasts of Tomoyo and Kazuya, Hikaru understood that although the two of them may be in an envious position in the eyes of others, most people do not understand what they have gone through.

    "?" Tomoyo felt a little restless as she could feel as if there was someone staring at her fervently. She looked around but could only find the admiring gazes of the students which she was already used to and tilted her head in confusion.

    "What''s wrong Shiroyuki-san?" Hikaru stopped her steps as she noticed Tomoyo glancing around.

    *shake shake* the strange feeling seemed to have faded after Hikaru called her out so Tomoyo shook her head and caught up to her teacher.

    "Is Akabane Nanami-san a friend of yours as well?" sensing the strange mood Tomoyo was in, Hikaru decided to ask a few questions.

    *nod* Tomoyo replied after considering it for a few moments. Nanami was friends with Kazuya and whoever Kazuya was friends with, she remembered.

    Despite Tomoyo''s carefree thoughts about Nanami, the two of them were considered very close partners in the Shirayuki dojo. After Nanami joined, the usual pair of Kazuya and Tomoyo who none of their age group could contend with had become a trio whose intense sparring sessions the instructors pay close attention to.

    "Is she close with Kouzuki-kun as well?" Hikaru was a little curious about it because she heard that Aoki Takaya himself was ignored by Tomoyo before. From the looks of things, one had to be acquainted with Kazuya before even having the chance to get remembered by this robot girl.

    *nod*

    "Can you tell me more about your friend? How did she end up being friends with you and Kouzuki-kun?" Hikaru was curious. Akaryuu and Sacred Forest students were almost always at odds with each other. This was very rampant amongst those in the same competing activity so the three of them whose main activity was kendo was quite interesting.

    "friends¡­ our¡­ grandfathers¡­" Tomoyo slowly and softly used her voice to tell Hikaru about how the three of them were related. She wasn''t as detailed about when they met but she was able to mention that Kazuya helped train Nanami until she was able to beat Kuronume Ayame, the student from their high school department as well as former champion.

    The fact that Nanami trained in the Shiroyuki dojo was no secret. She even credited the dojo for her improvements when she was interviewed by many magazines that asked about it. Jirou of course was very happy about the free advertisement but the Sacred Forest Academy had mixed emotions about it because Kuronuma Ayame was one of their own students whilst Ayame was a student from a rival school.

    "Akabane clan¡­" Hikaru didn''t think that Nanami was a member of the well-known household. To be more specific, she was surprised at how students like Kazuya, Nanami and Tomoyo were very down to earth. Their statuses were very special yet none of them threw their weight around like most of the students who had the tiniest bit of influence to brag about.

    Tomoyo herself was an exception because she had been the way she was because of what happened in her childhood but what about Kazuya and Nanami? The knowledge and experience that Hikaru had with people like them were worlds apart. This was why she never gave Kouzuki Kazuya the benefit of the doubt.

    "Tomoyo!" a lively voice called out to the two who approached the gates of Akaryuu''s school.

    "(This girl¡­)" Hikaru held her surprise as a surprisingly elegant looking girl who garnered the attention of the male students that exited the school approached them.

    Hikaru may not have been keeping up with the personalities that Sacred Forest Academy was keeping track of because she was still a temporary employee but she was aware that the Akabane clan was known to be a clan of rough yakuzas. She felt a little guilty over expecting someone who was informal and crude because the high school girl that showed up in front of her was someone she did not expect.

    "This person is¡­?" Nanami noticed Hikaru who was staring at her.

    "Sensei¡­" Tomoyo''s reply made Nanami stunned. She didn''t expect a response and asked so that Hikaru would answer and introduce herself but Tomoyo didn''t think much of it and replied. "for¡­ home visit¡­"

    "Hello, I am Shiroyuki-san''s homeroom teacher. I was asked to take the two of you together to Shiroyuki-san''s place." Hikaru introduced herself properly to Nanami. She had already confirmed that Tomoyo considered Nanami as a friend because of how the usually guarded Tomoyo didn''t think much about replying towards Nanami through her voice.

    "Oh¡­ My name is Akabane Nanami, I apologize if there was any delay in your schedule in coming here to pick me up." Nanami politely bowed. She had hung around Tomoyo long enough to have her own understanding about the robot girl. This was the reason that she was very polite towards this teacher. Kazuya himself had been trying to let Tomoyo use her vocal chords and she hasn''t seen anyone outside their circle making Tomoyo speak.

    "It is no problem. I was rather interested in meeting you as well Akabane-san." Hikaru was very impressed with Nanami''s manners. If she didn''t hear from Tomoyo, she wouldn''t have thought that this elegant girl was part of the infamous Akabane clan.

    "Me?" Nanami was a surprised. She wondered what a teacher from Sacred Forest Academy would want with her.

    "Shiroyuki-san here tells me that you are also friends with Kouzuki Kazuya-kun so I want to talk about a few things." Hikaru honestly declared. "It shouldn''t take long so we should have some tea before we head towards the Shiroyuki residence."

    "About Kazuya-san?" Nanami brought up her guard a little. She looked at Tomoyo who gave her a nod as if confirming that Hikaru was okay. "I know a quiet place where there aren''t many people." She agreed and they went towards a place that Nanami visited frequently.

    It was a small caf¨¦ that wasn''t that far from Nanami''s school. This was where she would usually meet with the students that didn''t want to be seen with her in the neighborhood so there was no problem if they wanted to talk about something sensitive.

    Hikaru noticed that Nanami had raised her guard so she went straight to the point and explained her circumstances. She explained that she had bad experiences towards the children of well-known families and was treated by them very badly before.

    Nanami felt a little relieved that what Hikaru wanted wasn''t information about Kazuya but rather how to get him to forgive her. It would have been simple to anyone who knew him, but Nanami understood that this teacher was new to the occupation of being a teacher and doesn''t know much about Kazuya.

    She understands Hikaru''s point of view as Nanami saw Kouzuki Kazuya as a mystery as well. Before she mustered up her courage and got along with him, Nanami was in the same position and considered a lot of things so that her relationship with Kazuya wouldn''t go bad.

    "Kazuya-san may seem complicated but¡­ that really isn''t the case." Nanami smiled as she looked at the worried teacher. "Kazuya-san is very kind and easy to get along with. As long as sensei can apologize sincerely, there won''t be any problems."

    The two of them exchanged opinions and Hikaru was finally able to hear what she needed. Though Hikaru was a bit skeptical about how Nanami described Kouzuki Kazuya''s personality, it more or less fit the description that Tomoyo tried to convey.

    Hikaru was sure of one thing though, Akabane Nanami was very fond of Kouzuki Kazuya. She wasn''t afraid to show how much she admired the boy and it made Hikaru think if this elegant high school girl was the rumored girl that was supposed to be engaged to him.

    "Thank you Akabane-san. I appreciate your time and help about this matter." Hikaru thanked her and settled the bill so they could leave. They agreed that they would take a cab back to Tomoyo''s place since she did not have a car.

    "Hmm?" This time Nanami was the first to react. She stopped in her tracks focused her sight on the old building that they were about to pass by.

    "Akabane-sa¡ª" Hikaru turned towards Nanami and was shocked as she was suddenly pushed to the side.

    *THUD* Hikaru hit the wall and couldn''t help but cough a few times because she hit concrete wall pretty hard.

    "Tsk! I should have gone for you first girl!" a creepy voice reached the girls'' ears.

    Hikaru was feeling a bit dizzy but she could see that the voice came from the shadow that was standing in the spot where she got pushed from.

    Tomoyo rushed to Hikaru''s side cautiously as Nanami stood in between the two girls and the mysterious person who appeared from the building.

    "Who the hell are you!?" Nanami glared and shouted at the unknown person who just jumped from the blind spot of the abandoned looking building. She immediately reached towards her bag to draw the wooden sword as soon as she saw what this stranger was holding.

    Nanami couldn''t get a clear view of the stranger''s face because of the setting sun that was behind the stranger. What she could see however, was that this man had a weapon on his hand. It was a combat knife that would have either been buried in Hikaru''s body or would have critically wounded her if Nanami hadn''t sensed the incoming danger.

    "I didn''t think that I would suffer much trouble with today''s prey." His creepy voice made the three girls put up their guard more. They might not have been able to completely see his face but the outline of his mouth showed how he was feeling.

    The stranger had a grin on his face as he stood confidently in front of Nanami. He looked at the wooden sword in Nanami''s hand and could see Tomoyo slowly reaching for hers after she made sure that Hikaru was alright.

    "Take sensei back to the caf¨¦ while I hold him off!" Nanami didn''t have time to be polite and ordered Tomoyo. She couldn''t take her attention away from this stranger because her instincts were warning her that it would be fatal if she was even a little bit careless when facing this person. She wished to buy some time so the two could make it back to the caf¨¦ and call for help.

    In terms of dealing with trouble, Nanami was no stranger to it. Being a former delinquent, she prioritized her companions because she knew she was capable. It wasn''t that Nanami was underestimating Tomoyo''s abilities but never was this robot girl ever exposed to experiences that she and Kazuya had fighting outside an appropriate settings.

    Nanami didn''t want to risk Tomoyo getting in danger because not only was she indebted to the Shiroyuki dojo, she saw the robot girl as an important friend and comrade. She, who was used to these kinds of things. Nanami was determined to be the one to deal with the current danger so that the other two could escape.

    "Impressive show of friendship." the stranger spoke sarcastically. "I''ll tell you what¡­ As long as you walk away now, I''ll let you go." the stranger''s deep voice sounded serious as his body turned to Nanami. "I won''t even ask you to forget what you''ve seen or heard. You''d be totally free to either walk away silently or get help." Two knives were suddenly thrown from the stanger''s sleeve.

    *CLINK!* Nanami managed to block the knife that was hurled towards her but Tomoyo had to pull Hikaru to avoid the one that was thrown at them. Nanami didn''t even consider the stranger''s proposal which was both rare and surprising for this person.

    "(Let me go? Don''t make me laugh.)" Nanami glared. It looks like this person was aiming for either Tomoyo or Hikaru for some reason. Nevertheless, this person seems to be proficient with throwing knives as well, so they all needed to be extra careful.

    "Impressive! Much more impressive than those so-called protectors of peace and order! HAHAHAHA! This is interesting!" he laughed out loud while shivering in excitement. He licked his lips like a hunter that had finally found worthy prey.

    "!!!" Tomoyo who had her guard up couldn''t help but shiver after hearing the crazed laughter coming from the stranger. The setting sun was finally blocked by one of the buildings and they were able to see the face of this mysterious attacker.

    *plop* the wooden sword in Tomoyo''s hand dropped to the floor as she made out the face of the stranger. Both the crazed laugh and his face was something that she could never forget.

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    "Oh?" Kira didn''t fail to notice Tomoyo''s reaction after seeing the face that he didn''t have any intention to hide. "Looks like you remember me well little girl." His nasty grin grew even wider as he felt the fear that came from Tomoyo.

    "Just who the hell are you!?" Nanami tried to snap Tomoyo back as she raised her voice towards Kira. She couldn''t afford to not pay attention to this person, but she had no idea why Tomoyo, who usually showed no reaction to anyone was suddenly acting like this.

    "¡­" Tomoyo trembled but remained rooted on the ground. Her whole body was shivering as her memories reminded her of why she froze at the sight of blood in the first place.

    "Did your friend not tell you?" Kira finally turned his sights towards Nanami. "This girl was one of the reasons why I was supposed to be locked up in a cell anxiously waiting for news if I was to be executed or just locked up for life."

    Kira''s confirmation made the robot girl lose what strength she had left to keep her standing. Tomoyo almost fell to the ground when she was caught by Hikaru who, had recovered from her dizziness. She heard everything and was able to discern that whoever this man was, he was after her student.

    "Sensei! Please take care of Tomoyo!" Nanami lowered her stance and made sure that Kira was aware that she would attack as soon as there was a chance.

    "So predictable!" Kira saw Hikaru pulling out a cell phone from her pocket. He knew from their small exchange that Nanami was no pushover so he wasted no time and attacked.

    Nanami breathed deeply and tapped into her mana. If there was a time to make use of the abilities she''s learned for the past few years, it would be now. Not only did her life depend on it, so did the life of a good friend.

    "HAH!" Nanami struck at Kira''s vitals without hesitation. This dangerous person needed to be taken down and she couldn''t afford to hold back.

    *tink!* she strengthened the wooden sword in her hands and struck but was blocked by the combat knife in Kira''s hand.

    "Areee?" Kira stuck out his tongue and mocked Nanami. Though this girl was indeed more formidable than his other victims, she was still a young girl. He had more experience when it came to dangerous battles such as this so he had no problems with using different kinds of tactics.

    "(This strength¡­)" Nanami was surprised as she was still getting overpowered despite the use of mana to enhance herself. "(He can use internal energy?!)" she immediately deducted. Nanami may not have been adept at detecting mana but her instincts were telling her that this man had the ability to tap into strength he should not have been able to possess.

    Her instincts were correct. While Kira himself was not aware of it, his concentration and determination to his dangerous activities were the keys for him to harness such an ability. Having been a natural athlete, he was able to take advantage of his unknown burst in power without even realizing it.

    *KICK* Kira used his leg to kick Nanami''s abdomen as the girl tried to use both hands to block the strength of the grown man.

    Nanami was thrown back as Kira rushed towards Hikaru. Tomoyo was still shivering on the ground so she couldn''t help her teacher who was now the target of this dangerous person.

    "No!" Nanami recovered before she could hit the wall. She kicked the wall hard and propelled herself towards Hikaru.

    *SLASH!* Kira wielded his knife towards Hikaru who dropped her cellphone as she crossed both arms in front of her to try and protect herself. She never thought that such a day would turn out like this. In her mind, if she knew that this was going to happen, she would have never refused the Shirayuki''s offer to drive them around. All she wanted to do was to talk about Kazuya with the students that were close to his age after all.

    *drip drip* drops of blood fell on the concrete floor. Tomoyo. Who was really sensitive at the moment, backed away as soon as she saw the blood. She crashed into Hikaru who was distracted by what was happening before her. Both girls fell off balance and Tomoyo fell on Hikaru''s cell phone.

    "A-akabane-san!" Hikaru was too worried about Nanami whose arm was stabbed with the knife.

    "Go!" she shouted. Holding onto the knife that was embedded into her shoulder, the blood slowly stained her clothes.

    Nanami''s vision was starting to get blurry but she concentrated her mana to hold onto the arm that had stabbed the knife onto her shoulder. She was fully aware that this stalemate might not last but the only other option was for her to have let Hikaru get stabbed by the crazed lunatic who was grinning at her.

    "Shiroyuki-san¡­" Hikaru tried to pull her student who was still dazed. She heard that Tomoyo was afraid of seeing blood but she did not expect her reaction to be this severe. What''s more was that even though Tomoyo was smaller than her, Hikaru felt like she was pulling something enormous when she tried dragging Tomoyo away from danger.

    "I applaud your determination girl." Kira was truly impressed. Not only was Nanami able to hold him down, his attempts to move the blade to cause more damage was prevented by Nanami''s strength."I was serious about letting you go. It would be a waste for you to die before you reach your full potential. I''d like to go all out with you once you reach that state." he looked directly into Nanami''s eyes and she confirmed with a single look that Kira was not lying.

    "I don''t know who put you up to this, but you do not know what you''re getting yourself into." Nanami wasn''t sure if she was going to get out of this safely. She kept thinking about what would Kazuya do in this situation and thought about if he would be sad if she had died to save Tomoyo and Hikaru.

    "Are you talking about the police?" Kira scoffed at her. "I''ve already eliminated those detectives who worked together to hunt me down. The only one left is that little girl who survived because her parents sacrificed themselves to protect her."

    "!" Tomoyo shuddered as she was being slowly dragged away.

    "Are you going to let more people die for your sake?" Nanami was still on guard so he kept the pressure on her while turning to glance over at Tomoyo. "Your parents were like this girl here. They both have the ability to fight against me, but because of you, like your parents, this girl will die too! Not only will you be the reason that your parents gave their life to protect, this friend of yours will die trying to protect the you as you cower and shiver back when we first met! Kahaha!!"

    Kira''s words were like an invisible blade that made Tomoyo''s chest tighten. The robot girl who wasn''t supposed to be fazed by anything couldn''t deny any words that this person spouted.

    "I¡­" Tomoyo could only turn her head to look at Nanami. The sight of blood staining on her clothes and dripping towards the floor made her face grew pale.

    "(This isn''t good!)" Nanami thought. Tomoyo was definitely wavering. Nanami knew exactly what Tomoyo was thinking about.It was a terrible idea that Nanami wasn''t willing to accept even if it was Kazuya''s decision. Her brain went into overdrive as she tried to think of a way to prevent the worst outcome.

    "I know! If you dare run from me now, I''ll hunt that other boy you come and go to school with! I''ll make sure to send you the leftover parts of him slowly so you can only wait anxiously while being protected to confirm if its him or not!" Kira threatened with a maniacal laugh.

    "!!!" After his words reached her ears, Tomoyo stopped as her feet were rooted to the ground. Hikaru struggled to pull her away but the girl wouldn''t budge.

    "Why don''t you make it easier for everyone and just come to me! It will save ev¡ª" Kira suddenly felt the pressure on his arm suddenly increase. He was waiting for the slightest indication of the bleeding Nanami''s strength to fade due to blood loss before he made his move but the sudden increase in her strength made him sense that that there was something wrong.

    ""Unforgivable¡­"" Kira released the knife from his grip. He shook off Nanami''s grip and jumped backwards as soon as he felt strong killing intent directed towards him. The two girls surprisingly said the same thing in unison and directed a sharp glare at him which made this experienced killer feel a sense of danger.

    "Oh? Did I happen to strike a nerve?" though it caught him off guard, Kira was no stranger to this dangerous feeling. Rather he was happy to have felt it. "Looks like both of you are very fond of that scrawny kid with the girly face! HAHAHA!!!" he looked at the two of them as if nothing had just happened.

    "(This person is definitely crazy!)" Hikaru who was nervously watching nervously felt a sense of dread. This man did not hesitate to say whatever he wanted and did not care what they found out. Was he really that confident that he would be able to silence the three of them or was he after something else?

    "Are you two idiots? If one of you is gone, won''t the other have no competition over that girly boy''s affection?" Kira grinned. It seemed like these two

    *CLANG* the sound of the metallic knife hitting the ground echoed through the alleyway. Nanami pulled it out without hesitation and threw it away from the reach of their adversary. She quickly applied pressure on her wound and used the first aid method that she was taught by the person whose safety was just threatened by this deranged maniac.

    Hikaru didn''t know what to do. She couldn''t leave these two girls alone. While she knew that these girls were champion athletes in their own rights, her pride as a teacher, as well as someone older than the two wouldn''t let her leave. She knew that she probably wasn''t enough to face this strange person but, while her prowess may have been inferior to these two geniuses, she had taken up self defense classes. One more able bodied person may just increase their chances of fending off this lunatic.

    "(Good!)" Kira was relieved when he saw Hikaru''s choice. He wasn''t sure he could stop Hikaru from escaping because he had no idea what would happen just by feeling the tense atmosphere. With no one deciding to escape, none of them would be able to call for help.

    *pat* Tomoyo hesitantly put her hand on Nanami''s shoulder. Though this action may have let Hikaru and Kira assume that Tomoyo was worried about her friend, the mana that assisted in Nanami''s recovery made the bleeding slowly stop.

    "I''m¡­ sorry¡­" Tomoyo apologized. Though she was still feeling uneasy at the sight of blood, she did her best and held it in.

    *SWISH!*

    Tomoyo and Nanami both reacted instantly as a throwing knife was suddenly hurled towards them. They jumped together and avoided the sneak attack but their enemy wasted no time and attacked them without hesitation.

    Kira dashed towards the girls and drew two new knives from his coat. Though these girls may have abilities and reflexes that put to shame those that call themselves protectors of the people, Kira still had the edge over them when it came to experiences that involved life and death. Prison wasn''t exactly a peaceful place because it was filled with guards.

    Though Kira''s abilities weren''t as sharp as they were before he got caught, being in prison honed his instincts and senses when it came to dangerous situations. He had stalked and researched about Tomoyo before making his move today so he was more or less prepared to finish off one of the last pieces of his past.

    "HAAAH!!!!" Nanami kicked the wooden sword by her feet towards Tomoyo before using a pen in her pocket to hurl towards Kira.

    Nanami used her opponent''s annoying trick against him as the pen that was enhanced with mana was blocked by the approaching Kira. The unexpected power of the common looking projectile made him lose a bit of momentum.

    This gave both of them more room to maneuver. Nanami lowered herself and planned to attack Kira''s legs while Tomoyo prepared her tsuki stance. The robot girl pointed the tip of her wooden sword towards the throat of this person who dared threaten Kazuya''s life in front of her.

    "!!" Kira was shocked. Both girls who were supposed to have been too confused to work together were moving in sync. They showed no verbal nor did they signal each other but their attack was well coordinated.

    "HAHAHA!! COME!!!" Kira felt exhilarated at his situation. He avoided Nanami''s tackle by leaping straight towards Tomoyo''s strike. It would leave him no maneuver to dodge the dangerous wooden sword that was directed towards his vitals but he didn''t care. Tomoyo was his target and nothing else mattered as long as he was able to reach her.

    Tomoyo''s gaze sharpened and time felt like it was moving slowly. She breathed in deeply before mustering up all the strength she could to strike at this person who was responsible for her parents death.

    "You will not¡­ take anyone away from me again!" Tomoyo shouted.

    Hikaru gasped as the seconds felt like minutes as she watched from the side. She was unable to do anything but watch and wish that these two would succeed.

    "GUHHHAA¡­" Kira who was knocked backwards, crashed into the concrete wall. He coughed and vomited blood. His knees shook as he struggled to stand up.

    *THUD* Nanami fell to her knees and grabbed the wound on her shoulder that started to bleed once more. Both her and Tomoyo weren''t as adept as Kazuya with healing magic as their understanding about it was still severely limited.

    "You''re¡­ not¡­ getting away¡­" Nanami struggled to get back on her feet. She wanted to stop Kira who was trying to get away with his legs shaking. Hikaru couldn''t care less about Kira getting away now because the three of them already knew and will not forget what this person looked like so she rushed to stop the strong willed Nanami before her injuries got any worse.

    "Stay still!" she grabbed her purse and poured out its contents to see if anything was of use to help Nanami with her injury. Do you have your phone? Quickly call for help while I tend to your shoulder!"

    Kira already turned around the corner so he was no longer in sight. Nanami was still on guard as she used her phone to call the authorities. It was only then that she felt something was amiss.

    She turned towards Tomoyo who was still holding the wooden sword in her hands. Nanami didn''t think anything was wrong because she could still sense the powerful mana emanating from her but the girl had not moved an inch ever since the battle ended.

    *drip*

    Nanami froze as she saw crimson droplets fall in the ground right below Tomoyo. Only after she took a good look at her friend that she was able to see a small blade that was buried in Tomoyo''s chest.

    "TOMOYO!"

    .

 150 A Similar Feeling 3 in 1

    .

    The first day of the national competition for gun marksmanship was full of surprises for all the fans and enthusiasts. Though it was not a competition that was very common because of the country''s laws, the fact that the world stage has a competition on it, allowed the competition to be held once every two years. Very strict requirements must be met by the contestants and they are watched over by professionals.

    Kurogane Tenma was a known name amongst all those who were well informed of this competition because many records were set by this person when he participated. Though some of them have already been broken, his stellar performance in the past had served to be a common basis for today''s competitors.

    Many held Tenma and his accomplishments in high regards especially in this competition. He was once part of the committee that oversaw the whole competition until he retired to focus more on the Kurogane conglomerate and his family matters. It was mostly his influence and guarantee that allowed his grandson, a middle school student, to be allowed to participate in the competition.

    Many were skeptical about Kazuya when Tenma had announced his grandson''s participation in the event. No one had ever heard of ''Kurogane Kazuya'' before. Many of the other participants had a certain amount of reputation in the field so they were clueless as to why someone as unknown as Kazuya had been allowed to participate.

    While it was true that the committee had given a lot of leeway towards Tenma because of the influence he still holds in their organization, they too were very reluctant to accept Kazuya''s participation just because Tenma said so. It was only when they were shown a video of Kazuya''s regular practice inside Tenma''s shooting range were they able to accept the boy''s qualifications.

    None of the other competitors nor their coaches believed that this ''Kurogane Kazuya'' had real qualifications. Many of them conducted their own investigations. It wasn''t really difficult for some of the people to find out Kazuya''s background because some of the participants were commonly part of some military background.

    They indeed found out about this ''Kurogane Kazuya'' and understood that Tenma''s desire to change the boy''s name to his own family''s. Once they found out who Kurogane Kazuya really was, the competitors and their coaches wanted to shame the proud old man and his supposedly ''undefeatable'' grandson.

    The desire to beat someone who had been reputed to conquer every competition he participated in fueled the competitive nature of the participants who knew. They even went as far as to inform the other people who had wondered about who Kazuya was when he made an appearance. This led to an unofficial united front against the youngest ever competitor to enter the stage.

    Kazuya had no idea about this and nonchalantly entered a room with the contestants. The tense atmosphere was strangely nostalgic and relaxing for him. It reminded him of how the mood was before the competitions at the academy where he was taught on how to be a hero.

    "(So earth can give of this feeling as well¡­)" Kazuya smiled and took a good look at those who were eyeing him. There weren''t many situations where he could get this feeling, so he looked forward into seeing these people in action.

    "Huh?" there were various competitors that were hailed as champions once before so the images that were put up were of the people who had attained great achievements in the past. Kazuya was able to find a picture of someone he knew with the title ''Triple Champion''.

    [Triple Champion: Sanada Yuriko]

    "(Did my presence change this person''s fate too as well?)" Kazuya crossed his arms and thought. The idol who had nothing to do with him had her fate changed and so he was unsure who else might have had their fate change from having good fortune to bad.

    It may have been a natural thing in the eyes of others, but to Kazuya, it weighed heavily on his mind. What he wanted to do was merely change his life''s tragedy and save those that he cared for. He did not want for any other people aside from those who did him wrong to suffer in the changes he caused.

    "(Am I still soft?)" he sighed and gave a bitter smile. He somehow couldn''t let this go because even though Hamasaki Hikaru had not done it especially for him, her songs helped him a lot in his previous life.

    "Why the long face? Is my picture being here that unbelievable?" Kazuya turned to find Yuriko looking at him questioningly. The last time they saw each other was when the Kuroganes tried to target Kyouko so he tried not to think about that night.

    Yuriko on the other hand was different. She thought of various ways to get another chance to encounter Kazuya. Her recent efforts have proved to be fruitless because of how tight the Kurogane clan''s security was and the boy''s extended stay with them.

    This was why Yuriko immediately jumped at the opportunity when she was asked to become one of the judges for this competition. She felt that no one would be suspicious of her since people chosen to oversee the competition were people who performed greatly in the competition or those who are currently active in the military. These individuals would often talk to the competitors with the intention of recruiting them into joining the organizations they belong to in the future.

    "I was just perplexed about whether I liked this younger version of you or the current you." Kazuya smiled at her. "I couldn''t make a decision since both versions of you have their own unique charms." He knew that there was something that she wanted from him, so he tried to stay away from the topic as much as possible.

    Like Kazuya predicted, Yuriko''s mind immediately got sidetracked. She wanted to get more information out of this boy to confirm her suspicions, but nothing seemed to go well whenever she would have this intention. She initially thought that Kazuya was fooling around but Kazuya bluntly told her that he was just thinking about her younger self while not being aware that she was around. She began to think that this boy truly had a crush on her.

    "Oh? Unique charms you say?" while still not completely believing him, being a woman, how could she not like compliments? While being unaware that her initial purpose for approaching Kazuya was put to the back of her mind, Yuriko sought to see what he thought of her.

    "The current you is very charming, beautiful and mature. I''m sure you have no shortage of admirers wherever you go." Yuriko immediately used one hand to grab the other. She couldn''t believe Kazuya could say such embarrassing words straight to her face. "This younger version of yourself on the other hand is still beautiful but lacks a certain grace that the current you has. The one thing that this younger version of you may have that is to my advantage is that she is closer to my age and would probably consider my admiration for her unlike the current one that sees me as nothing but just a kid."

    "Wha¡­" Yuriko had nothing to say after she heard his words. Kazuya gave her a gentle smile but she couldn''t help but feel a hint of bitterness underneath it.

    "I''ll excuse myself and get my mind ready for the competition. I wouldn''t dare lie to a detective, so I''ll use my actions to prove it to you Sanada-san." Kazuya politely bowed and left for the competitor''s waiting area. Since this woman was usually overbearing and treated him like a gopher in his previous life, interacting with her like this gave Kazuya some satisfaction.

    "What a strange kid¡­" Yuriko mumbled as she watched Kazuya''s back until he disappeared. She expected him to turn back at least once but he did not do so. Her impression of him improved as he looked like quite a determined person who only saw the competition in his eyes.

    People who hold the title triple champions or double champions usually gained this title by placing first on various categories in the competition. Though Yuriko and Tenma were hailed as triple champions themselves, their participation when they received their titles were not limited to just three events.

    "Let''s see what you will show me." Yuriko grinned as she saw this as a challenge. Various people have tried to impress her before but all of them did not meet her expectations. Though she looked forward to what Kazuya was going to do, she didn''t really have much expectations for it since she had only improved herself after she moved on from this competition and was confident that she could beat her previous records.

    It didn''t take a long time until Yuriko and every single person who wanted to unite against Kazuya was left speechless. A record was broken every time he took the stage. This included beating the previous record he set on the same event.

    "M-monster¡­" those who looked down on Kazuya for being admitted to the competition because of his connections or identity felt as if both sides of their cheeks were smacked. Most of them rushed to check the other events they registered for to see if Kazuya had signed up for them as well.

    There were but three events that had strange occurrences. No one knew the reason why but ''Kurogane Kazuya'' would start fast but would suddenly stop at certain intervals to look at the timer. Many people thought that he would have been able to beat the records if he didn''t mind the time so much. There was only one person who thought very differently and kept her thoughts to herself.

    "(Seriously¡­)" she watched Kazuya with seriousness ever since he flawlessly broke his first record. She was disappointed after seeing him start glancing at the timer. It was only after he did the same thing at another category that was very familiar to her did she understand that he was doing it on purpose.

    The difference at the start was only a few milliseconds but Kazuya was slowly getting the hang of it. People stopped thinking whether he would be eliminated or not and just wondered if he would be able to break the record whenever he stepped on stage. The little game between these two gave a lot of tension towards the people who wanted to see records broken.

    It wasn''t only until the end of the first day of the competition that Kazuya was able to successfully match the three records that Yuriko held down to the last millisecond.

    To everyone who witnessed this feat, even if the record was broken in the future, the competitor called ''Kurogane Kazuya'' had just showed that not only can he beat records by a large margin, he also showed how much control he had by deliberately matching records.

    One of the judges, Sanada Yuriko however, was trying to control her heartbeat. Though she didn''t expect anything much from Kazuya, she silently wished for him not to succeed in this crazy endeavor. The boy''s intentions was perfectly clear to her. As long as her record wasn''t broken, their names would always be beside each other in the records. He had chosen to stand beside her rather than walk ahead of her.

    With his actions, Kazuya was assured that the overbearing side of Yuriko would have a hard time showing itself. No matter what she wanted with him, Kazuya didn''t want to get involved with someone like her who wouldn''t hesitate to take him down if she found out any evidence of his not so legal deeds.

    *Bzzz Bzzz*

    After the participants were given back their personal items, Kazuya immediately received a call after his phone finished booting up. This was the personal phone he kept inside his storage ring so he exchanged the two by storing the other one as he pretended to rummage through his stuff

    "What is it Ika?"

    "Boss! You were right with your suspicions against Hamasaki Hikaru! That girl had her identity changed by the Kuroganes!" he didn''t mince with words and informed Kazuya of his discovery.

    A frown quickly appeared on his face. He had been reflecting over this woman before he met up with Yuriko and was thinking of ways on how to get her back to her career in Kazuya''s previous life. This piece of news was something that he would have ever expected. Did the singer whose songs helped him in the past really work for the family that caused the tragedies he went through?

    "You didn''t call me without finding out her real identity, didn''t you?" Kazuya''s tone changed. How he would proceed to treat this person depended on what her intentions were.

    "Well¡­" Ika felt a bit embarrassed. He was excited over this new discovery that he rushed to let his boss know right away. "I wanted to let you know as soon as I found out. I thought that it might have been vital for you to know since I don''t know if you''re in contact with this person or not." He explained.

    "I appreciate the thought. I want to find out what her real identity is and if the person whose name she uses really exists." Kazuya replied and thought if the Hamasaki Hikaru who appeared in front of him was the real one or not. Though it was highly unlikely that it was disguise magic, surgery to make one look like another person was a method that existed in this world.

    "I''ll get right to it!" Ika was relieved that his excused passed and immediately ended the call.

    "(Was she sent to watch over me?)" Kazuya wondered. He felt like he missed a big piece to complete the puzzle. Why had it been Hamasaki Hikaru of all people? Did the Kuroganes assume that he would like the way that woman looked? Hamasaki Hikaru was indeed beautiful but as far as he was concerned, he hadn''t shown any interest in women.

    Kazuya''s mind was occupied as he changed back to his regular clothes. He was completely unaware of the stares of both admiration and envy from his fellow contestants whose opinions of him changed after his unbelievable performance.

    "Kazuya" a familiar voice reached his ears as he finished up buttoning his shirt. "You did very well today." Tenma gave him a warm and rare smile which surprised contestants that still remained. ''This terrifying old man actually just smiled like a real grandparent should!'' they thought.

    "Thank you grandfather." Kazuya bowed politely. He couldn''t bring himself to smile back to this old man. At least, not with his current mood.

    "You''ve broken this old man''s records but kept getting distracted by looking at the time for some others. You could have easily broken them if it you weren''t paying much attention to it." Tenma immediately brought up what he had observed.

    ''''¡­" A hesitant Yuriko heard Tenma speaking as she was just about to enter the room. Kurogane Tenma was a person who she was warned to avoid so she didn''t know what do to at the moment.

    "Is there a reason as to why you deliberately didn''t break these records?" how could Tenma not notice what Kazuya was doing? He was expecting this grandson of his to shock everyone and set records that couldn''t be broken by a single person since he was carrying the Kurogane name right now.

    Though it sounded like Tenma had been direct, he had already seen his grandson talking to Sanada Yuriko. He was slightly concerned that Kazuya was like his father too much. Kazuya''s actions indicated that he was rather fond of this woman so Tenma was afraid that the past would repeat itself in which Kazuya would make the same mistake that Shishio did with Kyouko.

    "As expected of grandfather. I knew I couldn''t let it past you." Kazuya grinned. "As you are already aware, many people use grandfather as a model in which they would slowly adjust to their own preference. This is because of grandfather''s achievements in the past and the rare recordings of your performance."

    "What about it?" Tenma was slightly confused about the sudden compliments. The boy never sucked up to him so he felt that Kazuya was boldly misleading him.

    "Though I doubt that many would use my example in the same way, it cannot be avoided that the recordings of myself would be used as review materials as well. This is what''s most important. I may not have broken three records, but I matched three of them successfully." Kazuya''s grin grew wider as Tenma seemed to have started to realize what he was trying to say.

    "Experts like grandfather can already tell that I could have broken these records. So why didn''t I? Why match the current record when I can break it?" Kazuya stopped his explanation. The participants who were curious at the bold and shocking claim turned towards Tenma and waited for an answer.

    "Control." Tenma nodded as he looked convinced. "Breaking a record is one thing, but who can confidently say that they can match a record down to a millisecond?"

    "That is correct. People can claim it as a fluke but doing it in three different categories will let the results speak for themselves." Kazuya confidently smiled. "Is my explanation satisfactory grandfather?"

    "Yes." Seeing the shocked reactions from the other participants who were eavesdropping, Tenma gave a satisfied nod. "You should have told me of this plan of yours." Though Tenma had accepted it, it didn''t mean that he dropped his earlier suspicions. The fact still remained that the records that remained unbroken were of the person who his grandson was flirting with earlier.

    Tenma felt that he needed to nip the bud before it grew. This was especially a dangerous time since the boy was reaching the age where he would be growing interests as well as fooling around with the opposite sex. Even his most impressive son had succumbed to his urges which led to Kazuya being born.

    "I wasn''t sure I could really do it so I felt that I shouldn''t let grandfather expect something that I wasn''t a hundred percent sure of achieving." Kazuya replied as if it was a matter of fact.

    "Very well. I retract my former complaint. You did very well today. The competition had just begun so i want you to maintain your focus for the rest of the competition." Tenma held out his hand as if it was asking for something.

    "?" Kazuya tilted his head.

    "Hand me your cell phone. I will keep it for the remainder of the competition." He didn''t miss the frown that quickly reverted to a neutral expression from his grandson. "This is to make sure that you will not have any distractions and keep your current state of mind."

    "I apologize but I''m going to have to decline." It was already too late to hide the fact that he had been displeased by Tenma''s demand. "I''ve promised mother that I would call her daily so I''m afraid that is not an option."

    Everyone present, including Tenma''s personal guards looked at Kazuya in surprise. There were very few people who could reject this old man but he did so without hesitation. They admired him for his courage but were worried about how Tenma would react.

    "A promise you say? Is that more important than this competition?" Tenma was a little annoyed. This boy truly didn''t show any regard for this face.

    "Grandfather should be aware of how important certain ''promises'' are. This is not something that I can consider no matter who is in front of me. I will however, give grandfather one as well¡­" Kazuya glanced around in the room before turning back towards Tenma. "I promise in my name, I shall win this competition." Kazuya politely bowed before excusing himself without looking back at the frozen crowd.

    What Kazuya hadn''t noticed was that as soon as he left, a wide grin appeared on Kurogane Tenma''s face. This terrified even the guards who protected their master.

    "(I''ve found another way! The answer lay right in front of me the whole time!)" he turned towards the door where Kazuya had left and ordered some of his guards to keep an eye on Kazuya who he saw leaving with the woman he had suspected was a target of his grandson''s affection. He needed to think about this new revelation of his so he decided to leave.

    The events that happened inside the room soon spread amongst the contestants and the coaches who weren''t present to witness it. ''Kurogane Kazuya'' had given his grandfather a promise to win the competition with confidence. After today''s result, many of the contestants hoped that Kazuya joining the competition would keep on with his usual habit of changing the competition he attended every year. He made most of the elites lose all hope in just the first day so rather than fighting against Kazuya for first place, many of them were sensible enough to settle for second.

    "Looks like you''re brave enough to tell me how you feel but you cower in the presence of your grandfather." Yuriko broke the ice and teased as they went up the stairs of the nearby park.

    Daylight was coming to an end. The two of them stopped under a big tree while facing the city view. Kazuya put down the bag he was carrying and leaned on the iron bars before turning towards the detective.

    "It''s not that I am afraid of him, rather I am afraid of what he might try to do to you if he found out." He replied and gave a bitter smile.

    As much as Kazuya didn''t want to spend much of his time with this woman, he was being monitored like he expected. While being unaware of Tenma''s growing concerns over his interest towards Yuriko, he had already decided to let her act as a smoke screen. She was already a detective at such a young age so the Kuroganes would have to think twice before making a move against her.

    "To me? Hmph! I''d like to see them make a move against an officer of the law!" she clenched her fist and punched the air in front of her.

    "Then does that mean¡­?" Kazuya didn''t finish his statement on purpose and looked at Yuriko directly in the eye. He already knew that she only reacted to the threat and forgot about how she hadn''t said anything about his so-called ''affections'' for her.

    "W-w-wait! That''s not what I mean! I just reacted immediately to the threat!" she tried to cover for her carelessness and explain. "Though I don''t really know how to react, you were true to your words and proved¡­ what you said earlier."

    Kazuya felt a little guilty about making use of this former acquaintance of his so he already formulated a plan that would help both of them. He wanted to avoid this girl''s suspicions so the only way to lessen her guard against him was to gain her trust.

    "I see¡­ Well, I''m happy as long as I know that I didn''t get an instant rejection because of my age." He gave a sigh of relief and was secretly thankful for the training Kanade had given him. This overly suspicious detective didn''t seem to be suspicious of his act.

    "Hey! Did you think I was narrow-minded?" Yuriko looked at him with an annoyed expression.

    "Not at all. I wouldn''t have considered being frank with you if I did. A lot of people seem to have the impression that people in my situation are really envious." He sighed. "What people fail to see is how much pressure and effort is involved."

    "What do you mean?" Though the impression she had about Kazuya had already changed, seeing the boy who dominated the first day of the competition in such a vulnerable state, made Yuriko more curious about him.

    In Yuriko''s eyes, Kazuya looked like someone who bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. She couldn''t believe her eyes because this boy had not even entered the real world yet. What worries could this kid possibly have that can make her have this feeling just by looking at him.

    "Tell me Yuriko-san, from your perspective, does my life seem like a life of luxury to you? We did meet at a charity event that was for the rich and famous after all." he answered her question with one of his own.

    "No person doesn''t have proble¡­ wait, what did you just call me!?" she reacted quicker this time as Kazuya used her first name. "Don''t think that just because I didn''t reject you means that we''re close!" she snapped at him.

    "I''m about to tell you secrets about me that many people don''t know about. Doesn''t that give me something?" he looked at her feeling disappointed. "Though you are correct when you say that no person has no worries, I wonder if those people have to put up with the arrogant family that once ignored me and my mother. Do they also have to put up an act so they can be used by the family who only recognized his existence after they found out that he can be used by them?" Kazuya tried to distract her once more so that she would get used him calling her by name.

    "You¡­" though it had been vaguely put, Yuriko understood what he was trying to say.

    "I am nothing but a prisoner that they want to use for themselves. This is the only thing I can do until I find a better way to keep my family safe. I do not want my family to have the same fate as the Muimina family who disappeared without a trace after the plot against them." Kazuya looked at the horizon and gaze a pained expression. He had already cast a small barrier to keep people from eavesdropping, so he began laying out the bait.

    "(Muimina family''s disappearance!? It was a plot by the Kuroganes?!)" Yuriko couldn''t help but be shocked. Wasn''t this the reason she tried to approach Kazuya?

    Yuriko didn''t know if she should be happy about getting some of her suspicions answered. Though she indeed approached Kazuya with the intention of knowing more about these incidents, she never would have expected that she would be able to get it by using his affections towards her. She couldn''t help but feel a little guilty as she understood what kind of predicament, he was currently in.

    Kazuya proceeded to tell her about how he had lost his memories and had to deal with everyone wanting the old him to come back more than accepting the current him. She had a rough understanding of the kid''s history since this was not a heavily guarded secret after everyone heard the personal message at the end of the video that was almost like a farewell.

    Though Kazuya indeed has appeared to be just a middle school student, after hearing most of what people didn''t know about him, Yuriko couldn''t help but see him as someone who had already thought like an adult. There was a little pity towards him because as she looked back to her own history, she would have still been enjoying her youth when she was his age.

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    "Yuriko-san?" Kazuya called out to her as she had been silent the whole time he was talking. He knew that something that she wanted should be somewhere along the lines of what he already said but he didn''t know exactly what it was.

    Though Kazuya didn''t actually know much about Yuriko even in his previous life, her personality was very similar to a person that was very close him. She was true to her principles and dedicated to her duty. It might have been fate or not, but for some reason, Kazuya ended up telling her about his experiences in this life as well. Though he left out the parts he shouldn''t tell anyone, it was still very personal.

    "Will you get angry at me if I said that I came to you for a purpose?" Yuriko made up her mind and looked at Kazuya seriously. She couldn''t stand using his emotions for her personal gain even though it was not her intention.

    "I won''t. Rather, I am grateful that you would need something from me. I wouldn''t have been able to spend time with you like this if it weren''t for that." He quickly replied. "Feel free to ask me anything. It would be my pleasure to be of any help." he smiled.

    "Idiot¡­" this wasn''t what she expected at all. Though she might have had some awareness of her looks, she wasn''t confident enough to consider herself a beauty. She didn''t know why Kazuya had been treating her so kindly despite his current situation.

    "You don''t have to feel guilty about it, Yuriko-san. You introduced yourself as a detective when we first met remember?" he encouraged her to ask. This way, he could find out what she wanted from him while he had a good impression on her.

    "I am working on a case that involves a series of murders that have been happening recently¡­" Yuriko finally gave in as Kazuya himself already offered his help. She started telling him the case that she was working on whilst trying to keep the details to a minimum.

    -

    Kurogane Tenma sat near the window of his hotel suite while having a glass of wine. He was talking to the guards that he sent to look after his grandson.

    "They are still together?" Tenma frowned after hearing the report. Kazuya and Yuriko have walked around after the competition. He didn''t think that the two would have much to talk about because of the difference in their ages but it looked like that detective might have had a hidden agenda towards his grandson after all.

    "(Are they suspicious of us? No¡­ that can''t be. I haven''t heard of anyone looking into us after they took Shishio''s statement.)" Tenma ended the call after he heard that the guards couldn''t hear anything from their conversation and dialed Shishio''s phone number.

    "Yes father?" Shishio answered after a few rings. He was still in the hospital where many doctors were left baffled at his injury.

    "How is your recovery going?"

    "It¡­ is going fine." Shishio hesitated a bit and decided not to say much. If Tenma had discovered that there might have been a possibility for his arm to never recover it''s full functions, he would definitely be at a disadvantage.

    "Why did you hesitate? Is there something you''re not telling me?" Tenma immediately got suspicious. After what he had experienced with Kazuya today, he paired these troublesome father and son together and wanted to vent some of his frustrations towards Shishio.

    "Everything is going fine father. I only hesitated because the doctors informed me that it might take longer for my recovery. The wound is healing at a slow pace and it''s delaying the therapy at the moment." Shishio quickly explained. Both Tenma and him were informed that it had been a clean hit like they talked about when they hired the sniper so Shishio was quite upset when he heard about the problems he was experiencing.

    "It may be related to stress so you should focus on recovery. I figured out another way we could deal with our goal after the recent failure. You should not dwell on the previous failure and move on to the next plan." Tenma tried to encourage him.

    "Next plan? You thought of another way father? Wouldn''t the Kouzukis be suspicious of us if we make another move this quickly?" Shishio couldn''t help but be concerned. He wasn''t capable of doing anything in his current situation.

    "It was actually pretty simple. It''s like this¡­" Tenma proceeded to tell Shishio about his revelation today.

    "That¡­" Shishio was surprised. The answer was indeed simple but it was more effective and safer than what they planned. The only risk he could think of was if Kazuya discovered that they were involved.

    "Those stubborn Kouzuki fools! It would be easy to take the boy away once that rotten old pledge of theirs is broken by him!" Tenma laughed. He truly felt like he had been overthinking to have overlooked something so simple. "Their tradition will cause the most talented person to ever emerge from that accursed family to belong to us!"

    "But father¡­ are you going to give up on Kazuya winning the competition?" Shishio couldn''t help but ask.

    "Don''t be ridiculous. The boy would hold resentment towards us if he suddenly ended up losing due to my interference. This must be planned carefully. Not only will he need to have resentment towards that tradition which will not give him an exception, his mother and that old geezer Kou will have to choose between the boy or their corporation''s unbroken reputation of being trustworthy." The two men agreed that they would have to figure out something that wouldn''t let Kazuya be too suspicious of them.

    "I will quickly come up with a plan." Shishio immediately took it upon himself to come up with a plan. Though he wasn''t at fault for the plan that failed, he needed to make up for the failure since there would be no one else that Tenma could put the blame on.

    "Good. It won''t be long until the banquet so it would be better for you to complete your task because you only have until then to complete your task." Tenma reminded.

    "Speaking of tasks, I had just received word that Shiroyuki Tomoyo had a knife stabbed to her chest today." Shishio reported.

    "Yes, I was just informed that as well. It looks like our investment was not a waste after all." Tenma''s mood lightened up. "Despite the current setbacks, things are slowly falling into place. As long as we succeed, not only will we be able to end the feud with the Kouzuki clan victoriously, our clan would have been guaranteed to prosper for the next two generations."

    "I know what is at stake father. I will definitely accomplish this task." Though accomplishing his task meant sealing his position as the next head, Shishio was aware that Kazuya''s officially joining their family was something that will benefit him and the clan in the long run.

    Though their plan would mean that they were dropping the benefits that Kazuya would gain from controlling the Kouzuki corporation in the future, it couldn''t be compared to what they would gain once they had successfully arranged a marriage between Kazuya and Kurumi. Now that Shiroyuki Tomoyo was out of the picture, they were one step closer to their goal.

    -

    The sun had already set when Kazuya and Yuriko''s conversation had come to a standstill. Both of them hadn''t noticed how time quickly passed by as they were both engrossed in their conversation.

    Yuriko was glad that she had been honest with Kazuya from the start. She knew he had been a smart kid, but she never realized that his intelligence and sharp wit was so shocking. Her trip was truly not a waste as a lot of questions that were left unanswered were given some light as well as new revelations that she would have never uncovered if this boy had not trusted her.

    "Looks like time passed by more than we thought." Kazuya glanced at the time and realized that they had been talking for a while. "Why don''t we continue our conversation over a meal?" he offered.

    "Don''t you need to go to your grandfather? Won''t he be suspicious?" Yuriko felt her hunger as soon as food was mentioned. "I know a place nearby that''s quiet and has delicious local cuisine if you''re interested in me treating you as thanks." Being the elder, she obviously offered to pay.

    "You don''t have to worry about Kurogane Tenma. He already sent some of his guards to watch over me as soon as I left the room." Kazuya secretly pointed towards some people who tried to act natural. One of them was obviously unaware that a person trying to read a newspaper in the night-time was definitely suspicious.

    "You would make a great detective Kazuya." Throughout their conversation, she hadn''t realized it but she had already referred to him by his first name. "Why don''t you consider joining the force in the future? I can give you a recommendation!"

    She was very impressed with Kazuya. His sense of awareness was above hers and his attention to detail was the real deal. She hadn''t noticed the people tailing them but once they were pointed out, she was able to recognize the guards that were usually around Kurogane Tenma.

    "I put it under consideration." though Kazuya wasn''t the least bit interested, he didn''t give an outright rejection. "There is still a long way before I have to decide."

    "I hope you will give it some serious consideration. It would be a perfect fit for your talents." Yuriko smiled. If such a capable individual would join the force in the future, there would be no telling how much people he could help.

    "I will definitely think about it. I think it would be quite fun to see you everyday." Kazuya joked.

    "You¡ª" before she could scold him, Yuriko''s phone started ringing. Everyone knew that she shouldn''t be contacted because of her absence so calling her meant that there should have been a major development.

    "Please take it." Kazuya didn''t mind and continued to walk beside her. The expression she showed when she looked at the caller''s identity.

    "Sanada speaking, is something the matter?" Yuriko didn''t mind answering the call-in front of him because he was already aware of the case she had been working on.

    Kazuya focused his senses and tried to eavesdrop on the call. It sounded like Yuriko''s superior. The call was about someone who had been attacked in broad daylight by the suspect they were trying to find.

    "!!" Kazuya immediately halted his steps as soon as he heard the name that was mentioned and immediately thought that he had misheard it. He clutched his chest as it felt as if it was tightening and tried to catch his breath.

    "WHAT!? That can''t be! Are you sure that they still weren''t in shock when they identified the suspect!?" Yuriko was so surprised about what she heard that she failed to notice Kazuya''s reaction to the update she just received.

    "(This feeling¡­)" Kazuya was very familiar with this feeling. This feeling was something that he hadn''t experienced just once, but several times in his past life. He didn''t think that he would feel like this again because he had dedicated himself into preventing events like this from happening again.

    "(So that''s it¡­)" Kazuya looked at the night sky and sighed. Though he had not been aware of it, he had already considered Tomoyo as a companion that would be comparable to the ones he was once close to in Edea. He didn''t think that there would be people like that aside from his family that he would care for but before he knew it, the robot girl that followed him around was already accepted as someone that he cared for.

    "K-kazuya!" Yuriko''s sudden voice immediately called him back from his thoughts.

    "I apologize. The conversation looked quite serious so I wanted to give you some privacy." He quickly made an excuse while suppressing the heavy feeling on his chest.

    "I want you to listen to me calmly. Your friend, Shiroyuki Tomoyo, Akabane Nanami and their teacher was attacked by the suspect we''ve been trying to identify. They were able to fend off the murderer but Shiroyuki Tomoyo is currently in critical condition at the hospital."

    "I see¡­" Kazuya sighed in relief. He immediately had a reaction as soon as he heard that the robot girl had been stabbed in the chest. It was a relief to find out that she had come out alive.

    "Why do you look like you''re relieved!" Yuriko glared at him. She would have misjudged him if he truly was relieved after hearing that his friend was in critical condition.

    "You misunderstand. I was relieved to find out that she survived. As long as she still draws breath, there would be hope for her to get better." Kazuya explained as he took out his cell phone and immediately dialed a number.

    "Hello? Tsuna-san? We have a situation¡­"

    .

 151 The Life of a Hero

    .

    In a dense and dark forest, a man who was hiking with only the moon as his source of light. He carried with him a number of objects that have been strapped to his body. This was to ensure that the heavy objects would be secure whenever he moved through the rough terrain.

    *Riiing*

    He suddenly heard the sound of the device that he hardly used. After setting side the heavy objects strapped to his body, he took out his bag and got the small device to see that from the limited number of people that was stored in his contact list, the most unlikely to contact him was displayed on the screen.

    [Kouzuki Kazuya]

    The person traveling through the forest was was none other than Nagato Tsuna. Though he was on his way back to the Kouzuki residence, he went his usual way and travelled by foot. The items he carried were specifically requested by the boy since they were the only ones who knew how to get them, Tsuna was the only person who could go.

    "(Did he get impatient?)" Tsuna wondered as he tried to answer the call by fiddling with his device. He had lived as a hermit in the mountains for as long as he could remember so he couldn''t get himself to get used to the future like devices that were commonly used nowadays.

    "Hello? Tsuna-san?" Kazuya''s voice was immediately heard as soon as he successfully accepted the call.

    "What''s the matter?" the boy was usually calm but Tsuna immediately felt that something was off. This boy never took the initiative to ask him for something that hadn''t involved the similarity they both shared so he was expecting some bad news.

    "We have a situation. You should be close to the H prefecture by now right?" Kazuya didn''t beat around the bush.

    "I should be there with the materials you asked for in a day or so. What happened?" Tsuna was starting to get concerned. The boy would usually involuntarily distance himself from Tsuna so it was indeed strange for him to be asking where he was. No one was clearer about what Kouzuki Kazuya was capable of more than Tsuna did so what could he be needed for?

    He believed that after suffering through the ordeal he did at such a young age, it was understandable that he was weary towards people that were outside his family. Though Tsuna did not know what the boy went through when he went to Edea, he could more or less imagine how it went from Kazuya''s behavior.

    Tsuna just decided to wait for the right opportunity for the boy to open up and tell him. He felt that it might have been fated for them to meet since the boy''s grandfather was someone he had met prior to the boy''s birth. This former hero believed that as long as he showed his sincerity and good will, Kazuya would eventually get over the bad experiences he went through and learn to trust people again.

    "I''ll get people to pick up the materials you are carrying. You just need to tell me the place you will be keeping them before you set out." They immediately discussed where Tsuna would be dumping the things he was carrying so that he could set off immediately.

    "Alright. Can you tell me what exactly happened now?" Tsuna was very concerned since his involvement in particular was something that the boy had been counting on.

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    With both their capabilities, there would be very few things that they would need each other''s help. Tsuna didn''t doubt that given some time to grow, Kazuya''s talents would sooner or later come close to making him reveal his true prowess.

    "Shiroyuki Tomoyo is currently in critical condition at the hospital. I need Tsuna-san to go there to ''make sure'' that she is alright." With Yuriko listening in on his conversation, he could only hint at Tsuna about specific things.

    "Who did it?" Tsuna''s voice immediately got stern. He was very familiar with Shiroyuki Tomoyo because he also helped with the girl''s growth after seeing what she could do under Kazuya''s tutelage. Though he was quite impressed that the indifferent boy showed concern over the girl he would mercilessly defeat in matches, Tsuna immediately understood the consequences if Tomoyo''s life ended even after Kazuya had asked for his help.

    Nagato Tsuna left his residence in the mountains and decided to live with the Kouzukis after he met with Kazuya. He didn''t imagine that he would meet another person that had a similar experience as him in his lifetime. Tsuna silently cursed those people to have summoned and made use of a young boy who wasn''t even able to enjoy his youth. He wondered if his efforts to saved that world had been in vain because of how the next generation could have considered using a boy that young.

    Tsuna saw Kazuya as somewhat like a grandson to him. He could imagine that if he indeed had a grandson, it would most likely be someone strong and smart as the boy was. This was why he let Kazuya do as he pleased even though he could see the darkness that was in him.

    There was no one else that he could put the blame on for what Kazuya had experienced. Though he wanted to help him, all Tsuna could do was slowly guide him towards a better path. Kouzuki Kazuya indeed has darkness inside his heart but the reason Tsuna let him do as he pleased was because though he can be ruthless, the boy was seldom wrong and did everything for a reason.

    The boy had strong attachments to his family and would not hesitate to get rid of the people that threatened them. This was why Tsuna had chosen to keep a close eye on the relationship between Kazuya and the Kurogane clan.

    Judging from the past events that he heard about, there was no way that Kazuya was just going to let that clan off. Though Tsuna did not know what the boy was planning, he did agree that it would be a better move to make the influential clan collapse from the inside rather than making then suddenly disappear from the face of the earth.

    Kazuya was already warned about that option several times. There were too many risks involved in wiping them out and a sudden collapse will warrant the intervention of many troublesome individuals.

    "It was a person who claimed to have killed her parents. The police who are at the hospital along with grandpa Jirou should be able to give more details. I don''t know the details about her current state but your presence would definitely put me at ease." Kazuya''s answer gave the old man a little relief.

    Though the boy may have appeared to be indifferent, or at least tried his best not to get too close to people, Tsuna knew that at this moment, the boy should have realized how he truly saw Shiroyuki Tomoyo. The call Kazuya made right now was clear evidence of this. Hearing that it had nothing to do with the Kurogane clan was a relief because if those fools made another move to piss off the boy, even Tsuna would consider just getting rid of these idiots. They might cause him to plunge deeper into the darkness and this was what worried Tsuna the most. What Tsuna wanted the most was to let Kazuya get over his traumas so he can enjoy his youth like he should.

    Right now, Kazuya looked like he had been running after or away from something. He focused on nothing else but getting stronger. In Tsuna''s mind, this was normal because of how chaotic the situation of the Kouzuki clan had been for the past few years. He admired the boy for wanting to protect his family on his own but Tsuna failed to recognize that Kazuya had not been training only for that purpose.

    "Then I will head there right away." Tsuna replied. "Don''t worry about the girl. I will contact you once I''ve confirmed the situation." The call ended and Tsuna turned towards the several heavy materials he was carrying.

    "I guess the training would end here for now¡­"

    -

    Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief after talking with Tsuna. The man was very hard to contact and since no one has contacted him about Tomoyo, he was unsure of how the robot girl was faring. Kazuya still had some reservations towards Tsuna but there was still no person more reliable than him.

    There was a saying that one should never meet their heroes. Kazuya remembered this phrase because he found that he could sympathize with whoever came up with it. Tsuna was not at all like his reputation! Though it was undeniable that Tsuna was indeed summoned to Edea to serve as a hero, Kazuya felt like that the stories about him that were preached and written were all very exaggerated.

    It wasn''t that he was not strong. It was just that his personality was too straightforward! Kazuya couldn''t tell how Tsuna could have gotten past the scheming nobles nor the devious church, but the old man was like a blinding light of positivity. This somewhat repelled Kazuya who couldn''t even compare experiences with Tsuna because he would have needed to share his own experiences.

    "Who was that?" Yuriko woke Kazuya from his daze after the call had ended. She knew that he was worried about Tomoyo so she didn''t call him out for it.

    "A friend of both my and the robot girl''s grandfathers. He should be able to help." He replied.

    "Huh? Help?" Yuriko was confused. The police had pretty much locked down the hospital floor that Tomoyo was in because of Shiroyuki Jirou''s influence. How exactly was a friend of them going to help with anything?

    "Is he a doctor?" she couldn''t help but ask.

    "No" Kazuya slowly shook his head. "He''s just an old hermit that used to live in the mountains."

    "Then why did you call him? What can that man do to help?" Yuriko was beginning to get agitated. Though she knew that Kazuya was worried about his friend, he called an old man for help which seems to her like he had been looking down on the police.

    "He can keep her alive if the situation is worse than I imagine." Kazuya didn''t have the luxury of explaining to her how. "His name is Nagato Tsuna. You probably haven''t heard of him but¡ª"

    "NAGATO TSUNA!!!??" Yuriko instantly reacted with shock.

    "That reaction¡­" Kazuya was taken aback by her surprise as well. "You actually know him?"

    "How can I not know him!? Everyone in the force should have at least heard his name! The man is a living legend!" It was now Kazuya''s turn to be confused. He once tried asking Ika to look Tsuna''s history up but aside from the face that didn''t match the age, nothing else was wrong.

    "living legend?" The admiration in Yuriko''s face was apparent when she was talking about Tsuna. "(That hermit actually had a title like this?)" Kazuya thought.

    "I can''t believe you! You can actually contact someone like Nagato-sama and ask him to do things while not being aware of who he is!?" She glared at him. She remembered how it sounded like Kazuya had been giving orders towards someone she had admired.

    Kazuya got pulled towards their destination. Yuriko felt that it was not something they should talk about out in the open and both of them were already getting hungry as well.

    "Wasn''t Tsuna-san just a regular civilian?" Kazuya couldn''t help but ask after they got seated at the restaurant.

    "He is still considered a civilian. A special civilian that is." Feeling stressed all day, Yuriko didn''t hesitate and ordered herself a couple of beers. She started tell Kazuya about what she knew about Tsuna so that he would understand how she felt about what he just did.

    Tsuna was indeed considered a civilian but many people with similar occupations like Yuriko were made known about Tsuna''s special identity. The man was a living legend who had survived through the war when he was very young. It was the war that devastated prefecture H which was their current hometown.

    From that time, it wasn''t known what the cause was exactly, but Nagato Tsuna had displayed prowess that was unlike what his records showed. His service in the military involved a lot of secrets but while most of his missions were strictly confidential, he had a reputation of never having failed before.

    Nagato Tsuna retired early and was given a special identity while being a civilian. Due to his distinguished accomplishments and unparalleled loyalty to the country, he had been given a certain authority towards any government body. He can basically call upon the police or military and give them orders if he found the need for their help. Tsuna was also exempt from certain laws which was a way of showing how much he was trusted.

    The strangest yet what Yuriko admired most about Tsuna was aside from taking advantage of such a special privilege, Tsuna had chosen to seclude himself in the mountains for training. His special identity was told to all students so that they would be aware of this living legend''s authority and make him the ideal that they should strive for.

    "(A hero through and through¡­)" Kazuya couldn''t help but smile bitterly. The life that Tsuna led was truly leagues above his own. Hearing this story made Kazuya think that his decision about not telling Tsuna about how he planned to return to Edea with revenge in mind.

    "Say¡­" Yuriko''s face was growing more and more flushed as she drank more alcohol. She enjoyed talking to Kazuya because he seemed like a good listener. "Are you also one of those people that are attracted to me because of how I look?" she suddenly asked.

    Kazuya was a little surprised. He used to only barely hold a conversation over her in his past life so seeing her a little vulnerable like this was a new experience. She just confirmed that she now believed his sincerity towards her so he was glad to find that he had gained her trust.

    "I won''t deny that I do notice how beautiful you are." Kazuya smiled. "That is not why I took an interest in you though. The fact that you are a detective at this age as well as your personality when we first met convinced me that you are unlike the women I''ve met." he looked straight at her eyes and ignored her surprise. "I can feel that you are someone trustworthy and that is very rare. I think these qualities are what I like about you the most."

    "Pfft!" Yuriko snorted. "Among the women you''ve met? How could a middle schooler have met so many women already?" the tipsy detective didn''t believe him.

    "You''d be surprised how many people have tried to approach me because of my status. It is not limited to people that are close to my age. All of them act like they are interested in me but their interests only lie in benefits." Kazuya retorted. Though this wasn''t necessarily the whole truth in this life, he had no shortage of suitors as a hero.

    "You know, if I didn''t know any better, I''d say you sound like someone who''s experienced for your age." Yuriko grinned as she moved to sit beside him. She put her arms around his neck and moved her face closer.

    "What are you doing?" though Kazuya had appeared calm, his heart was starting to race as her scent tickled his nose.

    "Can''t you tell? I''m giving you a chance"

    .

 152 Waiting

    .

    Even though it was already late at night, several officers were stationed at the hospital. None of the patients knew exactly what happened but from the looks of things, someone important was receiving treatment.

    "Who goes there?" One of the police officers immediately called the attention of the approaching man. Visiting hours are already over. Do you need any emergency treatment?"

    "No, I''m here to check on the status of my friend''s granddaughter. Might you point me in the direction where Jirou is?" The man of course, was none other than Nagato Tsuna. He didn''t beat around the bush and stated his purpose.

    "W-who are you?" the police officer stepped back and gripped his baton while signaling his partner to contact their superior.

    "My name is Nagato Tsuna. I just heard about what happened from the little girl''s friend who asked me to check and make sure that no harm comes to her." Tsuna was a little tired because of both anxiety and rushing through a great distance on foot so he wanted to see how Shiroyuki Tomoyo was faring because he couldn''t get through to Jirou.

    "I apologize sir, we were instructed to not let just anyone pass through without authorization especially at this sensitive time." The officer immediately replied.

    "I see¡­" Tsuna sighed. "I really don''t like pulling rank but¡ª"

    "N-nagato-sama!" a superior officer suddenly came from inside the building. "I apologize for my men! They must have forgotten what they were taught in the academy." The superior was nervous because he was afraid of offending Tsuna.

    "You know who I am?" Tsuna looked at the nervous superior.

    "H-how could I not? N-not many people are given authority to give orders to various different government bodies." The officer honestly praised as he sternly looked at the two who didn''t even react after hearing Tsuna''s name. He had to rush down immediately because the two guards didn''t recognize even the name of this distinguished person who they were fortunate to even see.

    "Can you show me to where Jirou and the girl is?"

    "Y-yes sir!" he led Tsuna inside the hospital.

    Nagato Tsuna did not like hospitals. As much as this place was where people get treated, it was also where people die. As advanced the research is on the medical field on earth is, both Kazuya and he agreed that healing magic was definitely much more convenient. It rarely involved injuring the patient after all.

    "What''s the situation?" he was impressed at the influence that the Shiroyukis had. He sensed a lot of people had been stationed all around the hospital and it was almost as if it had been a fortress.

    With the officer''s help, Tsuna was finally able to understand what happened. He felt proud of the girl for overcoming her trauma in the midst of battle as well as Nanami who bravely faced the killer.

    He was taken to the surgical ward where the hallway had been crowded by the familiar faces that made up the Shiroyuki dojo. Many instructors stood with stern looks on their faces. One would have to think twice before going through them because it didn''t look like they allowed any of the police officers to get past them either.

    "Nagato-sama?" the head instructor immediately noticed Tsuna''s arrival and ignored the officer who was guiding him.

    "I heard about what happened. How is the situation? Where is Jirou?" he immediately asked.

    "Master is¡­" his voice trailed off and turned towards the large doors that led to the restricted area of the surgical ward.

    Shiroyuki Jirou stood in front of the doors like a statue. The light that indicated that surgery was still in progress was still lit so Tsuna understood that Tomoyo was still inside.

    "Jirou¡­" Tsuna approached the old man and placed a hand on his shoulder. Tonight, Jirou wasn''t the proud leader of the Shiroyuki dojo but a grandfather who was worried about losing his precious granddaughter that he stood in front of the doors as soon as he arrived.

    Who could blame him? Not only did he lose his son to a killer who was sent to prison very quickly so that his hands wouldn''t be stained, that same killer apparently went after his granddaughter. No one could understand how frustrated Jirou was. If Tomoyo hadn''t been in an unknown situation, he would have probably been hunting down Shirihara Kira right at this moment.

    The worst part of the whole incident was that Jirou was informed of the sudden death of Shirihara Kira who was supposed to have been in prison. They already dismissed the idea about Shirihara Kira being a suspect even though his case was a common link among all the recent victims. No one knew how the man who was supposed to be dead had ended up attacking Shiroyuki Tomoyo.

    The authorities were baffled by this and they could no longer inspect the supposed body of the deceased prisoner because his body had long been disposed of. They felt partially responsible for failing to see through the conspiracy and caused this respected person''s loved one to once again experience something that already traumatized her when she was a child.

    "Tsuna-san¡­ did you just get back?" Jirou had ignored most of the people who tried talking him today but Nagato Tsuna was an exception. This person''s appearance may just save Tomoyo from the danger she is currently in.

    "The boy sent me." Tsuna turned towards the door. "Do you know the current situation?"

    "They said that the blade had barely missed her heart. The problem is that taking it out. The blade seems to have been damaged and could cause her to bleed out if they make the slightest mistake." Jirou tried to explain as much as he could. He had heard about how Tsuna had miraculous healing abilities and hoped that it could help Tomoyo''s current situation.

    "That¡­" Tsuna couldn''t help but frown after hearing the update on Tomoyo''s condition. "I need to see for myself before I can make a judgement."

    "That won''t be a problem." Jirou hesitated for a moment before making up his mind. He pressed the button to enter the restricted area and led Tsuna towards the empty viewing area for Tomoyo''s surgery. He closed his eyes before entering the room and navigated with his senses.

    "You don''t need to enter with me old friend." Tsuna understood that Jirou didn''t want to see Tomoyo''s current state.

    "No, I have to hear the truth from you or I might get fooled by these doctors. I trust that you will give me an honest answer from what you can see." Jirou prepared himself for the worst. Tomoyo had fought bravely and could be said to have been the reason why the culprit was forced to retreat. Her death would not have been in vain.

    Tsuna viewed the screens as well as extended his senses towards the surgery room. He didn''t know much about modern medicine, but it was obvious that the surgeons were having a difficult time. Tomoyo still hadn''t fully grown so it made the procedure a lot harder.

    *BAM!* Tsuna immediately pounded on the synthetic glass.

    "STOP!" he infused his voice with mana so the people wouldn''t be able to help but halt. "If you hit the protection near her heart, you''re going to end up causing that girl''s injuries to worsen!"

    The lead surgeon didn''t know who that man was but he signaled one of the nurses to call someone before continuing with his procedure. He was a renowned surgeon and was looking forward to making good connections after he completed this surgery.

    *sssshhkk!* blood spurted out without warning the moment he tried to move the knife.

    "Damnit! It''s all that man''s fault for causing such a distraction!" the surgeon shouted as the various equipment around them started giving off loud sounds.

    -

    A voice called out to Kazuya and caused him to look around. He didn''t know where he was but he could see nothing but darkness. It reminded him of the dark void that his consciousness had stayed in before he woke up in this new life of his.

    "A dream¡­?" he immediately came to a conclusion. He hadn''t been hurt or was relatively close to any danger so it was impossible for him to have died again.

    "Kazuya¡­" a familiar voice called out to him once more. He turned to his back and walked towards where he thought the sound was coming from.

    "Who are you?" he had already experienced being in a similar place so he wasn''t fazed by the strange dream he assumed he was having.

    "So hateful! To think you''ve already forgotten about me." He felt a light thump behind his head. How could he not remember this person? Kazuya immediately turned around to find the familiar silhouette standing right in front of him.

    Though he could barely see the person who was speaking, there was no mistaking who it was. Tears couldn''t help but gather in his eyes for he never thought that he would ever see the shadow of the person who once stood by his side no matter what.

    "M¡ª" a finger touched his lips before he could speak.

    "Don''t. As much as I want to dissuade you into going back to our world, your mind seems to be made up." The hand moved to his head and the silhouette gave him a light pat.

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    "I''m not going to let you and the others suffer a similar fate. Especially you." Though he could barely see the silhouette, he gave it a serious look.

    "My fate has always been full of hardships even before I met you. What happened to me would not have changed regardless of your arrival. I was fated to die in the battlefield." Kazuya clenched his fists as soon as he heard the reply.

    "Even so, it needn''t be that way. If you had been looking for a glorious end, it shouldn''t have been through the hands of the people that were supposed to be on your side!" the usual calm Kazuya was trembling in anger after being reminded of this person''s fate.

    "I am thankful that they sent me to you despite what happened. I never would have imagined that I would be able to serve another master that I would have gladly given up my life for."

    "Please don''t say that. The master you had been proud of was stupid and died like a fool." He lowered his head. "I don''t know how or why I''ve been given this second chance but I will definitely change the fates of those I care about."

    "You haven''t changed a bit!" Kazuya suddenly felt a kick on his back. "Trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders like an idiot. Didn''t I always tell you that you aren''t suited for that?" Kazuya couldn''t recover from the surprise of hearing another familiar voice as he fell to his knees.

    "You''re¡­" there was no mistaking it after he saw the familiar silhouette. It was yet another one of his fallen companions from Edea.

    "I know that you feel guilty about what happened to us. While I personally want you to go through with your plans to teach those people a lesson, I just want to remind you to not lose sight of what''s in front of you. History may repeat itself if you don''t lose that habit of yours." The new silhouette walked around him and arrived at the first one''s side.

    Kazuya got back on his feet and was immediately stunned. He realized that he had been surrounded by shadows that had forms that he was very familiar with. They may not have been as clear as the first two but with his memory, there was no mistaking who these people were. They were the ones that Kazuya had grown close to at some point in his journey but ended up losing their lives.

    "Everyone¡­" his chest hurt.

    A shadow that was much smaller than the two original silhouettes started to reveal itself. Though it hadn''t even completely shown its complete form, Kazuya immediately recognized who it was.

    "Though your world may be peaceful, a person like you who is like a magnet for trouble is bound to get someone involved." A voice rang in Kazuya''s ears before he closed his vision. This dream needed to end. The shadow that was slowly getting clearer was someone who he had spent almost everyday with in this life so how can he not feel anxious?

    "!!" Kazuya woke up covered in cold sweat inside his hotel room. The sun had only started to rise so he hesitated about trying to contact Tsuna who hadn''t updated him of the situation.

    There was no way that he could go back to sleep after the dream he just had. It felt so real which only increased his worry over the situation with Tomoyo. His talk with Kyouko before he went to bed didn''t yield any results as Jirou probably didn''t let them know just yet.

    *riing* *riing*

    "No answer¡­" he sighed after trying to contact Tsuna several times. He was several prefectures away so there was no way he could have gone to check himself.

    Left with no choice, Kazuya sent messages to Jirou and Tsuna. An explanation of the current situation was also sent to the already swamped Ika. Kazuya had a feeling that there was something else that was going on. A serial killer that had been sent to prison for almost a decade decided to brazenly show himself instead of getting away with faking his death.

    "(Someone messing with the Shiroyukis?)" Kazuya didn''t have much time to ponder about the incident because he had been too distracted with his feelings as well as the girl who decided to get drunk in front of him all of a sudden.

    "I hope she doesn''t remember¡­" Kazuya imagined how Yuriko would have reacted if she remembered what he did. He wondered if Yuriko reminding him of the first silhouette that showed up was the reason why he had that strange dream.

    "I guess there''s no use doing nothing¡­" he couldn''t sit still so he decided to do his regular morning routine earlier. He quickly changed into a dry set of clothes and immediately headed out towards the police station near the park.

    Kazuya had no idea where Yuriko''s lodgings were so he had no choice but to leave her at the police station after they left the restaurant. She was a detective so there was no way that they could turn her away. They asked Kazuya who they recognized from the coverage earlier on the day so they let him take the passed out officer to the sleeping quarters for female officers.

    "Oh you''re back!" one of the officers immediately recognized Kazuya. "Did you come to check up on the detective?"

    "Yes, detective Sanada is one of the judges of the competition so I wanted to see if she is awake yet." He answered politely.

    "I''ll take you there." Kazuya was taken to the room that no other person dared to sleep in that night. "I''ll leave her to you." No one wanted to disturb the most likely hungover detective so they left it to Kazuya to wake her.

    Kazuya sighed. He could dispel the aftereffects of the alcohol but was worried about what this woman would do. He had experienced taking care of the drunk version of the cold Mei from his previous life and it was enough for him to be fearful.

    "Yuriko-san¡­" Kazuya tried to wake her.

    "Mmmm¡­ sleep¡­" she tried to get away from the person who was trying to wake her up.

    "How careless¡­" he remembered how Mei reacted in the same way and remembered that he would probably never see that side of her again. He did teach her how to disperse the effects of alcohol for her own protection after all.

    "It hurts¡­" Kazuya opened the curtains and got an immediate reaction. "Huh? Why does my neck hurt?"

    "!!" Kazuya slightly panicked as he saw a bruise on the back of her neck as she tried to find the source of her pain.

    "Huh? This doesn''t look like my roo¡ª" her hand met with Kazuya''s as he was trying to put a hand over her neck to heal the bruise.

    "W-w-what are you doing in my room!?"

    .

 153 Fortune for the Wicked

    .

    *Diing!*

    "Room service!"

    "Oh thank you." Kazuya felt a little strange answering the door to a room that didn''t belong to him. "Just leave it here."

    He was currently inside the hotel room that was located a block away from the hotel he was staying at. He was forced to help out the hungover detective who he had left and picked up at the police station.

    "It''s your fault if I gain a bad reputation!" were her exact words after she learned that she had been dropped off at the police station instead of being taken to someplace else.

    Yuriko would have given him a beating if she didn''t feel too bad at the moment so she had him take responsibility by making him help her go back to her hotel. Whilst giving him a piece of her mind on how he should have handled the situation.

    Though Kazuya wanted to prove her wrong, what he learned from Miyamoto prevented him from retorting. What Miyamoto kept on reminding him of was that he wouldn''t win an argument against a woman who was mad, drunk or emotional no matter how right he was.

    "(I should just get away from this woman but¡­ sigh¡­ her identity and trust would be quite useful in clearing my name." Kazuya shook his head. "Room service is here Yuriko-san!" he called out.

    "It''s here already?" Yuriko stepped out from the bedroom whilst wearing only a bathrobe as she used a towel to dry her still dripping hair. "I don''t have much of an appetite though¡­"

    "You''ll feel much better after you eat some of this. They are good for curing hangovers." Kazuya assured as he was relieved to see that the bruise on her neck had already healed.

    In her attempt to test him, Kazuya had reacted intensely and made her fall unconscious after making sure that no one had been paying attention. To the people, another drunk who couldn''t hold her liquor passed out in front of her little brother. To Kazuya, his judgement had already been clouded because of the drunk antics of Kazuno Mei in both of his lives.

    Yuriko''s intentions were simple, she wanted to see if Kazuya would have taken advantage of her in that situation. He would have instantly failed if he made a move on her and she would have beaten him up while deciding not to believe this person''s words again. His attraction towards her would have been purely because of lust like all of the other men that tried to approach her.

    "Shouldn''t you finish changing before coming out?" Kazuya immediately pointed out her current attire. He couldn''t believe how much this woman had let her guard down around him.

    "Why? Are you going to attack me? You can go ahead and try!" Yuriko grinned. Even though she doesn''t remember much about what happened last night, Kazuya had already passed with flying colors regardless of how she didn''t like what happened.

    Not only did the boy not make a move on her, he even took her to the safest place he could think of. She would have been fine with it if she was taken to his room or he had rented another one but that would have made her have a little suspicion towards him. Kazuya didn''t even touch her stuff so she was confident that she had been treated with respect despite his chances to have gotten away with various things.

    "I still have to prepare myself for the competition. Seeing that you''re fine now, I shall excuse myself." Kazuya moved quickly so that there wouldn''t be a chance for her to call him back and looked as if he was fleeing.

    *giggle* Yuriko immediately burst into laughter after the door was shut. Who would have thought that the monster that performed so marvelously yesterday would have a cute side to him. Honest and sincere people were hard to come by these days so she couldn''t help but have a high opinion of Kazuya. She didn''t know how he was able to keep such a personality that would have been deadly to anyone in his position.

    -

    The competition was scheduled to last for 3 days. The second day was the last day for the competition and the third day was for the exhibition. The tension on the first day was greatly lessened because majority of the participants were thinking the same thing; the only way Kurogane Kazuya would lose is that if an incident occurred.

    The people who understood this competition thought so as well. They were very envious towards Kurogane Tenma for having such a formidable grandson. Most of them had already dug up Kazuya''s records from various other fields and couldn''t believe how much the boy had accomplished.

    Kurogane Tenma on the other hand had other thoughts. He received a report on what Kazuya and the female detective were up to yesterday. He silently cursed the detective for being quite the seductress and slightly praised his grandson for not giving into temptation. Though Kazuya hadn''t done anything, Tenma was more worried that his grandson actually harbored serious feelings towards the female detective because of how he acted.

    To make things worse, Kazuya had disappeared from his room early in the morning only to be found leaving the hotel room of the said detective. None of his guards were watching over Kazuya after he turned in for the night so they only found out about his departure from the hotel staff when they tried to check up on him when he was late for his daily routine.

    "(This is not good¡­)" Tenma immediately assumed the worst scenario. With Shiroyuki Tomoyo out of the picture, won''t his grandson be free to pursue this woman? He already knew of how Kazuya didn''t have the best relations with Stockton Kurumi so if he decided to pursue the detective after suffering some grief, it would have been the perfect scenario for Yuriko.

    "Kurogane-san, may I have a word?" Tenma''s thoughts were interrupted when a man walked towards his table in the vip lounge of the arena. He immediately recognized this person because it was the current president of the association that handled the competition.

    "Of course Kurosawa-san! How can I turn away the association president?" Tenma gave a light laugh and offered him a seat.

    "You sure have a talented grandson. I can''t help but be envious since my son had already been eliminated yesterday." Kurosawa said with a bitter smile.

    "Is there something on your mind president?" Tenma already sensed that this conversation would be about Kazuya. Unlike most of the participants that were much older than his grandson, Kazuya was the only one who could still join the next competition because he still met the age requirements.

    "I wonder if Kazuya-kun would be participating in the next competition as well?" Temna had already anticipated the question so he wasn''t surprised.

    "I''m not sure If i am able to answer that, president. My grandson has a tendency to give himself a challenge every year. I''m sure you will be able to look up that aside from kendo, my grandson has not participated in the same competition after he dominates it." Tenma gave a proud smile.

    "I see¡­" Kurosawa contemplated. "It looks like I would have to ask him myself."

    "What is this about?" Though Tenma couldn''t force Kazuya to do anything or he would risk getting into the boy''s bad side, he thought of himself in high regard when it came to the people who had authority over Kazuya.

    "I have contacted several association presidents after Kazuka-kun''s performance yesterday. Like you said, the boy is so talented that he goes around to dominate a different sport every year. I wondered if they had plans on inviting him in joining the Youth Olympic games that will take place when he turns 14."

    "What did they say?" Tenma was quite curious about it since the association presidents fighting over Kazuya would be a good thing for him.

    "We have come to an agreement that we would only try and invite him and leave the decision to the boy." He paused. "That is why I came to tell you this. As someone who represented the country in the same field, don''t you want your outstanding grandson to follow in your footsteps?" Kurosawa smiled.

    "I will certainly discuss it with him." Tenma realized that this was an opportunity that was hard to come by. Anyone invited to the Olympics were the best of the best in the country. Knowing that several people wanted Kazuya to join the Youth Olympics at the age of entry just showed how much they value his talent.

    "There is one more thing that I wanted to ask your opinion of." Kurosawa saw the interest in Tenma''s expression. This was the perfect time for him to ask this stubborn man about the request he received earlier.

    "Oh?" Tenma quickly realized how he had taken the delicious bait that even he couldn''t resist. "Out came the carrot and here comes the stick?" his eyes narrowed and looked at Kurosawa who was immediately pressured.

    "You know that there are three current candidates to represent the country yes? Tenma-san even helped with the selection of the candidates in the previous competition, right?" Kurosawa waited for the stubborn old man to give a nod before he continued. "Kazuya-kun has already set the records and there would be no stopping him from dominating the events he signed up for. The problem is, the current candidates will need to have a person demoted to being a stand-in."

    "What about them? Isn''t it simple? The glory of getting medals for our country is better than the petty pride of those who can''t even come close to my grandson who can participate twice because of his age." Tenma grinned. He understood what the problem was but dodged the problem on purpose.

    "(This damned old man¡­)" Kurosawa couldn''t help but curse in his mind. The problem was obviously known to both of them. The representatives from the military and the police did not want the qualifications of their candidate to be revoked. "I would like to hear your opinion on what to do."

    "Isn''t it simple? Doesn''t the military have two representatives? You can''t be too gr¡ª" Tenma immediately held his tongue as he had a sudden idea. He leaned back on his chair and quickly analyzed the situation.

    "I''ve thought of that as well but there is no way that the military would accept such a reason. Even the current judges have their own affiliations and neither side would be willing to accept the verdict. The skills of the current candidates are very similar after all." Though he was the president of the association, both sides were very important so he was truly stuck in a bind.

    "I have an idea¡­" Tenma finally spoke. "Why not let my grandson decide?" a confident grin emerged from the old man''s face. "There is no doubt that Kazuya''s skills are above the chosen candidates. Why not pit them against each other in tomorrow''s exhibition match? The three of them should be placed together in a team while my grandson is paired up with the non-candidates that made it through the competition." Tenma explained his idea.

    One of the exhibition matches was a simulation of real battle. A team of five against five whose guns were loaded with paint bullets would go up against each other in a race to win 5 rounds. Each round would last for 15 minutes in a battleground. If time would run out, the team with the most surviving members would gain a point. On the other hand, wiping out the opposing team would give the winning team two points.

    This was what all those who watched looked forward to the most and what Tenma thought was a situation he could take advantage of. He would only need to play his cards right and it would be a win-win situation for him.

    "Let Kurogane Kazuya-kun decide¡­" Kurosawa didn''t expect such an idea. He seriously considered the thought because he desperately wanted to free himself from pressure from both sides.

    "If you think the boy is too young then I wouldn''t mind stepping up. That is if you think that I can be impartial despite the fact that I am the guardian of the new candidate." Tenma gave one more push. No matter what Kurosawa decided, the decision would lay in the hands of their side. Kazuya was the wild card that had appeared but he was surely the one who wouldn''t have his qualifications taken from him.

    "I still need to think about this, Tenma-san. I will give you an answer once Kazuya-kun decides if he will represent the country and our association or not." Kurosawa stood up as the conversation had just ended.

    "You leave that to me. Just make sure that no judges come into contact with my grandson so that there wouldn''t be room for suspicion." Tenma confidently stated. This was the good excuse to keep that woman away from his grandson after all.

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    "I will make arrangements." Kurosawa excused himself and left.

    There were not many instances where a seasoned old man like Tenma would get excited but due to the string of fortunate events, he couldn''t help but hold back the urge to laugh to his heart''s content. Not only were his plans working, opportunities were presenting themselves to him.

    He would only need to see things through for his clan to be set for the next few generations.

    *Bzzt* his phone vibrated and showed one of the subordinates from back home that he instructed to report to him.

    "What do you have for me?" he listened to the subordinate who told him about the incident that happened a few hours ago inside the hospital where Shiroyuki Tomoyo was taken to. "Are you sure about this? That old monster tried to stop the surgery?" he was elated and tried to confirm what he just heard.

    "Yes Tenma-sama. One of the nurses inside the surgery room is from our side so there is no doubt about it." The subordinate assured.

    "Was her death confirmed?" this news really did come at the perfect timing. This will prompt his grandson to be led into his scheme more easily.

    "The head surgeon didn''t want to take responsibility after he was disturbed. The man who introduced himself as Nagato Tsuna assumed responsibility and prevented anyone from entering the surgery room afterwards." The report continued.

    "Prevented anyone from entering?" Tenma frowned. He couldn''t think of any reason why Nagato Tsuna would do such a thing. "(What could this man possibly do anything at this point?)" Tenma immediately thought.

    "It has been a few hours but from what we''ve gathered, it looks like they are preparing to move the girl out of the hospital." The subordinate continued. "We don''t know what happened inside but they say that they will be bringing the girl over back to their residence." Tenma''s hand clenched as he heard the last statement.

    "(The gods are helping me! Not only did the girl die, her death can be blamed on Nagato Tsuna!)" he praised his subordinate and immediately left the VIP room to head for the area where participants waited.

    "Looks like the credit for the clan''s prosperity for the generations to come will be because of me after all."

    .

 154 Heartfelt Reques

    .

    Unlike the first day, the pressure Kazuya received from the waiting room had severely lessened. He thought that he had gotten used to the atmosphere quickly, in reality, it was because most of the people who viewed him as an enemy either accepted that he had been superior to them by many levels or were looking at him with admiration.

    There were many participants that tried to converse with him in hopes of getting to know such a talented individual. In their minds, Kazuya was already a sure bet to be selected as one of the people to represent the country. Though they seemed to be many of them, majority of the people who were interested in the sport had been gathered to this event already.

    Their questions consisted of how Kazuya trained. He really didn''t know how to answer them so he just told them that it was his grandfather who had arranged for everything. They were quite envious of Kazuya whose grandfather had his own shooting facility so they were quick to assume that for him to have such skills would only be natural.

    "Kazuya." The people joyously conversing with him immediately scattered as soon as they turned to see who had arrived.

    "What brings you here grandfather?" he knew this old man well enough already. There was a reason he had chosen to show himself and it usually didn''t mean anything good.

    "I have just received some news that has to do with you. I came here to inform you myself because I am afraid that it might affect your concentration for the competition if you heard about it from someone else." Tenma looked him straight in the eye.

    Kazuya immediately felt an ominous feeling. He quickly sat from his seat and faced Tenma seriously. This man was up to something and he had to prepare himself for what it was.

    "News that has something to do with me?" Kazuya wondered if they finally heard about what happened to Tomoyo. Even if they did, why would Tenma be the one to tell him? Kazuya then wondered if anything had happened to Kyouko but he immediately dismissed it because he had just spoken to her last night and she wasn''t going to be leaving home so that she could watch his performance.

    "Before I tell you, do you remember what you confidently said to me yesterday?" Tenma answered with a question.

    "About winning the competition? I remember." Kazuya wondered why this person was stalling.

    "Are you still confident? What about tomorrow''s exhibition match?" Since the participants for the exhibition match would consist of the winners and ranked individuals of the competition, Tenma boldly asked his confident grandson on how he would fare.

    "I am. You of all people should know how I would do, grandfather." He didn''t know what it was about but Kazuya understood that something must have changed in the competition.

    "This news might affect your mentality so I am just making sure. I want an absolute promise, the promise that will make your mind focused despite whatever it is that happened." Tenma finally let out his intention. This caught Kazuya off guard since he didn''t think that the competition was this important to this old man.

    It took Kazuya a few moments to piece things together. The reason this man came out himself was to get him to give a promise using the Kouzuki name in front of all these people. If making himself known as a Kouzuki, something must have really happened. This man would never do anything advantageous for the Kouzuki clan after all.

    "Now I''m really concerned about what kind of news it would be." Kazuya gave a sigh. He straightened himself up and at Tenma seriously before continuing. "In the name of the Kouzuki clan, I Kazuya hereby promise to win the competition today." There was no way he would have lost so Kazuya didn''t hesitate to make the promise.

    Even if he had the means to find out what Tenma was keeping from him, this old man would only suspect him if he didn''t comply.

    "and tomorrow''s?" Tenma raised his eyebrow. Kazuya held back the urge to click his tongue because even though he knew that this old man had been leading him on, he had no other choice if he didn''t want to have a fallout with him.

    "¡­ I also promise to win tomorrow''s exhibition match if I am selected to participate in it." Kazuya delivered his oath which finally satisfied Tenma.

    As much as those who didn''t know of Kazuya''s origins were surprised that he bore the name ''Kouzuki'', his confidence in declaring such a thing had shaken them. They did believe that he would eventually win but as to why these two had only been considering the competition as something secondary was something that they couldn''t understand.

    "Good. I am sure you are very much aware of the consequences if you do break your promise right?" Tenma didn''t hold back and immediately put the pressure on his grandson.

    "I am aware. Now, what is this news that would require me to make such promises before hearing it?" It was his turn to make this old man spill the beans. Even if Tenma''s venomous silver tongue was skilled in manipulating people, there was no way Kazuya was going to let him go after he was practically forced into making two oaths.

    "I received a report a few moments ago about one of your friends. That lass from the Shiroyuki family had an accident and was rushed to the hospital yesterday." Tenma made sure to observe every reaction that Kazuya made. The kid was a Kurogane and was very talented at hiding his expressions so he made sure to pay extra attention.

    "Accident?" Kazuya had already heard about this news so he wasn''t surprised. With Tenma keenly observing him, he couldn''t help but feed this stubborn old man some kind of reaction. He immediately made his eyebrow twitch as his gaze towards Tenma grew a bit more serious.

    "I''m not too keen on the details but¡­ my sources say that she suffered a fatal would. I called a few acquaintances but they say that the place where she was taken to had been placed off limits and Shiroyuki Jirou had asked to make preparations to take her away from the hospital."

    "Huh?" Kazuya who had only been pretending to listen intently was suddenly taken by surprise. The fact that Tenma had a vast network for intelligence wasn''t strange but the fact that the robot girl who was supposed to have been recovering in the hospital was going to be leaving was something that he didn''t know.

    "I''m sorry child. Your friend seems to have already pass¡ª" Tenma couldn''t help but stop what he was saying when a sudden chill made him shiver.

    Kurogane Tenma wasn''t the only one who felt it. Everyone in the room had felt the sudden drop in the temperature and wondered if there was a problem with the building''s systems.

    "Kurogane Kazuya, your turn is almost here so please proceed to the stadium!"

    -

    At the Kouzuki household, though the television was showing the broadcast of the competition where Kazuya participated in, the living room was currently deserted. It was unlike the previous day where every member of the household was cheering for Kazuya who has swept the competition without a close competitor.

    Kyouko and her father were standing near the entrance of their estate accompanied by Yumi and the guards of that were stationed there. The two had been informed of what had happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo yesterday by Jirou. The reason for this was because Jirou had been instructed by Tsuna so that they could move Tomoyo to the Kouzuki estate.

    "Do you think we should tell the boy?" Kou turned to his daughter.

    "I think we should confirm the situation first." Kyouko shook her head. She was worried what Kazuya''s reaction would be. "He needs his focus and we still have no idea about Tomoyo-chan''s condition."

    "For Tsuna to need kid''s place to help with treatment¡­ it doesn''t sound good." Kou crossed his arms and sighed. He truly felt for his friend. "If he lost that little girl, we might not be able to stop him from taking revenge this time."

    "Is it really true? Was it really done by the same person who¡­" Kyouko stopped mid-sentence as various vehicles were seen arriving.

    Three ambulances were being escorted by the vehicles from their security company as well as the police arrived. One of the ambulances headed towards the Shiroyuki house while two entered the Kouzuki estate. This was a plan to confuse anyone who had been keeping an eye on them. There were forces that weren''t simple working behind the scenes so this much precaution was required.

    The police escorts immediately left after the ambulances entered the Kouzuki estate. Tsuna immediately got off from one ambulance as soon as the coast was clear.

    Kyouko, Yumi and Kou immediately felt the heavy amount of mana that was emanating from the man who was carrying a little girl in his arms. They all felt that the mana was being concentrated towards the unconscious girl who was looking as pale as the white patient''s gown she was wearing.

    "I don''t have much time to talk. I''ll be using Kazuya''s basement so please open it up for me." Tsuna looked at Kyouko who immediately led the way to Kazuya''s laboratory.

    "So this is what this place looks like from the inside¡­" Kou couldn''t help but comment as soon as he was able to set foot inside the former storage building. He had been forbidden entry by Kazuya who would immediately change the method of access whenever Kou got close to figuring out the current one.

    Tsuna brought the seemingly lifeless Tomoyo to the basement where instructions were given to Kyouko.

    "I need to concentrate on trying to keep this girl alive. I told Jirou of what needs to be done so you may ask him what needs to be done." Tsuna gently laid Tomoyo on top of the formation that was made for healing.

    Kyouko and Yumi left the basement and dragged Kou away to prevent him from disturbing Tsuna. They explained the situation to him and hoped that he wouldn''t barge into the laboratory out of curiosity.

    "Let''s call Jirou right away then. I''m worried about how that old fellow is doing." Kou decisively moved back to the house and gave Jirou a call.

    "Mistress¡­" Akane, who was waiting for them at the living room while preparing tea looked at Kyouko while looking a little worried.

    "Did something happen?" Kyouko asked as she turned towards the television. Akane had been watching something before they returned so she immediately assumed that something had happened to Kazuya.

    [Kurogane Kazuya withdraws from all his remaining turns]

    The text at the bottom of the screen immediately gathered her attention.

    "WHAT!? You told Kazuya about what happened to your granddaughter!?"

    Kou''s outburst as he was on the phone startled them before they could think of a reason as to why Kazuya had withdrawn from the competition.

    "What happened dad?" Kyouko pressed the loudspeaker option on the phone to listen to what Jirou had to say. "

    "I gave the kid a call and told him the message that Tsuna wanted to pass on. The message was¡­ [I''m going to your healing formation to keep the girl alive. The process for her complete recovery requires your level of control. I will wait for as long as I can but this girl''s heart and body would be weakened if I simply heal her.]" Jirou''s voice started to grow weaker as he finished.

    "Then Kazuya''s coming back?" Kyouko didn''t know what to feel. She was glad to find out that her son had a friend he cared for but was afraid that he had done something impulsive to be able to escape from Kurogane Tenma''s clutches.

    -

    Kazuya stared at the time when he arrived the airport. He recalled the message that Jirou passed onto him as well as how frail the proud old man''s voice had sounded. The message was not the only thing that was given to him. Jirou''s desperate plea as the robot girl''s grandfather was also passed onto him.

    Though Jirou had a limited time speaking to Tsuna because he needed to focus his attention on Tomoyo, Kazuya was asked about what the message truly meant. To the desperate man, Kazuya couldn''t decline. Even though he didn''t have much knowledge about mana, Kazuya tried to make Jirou understood the current situation.

    Though Tsuna had been capable of healing Tomoyo, healing magic was not as convenient as it seemed to be. Earth had its own way of treating and that is why medical science is gradually improved. It is the same with healing magic. The difference between the two is that when using the convenient healing magic, a person who underwent treatment through spells, must be in an environment that is rich in mana to avoid any after effects.

    Earth was a place with severely low levels of mana. Healing Tomoyo with the spells that Tsuna knew of was like patching up a boat that was leaking with rough patch work. Tomoyo may have survived but she wouldn''t be the same again. She would be severely weakened because she doesn''t know how to nourish her own body with mana unlike majority of the residents in Edea.

    Even if she did, with how devoid earth is of natural mana, she would have to stay within the Kouzuki residence for more than a decade or she might have to suffer a backlash.

    However, Kazuya''s method was different. Not only did he have precise control over his mana, he also understood the anatomies of various living beings. Tsuna''s trust in Kazuya''s abilities was because of an incident in which they accidentally cut off a bird''s wing when they had been sparring in an open area.

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    Tsuna tried to stop Kazuya from using healing magic to heal the bird because he had previously tried the same thing. Kazuya ignored Tsuna''s warnings and instead gave him a lecture of how he had developed a method on how to take advantage of healing magic on earth. It required heavy control and precision and was more like using healing magic and surgery at the same time.

    "But I''ve seen Tsuna-san recover from deep wounds more than once¡­ does that mean that he didn''t truly heal from them?" Jirou couldn''t help but ask.

    "Those who understand mana are different. I really can''t go into much detail since it would only confuse you. Though Tsuna-san or I can heal these kinds of wounds, it doesn''t mean that we don''t feel pain or can''t die from fatal injuries. Healing such injuries would make us feel the pain of reattaching the nerves as well as bearing with the lingering effects that usually lasts for a while." Kazuya explained.

    "How confident are you in preventing the effects that Tsuna-san said if he had healed Tomoyo?" Jirou couldn''t help but ask. He was worried that just when Tomoyo had started to truly enjoy Kendo, it would be taken away from her after she had done a good and heroic deed.

    "I wouldn''t dare say I''m a hundred percent confident. I haven''t seen her." He wanted to mention that Jirou''s muddled descriptions about the robot girl''s condition didn''t help him at all but decided to keep it to himself.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya could feel how dejected this anxious old man was given Jirou''s weak response.

    "What I can assure you is, as long as I can do anything about it, no person I care about will be able to walk through death''s door."

    .

 155 Repair 2 in 1

    .

    "Please come this way Kouzuki-san." Several police officers met with Kazuya as soon as he was able to get off the plane.

    Kazuya was already informed that he was going to be picked up by the authorities to ensure that he would be able to get home as soon as possible so after confirming he got shown their badges, he followed their lead.

    None of these officers knew why they had to accommodate Kazuya. Though they didn''t know why they had to, orders were absolute. It was Shiroyuki Jirou''s request. They led the boy to board one of the police helicopters that was on standby.

    "Apologies but our instructions were to bring only Kouzuki Kazuya." The officer blocked off the two guards that Kurogane Tenma sent along with Kazuya for both protection and observation. "Both of you will have to find means of transportation on your own." The officer said before boarding the helicopter along with Kazuya.

    The two guards looked at each other before backing down. They had no way to force their way through because of the amount of police officers that had escorted them to the helicopter. With no other options, the two swiftly left and immediately went to report to Kurogane Tenma.

    "Shiroyuki Jirou certainly knows how to flaunt." Temna scoffed after he heard the report. "I already expected that you two would not be allowed to stay with Kazuya when he meets with the Kouzuki side so you can just start on making preparations for the other plan." He ordered.

    "Sir¡­ do we include private means as well?" the guard that was reporting to Tenma couldn''t help but ask. He considered this option as he watched the helicopter that took their young master away take off.

    "Yes. Reserve them as well. Any means of transportation that would take the boy back here in time for the exhibition match should be reserved." Tenma didn''t hesitate.

    This was what he had intended when he forced Kazuya into making his promise. Tenma was sure that either the boy would have gone back to their hometown on his own after hearing about what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo. Even if he had decided to focus on the match, the Kouzuki clan and the Shiroyuki clan would make sure to call him back. This was the funeral of his official fianc¨¦ after all.

    Tenma had his loyal guards take every single means of transportation to take Kazuya back to participate in the exhibition match on time. Tenma would take advantage of Kazuya''s absence to be the judge of who gets to give the national representative position to his grandson. This would give him the chance to have some influence over which side he would favor.

    Though there were other means of returning on time to participate, they were in no means convenient because of the distance that had to be traveled. With Kazuya forfeiting, his promise would have been broken while not suffering any blame because of the circumstances that Tenma divulged to the witnesses.

    "Understood. We will immediately make preparations."

    -

    Though Kazuya''s traveling time was shortened, he still couldn''t feel anxious. He had sworn to never let his comrades suffer the same fate in this new life. He didn''t think that he would make new ones in the process so he was afraid of losing the loyal robot girl after he had just realized what place this girl had gained through her efforts.

    He tried busying his mind as he travelled and tried to unravel the things that have been on his mind ever since he heard of this incident. Kazuya had come to a conclusion that this was not a feat that could have been done by a mere killer who had been sent to rot in prison for as long as he had.

    "(What changed? Who could it have been? How was it achieved?)" those were some of the questions that Kazuya kept asking himself as soon as he started his journey back home.

    Though the Shiroyuki clan wasn''t without enemies, none of them went as far as attacking members of their family. They remained as business rivals because they feared the wrath of the clan''s influence over various officials that have gained power over the years.

    "(Those who the Shiroyukis went up against throughout the years feared retaliating towards them because of grandpa Jirou. Who would have the guts to¡­)" Kazuya stopped thinking as he seemed to have thought of something. He quickly turned to the officer who was with him to clarify a few things.

    "What is it?" the officer asked.

    "Which prison was Shirihara Kira kept in?" Kazuya didn''t have much knowledge of the person as he only knew as much as what Yuriko had informed him at the time.

    "This¡­" the officer was hesitant. He didn''t know why the kid know about it but since it was an ongoing investigation, he didn''t know how to answer.

    "I already heard everything from grandpa Jirou. This has something to do with solving a big part of the case so I hope that you can answer my question." He didn''t forget to mention Jirou''s name to make the officer believe that he could just ask the old man if he wanted to.

    "The¡­ Numa Correctional facility¡­" the officer answered. He was afraid of what Shiroyuki Jirou might do if Kazuya told him that the officer didn''t cooperate.

    "Numa Correctional facility¡­?" he repeated the name. This was something that sounded very familiar.

    "It''s a facility that was established by the philanthropist, Numa Hisashi. It is a prison that is also set-up to study the prisoners'' psychology to help solve and prevent crimes." Seeing Kazuya deep in thought, the officer offered additional information.

    "!!" Kazuya immediately had a revelation as soon as he heard the name. One of the recent ventures of the Kuroganes been investing in lately had been towards this philanthropist and his research.

    If there was one thing that he learned from his previous life, it was that there were no such thing as such convenient coincidences. Though the Kuroganes have their charity and philanthropy projects themselves, they were never really without any benefits. By this reasoning alone, Kazuya was convinced that there had to be something that the Kuroganes did.

    But why would they target the robot girl of all people? Wasn''t their target his mother? What benefit would they gain from Tomoyo''s death? If they went through the trouble and spent a lot of money, what was their goal? Kazuya thought long and hard.

    "sigh¡­ I need more information¡­" he muttered after being escorted towards a vehicle after the helicopter had landed not too far away from the Kouzuki residence.

    *bzzz bzzz* Kazuya had received a message from Ika.

    [Boss! The Kurogane are acting strange. They are reserving every private plane and buying tickets towards K prefecture. Something must have happened because Kurogane Tenma is there right now!]

    "(That old man¡­)" Kazuya was immediately irritated. He thought of the possibility of Tomoyo''s current predicament was because they needed to lure him towards this plot. The thought of this made him want to slowly dissect that old bastard to pieces.

    He calmed himself down after his body felt that they had entered the neighborhood that had an increased amount of mana. Dealing with Kurogane Tenma''s plot would have to come after he solved the current problem.

    "Halt!" the person who stood in front of the vehicle was none other than Mame. They had already locked down the area surrounding the Kouzuki residence. Nagato Tsuna said that he needed to concentrate after all.

    "I''ll get off here. Thank you, officer." Kazuya excused himself and got off the vehicle.

    "Y-young master!" Mame immediately greeted him along with the rest who almost panicked.

    "You''ve been working hard." Kazuya nodded at Mame. "I''ll definitely provide you guys with a rewarding vacation once the troubles start dying down." Kazuya directed this to the team under Mame who have been assigned to protect Kyouko.

    "T-thank you young master!" Mame bowed sincerely. In his opinion, there would be no need for such a thing. The lives they''ve led after meeting Kouzuki Kazuya was like a dream for them. They were no longer the dregs of society that people looked down on.

    Kazuya entered the residence and was immediately greeted with the face of his worried mother. She checked if anything had happened to him since she didn''t think that Kurogane Tenma would let him go without a fight. That competition was his pride after all.

    "I know what you want to ask, mom. We can talk about it after I check on Tsuna-san." Kazuya greeted her with an apologetic smile before heading to his laboratory. Though he couldn''t tell what her current condition was, Kazuya knew that Tomoyo was still breathing.

    "Kid¡­ you have to save Jirou''s granddaughter." Kou looked at Kazuya with a rare but serious expression. "Saving her would mean preventing the chaos that Jirou will wreak."

    "Don''t put too much pressure on him!" Kyouko glared at her father. Though they already talked about the consequences of Kazuya''s failure, she believed it needn''t be said.

    "I could care less about what action grandpa Jirou might take just to find the scum that did this and the people behind them. I will be doing the same regardless of the outcome." Kazuya turned his back. "If I''m right¡­ no matter how useful they currently are, they just added another reason for not needing stay amongst the living anymore¡­"

    Kyouko and Kou looked at each other after Kazuya entered the building. They wondered if the hint that Kazuya gave was true. What did the Kurogane clan truly want? Why are they targeting people around Kazuya?

    "Do you think¡­ they know about the arrangements you made about Tomoyo-chan being Kazuya''s fianc¨¦, dad?" Kou immediately froze after hearing the question.

    "I¡­ would probably assume so¡­ it was no big secret at the time after all." Kou sighed as he felt guilty. He was partly responsible about bringing his friend''s precious granddaughter to harm if that were the case.

    "You shouldn''t have hidden it from us, or even me¡­" Kyouko sighed. Though she was glad that Kazuya had cared for his friends, she didn''t like her son doing those kinds of things.

    "You''re not going to stop him? Surely you know that he''s been the one disposing of those traitors in the company." Kou frowned. His daughter truly doted on Kazuya too much.

    "I won''t. He will work harder to hide things from me if I let him know that I am aware of what he''s up to." Kyouko shook her head. "The company is Kazuya''s as much as it is mine. Though I don''t like these methods, as long as Kazuya wishes it, I will be fine with it." Kyouko smiled as she went back to the house.

    "Maybe¡­ she already knew everything?" Kou couldn''t help but wonder. Though none of them knew how Kazuya disposed of the traitors of the Kouzuki company, Kou was sure that they will not be coming back. The fate of the Dokuro family was something he was aware of after all.

    -

    Kazuya breathed in deeply before stepping down the basement of his laboratory. This place had been the center of the gathering formation so the mana was denser that it usually was. The light that emanated from the formations dimly lit the room as he approached the center.

    "You came faster than I thought." Tsuna opened his eyes and the serious expression he wore eased up.

    "Thank you for making it in time Tsuna-san." Kazuya didn''t forget to give his gratitude as he saw the girl who was unconscious yet breathing in the middle of the healing formation. "Can you tell me about the situation?" he approached Tomoyo and held her hand before he used his mana to check on her condition.

    "This girl is impressive for her age." Tsuna couldn''t help but praise. "From what I can see, I assume that this girl already knew that she had to take a hit before being able to land a decisive blow to the attacker. She focused all her mana to deflect the blade that targeted her heart as she attacked." He explained his findings.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya couldn''t help but look at her strangely. This was what he taught this robot girl many times. ''Protect your vitals whenever you think you can''t avoid an attack'' were the words he thought never got through to her since she would hardly do it whenever they sparred with each other.

    "(Stupid girl¡­)" Kazuya couldn''t help but scold her. "(So you trusted that I wouldn''t hurt you that much?)" he sighed. This robot girl had been cute in a weird sort of way.

    "Her will to protect herself was strong enough that her mana formed a small barrier around her heart. I can''t cast a healing spell precise enough to repair the damaged areas around her heart so I concentrated on letting her body function as if it suffered no damage." Tsuna continued as he watched Kazuya closely. While he was slightly glad that the boy finally acknowledged a companion in this world, he was still worried about whether he can do something about the situation.

    "It''s been hard on you Tsuna-san." He was truly grateful towards Tsuna. Not only had he saved Tomoyo, he had chosen a tedious and tiring method. Even to a person who was as strong as him, not having much mana to gather would exhaust him severely. This had been why Tomoyo was rushed to the Kouzuki residence in a hurry.

    "How about it? Can you do something?" he looked expectantly at Kazuya who had never stopped infusing his mana to the girl. The strange part about it was that the mana that surrounded the heart of Tomoyo to form a barrier had eased up compared to when he first did the same thing. This made him convinced that these two definitely shared an unconscious connection towards each other.

    "I do have one method but¡­you probably won''t like it." Kazuya looked at Tsuna. "My current self can''t cast grand healing spells nor does this robot girl have the capability to maintain the effect until she is fully healed." Both of them were aware of how healing magic functioned so Tsuna didn''t deny that fact. He didn''t know the spells himself but even if he did, Tomoyo''s current level would make the effects of those spells useless unless either one of them kept infusing her with their own mana for a while.

    "What method do you have in mind?" Tsuna already thought of those methods which was why he asked for Kazuya''s help. He hoped that Kazuya''s intelligence would be able to come up with something that could prevent this girl from being close to a cripple.

    "Basic healing magic requires little to no requirements for the one being healed. The simplerhealing magic is used, the less it asks for both the caster and the person the spell is casted on." Kazuya shared his idea.

    "By basic healing magic¡­ you mean¡­" Tsuna frowned. Though Kazuya''s idea sounded simple, Tsuna understood what he meant immediately.

    "That''s right. Manually healing the damaged areas through sight and touch." Kazuya didn''t mince with words. "Surgery with magic is a simpler way of putting it."

    "Are you confident?" It may have sounded absurd but it didn''t change the fact that there was no other option that would make Tomoyo walk out without any lingering effects. Tsuna understood enough that in theory, this was quite an ingenious method. The only reason that this wasn''t an option in Edea was because there had been no need for it. It was a method that Kazuya had developed with Earth in mind.

    "I am." He replied without hesitation. "I came up with this method because it was something that might be able to help with in solving the problem of a person that has been infected with dangerous poisons like the Frost poison or the Blackhart poison." Kazuya took out a set of blades from his ring and placed them beside the unconscious girl

    "Blackhart poison¡­" Tsuna muttered. He knew these poisons well. Detoxification magic was useless against these aggressive poisons that assimilated themselves within the victim''s body.

    "A friend of mine suffered from it." Kazuya spoke. "She kept it from us so that she could continue traveling with the party." He gave a bitter smile. "I was too focused on the mission that I failed to see the signs so in the end, it was already too late when the poison was discovered."

    Tsuna kept quiet and listened. Kazuya hardly said anything about what he had experienced in Edea. From what Tsuna observed from him, he studied and trained as much as he could because of the regrets he had experienced. No one could blame him because even Tsuna had felt the same way after experiencing the feeling of losing his comrades.

    "I understand. Just tell me if you need my help." Tsuna moved to the side and sat down.

    "Thank you." He didn''t think that it would be this easy to convince Tsuna so Kazuya was thankful for the trust. "You would need to maintain her current status so I can concentrate more on the procedure."

    "Have you done this before?" seeing the confident look on Kazuya''s face, he couldn''t help but ask.

    "I''ve experimented on a few specimens, but this would be my first time doing it on a person that isn''t fully grown." Tsuna''s eyebrow raised as soon as heard it. "I''ve consulted various medical books so I think that my knowledge on simple anatomy is good enough." Since Tsuna gave him his trust, Kazuya didn''t feel like hiding this from him.

    "You¡­" though he already assumed it was like that, he didn''t expect Kazuya to simply come clean with it. Tsuna wanted to say more but had to hold his tongue as he watched Kazuya open up Tomoyo''s gown.

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    Tsuna was afraid that Kazuya would have been numbed to the feeling of taking lives. Heroes may have been a term that is nice to hear but it did not change the fact that the title was gained through an innumerable number of corpses. As chaotic the era and civilization was in Edea, it was unavoidable that summoned people such as them would have taken away lives just to be able to come back.

    "Tsuna-san." Kazuya stopped the hand that held the small knife that was infused with mana. "If you were given one chance to go back to the time before you were summoned, would you choose to remain here on Earth, or would you use the knowledge you have to fix the mistakes you''ve made in that world?" he looked into Tsuna''s eyes waiting for an answer.

    "I would change things." Tsuna replied without hesitation. He wasn''t perfect so that was an easy question to answer.

    Kazuya smiled before turning back to the robot girl that was in need of repairing. He breathed in deeply before lowering the knife and focused on nothing else but the procedure.

    "You still owe me an explanation for not telling me about our grandfathers'' arrangements so don''t you dare try to escape punishment by using this injury as an excuse."

    -

    At the dead of night, there was hardly any noise at the Kouzuki residence. Two old men were sitting outside the large doors in front of the former storage building that was now taken over by the youngest member of the household.

    "The two of you should wait inside the house." Kyouko came to check up on the two after they hadn''t returned to the house.

    Jirou couldn''t sit still in his house. Kazuya had long arrived and they still hadn''t heard any news so he snuck out to wait for the news himself. He sat outside Kazuya''s laboratory which he was informed was the place where Tomoyo was being treated.

    "Thank you for the concern Kyouko-chan but I''ll be fine where I am. Kaori''s very anxious as well so I can only wait here to see if my granddaughter is alright." Jirou replied with his usual proud demeanor being almost nonexistent.

    "How goes the search for the culprit?" Kou decided to change the topic. He wanted to distract the lifeless Jirou who immediately emitted a hint of killing intent after hearing the question.

    "The investigation currently has no leads. He clearly had gone through a lot of effort to make sure that he wouldn''t be caught by any cameras. The people who were in contact with that bastard before he faked his death is under investigation as well." Jirou spoke with frustration.

    "You should steer clear from this investigation old friend. This case has too many unanswered questions about it that it feels ominous." Kou didn''t look at his friend when he said this but instead gulped down on the sake on his hand.

    "You really think I should play with my thumbs while the person who did this to my granddaughter is out there? Do you want me to live in continuous fear for Tomoyo''s safety for as long as that bastard is not caught?!" Jirou responded angrily.

    Kou could only sigh. He already knew that Jirou wouldn''t take his advice. He understood how his friend felt for he once started a war with the Kurogane clan because of what they did to his daughter.

    "As much as it pains me to say it, my grandfather is correct." The voice that interrupted them made the two old men freeze. They were afraid that their argument had disturbed the process that had been going on inside the building.

    "Kazuya!"

    "Kid!"

    "you brat!"

    The three of them reacted immediately when Kazuya walked out of the doors looking haggard. His hair was a mess and he looked pale. Jirou immediately worried that something bad had happened and braced himself to hear what the boy had to say.

    "I want you to stay away from this matter at least until I am able to clear my suspicions." Kazuya turned to Jirou without giving much regard to how he appeared at the moment. "You owe me at least that much."

    "Would you d¡ª" Jirou immediately stopped speaking as soon as the last part of what he said had sunk in. "Owe?" he was baffled. If anyone owed someone, it would be Kazuya. He had helped and cooperated with him throughout the years after all.

    "I''ve full¡ª" Kazuya suddenly stopped as his body started to tremble.

    *cough cough* he coughed up mouthfuls of blood that forced him to hit on the ground.

    "W-what happened!? Are you okay!?" Kyouko immediately rushed to her son''s side looking extremely worried.

    "I''ll be fine soon.

    "This is why I told you to stabilize your condition before going out." Tsuna''s voice came as he came out of the storage building with Tomoyo in his arms. "He''ll be fine after he recovers his exhausted mana. The conversation you were having was worrying him so he put a stop to it." He explained.

    "T-tsuna-san¡­" Jirou grew even more worried after seeing Kazuya''s current state. He had no idea what happened but seeing the boy who was supposed to be helping with his granddaughter suddenly cough up blood.

    "You should thank him. Not even a scar can be found on your granddaughter." Tsuna smiled and turned to show Jirou the girl who was no longer as pale as she was earlier. "Though she will be perfectly fine, she still needs to stay here for a few days. I suggest you let your wife know as soon as you can."

    "R-right!" Jirou remembered the anxious Kaori and immediately moved to the house to make a call. He was afraid that the police might have been tracking him to see if he would make a move so he left his devices at home.

    Tomoyo was put inside one of the guest rooms and while akane watched over her, the rest gathered at the living room after Kazuya had recovered enough to be able to move around.

    "Thank you, kid. I definitely won''t forget this." Jirou gave a bow towards Kazuya.

    "Raise your head grandpa Jirou. I would have saved her regardless if it was a request from you or not. The robot girl is a friend so of course I would have saved her if I could." Kazuya replied as if it was a matter of fact. "I hope that you stay away from this case like I mentioned earlier. I promise you that the result would be more than just satisfactory."

    "Do you know who is behind all of this?" Jirou found Kazuya''s confidence to be quite peculiar. He already knew that the boy may already have some lead just from the look on Kazuya''s face. "What do you mean by satisfactory?"

    "Regardless of my theory on whether the people I''m thinking of are behind this or not, Shirihara Kira will not be able to hide from me." Kazuya confidently declared. "I need grandpa Jirou to collaborate with Tsuna-san in forging some things for me. The materials I asked Tsuna-san to bring have arrived after all"

    "Just who do you think is behind this and why?" Jirou couldn''t help but ask. Even though he joined hands with this boy, the enemies the Shiroyuki clan have are different from theirs. How could Kazuya know? Was it somehow related to him? Jirou started theorizing.

    "I still need to prevent the current scheme against me from succeeding so I''ll start with that matter after I get back." Kazuya changed the topic immediately because he didn''t think that Jirou wouldn''t make a move if he revealed his suspicions. He still had to go back for the exhibition match tomorrow so this old man had a lot of time to initiate an attack.

    ""Scheme?"" Kou and Kyouko were the first ones to react this time. They were already suspecting that something happened for Kazuya to be able to come back so fast. They indeed were not wrong.

    "I was allowed to come here because of two promises¡­" Kazuya began to explain what Tenma had forced him to do. This immediately made Kyouko tremble. She remembered seeing in the television that Kazuya had forfeited the rest of his matches so she immediately tried thinking of ways if what she could do for her son.

    "Relax mom. The first promise has already been fulfilled." Kazuya comforted Kyouko by giving her a hug. He was already convinced that she would have abandoned the clan''s reputation for him so he immediately reassured her. "Look at this¡­" Kazuya pulled up his cellphone and showed them the results of the competitions he participated in.

    [Champion: Kurogane Kazuya]

    """HUH!!??""" Kou, Jirou and Kyouko''s reactions were priceless as they grabbed the phone from Kazuya''s hand to make sure that it wasn''t a lie.

    "Unlike kendo tournaments, gun competitions are based on accumulated points and completion times. Though it might not be possible to win if this were an all-ages competition, I left after setting up points which the other competitors couldn''t beat." He explained the rules of the competition so that they wouldn''t be confused.

    "So you just need to win tomorrow? Are you going to be alright in your condition?" Kou looked at this troublesome grandson of his from head to toe. He was the only candidate to be the next head so he was worried that Kazuya was being overconfident. He was relatively new to the sport and it was unlike the regular ones that he participated in.

    "Kurogane Tenma already made his move." Kazuya explained the report he received about the Kuroganes blocking the routes to get back to the western prefecture on time.

    "Absolute scum!" Kou clenched his fists hard. "I will not stand for our promises to be exploited like this!"

    "Do you want me to arrange a transport for you?" Jirou was feeling guilty because this was all for his granddaughter.

    "You shouldn''t do that Jirou." Tsuna interrupted. "It wouldn''t be a problem if the transport was for you, but if the transfer was for Kazuya, Kurogane Tenma can use that to make your relationship with the authorities take a big hit."

    "It doesn''t matter to me. The kid saved my granddaughter. That is enough for me to even have a fallout with them!" Jirou was determined. He almost lost his granddaughter so he wasn''t going to allow the Kouzukis to lose Kazuya because of it.

    "Please don''t worry everyone. I''ve thought of a way that will make Kurogane Tenma accept his failure silently." Kazuya pulled out his cellphone. "I still haven''t asked so I''m going to do so now¡­" he went through his contacts to find a person he hadn''t expected to contact so soon.

    *click* the person on the other line picked up.

    "Sorry for calling you at this time but, can I ask for a favor?"

    .

 156 Start 3 in 1

    .

    It was a new day and the commotion that stirred the competition were still on people''s minds.

    Kurogane Kazuya had forfeited half of his matches but was still able to win the competition. This was a feat that was thought of to have been impossible and even the event organizers and judges were considering altering the rules of the competition to prevent such an event from happening again.

    It was only until word spread around and people learned of the circumstances of Kazuya''s reason to have left the competition on such a way did some of them feel sympathy and reverence towards him. It was because of this that all those who were prejudiced against the Kurogane clan started thinking that maybe there was hope for the clan that has such a repugnant reputation.

    Sitting inside the VIP lounge in the arena with a confident smile was none other than Kurogane Tenma. He was accompanied by the nervous association president who was worried that Kazuya will not be able to make it back on time.

    "Is there still no word Tenma-san?" Kurosawa asked wearing a concerned expression.

    "I''m afraid that there hasn''t been any news of him since he arrived back home." Tenma shook his head while trying to stop the urge to grin. "I''ve contacted my connections and they informed me that he has yet to buy a ticket back. I''m afraid that his friend''s death may have caused my grandson to forget about the competition."

    Tenma had waited until now to say this to put pressure on Kurosawa to make an immediate decision and appoint him as the person who will chose who Kazuya will replace. This way, once Kurosawa went to deal with the changes of the tournament, Tenma would have the chance to see which side would be more beneficial to help. There was only an hour left before the exhibition matches began after all.

    "It looks like I don''t have a choice but to¡ª" Kurosawa stopped as he saw one of his assistants enter the lounge looking for him.

    "S-sir! C-contestant Kurogane Kazuya is back!" he tried to catch his breath as he delivered the message.

    ""What!?"" both Kurosawa and Tenma reacted simultaneously. Though the two of them were both surprised, their feelings on the sudden news were complete opposites.

    "I asked him to come here as soon as he can president." the assistant followed up after finally being able to catch his breath.

    "Good! Let''s move to a more secluded table then." Kurosawa excused himself and could finally feel a bit relaxed. He had been restless ever since he heard about Kazuya''s departure so hearing about his return took some load off his shoulders.

    Tenma wasted no time to inquire how such a thing happened under his nose. The bodyguards who were always with him were feeling nervous because they knew that Tenma was already in a bad mood. They can only imagine what would happen to the people who overlooked something that made Tenma''s plans go to waste.

    "I apologize Tenma-sama. We haven''t left the vicinity of the airport so we have no idea how Kazuya-sama was able to return." One of the bodyguards that were sent with Kazuya reported. He brought in a couple of people to make sure that they would be able to take appropriate measures if Kazuya had shown up so he was baffled at the situation.

    "Were there police or military officials who passed by?" Tenma immediately assumed that Tsuna or Jirou decided to lend a hand. If that were so, it wouldn''t have been a complete loss since he would be able to use this as a reason for the two individuals to lose some influence over these entities.

    "We did as you asked Tenma-sama. No military aircrafts have taken off recently. There weren''t any emergency flights from the police helicopters either." he reported every measure they took to make sure that Tenma didn''t blame them.

    "Useless!" Tenma immediately ended the call. He hated not knowing what caused his plans to go awry towards targets that weren''t even aware they were being plotted against. He would have understood it if Kazuya was going against him but his pride wouldn''t allow losing to someone who didn''t know who to retaliate against.

    What he didn''t know was that Kazuya was already savoring the expressions Tenma had been displaying. He peeked through the doors and watched the old man find out that his plot had failed once again. Though the Kuroganes were very wealthy, no one liked spending money to end up with nothing.

    "So what do you think?" Kazuya turned towards another person who was observing Tenma as well. "Watch closely, it would be as if nothing ever happened once we walk through the door." He led the way and finally entered the VIP room.

    "!!" surprise immediately showed on Tenma''s face as soon as his grandson had entered the room with a companion. Everything suddenly made sense, the moment he saw the young girl, everything suddenly wasn''t as bad as he thought.

    "I''m back grandfather." Kazuya greeted politely. "I hadn''t expected that this time would be a peak season for travelling to this area so I had to ask for a friend''s help." Kazuya turned to Kurumi who was looking a little nervous.

    "H-hello Kurogane-sama." Kurumi bowed politely.

    "You can call me grandpa Tenma." He gave her a warm smile which would have convinced Kurumi that he had been a genuinely nice man. "A close friend of my grandson is like a granddaughter to me."

    "T-then I will do so g-grandpa Tenma."

    -

    Though Kazuya had enlisted the help of Stockton Kurumi, her father didn''t allow everything to be as simple as it seemed. He met with Kazuya at the private hangar of the Stockton Corporation and had a word with him while Kurumi was busy making sure that the plane was perfect for her trip with Kazuya.

    "I apologize for asking for such a favor on short notice." Kazuya broke the ice which took Jonson off-guard. People would usually wait for him to start conversations but Kazuya was different.

    While most people usually gave way to Jonson, the boy had acted differently. He never put himself in a lower position which both baffled and intrigued the head of Stockton International.

    "Kurumi already informed me of your circumstances with the Kuroganes." Jonson didn''t think he needed to beat around the bush. "They wouldn''t dare make trouble with your family now that you''ve restored your friendship with my daughter." He immediately offered his support because not only did was he a person who valued his daughter greatly, Kazuya was also someone he had been keeping an eye on as a rare talent.

    "¡­" Kazuya was a little taken aback by the sudden bluntness. He pondered upon an appropriate reply which Jonson easily misunderstood.

    "Please don''t take it against my daughter for informing me of your secret. She only told me because she sought help on your behalf." He quickly reassured the Kazuya who had been silent. Kurumi had only just made up with him and it took a few years just to restore their friendship.

    What Jonson didn''t know was that Kazuya told Kurumi about it intending for it to be passed on to her father. This was to serve as a warning to not get fooled by their ploys. The Stocktons were part of the reason the Kuroganes had stopped pestering the Kouzukis out in the open after all.

    "Oh¡­" Kazuya realized what Jonson was worried about and smiled. "I really don''t mind. I was just surprised that you were offering your help right away." He tried reassuring him.

    "You''re young but you are clever enough to understand what you need to do. I don''t know how your mother raised you but I should take parenting advice from her. In my opinion, you shouldn''t be dealing with these kinds of things." Jonson expressed his opinion.

    "Thank you for your concern. You''re a good person uncle Jon." Kazuya called him more familiarly. Though my mom already said that she would rather face the problems they would give, I myself entered the den of thieves so that I can learn of ways I can handle those who are similar to them when I inevitably face them in the future."

    "I really admire your determination." Though his offer was rejected, Jonson was even more impressed with Kazuya. He considered him to take the Kouzuki corporation to heights that might even surpass his corporation if Kazuya led them. "Just know that my offer stands whenever you need it."

    "Dad! They said the plane would be ready to go as soon as they fill it with gas!" Kurumi joined them and smiled. She was happy that her father and Kazuya were getting along.

    "Kurumi, good timing. I was just about to ask Kazuya here a favor that has something to do with you." This has been the reason why he made a personal appearance.

    ""A favor?"" the two simultaneously reacted.

    "Kazuya, you''re probably the only one who I can count on for this. I want you to teach my daughter about people and how to watch out for the bad ones." Even though Jonson gave a light bow, Kazuya understood that he was serious. A man such as him didn''t need to do so for two reasons; his standing and he wasn''t a man that needed to do such gestures.

    "Teach me about people?" Kurumi turned to Kazuya who also gave her a look as if trying to size her up.

    "I won''t interfere in your methods. I don''t want my daughter to be fooled and manipulated." Jonson raised his head and looked at Kazuya. These were not the eyes of a man who stood on top of an international corporation. This was a request from a father.

    "Are you sure about this uncle Jon? My perception about people aren''t exactly ''normal''." He warned.

    "I trust in your ability." Jonson smiled. There weren''t many adults that were as sharp as Kazuya had been so he knew that the young man was right for the job. "Besides, I doubt that my daughter would take anyone else''s advice seriously."

    "Dad!" Kurumi pouted. Her father were making her sound like a disobedient daughter after all.

    "This is something I don''t think I am suited to teach you, Kurumi. It was easy for Kurogane Shishio and Kurogane Tenma to have you and Maron wrapped around their fingers on your first meeting after all."

    "Hmm?" Kazuya''s eyebrow raised. He knew that those two had met with Stockton Jonson but he wasn''t aware of what had transpired. "Can you tell me more about this meeting?"

    The father and daughter pair complied and told Kazuya about what happened. This was the missing piece of the puzzle. He was more or less sure that what happened to the robot girl had something to do with the Kuroganes. He clenched his fists tightly as he realized the reason of why Tomoyo was targeted. Everyone had assumed that he had been engaged to Tomoyo.

    ""What''s wrong?"" the father and daughter duo immediately sensed the change in Kazuya.

    "Are you aware of what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo recently, uncle Jon?" Kazuya ignored Kurumi''s concern and focused his gaze on Jonson. There was no way that someone like him didn''t catch wind if what happened.

    "Are you saying¡­" Jonson looked at Kurumi and held his tongue.

    "Nothing else would make sense. It might not have been planned from the start but the moves Kurogane Tenma made recently go naturally with the assumption that they are responsible for what happened." Kazuya proceeded to tell them about the clues that the held so far and included the promise that he had been forced to make before being allowed to come back to see Tomoyo.

    "It can''t be¡­" Kurumi had a hard time swallowing everything she heard. The two men had been really nice and didn''t seem like the kind of people who would do such a thing. The only reason that her impression of Shishio had gotten bad was after Kazuya had been honest with her about what he thought about his own father after they had made up.

    "Do you now understand why I want you to learn from Kazuya?" Jonson had tried to hide his astonishment over what he had just heard by making Kurumi understand what she needed to learn. Since Kazuya already let the cat out of the bag, he couldn''t help but let his daughter start to understand the kind of people that she needed to look out for.

    "Y-yes¡­" Kurumi couldn''t help but nod. She still hadn''t finished digesting what she had just heard but she understood that she could have been easily in Tomoyo''s position if it turns out that she was someone who bad people wanted to get rid off.

    "Thank you for sharing this with us." Jonson knew that this information was very sensitive. This proved that Kazuya had started to trust them. "I think the plane should be about ready by now so I won''t keep you here." The more he heard about the Kuroganes, the more he was disgusted with their methods. He wanted to make sure that their plans would never succeed.

    He escorted the two to board the plane. Jonson allowed his daughter to take some time off school because he knew that learning from Kazuya as well as strengthening their friendship was more important right now. Since a chance like this had presented itself, it wouldn''t be wise to let it pass.

    "Uncle Jon" Kazuya stopped and turned around after Kurumi''s bodyguards had entered the plane. "I accepted your request about Kurumi not because of your help today. She is more or less already considered a friend so allow me to repay the debt by giving you some serious business advice."

    "Advice¡­?" Jonson didn''t know how to react. He had his own pride but the look that Kazuya gave him showed that he was serious about this. "What is it?" he had nothing to lose by listening. He didn''t consider Kazuya owing him anything, so he decided to humor him.

    "If Stockton international has any business dealings with any of the Kurogane clan''s assets, it would be wise to pull them back as soon as you can."

    -

    At the VIP lounge inside the competition venue, Kurosawa finished explaining what he needed from Kazuya. He looked at the boy expectantly and hoped that he would accept the offer to become one of the official representatives for the shooting competitions.

    "I''ll be honest with you Kurosawa-san, I never expected to be picked for something like this nor have I heard that other sports have been considering asking me to participate in such games." Kazuya sighed. He didn''t expect such an honor because he was merely participating in such events in an effort to use more of his time training. "How long do I have before I need to give an answer?"

    Kazuya didn''t know what to do. He was flattered at the offer but he didn''t think the gun competition was anything special. It didn''t improve much of his skills and training for it didn''t require much physical exercises. The only reason he hadn''t rejected outright was because of Tenma who sat beside him.

    "You would have at most, 10 months to think about it." Kurosawa sighed but he already expected such a response. He too thought that it was too sudden to invite him but since he found out that many had been eyeing Kazuya to represent their field, he was forced to make a move.

    "About the other thing you asked about however¡­ I think I would be able to give an opinion about it after the exhibition match." He didn''t miss Tenma''s eyebrow twitch which was made Kazuya understand that this old man was eyeing this privilege for himself."I can only evaluate their skills as an opponent. A more important factor however is how much flexible they are in following orders. I would prefer a teammate who is less talented but listens than a prideful person who would end up endangering the team as a whole."

    "You''re interested in skirmish matches?" Kurosawa was a little surprised. He didn''t specifically tell him which events he would participate in, but it was as if he had already assumed command of the team. This made the association president excited.

    "A little. I doubt the current candidates would listen to someone several years younger than them so I''m very hesitant. I would rather participate in it alone if that were the case." Kazuya was looking at Kurosawa but his attention focused on Tenma.

    "Alone?" Tenma found this intriguing. He thought highly of his grandson''s skills, he thought that Kazuya was too overconfident and had underestimated the skirmish matches because of the difference in results between him and the current participants. "That''s an interesting proposal. It would solidify your standing."

    "Tenma-san¡­" Kurosawa couldn''t help but wonder why this experienced old man was so confident. He didn''t know that Tenma had once again started laying another pit for his own grandson to fall in to.

    "I know the arrangements can''t be changed now." Since the participants have already been announced, there was no way to make such a thing happen. "How about this? What about having his two teammates guard the flag while my grandson engages his opponents alone?" Tenma turned to Kazuya waiting for a response.

    "I''m okay with that." Kazuya replied without hesitation. He didn''t care what plans Tenma conjured up. He wanted this old man to know that any plans that he would harbor towards him would only end up in disappointment. It wasn''t the time for him to retaliate yet so Kazuya tried to find other ways to make this old man suffer.

    "sigh¡­ have it your way." Kurosawa couldn''t understand these two so he just let them do as they pleased. What was more important to him was to keep Kazuya interested in becoming a representative after all. "I''ll take you to your teammates and explain." Kurosawa led the way and was followed by Kazuya''s group, leaving Tenma who was grinning after getting himself another chance.

    -

    Several exhibition matches were already over and it was finally time for the one that people had been looking forward to. The youngest and most promising contestant this year finally got on the special arena field that had been prepared for them.

    Kazuya and the two teammates that ranked in the top 20 were displayed on the screen wearing the latest body suits that were developed for the competition. These were designed to detect and emulate the bullets that were going to be fired off the replica guns that were provided. They couldn''t use real guns and live ammunition after all.

    To gain victory, the teams either had to wipe out the opposing team''s party or recover the opposing team''s symbol located on their base. The location of the base of course was chosen in the respective territories by the teams before they started the matches.

    The combatants were given a limited number of choices when it came to their weapons. Only one gun per participant was allowed. Their ammunition and weapon choices were limited so each team would have to come up with various strategies.

    The planning phase was over, Kazuya''s team had been given their weapons of choice. Each team had no idea what the choices their opponents made so they had to take every precaution. The actions that Kazuya''s team made had startled most of the viewers that weren''t new to these kinds of matches.

    Unlike the participating teams, the audience had been aware of the choices both teams have made. The position, status and ammunition remaining for each participant was present on the screen for those who were watching. Majority of those who were watching felt disappointed after seeing the choices that Kazuya''s team made.

    Even Tenma, the one who orchestrated the situation felt annoyed when he saw the current situation. He wanted his grandson to put up a good fight before eventually losing but this situation was like Kazuya had given up from the start. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the tables as he stared at the indicator that Kazuya had chosen a handgun for his weapon and 5 remaining bullets as his ammunition.

    The reason for this has been simple, both Kazuya''s teammates were given long range rifles. They were supposed to stay and protect their base for the duration of the match so in order for their team to prevent the team from having any thoughts of storming their base, Kazuya limited himself to only have the bare minimum he needed.

    The field was large and had been designed to resemble an urban wasteland. The opposing team chose a secluded location which was hidden in one of the structures while Kazuya''s team had chosen a place that had a higher vantage point. It was not hard but it gave Kazuya''s teammates the ability to make full use of their rifles.

    They were up against the top rankers of the competition who were the current candidates to represent the country for the international competition so Kazuya made sure to find out more about his opponents when they were in the planning stage. His prediction was not too far off thanks to the information from his teammates who have gone up against these elites several times in the past.

    None of them had picked a long-range weapon. Their pride and individualistic nature prompted the three to divide their chances evenly. They opted for a handgun each and had given themselves a decent amount of ammunition. This choice was because of the tip they received that only Kurogane Kazuya was going to be leaving their team''s base after declaring that he alone was enough to beat the opposing team.

    The three of them moved carefully while trying to see if there were any signs of Kazuya. They carefully crossed into the other team''s territory and immediately caught a glimpse of their opponent''s base.

    "That is clearly a trap." Heike, the former lead candidate of the youth team expressed. We need to take out Kurogane Kazuya before thinking about storming their base.

    Though the three were prideful individuals, Kazuya''s appearance made them realize that their skills couldn''t compare. These made the three cooperate with each other in order to take out their biggest competitor before Kazuya could show that any one of them should be put on the reserve list.

    *tink* *roll rol roll*

    "Over there!" Heike shouted towards the left side. A metal can seemed to have fallen from a pile where they immediately saw the target that they had been watching out for.

    "Take cover!" realizing that a gun had been pointed at them, they immediately jumped to take cover. The enemy''s marksmanship was still engraved in their minds.

    "Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue before making a quick escape.

    "After him!" Heike was the first to react. He had jumped to a spot where Kazuya had to reveal more of himself to get a view of so he wasn''t afraid of taking a peek at the situation.

    This was the perfect chance for them to gain the advantage. They had more people and the enemy was currently trying to secure another spot for an ambush. There were no other people helping him after all.

    "He''s mine!" Miyata, the third amongst them was eager to attack. He felt that he was the most likely to have been dropped so taking Kazuya down might let them think twice about it.

    He sprinted to chase after Kazuya so that he would be able to eliminate the target before he recovered. The moment he turned towards the corner however, made his eyes widen in shock.

    A gun muzzle was immediately placed in his forehead as if it had been waiting for his arrival. He was lured into a trap.

    "Bang!" his suit immediately gave him a tingling sensation to indicate that he had been eliminated.

    Miyata fell to his knees still in disbelief as he watched Kazuya move swiftly towards the open field before his other two companions arrived.

    "He got you?" Heike couldn''t believe it. They were only a few seconds behind but it was as if Kazuya had been waiting for them as he stood on the open. It was the shortest way towards the enemy base.

    *nod* Miyata wasn''t allowed to speak so he could only give a light nod.

    "Be careful! He''s up to something¡­" Heike immediately warned his remaining teammate. Their opponent was standing in the middle of an open field he was sure that it was a trap. "His companions may have been equipped with rifles since they weren''t allowed to leave the base." He quickly came to a conclusion.

    "Two rifles?" the theory wasn''t that strange because they were currently being led to an open field. "but wasn''t this supposed to be¡­" he wanted to say that it was supposed to be a one against three match but held his tongue. Their communications during the match were being monitored after all.

    "I know what you two are afraid of so you can come out. My teammates will not open fire unless your defeats are ensured." Kazuya raised his voice so that they could hear. "Why don''t we give the audience a show and have a classic showdown right here?"

    "You think we would fall for that!?" Heike felt insulted. They would be like pigs on a chopping block if they chose to walk towards an open field with two snipers on standby.

    "Let''s make things simple. If I lose, our team forfeits the match." Kazuya turned to one of the cameras. "The judges should be listening, right?"

    Yuriko who had been sitting in one of the judges seats immediately frowned. She didn''t know if Kazuya was playing games but now that he called the judges out, being eliminated would mean that his team would have lost even though they had the advantage.

    She had been worried about him ever since she heard that he immediately left because of Shiroyuki Tomoyo. She blamed herself for his departure and thought that he shouldn''t have known about it because it had cost him setting a potential record that could never have been broken if he had participated in all of his matches.

    "(Reckless¡­)" though she understood the urge to do something crazy because he was upset, she didn''t approve of the situation that he chose to do it in. This had been a battle simulation, if it were a real situation, wouldn''t that be throwing away his life?

    Regardless of what she thought, the other judges approved of this because this match was of course, a way to attract more people to be interested in the sport. Yuriko reluctantly agreed to the decision to allow the special conditions.

    "Looks like we''re good to go." Kazuya and the other participants had received the notification and his opponents cautiously walked towards the open field. "Heike and Chiba right?"

    "Die!" Chiba wasted no time and drew his handgun. He didn''t want to be dragged into Kazuya''s pace. There was more than victory on the line in this match after all.

    They may have been holding replica weapons but they were like the real thing. The bullets were fired were holograms that were programed to move exactly like actual bullets. This was to increase the realism as well as to keep the audience on their toes. This was why gun enthusiasts were so keen on watching these matches.

    "!" Heike was competitive, but he didn''t think that Chiba would suddenly open fire without warning. He stared at Kazuya but rather than being surprised, Heike could have sworn that he saw a grin.

    Being in a family that served the military, Heike had been trained to trust his instincts. He immediately drew his weapon and pointed at Kazuya whose image had blurred right before his eyes.

    Turning sideways to dodge the bullet, Kazuya immediately dashed towards Chiba who barely had any time to react to the sudden counterattack.

    "Impatient are we?" he pointed the cold barrel of the gun on the side of Chiba''s temple before glancing at Heike who tried pointing the gun at Kazuya but was unable to get a clear shot because of Chiba.

    "H-how are you still moving!?" Chiba couldn''t believe what was happening and trembled.

    "Unlike both of you, I know what it feels to have a real bullet inside me." Kazuya smiled. "I''ve trained my body to react accordingly whenever a gun is pointed at me. I don''t want to go through that pain again after all"

    Tenma who had been watching with a frown clenched his fists. Not only was his plans going awry again, Kazuya had mentioned the incident that he wanted people to forget about. Anyone who looked into what he said would have found out that Kazuya had been a victim of Hashiyama Lee, someone who once belonged to the Kurogane family.

    *tzzt!* Chiba suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his chest which brought him to his knees. He had been eliminated without warning.

    "!" Heike wasted no time and leapt sideways to shoot at Kazuya.

    "Not bad!" Kazuya smiled as he dodged the bullets by a hair. He enjoyed the tense situation and this was the closest to an actual practice against bullets he could get.

    His current self was significantly better than when he faced off against the Dokuro clan''s head. He was now able to see the bullets unlike the previous time where he used his reflexes to dodge the trajectory.

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    ""Amazing¡­."" The two teammate who were watching with their sniper scopes from afar couldn''t help but mutter. They tested the suit''s ability to sense both the bullets and the wearer''s reflexes during the planning phase. As much as a surprise it was for Kazuya to have dodged bullets in practice, actually doing it in the current situation was like watching something out of a movie.

    *click* Heike''s face paled as soon as he realized that he was out of ammo. He usually had a good grasp on how much bullet he has left but the amount of pressure that he was under made him unable to keep count.

    He immediately reached for the spare clip on his waist after ejecting the empty one while Kazuya who was maintaining some distance because of the suit''s lag saw the short window of opportunity.

    "Here!" Kazuya tossed his handgun towards Heike which caused the latter to be in shock. Heike immediately reached for Kazuya''s gun.

    "(As long as I get it¡­)" He had no reason why Kazuya did it but as long as he got his hands on it, he would have no weapon. "(wait¡­ a weapon!?)" realizing that he had overlooked a crucial part of the match, Heike glanced towards the opponent who was already located right in front of him.

    In Kazuya''s hand was a combat knife that was given to every participant. Since this was a competition that revolved around firearms, people only saw this knife as a decorative weapon because the blade itself was merely a projection. Heike did not expect that he would have been eliminated by a weapon that hasn''t been used in the competition before.

    *bzzzt* a tingling sensation assaulted his chest as the holographic blade made contact with his suit.

    Complete defeat. It was over as before Heika''s hand could even reach the gun that Kazuya thrown at his direction. What was even more depressing was that as soon as the shock the suit gave brought Heike to his knees, he saw Miyata''s handgun on his opponent''s holster.

    "It''s your win¡­" Heike had completely given up. There was no room to doubt. He had completely lost.

    The audience that were on the edge of their seats just a few moments ago were now cheering as loudly as they could. The replays that slowed down what had happened in just a short span had them brimming with excitement.

    Kazuya had won without spending a single bullet. The opponents he went against were going to get a shock once they reviewed the replay of the match. Kazuya''s team had already discussed before the match had began that his sniper rifle armed companions would shoot at the opponents after Kazuya had pointed his gun to their heads. This was the reason that he led them to an open field in the first place. They were already sure to have fallen by his hands so no one would complain if he left the points for his teammates.

    This was to show how important it was to follow a leader and his plan. This was a team battle after all. though Kazuya could just as easily taken out his three opponents by picking them off, he had opted to show the importance of team play as well as the weaknesses of those who have excessive pride. Victory or defeat, life or death was often determined with a single mistake, this was a lesson that those three who stood at the top needed to learn the most.

    -

    "Congratulations Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi immediately rushed to him and grabbed his hands after he exited the arena.

    "Thank you." He gave her a light pat on the head. Kazuya knew that he had put on too much of a show so he turned towards Kurosawa who was looking at him like a manager who was looking at his next big star. "The last guy I battled with is the only one I would want on a team. The others are well suited for single participation events if their skills are really up to par." he excused himself and let Kurumi''s bodyguards handle the rest as he went into the changing room.

    Tenma who was still inside the VIP room was silent and upset. He had a bad premonition after Kazuya had skillfully shown his dominance over his arrangements. It had been a long time since he had felt a bad omen and this time, it was a particularly ominous one.

    He wasn''t exactly a person who believed in things such as premonitions but his experience over the years made him learn to trust his intuition. He sensed that trouble was about to come and it wasn''t going to be small.

    Just as he was about to make a call, his eldest son, Sousuke had given him a call.

    "Father! I don''t know what Shishio did but I''ve gotten word that some companies have been inquiring about contract termination fees." With the purpose of making trouble for his younger brother, Sousuke reported this piece of news right away. He read out the names of the companies that were trying to back out of either negotiations or current dealings with them. Big or small, Sousuke made sure to include them. "I''ve also gotten word that they are currently on the search for companies that are able to replace us."

    "What?!" he had delegated Shishio''s work to several of his people. He wanted Shishio to focus on his recovery before the Kurogane banquet so if there was anything that had changed, he is involuntarily responsible for it.

    The timing couldn''t have been more accurate. The foreboding ominous feeling he had been sensing recently was now rearing its ugly head. Their business had just started getting back on track so this was something that would damage their recovery.

    What Tenma didn''t know was that this was because of the advice Kazuya had given Stockton Jonson. Though there weren''t any major deals between them and the Kurogane conglomerate ever since the incident a few years ago, this didn''t stop the man from giving advice towards the companies that he had good relations with.

    "What should we do father?" though making trouble for Shishio was his main purpose for reporting the incident, Sousuke knew the consequences if these companies did as they intended. Even though he wanted to win the seat of the clan head, he didn''t want to sit on a throne that was only a throne in name.

    "Stall them!" Tenma nearly cursed at his eldest son for not having one idea on how to deal with the situation himself. "Majority of these companies have good relations with Stockton international. It just so happens that your nephew just brought their little princess here. I''m going to try and set up a meeting with Stockton Jonson so work with the people under me and stall for time!" he commanded.

    "R-right..!" Sousuke was taken aback after hearing that Kazuya was with Kurumi. Though he made trouble for his brother, having that bastard son of his take credit for solving this calamity was something that he didn''t want.

    Tenma ended the call and immediately tried to locate where Stockton Kurumi and Kazuya might have been. His losses today were nothing compared to the current problems they were going to face if the reports were indeed true.

    When he found them preparing to leave, Tenma was blocked by the guards that were assigned to protect Kurumi. As insulted as Tenma was to be blocked by mere guards, conflict with the Stocktons was what the least to happen right now.

    "I need to have a word with my grandson." Tenma said with a frown.

    "Apologies if you feel any offence Tenma-sama." The leader of the bodyguards that guarded Kurumi bowed politely. "Jonson-sama has heard about the tragedy that has befallen the princess of the Shiroyuki-clan and has instructed that aside from himself, close family members, and Kazuya-sama, none may approach Kurumi-sama without our clearance."

    "I see¡­" Tenma quietly mused. Thinking that this was an understandable response coming from a doting father, he had no choice but to accept it. It was Kurumi that had approached him earlier so they had no reason to block his way, the other way around however, no one could approach Stockton Kurumi no matter what their status was.

    "Did you need me for something grandfather?" Kazuya already noticed Tenma''s presence but decided to see the old man''s pride take another hit.

    "Come with me for a little bit" Tenma decided to pull his grandson aside. "I need your help to set up a meeting with the little girl''s father¡­" Tenma told Kazuya of the current situation because he knew that Shishio had already started educating the boy about their clan''s business. He already saw Kazuya as his own kin so he needn''t hold back on asking him to help with the responsibilities. He was a candidate for Tenma''s seat after all.

    Kazuya was as shocked that Stockton Jonson had moved swiftly and decisively after just a few words from him. He didn''t know why Kurumi''s father trusted in his words or why Jonson had favored him a lot but this was out of his expectations.

    "Don''t worry grandfather. I know what I have to do for the family." Kazuya gave a confident smile that gave Tenma some assurance. This was a similar look that he gave when he had declared to win the competition.

    "(This is just the beginning old man. I want to see what you can do to prolong your own suffering!)"

    .

 157 Reward & Plan 2 in 1

    .

    There was one more thing that Kazuya needed to do before he went back home. Since the competition exhibitions were still ongoing, he decided to grant Kurumi''s request and visit the sights in the western prefecture.

    Unlike Kazuya, this wasn''t Kurumi''s first time traveling for leisure so he left her to decide on their agenda until he was able to meet up with Yuriko later that night. He was taken to an amusement park where the supposedly more mature Kazuya unnaturally had a lot of fun.

    This had been Kazuya''s first time in an amusement park so his curiosity got the best of him. He had a lot of fun watching the different kinds of shows that were unique to the park and was surprised by the different rides that filled him with excitement even with his experiences as a hardened warrior.

    While being totally immersed in this new experience, Kazuya had been unaware of Kurumi''s nervous yet blissful mood. This was their very first date and she was glad to see the moody Kazuya smiling so naturally. Though she felt sorry for what had happened to Tomoyo, Kurumi couldn''t help but wonder if this would have been possible if nothing had happened to her.

    Jonson had always praised Kazuya as a boy that was very mature for his age so Kurumi couldn''t wait to tell her father about how he could still act like his age. Though she didn''t want this day to end, the sky was slowly starting to get darker, so Kurumi pulled Kazuya towards the ride she looked forward to the most.

    The sun had already set when the two finally were able to ride the large Ferris wheel. The two of them sat beside each other and watched the amusement park''s lights slowly turn on from above. Though they were not able to see the sunset like she had originally planned, this scene was beautiful as well.

    "Ka¡ª" she felt Kazuya''s arms slowly wrap around her waist so her face immediately began to feel hot.

    Kurumi had frozen in place thinking what was going to happen next. Though this was a situation that she wanted to happen, she never expected for Kazuya to make a move on her. Mustering up her courage, Kurumi turned to his direction.

    "ssuu¡­ ssuu¡­" Kazuya moved his head and leaned his chin on her shoulder and his breath directly reached her ears.

    "K-k-kazuya-kun¡­" Kurumi felt like she would have already melted on her seat if the arms around her waist wasn''t holding onto her tightly enough.

    Due to Kurumi losing the strength to sit up straight, Kazuya''s head had landed on top of her chest. She panicked as she felt his breath through her clothes and thought that this wasn''t the right place to do that kind of thing for the first time.

    Afraid that he might be mad at her for her rejection, she hesitantly pulled back his head from her chest. It was at that moment that she realized what was actually happening.

    "ssu¡­" silently breathing, Kazuya''s eyes were closed as he had fallen asleep.

    "Really¡­?" Kurumi looked sullen for a moment before realizing back at what Kazuya told her and her father when he made his request.

    He had travelled back and forth, after hearing about what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo. Though he didn''t specify why it was so urgent for him to have returned, the fact that he had no time to rest made Kurumi feel a little guilty. Kazuya wasted no time and gave her a lecture due to her father''s request after all.

    "You may have already lost your memories but¡­ you''re still the reckless boy who always thinks about others more than himself deep inside." Kurumi smiled as she brushed his hair with her fingers. He had taken her out to play instead of taking a long-needed rest so Kurumi couldn''t help but feel touched. Even though she wasn''t the closest person to him like before, being treated as a friend was a lot better than being ignored like a stranger.

    "Teacher may think that I''m exaggerating whenever I tell her how amazing you are but I''m sure that she will be thrilled to meet you." Kurumi took out a small pouch and placed some of the hair that stuck to her hand carefully inside.

    Kurumi took out her phone and asked the bodyguards that remained on the ground to stall their ride for a little bit. She wanted Kazuya to have a little rest before she eventually had to wake him up.

    When the ride finally moved, Kazuya''s hold on her softened as soon as it neared the ground. Kurumi giggled to herself and figured that even though he was asleep, he was still very vigilant on his surroundings. It made her feel happy that her presence was already accepted as someone safe from his subconscious.

    "hmm? I fell asleep?" Kazuya was surprised that he was able to fall asleep under such conditions that he failed to realize that he had jumped up from hugging Kurumi in his short nap.

    "You should have told me you were tired Kazuya-kun¡­" she spoke while trying to hide her own embarrassment. She didn''t want him to know about what he did in his sleep. "We could have rested until you could meet the person you were waiting for."

    "It''s alright. Rather, I have to thank you instead. I enjoyed our time here." Kazuya said as he escorted her off the ride.

    "hehe" Kurumi giggled. "We can always have fun like this again." Kurumi was extremely happy. Though she still felt a bit embarrassed, hearing that Kazuya enjoyed himself made this trip worth it.

    "It will be quite the tight schedule for the next few months. You will understand why once we meet the person." Kazuya checked his phone and read through his messages. "Would you mind if we brought along another person on the way back?"

    "Who is it?" Kurumi didn''t ask who the person Kazuya needed to meet before going back.

    "A police officer whose help I would need to set things straight."

    -

    Yuriko finished her duties as one of the competitions judges. The judges participated in a meeting after the exhibitions were over. The meeting had been with the members of the association and they discussed the various participants who have shown quite the amount of skill to be considered as participants in the international youth competition.

    Though she initially wanted to meet with Kazuya after his match, she still had her duties to perform. Yuriko was invited to be a judge in the following competition for the main division but she declined. She had already fulfilled her purpose in coming here after all.

    "Hmm?" Yuriko saw several silhouettes approaching. Her eyebrow twitched as soon as she saw Kazuya standing in the middle of the female bodyguards with a cute girl with blonde hair.

    Kazuya asked to meet her near the private hangars at the airport so she thought that he wanted to discuss about sensitive topics. She didn''t expect him to come with some young lady who she could immediately recognize.

    "(The princess of Stockton industries huh¡­ this boy sure has some skills¡­)" though Yuriko didn''t know why, she suddenly felt very irritated. She initially wanted to praise him for his stellar performance earlier in the day but now she wanted to shout at him for being reckless.

    "I apologize for the wait Yuriko-san." Kazuya immediately apologized.

    Kurumi''s bodyguards with the exception of their leader had dispersed into the hangar to make preparations for their departure. She didn''t speak when Yuriko approached because Kazuya had already told them about the additional passenger.

    "So why did you ask to meet me here? Are you going to introduce me to your little girlfriend now?" she crossed her arms and tapped her shoe on the floor.

    "Oh right! My apologies. This is my friend, Stockton Kurumi. Kurumi, this lady here is a detective, Sanada Yuriko." Kazuya briefly introduced them. "It''s a long story that I''ll tell you about in a bit. She will be giving us a ride back home in her family''s plane." He explained.

    "A ride back¡­" Yuriko was taken aback by how casually he stated it. It was only now that she had been reminded that although he didn''t seem like it from the way he acted, this kid was a young master in his own right. "W-why do I have to ride back with you?"

    "Don''t you want to know what''s the secret behind Shiroyuki Tomoyo''s attempted assassination?" Kazuya''s gaze narrowed as she looked at Yuriko seriously.

    "You know who''s behind it!?" Yuriko almost leapt at him after hearing that.

    "We can talk about that once we''ve boarded the plane. For now, take this." He took out a cannister like object from his bag and and handed it to Yuriko. "Gently pull it apart from top to bottom." He instructed.

    When Yuriko did as she was instructed, she was surprised to see a transparent sheet that reminded her of glass come out from the middle of the two ends. It lit up like a screen as soon as it couldn''t go any further which almost made her drop it in surprise.

    [Authorization Required] was printed on the screen.

    Kazuya placed his palm on it and some files were immediately shown. It showed the compiled transactions between the Kuroganes and the owner of the facility which once held Shiriharu Kira.

    "This thing is¡­" Yuriko was still in a daze.

    "I''ll begin the explanation once you''ve read through them. I believe it will be easier after you''ve seen those." Kazuya smiled as he and Kurumi moved to enter the hangar.

    "No! I mean what is this device in my hand!? I haven''t seen anything like this!" Yuriko wasn''t the only one who was curious, Kurumi''s eyes also glittered a soon as she saw the device light up but she had been waiting for Kazuya''s explanation.

    "Oh¡­" Kazuya scratched his head. "That''s one of the prototypes of the product that will be released soon. It works just like a tablet would with a bit of new features."

    He forgot about the fact that he had been using an unreleased product but that shouldn''t be the point right now. Kazuya silently praised his elementary teacher whose words once again proved to be true.

    They entered the plane where Kazuya took some time to answer Kurumi''s questions about the device he brought. He made them promise not to tell anyone about such a thing or he would get in trouble with Kyouko and the company.

    "This¡­" Yuriko couldn''t help but look at Kazuya in shock. This evidence was extremely helpful! Not only that, this would give doubt to the philanthropist who has been rumored to have been slowly falling into debt. "Are you saying that this was started by the Kurogane clan?" one thing was missing and it was motive. The Shiroyukis although allied with the Kouzuki family was just an ally. The two families were currently at peace with Kazuya so none of this made sense.

    "If you''re looking to ask why they would do such a thing, This is where it gets a little complicated." Kazuya began the story with the conditions Tenma had set-up before he was allowed to go back home. It was soon followed by the measures that were taken to prevent him from coming back to make Yuriko understand just how much Tenma wanted him to lose his identity as a Kouzuki.

    "Wouldn''t that only make it harder for them to eat the Kouzuki corporation?" Yuriko raised a point.

    "The problem is, my mother would never allow it to happen. She would much rather let the Kouzuki clan lose their illustrious reputation for being unable to break a promise. This is what I think he is really after."

    "But why did you suddenly have to return back?" Yuriko asked.

    "Because Tsuna-san''s methods to save her required me to be present. It''s hard to explain so I can only say that much. I don''t want to mention the secrets he has but because of him. Tomoyo is going to be alright."

    "She''s alive!?" Yuriko was shocked. She already received reports that speculated that the Shiroyukis might have been preparing for a funeral but it turns out that the girl had survived. Her respect and admiration for Tsuna had grown more so she decided not to pry into her idol''s secrets. "Why didn''t you tell me all of this when we were talking about the case?" she continued her inquiry.

    "Because only recently found out myself. I asked several people about the case as soon as I got back and I found out a little about Shiriharu Kira. You know that I''ve already told you that I''ve been monitoring the activities of the Kurogane-clan quietly and it had occurred to me that they recently put their attention towards the guy who owned the prison." Kazuya explained.

    "I understand their intention to release Shiriharu Kira to get to Shiroyuki Tomoyo but why was she a target in the first place?"

    "This was a question I found the answer to thanks to Kurumi here." Kazuya gave a grateful glance towards Kurumi. "because of a certain incident in school where in order to reject her confession, I mentioned that I had already been engaged with the arrangements of my family. The Kuroganes had assumed that Shiroyuki Tomoyo was the one I had been engaged to."

    "Assumed? It''s not Shiroyuki-san!?"

    "You''re engaged!?"

    The two reacted simultaneously. He had only given Jonson the quick version of the story, so it was not as detailed as it was when he explained it to Yuriko who needed facts and details because of her occupation. Jonson was a smart man that could read between the lines and didn''t need that much detail to understand the situation.

    Kurumi, who heard all of this felt guilty. Although Maron was the one who opened up the topic about having them change the one Kazuya was engaged with to Kurumi, she did not say anything to refuse the idea which led to the harm that was inflicted upon Shiroyuki Tomoyo.

    "That is not all." Kazuya put a hand on his pocket and placed a bullet that was inside a transparent bag on the table. "This is the same round that hit Kurogane Shishio. This is an armor piercing bullet that would have hit my mother if she didn''t have any protection on her."

    "!!" Yuriko picked up the bullet and confirmed that it was indeed one of the bullets that they suspected that hit Kurogane Shishio after an analysis of his wounds. This was not the most shocking part. What kind of protection could Kouzuki Kyouko have to have warded off such an attack?

    "I believe you would find both the fingerprints of the culprit as well as his signature on the bullet." Kazuya smiled. He had stopped to meet Anri before meeting with the Stocktons and he was not disappointed with what she had given him. "if that is not enough then this recording would make better evidence." He placed a small recorder on the table.

    When she played what was on the recorder, a deep voiced man mentioned his name as well as proof of his identity. Yuriko almost dropped the recorder when she found out that it was a name she was familiar with! It was a hitman internationally wanted for various murders. He confessed to being paid by the Kurogane clan and even included every detail of the plan that they laid out for him.

    "H-how did you get this? I saw your mother on that day and it didn''t look like she wore any protection¡­" The amount of information that Kazuya provided was like solving the case that had baffled them so Yuriko couldn''t help but have doubts.

    "Let''s just say that it was all thanks to Tsuna-san. Please feel free to get his testimony if need be." Kazuya found Tsuna''s identity quite useful after learning a lot about it. He didn''t hold back and took advantage of it as much as he could. "In fact, I have the same protection on me right now so if you shoot a gun or stab a knife at me, it would disappear without a trace." He smiled at Yuriko after seeing her hesitation.

    In fact, he didn''t need her to prove this, another person''s interest had been greatly aroused after hearing that an armor piercing round was blocked. Tessa, Kurumi''s head bodyguard stood up from her seat and approached them from behind.

    "Pardon me Kazuya-sama." A blade appeared in her sleeve which she immediately stabbed towards Kazuya.

    *TINK!* before the blade could hit the shoulder that was targeted however, the blade stopped as if it hit something solid and immediately broke into pieces. Kazuya only smiled as he glanced at the broken blade and praised the bodyguard for her skills silently.

    "Tessa!" Kurumi immediately glared at her even though they all witnessed that the attack had failed.

    "It''s alright Kurumi. I would have asked her to do it if she didn''t take the initiative. The conversation wouldn''t continue without proving this." Kazuya placated her. "This method is somewhat similar to how Kurogane Shishio had gotten rid of Kurogane Nagisa in the past. The fact that she was against me being accepted as Kurogane Shishio''s son prompted them to get rid of her in a way that would gain sympathy rather than suspicion towards them."

    "Why¡­" Yuriko was still digesting all the information that was suddenly being revealed to her. She felt sympathy towards Kazuya who had to bear such things so she couldn''t help but worry for him. "Why are you telling me this now? This is different from the current case so I don''t believe you just found out about this now as well!"

    "Because after I found out that they have been responsible for this as well, I came to a decision to change my plans a little." Kazuya turned to look Yuriko straight in the eye. "Now that I have you, I feel that I must just be able to pull this off. There is just one question; Are you ready to try and take down your first white whale Yuriko-san?"

    "I¡­" seeing the determined look on Kazuya''s face, she hesitated. Seeing his expression, Yuriko knew that he was going to go through with whatever he was thinking whether she agreed to help or not. It wasn''t that Kazuya had been planning to do this, he was forced to do this by the very same people who coveted him.

    In this aspect, she felt sorry for the Kurogane clan. The very person they''re trying so hard to force into their family was already planning their demise. In her opinion, they deserved it.

    Kazuya didn''t stay in the Kurogane clan in hopes to learn and understand the ways these despicable people worked, he slowly studied their weak points, as well as thought of numerous ways to take them down. The only thing he was waiting for was the perfect opportunity to take them down.

    What he didn''t expect however was that although the Kuroganes haven''t bothered with the Kouzuki clan for these past few years, that didn''t mean that they weren''t going to make a move on them. Kazuya had expected small secretive retaliations but they started out with trying to assassinate the current head of the Kouzuki can, his mother.

    This had already doomed the Kurogane clan in his mind. The only problem left was choosing a specific plan to deal with them and making the necessary preparations. Who would have thought that they would decide to target Shiroyuki Tomoyo due to a misunderstanding?

    Thus Kazuya had to make an immediate decision. The Kuroganes were already getting out of hand and their continuous failures have been making them bolder and bolder. With the current cards in Kazuya''s pocket, he had to make these treacherous snakes think twice before making another move that he might not catch wind of.

    This was where his recent acquaintance, Sanada Yuriko came in. Kazuya already knew her from his past as a stubborn girl who he had judged to be fearless due to her unwavering sense of justice. As he didn''t know many people from the police force, he could only put his trust in someone who he knew that couldn''t be bought or pressured.

    Her role would be simple, she would use the evidences Kazuya had been collecting to put doubt and pressure on the Kurogane clan whose reputation alone was more than enough to open up a lot of suspicion. Kazuya would supply Yuriko with as many bullets as she would need to put the Kurogane clan on the defensive.

    "I¡­ I want to help!" Kurumi offered nervously. She felt partly responsible for what happened to Tomoyo so she expressed her desire to help.

    "Thank you for your offer. I will definitely ask if I need your assistance, but right now, if Stockton International made a move on the Kuroganes, suspicion will definitely fall upon me. Since the Kuroganes are a paranoid bunch, they wouldn''t hesitate to put suspicions amongst themselves because the current information in Yuriko-san''s hands are more or less inside information." Kazuya didn''t neglect to point out that he was putting himself at risk as well.

    "I can''t help?" Kurumi felt disappointed. She wanted to be able to lend a hand so that Kazuya can be free from those shameless and bad people.

    "You''re already helping." Kazuya felt her intentions even after hearing about what happened to Tomoyo and was a little moved. "If I''m not mistaken, Kurogane Shishio and Kurogane Tenma have been making plans so that they would have the power to betroth me to you. As long as we continue to get along, they would be less inclined to put their suspicions towards me."

    "I''m helping?" Kurumi couldn''t help but smile after she heard that. "That''s no problem! I would always want to hang out with you!"

    "Please relay a message to uncle Jon for me that Kurogane Tenma requested that I get you to setup a meeting for them." Kazuya told her and smiled after seeing the confusion on her face despite agreeing to it.

    Kazuya decided to relay his message like this to make things clear. He knew that Kurumi would tell parts about the conversation they were having now to Jonson so he left it up to the clever king to come up with a way to dodge the people who tried to use his daughter for their own benefit.

    "Kazuya¡­" Yuriko, who had been in deep thought for a while, called out. "Since you''ve asked for my help, I''m sure you already have a plan in mind right?"

    "I do. First of all, I want a list of people who you think can be trusted with this information. I trust you but I don''t know them nor do I trust them." Kazuya didn''t mince with words. "I hope you don''t get offended, this concerns my safety as well. Though I''ve spent quite the amount of time trying to grasp their capabilities, I still do not know each and every individual that they can use or take advantage of."

    "I understand." Yuriko nodded.

    "After I''ve gone through them, we can begin with the evidences for the current investigations. Then slowly back them up with the other cases and evidences." Kazuya explained his plan with such detail that Yuriko could hardly believe was thought of just recently.

    If he could get the Kurogane clan on the defensive, they wouldn''t be able to make any moves that would put them under more pressure. Though this might put himself under risk of suspicion as a mole, Tenma would disregard any of them as long as he showed off his friendship with Kurumi. With the Kurogane banquet closing in, Shishio and Tenma couldn''t afford making Kazuya not want to take part in the most important gathering of the clan.

    "Are you sure you just came up with this plan?" Yuriko wasn''t one to hold back her thoughts so she immediately asked the first question that popped up into her head.

    "I''ve only just collected these evidences. Moreover, we haven''t known each other for long so how could I have thought this all out before?" Kazuya''s look as if looking down on Yuriko''s intelligence made her want to pounce and beat on him.

    "So where do I say I got all of these from? You may have thought of the process already but what about this?" Yuriko retorted looking annoyed.

    "Please¡­" Kazuya rolled his eyes. "Even a layman who watches tv knows the answer to this. Haven''t you ever heard of a ''confidential informant?''" Kazuya shook his head and started to wonder if he really did have the right person for the job. "Though the information I provided you with might be sensitive information, it''s not as if the police can''t double check the information."

    "You¡­!" Yuriko couldn''t believe it herself. She could have come up with the answers herself but for some reason, whenever she was around this kid, she already wanted to hear about his opinions before she would think about things by herself. She hated herself for that.

    Watching the two argue, Kurumi couldn''t help but feel a little out of place. This reminded her of whenever Kazuya and Maron usually argued. Though they looked like they were at odds with each other, in reality, they were close enough to have arguments like this without much damage to their relations. She was a little envious because of this.

    "Kazuya-kun¡­ I have a question I want to ask¡­" Kurumi glanced towards Yuriko who seemed to know what she wanted to ask.

    "You''re right! I almost forgot!" Yuriko nodded as well.

    "What is it?" seeing these two who barely even talked to each other since they met agreeing like this made him feel something was wrong. This instinct of his made him want to make a quick escape but they were currently inside a plane that was in mid-flight.

    "When I met unc¡­ Kurogane Shishio, he and Kurogane Tenma told us about the arrangement between Shiroyuki Jirou-sama and Kouzuki Kou-sama." Kurumi started to speak.

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    "You said that Shiroyuki Tomoyo was a victim because of a misunderstanding so¡­" Yuriko continued before both of them turned to each other and nodded.

    ""Who are you really engaged to?""

    .

 158 Mysterious Connection 2 in 1

    .

    A few days after the tournament was over, inside the hospital suite that Kurogane Shishio was recovering at, he received two visitors. His father, Tenma and his son Kazuya had visited him early in the morning before he would attend school again.

    "Have you been well father?" Kazuya asked. "How is your wound?" being a person who had been shot as well, he had a lot of questions which made the unfeeling Shishio feel the boy''s concern.

    "I should be fine soon. It''s just that I''m probably not as young as I used to be and the recovery is taking much longer than expected." He tried to hide the fact that he could barely use his left arm at the moment.

    Shishio couldn''t afford such a disadvantage with their clan gathering coming so soon. He was already aware of his older brother''s movements trying to pin the blame on him. The only comfort he had was that he had been assigned a different task while his stupid elder brother was digging his own grave

    "What brings the two of you here so early?" Shishio immediately shifted the topic.

    "Kazuya here will be busy for a while because of his preparations for both his exams and the next Kendo tournament." Tenma replied. "He asked to see you before he did so and that''s why we are here."

    "I''m glad to see that you''re recovering well father. I hoped that there weren''t any complications after your surgery." Kazuya couldn''t help but laugh in his mind after the micro expression that Shishio couldn''t hide revealed what he wanted to confirm. "Now I can go back to school without worry." Kazuya politely bid his goodbyes before taking the escorts that Tenma provided to take him to school.

    "You didn''t come all the way here just to see Kazuya off, didn''t you father?" Shishio turned to Tenma who had been silent after Kazuya''s departure.

    "I personally wanted to tell you that the boy has been quite helpful despite the current troubles the company is facing." Tenma turned to his guards who immediately went out to stand watch outside.

    "Helpful?" Shishio felt a little doubtful. Though he taught Kazuya a lot, even he had trouble trying to figure out a way out of the mess they are currently in.

    "His relationship with the Stocktons'' princess has been improving steadily ever since he foiled my plans during the competition. Though it might have been unexpected, this made him able to request her father to contact me by asking the little girl." Tenma explained.

    "What did Stockton Jonson have to say?" Shishio''s interest was quickly piqued.

    "As much as you would expect. He said that he would see what he could do. Though it wasn''t much, at least letting him know of the plight of the boy in his daughter''s eye will prompt him to do something at some point. Though after the recent conversation I had with the boy, I don''t think I would need his help." Tenma grinned.

    "Did Kazuya say something¡­?" Shishio was a little surprised. Though Kazuya proved to be intelligent, he lacked the experience to solve a problem such as this very easily.

    "The mind of that child is truly impressive. I only asked for his opinion on a whim but he was able to come up with a reply that might change the way our company does things." Tenma crossed his arms. "I told him about the clients that were trying to backout of their contracts. My initial purpose was that so he could tell it to the Stockton girl and have her request her father to move quicker but what he said left me speechless. He casually said that we should just ask them to pay for the highest amount of penalty we could and make money out of them one last time."

    "Are you joking?" Shishio didn''t like the idea at all. Though they could really do that, while making a quick buck, they would lose out in the long run.

    "His words were; ''We don''t need them. We can just go to their competitors and offer them a deal that could give them the edge over those who dare back out on their deals.''" Tenma grinned. "He spoke with the pride of the Kurogane."

    "But that would only put as back in terms the reputation we''re slowly regaining." Shishio was slightly proud of what he heard but still couldn''t help voicing out his concern.

    "That is what I said as well. He replied with; ''don''t we already have a bad reputation to begin with? Why don''t we just use that as our edge against all those other hypocrites who try to hide their flaws?I wouldn''t be afraid of something as trivial as reputation. I would use it as a selling point and show them that the Kuroganes don''t care what they think we are a business, not a charity.''" Tenma laughed out loud as he felt proud.

    "That¡­" Shishio couldn''t help but praise his son as well. His words were indeed like someone who came from their family.

    "That''s why I''ve decided to lay the groundwork for his ascension. We''re going to stray away from the usual practices and make sure to make those people who cross us regret what they did." Tenma was fired up.

    "But father, what about¡­ the Kouzuki clan?" they still weren''t able to solve the problem about Kyouko. The plan had failed and he still hasn''t recovered from it. Shishio was worried about the deal they had about it.

    "That is the main reason why I am here. The police have been desperately grasping at anything because of what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo. They''ve already set their sights on your philanthropist friend and they would surely find out about our clan''s generous ''contributions''." Tenma''s eyes turned serious. "I want you to stay here even after you''ve recovered. They would be less likely to be rough on a sick man than an able man."

    "Stay here?" Though Shishio was relieved to have gotten an excuse to prolong his recovery, with their precautions, it was very unlikely for the officials to have found anything suspicious. "What about the next plan for¡ª"

    "Remain in this place as you help with the tasks our businesses will be needing. I''ve gotten word that someone in the investigation is specifically putting suspicions towards us so we can''t afford to make them even more suspicious." Tenma interrupted. "Enough about that for now, we still need to discuss on how to go on about his new business plan that my grandson has come up with."

    -

    When Kazuya arrived at school, the students were greeted with a scene that was different from what they had been used to for the past few years. Another girl was standing in the position that everyone thought to have been eternally reserved to the widely popular robot girl.

    Kouzuki Kazuya was back at school after his dominating performance in the national arms competition. He stood in the middle of the Stockton cousins who greeted him as soon as he arrived.

    "I still can''t forgive you two for leaving me out on something so interesting." Maron complained while ignoring all the stares. She was resting peacefully after her club''s training session so no one bothered to inform her of the events until she looked for her cousin''s whereabouts.

    "Sorry Maron-chan. Next time okay?" Kurumi apologized again.

    "No." Kazuya rejected the idea. "I prefer my trips to be peaceful."

    "Are you saying that I''m noisy?" Maron''s eyebrow twitched.

    "Yes. Unnecessarily loud and annoying." He bluntly told her as he swayed to avoid her strikes while walking.

    Though news already spread about what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo, this was still a sight that was new to them. The good news was, information had been slowly going around that Tomoyo had survived the ordeal and was slowly recuperating at her residence. Speculations already suggested that the lack of any signs of a funeral indicated that Tomoyo really did survive.

    "Should we go to the S-class lounge?" Kurumi couldn''t help but ask since they seemed to have been walking farther away from the middle school department''s main building.

    "No. The kendo club has special guests today." Numerous students wearing sports attires that were different from Sacred Forest''s were gathered around the Kendo hall.

    Noticing the arrival of the three, the tension immediately lightened up after they saw the three attractive figures that approached. The kendo club of Akaryuu had come for a practice match.

    "Oh my god! he really came!"

    "Th-that''s Kouzuki Kazuya!"

    "I want a picture of him holding a sword or a gun on my throat¡­"

    Though Kurumi had been more popular inside the Sacred Forest Academy, this was only because more students were aware of her status. In terms of being known, Kazuya''s feats over the years had spread his name towards those of the same generation and those who were invested in the sports he had participated in. To them though Kurumi was a pretty rare beauty, they didn''t know who she was.

    "Why is everyone waiting outside?" Though it looked like they had just arrived, there was more than enough room inside the kendo hall to accommodate them. "Where is your coach?" he asked.

    "Umm¡­" the visiting students froze as soon as they saw Nanami shyly moving towards Kazuya. "The coach for the middle school department called in sick today so I was asked to replace him. From what we heard, it seems like your coach went out drinking with him so both of them weren''t able to get out of bed." Nanami explained.

    Rumors around the Akaryuu school said that the proud Akabane Nanami was like a shy lamb around Kouzuki Kazuya. No one believed it, especially the middle school team who looked up to her. It was only a few moments ago that she was lecturing them to appear disciplined and proud when facing their rivals so they were shocked to see the rumor suddenly confirmed.

    "I see¡­ so that''s explains why you''re here" Kazuya nodded. "I''ve been wanting to see you for a while now so I''m glad that you''re here." Kazuya gave her a warm smile. He already heard about what she did from Jirou so he was quite proud of his brave girl.

    ""(No honorifics!?)""

    ""(First name basis!?)""

    ""(Wanting to see her for a while?!)""

    Kurumi and the students couldn''t help but react in their minds. Though it was already a known fact that Kazuya had something to do with Nanami''s sudden improvement that ended up beating the undefeated Ayame, no one present knew about what kind of relationship these two had.

    "I apologize for not having anyone to meet with you sooner. Why don''t we get ourselves inside first." Kazuya led them to go inside but turned towards Maron after taking a few steps. "I''ll send a message to the teachers so I''ll leave you to fetch someone to watch over the practice match."

    "You''re making me go!?" Maron was immediately annoyed. He didn''t even ask if she was willing to do it.

    "I have to entertain the guests as the vice-captain of the club. The current members inside were probably starstruck by Nanami so I doubt any one of them could hold a conversation." Nanami trembled as soon as she heard this. "I can''t send Kurumi who isn''t trained in an athletic club like you and practice matches are usually only for members. Should I just send the both of you to the S-class lounge?" Kazuya grinned.

    "F-fine!" Maron clicked her tongue and sprinted away.

    Kazuya led them inside and as he predicted, the members'' eyes were immediately on Nanami. She was the one who beat Kuronuma Ayame whose popularity soared after all. He led Nanami and her team to one side of the dojo and showed them around.

    "Please make yourselves comfortable for now." Kazuya then turned to glare towards his own team. "Have you guys grown arrogant enough to forget common etiquette!?" He didn''t shout but Kazuya''s voice made the Sacred Forest Academy''s kendo club members tremble in fear. This was their vice-captain who even the captain nor the coach don''t dare to disturb.

    "Would our guests have been left outside in the heat if I hadn''t decided to come? I''m sure that none of you failed to see them outside as you entered so why hasn''t anyone showed them any courtesy!?" he didn''t hold back and scolded them for making Nanami wait outside.

    "We apologize for our discourtesy!"

    Led by the captains, all of them immediately lowered their heads and apologized to Nanami and her team. In the kendo club, though Kazuya was assigned as their vice-captain, his word was law. Though he never really used any authority, his words carried more weight than their coach.

    "It''s quite alright Kazuya-kun, we really didn''t wait that long¡­" Nanami shyly pulled on his sleeve. She knew that he had scolded them on her account but she didn''t want him to stay mad.

    "I would like to apologize for this as well. I will not be participating for the practice match but for our joint training session today, I will be joining the Akaryuu side if you don''t mind." Kazuya turned towards his own team whose expressions were already fearful. "Looks like these guys need to be taught a lesson."

    "What do you guys think?" Nanami turned to her team. She was only a replacement so she valued their opinions even though she was wanted to accept his offer immediately.

    ""Yes!!!"" they immediately approved of this. In their minds, if they had a chance to win over Sacred Forest Academy''s kendo team, it would be now. The official matches would always have Kouzuki Kazuya and Shiroyuki Tomoyo on their side so as long as they were in the same range as them, they would have almost no chance of winning.

    "''Alright, get ready for the practice match!"" both Nanami and Kazuya gave commands.

    "What about the role for the referee?" Nanami asked.

    "Since I''m still considered to be part of the team, it would be better if you''re the one who did it." Kazuya turned towards the entrance as soon as he felt two presences approaching.

    Kazuya immediately saw the grin on Maron''s face and couldn''t help but smile. One of this girl''s antics finally brought something good. One of the day''s agenda was to see Hamasaki Hikaru and she was brought here by Maron to oversee the activities between the two schools.

    "I brought someone over!" Maron declared as she hurried to sit next to Kurumi to avoid Kazuya''s expected retaliation. She specifically asked for Hikaru since she knew that Kazuya didn''t like this person.

    "Alright, so sit with Kurumi and watch quietly." Kazuya wasted no time with Maron and turned to Hikaru. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I don''t know what Maron there said but¡­" he explained the current situation to Hikaru.

    "I see¡­" Hikaru glanced at Maron who avoided her gaze immediately. "I''ve gotten permission from the department head so there will be no problems." She was s little relieved that Kazuya didn''t treat her with hostility.

    "Good morning Hamasaki-sensei." Nanami came over to pay her respects as well. She was the acting representative of their school but she was glad to see Hikaru who she had not seen since the incident.

    "Akabane-san? Do you have any news about¡­" she immediately asked about Tomoyo since all she''s been hearing are rumors.

    Nanami turned to Kazuya and wondered if she should answer this question. They have been keeping any news about Tomoyo a secret since the person who tried to kill her was still at large.

    "She''s fine. She has yet to regain consciousness, but the danger has already passed." Kazuya replied before turning towards the changing room to prepare as well.

    Though Akaryuu and Sacred Forest were bitter rivals, the coaches of each team were once students of the schools they represented. This was why both clubs would have these sorts of joint training sessions. Kazuya had quite the busy schedule so this was the first one he was going to attend.

    They would usually start with a practice match in the morning. Joint training and sparring sessions and then one last practice match to end it. Nanami had taken part of these in the past which was she had been sent to replace her missing coach. She explained the process to both Kazuya and Hikaru before agreeing to proceed as they would usually do.

    "Final score 4-1! Team Akaryuu wins!" Nanami shouted the result for team battle of the girls'' team.

    "Final score 4-1! Team Akaryuu''s victory!" The result for the match between the boys'' team came next.

    Morale had already been low for the Sacred Forest team because of what happened earlier so it was no surprise for them to have lost miserably. Kazuya''s refusal to participate in the match and Tomoyo''s absence made them think that they had no chance of winning.

    "Alright. I want you guys to rest up and reflect on the matches before we begin with the joint training session." Kazuya said to the club members before walking towards the wall to take out two wooden swords that were placed there.

    "Huh?" Nanami sensed something incoming and turned to catch a wooden sword that was tossed to her. "This is¡­?"

    "Everyone move to the side and make as much room as possible." Kazuya ordered both teams. "It will be quite dangerous for anyone to step in so please do not to approach us." He warned.

    Everyone turned their heads towards Nanami who still looked puzzled. This clearly looked like a challenge from Kouzuki Kazuya, a middle school student against Nanami who was in high school.

    "Kouzuki-kun, what are you doing? Those are real wooden swords." Hikaru moved to stand between the two of them.

    "Sensei, though I''m thankful to hear that you helped Tomoyo and Nanami when they were attacked, Nanami here still feels guilty over not being able to protect Tomoyo completely." Nanami shook after hearing his words. "I want to see how far she''s gotten to make up for the loss she suffered under the hands of a person who has taken lives before."

    "But Nanami-san is clearly a high schooler while you''re¡ª"

    "It will be fine Hamasaki-sensei." Nanami interrupted. "Shiroyuki-san, Kuronuma-san and I have never won a single match against Kazuya-kun." This made Hikaru''s mouth gape as she looked at Kazuya who could only sigh. She had witnessed first hand how fierce and capable Nanami was so she couldn''t believe what she had just heard.

    "Looks like you''ve made up your mind." Kazuya smiled. He turned towards the club members who acted quickly to pull Hikaru to the side.

    "If only he was the one there instead of me, Shiroyuki-san wouldn''t have gotten a single scratch on her." Hikaru heard a soft and regretful statement from Nanami before the high school girl tied up her hear and prepared to fight.

    "I want you to come at me as if I was that person who attacked that day."

    -

    That afternoon, when the joint training session between Akaryuu and Sacred Forest kendo teams was over, the visiting students left with various emotions. Though they had trained for the rest of the day, everyone''s minds were still on the match that took place between Nanami and Kazuya.

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    They never thought that such intensity could have been born from a real fight. It was as if they had been watching a movie because they never would have thought that humans were capable of such movements in real life. Both teams and their impressions on both people have changed greatly.

    They once thought that the last bout between Kuronuma Ayame and Akabane Nanami was legendary. After today, it was like watching a sparring match compared to witnessing a fight from the legendary feudal era. No one thought that they would forget what they had witnessed.

    "Thank you for today Kazuya-kun." Nanami gave a genuine smile. The words that Kazuya had said to her during their match was still fresh in her mind. He had praised her for not backing down in the face of a known killer even though she had been given a chance to survive. He mentioned that she had no reason to be guilty because all of them had walked out alive and the difficulty she suffered was a reason for her to keep improving.

    "[I''ve made terrible choices in the past and made friends that have betrayed me horribly. I want to thank you for showing me that I did not make the same mistake when I decided to risk trying to make friends again.]" these were the words that Kazuya said to her.

    "From here on out, rather than skills to be used for winning competitions, we''re going to be focusing on actual skills for battles alright?" Kazuya smiled before turning to his team who expressed their gratitude and respects towards their visitors.

    "Yes!" Nanami replied. Though part of the current training he did with Tomoyo and Nanami already involved some sort of simulation for real battle, he inevitably refrained from doing it too much because the two girls were the types to feel and not think before they act. There was a high chance that they would disqualify themselves in official competitions.

    As they left, Kazuya left the members to clean up and turned to Hikaru.

    "Thank you for watching over the activities. I apologize if we''ve taken up much of your time." Kazuya gave a light bow.

    Hikaru imagined various different scenarios but it was only at this point that she evaluated Kazuya in such high regard. He showed the demeanor of a mature young man and did not show her any discourtesy despite their last encounter with each other. She felt that she had been worrying for nothing and both Tomoyo and Nanami''s information about him was accurate. She thought that they had been oblivious to his shortcomings because they were developing feelings for him.

    "Kouzuki-kun, do you have time to talk?" Hikaru didn''t want to waste the opportunity because there was very little ways that she could get in contact with him.

    "Talk?" Kazuya''s interest was piqued. He knew that this teacher and Tomoyo had gotten close after he stopped attending class which led to them her presence when they were attacked. He initially planned on getting more information about her identity before confronting her. "Is it about something personal?"

    "I¡­" she hesitated. "I guess it would be something like that."

    "A personal matter that involves me? I don''t think we''ve developed a relationship close enough for such matters sensei." He joked.

    "You¡­" making it sound like she was flirting with him, of course she was annoyed. She tried holding her temper. Hikaru wondered what it was that those two saw in Kazuya aside from his pleasing looks.

    "I have a small errand I need to run but I will be free afterwards." Kazuya checked the time. "we can meet by some place close to sensei''s home after I settle my matters." He didn''t want her setting the place and time to be cautious so he immediately entered the club after giving her his contact information.

    Kazuya left the school immediately after changing and headed for a place that coincidentally, he needed to go to later today. This was one of the most common residential areas in town and he stopped by an old apartment complex with mixed emotions.

    "(This is the place?)" he blinked multiple times and checked the name. Kazuya couldn''t believe that this was a place that one of the associates of the Kurogane family was staying in. What happened to the successful singer who won many awards for her songs? Why was Hamasaki Hikaru living in such a place?

    He went up the stairs and checked the names on the doors he passed. Kazuya had been hoping that he was at the wrong place but unfortunately, he found the teacher''s name at the apartment which looked to be the farthest and smallest. It was a quiet neighborhood and Kazuya sensed no one in the vicinity so he picked the old lock and entered quietly.

    Information about Hamasaki Hikaru was surprisingly well-hidden, so he had taken it upon himself to discover this perosn''s identity. He let Ika focus on more important things as his plans for the Kuroganes were already moving.

    *creak¡­*

    Entering the room cautiously, it was as small as he expected it to be. It reminded Kazuya of the much smaller room he had to stay in after he was left on his own. The place was surprisingly well kept and clean despite how the small apartment complex appeared on the outside.

    There wasn''t much furniture. From the entrance, Kazuya saw a desk with a computer, a small shelf that was full of books, and the foot of a bed. After taking off his shoes, he locked the door behind him and carefully entered to find out what kind of secrets this person had been hiding before he went for the ''talk'' she suggested later today.

    Just as he made it towards the main part of the room, Kazuya froze in his tracks as a voice called out from behind him without warning.

    "I''m glad you finally came to visit, Father!"

    .

 159 Hamasaki Hikaru 2 in 1

    .

    It was already after work for Hamasaki Hikaru. She received a message from Kazuya who she didn''t expect to get back to her today about meeting at a place that was close to her place.

    "It looks like his business ended early¡­" she mumbled to herself as she walked towards the school''s gates.

    "Excuse me, you are Hamasaki-san are you not?" a rough looking man wearing a suit tried to be polite.

    "I am her, may I ask if you want something from me?" she was still in the school premises so she wasn''t worried about any trouble.

    "The young master Kazuya asked us to pick you up. He asked us to take you to where he is." Mame tried to be as polite as he could. He was a little intimidated by this young teacher''s beauty and thought that Kazuya might have been interested in her because never had he asked them to be polite to a lady other than his mother and Kazuno Mei.

    Hikaru took another look at the vehicle as well as Mame and his people. They didn''t look like any of the Kurogane people she knew. She immediately sent a message for Kazuya to confirm their identity in which she received a response that he indeed sent someone to go and fetch her.

    "Alright, I''ll go with you." Hikaru got in the car. "(Where does he intend to take me?)" Though she was a little nervous, after learning more about Kazuya from his acquaintances, she brushed off the suspicion that he was the same as those Kurogane people she was familiar with and relaxed.

    It didn''t take long until she was taken to their destination. Both employees of Kazuno tech and Hikaru was familiar with this place. It was a restaurant that usually hosted the pioneer employees of Kazuno tech. they were now leaders in their own rights so most employees that belonged to the teams of these members were taken to this place at some point. It was even said that the CEO herself was taken here by their mysterious president.

    To Hikaru, this was a place where she would use her talents as a piano player to sometimes work on weekends. The owner of this place was a musician and was kind enough to offer to pay her after she had frequented this place to make use of the piano that only the owner himself used.

    "The young master is waiting at this establishment miss." Mame guided her and entered the restaurant where they instantly heard the sound of the piano playing.

    Hikaru couldn''t help but stop after she recognized the soft melody that was playing. It was a melodical rendition of one of the songs that Kuronuma Ayame released in her album. An album that Hikaru herself was very familiar with.

    "Oh Hikaru-chan? Have you come by to practice?" The owner immediately greeted her. There was still some time left before dinnertime, so the place didn''t have many customers yet.

    "Owner?" She blanked out for a second after seeing the person she assumed to be playing behind the counter. "If you''re here then who''s the one playing?"

    "One of the few people I can say I''m indebted to. He comes here every now and then. He studies in the school you''re teaching at. Do you know him?" the owner asked as both of them entered the hall where Kazuya sat and concentrated on the piece he was playing.

    "Indebted to?" Hikaru was a little confused, what could Kazuya have done for the owner to be indebted to him?

    "Yeah! Do you know the reservations we usually get during weekends? Those employees made my place their usual place because that young man brought them here when that company was still starting out. Not only that, this place is free from trouble too because he brings the young lady of the Akabane group here." The owner proudly told the story. "The only thing I can complain about is that I''m too busy with work during the weekends that I hardly have any time to play any music." He joked.

    "(Wouldn''t that mean that me getting my part-time job is because of him?)" Hikaru had mixed feelings about the new information she received.

    "Looks like you''ve arrived, Hikaru-sensei." Kazuya turned to her after he finished playing.

    "Oh so he is your student Hikaru-chan!" the owner smiled.

    "Hmm? You know each other?" Kazuya was a little confused but was informed by the manager about her sideline during the weekends. "(I see¡­ looks like this is a part of history that hasn''t changed. Her desperate need of money for her mother.)"

    The Hamasaki Hikaru from his past life was a very modest singer unlike her idol competitors. It was later found out that the money she made was going towards medical bills for her mother who had a terminal illness that was discovered after Hikaru''s father filed for divorce.

    Kazuya pondered. The illness looks to have been discovered earlier on because from what he remembered, her parents were still happily married when she had her debut. He wanted to find out just what it was that he could have done to affect this person''s life so much when they haven''t even crossed paths.

    "(Could it have been due to technologies that shouldn''t have been available until a few more years later?)" Kazuya thought for a moment but shook his head.

    "Umm¡­ Kazuya-kun?" Hikaru felt a little nervous after the owner revealed her activities during the weekend. She felt a little embarrassed because she was a teacher of the prestigious academy but was working part-time.

    "I apologize, I was just thinking about something irrelevant. Why don''t we take a seat and order something before we begin." He ordered his usual black coffee while Hikaru got some hot tea.

    "Are you a big fan of Kuronuma Ayame? The last time I heard you play a song, it was from her album as well." Hikaru initiated a conversation. She was the person who asked to meet so she decided to make some small talk.

    "No." Kazuya replied without hesitation. "I am a fan of whoever composed the songs that she released. Most of them would be much more suited if they were sung in a much slower tempo because of how meaningful the lyrics are." Pretending not to notice the slight tremble in Hikaru, he continued to praise the composer which was right in front of him.

    "Y-you seem to be quite interested in music." Hikaru tried to calm herself. She wasn''t credited for her work so there was no way that the boy in front of her could have known the secret that even the performer herself didn''t know about. "Do you have any other musicians that you like?" this wasn''t a topic that was very good for her so she tried to steer away from it.

    "I don''t have a specific interest in music." Kazuya shook his head. "The tune and the lyrics caught my attention when I heard it. Other than those specific songs, everything is more or less the same to me." He replied.

    Kazuya''s focus even from his previous life didn''t have much time to spare. His struggles and goals didn''t allow him to have the luxury to have that many hobbies. Most of the music he''s known through his memories were from the bards and minstrels that performed in the gatherings in Edea.

    "Y-you''ve got to be joking¡­" Hikaru couldn''t believe it. Wouldn''t that mean that he''s only taken an interest that the songs she composed?

    "Hikaru-sensei, what did you call me for? Surely it''s not just to chit-chat right?" sensing her chaotic mood, Kazuya decided to move on to the main topic.

    "Right¡­" she tapped her cheeks lightly with both hands before giving a bow. "I want to officially apologize for the way I treated you. It was totally unprofessional of me and because of my misunderstandings, I ended up treating you badly."

    "I see¡­" Kazuya sipped his coffee. "You really don''t need to apologize sensei. I too have overreacted as well. I just want to know why you were suddenly hostile towards me."

    "It''s because¡­ I was once a member of the Kurogane clan." Her statement made Kazuya''s eyebrow twitch. He suspected that the connection between the Kurogane clan and Hikaru was as simple as a contract, but it turned out to be more complicated than that.

    "What do you mean by¡ª" Kazuya stopped speaking as he felt an unpleasant presence approaching.

    "Well what do we have here? Looks like I''ve stumbled upon a meeting of bastards." the arrogant voice belonged to none other than Kurogane Sousuke. Though he was surprised to see Kazuya, his purpose for coming here wasn''t to look for him.

    "What are you doing here? Weren''t you the one who said that we should never meet again?" Hikaru clenched her fists as she glared at Sousuke.

    "For a beggar, you''re acting quite arrogantly in front of me. Do you really think that things are different now just because you''re a teacher in Sacred Forest Academy?" Sousuke sneered. "How do you think your colleagues and superiors would react once they find out that you''re the daughter of someone who tried to use a man to raise a daughter that wasn''t even his." He threatened.

    "You think I''m afraid of your threat? My mother suffered and fell into illness because of you! Do you think you''re some saint!? Go ahead and spread the word! I want to see how your esteemed father will react to the secret he tried so hard to keep be known to the whole world. His eldest son, the inferior son revealing his own failures for the whole world to see!" Hikaru stood and pointed at Sousuke.

    "You little bit¡ª" Sousuke raised his hand to hit her.

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    Hikaru shut her eyes and braced herself to get hit but, other than the wind that made her hair sway a bit, nothing was able to touch her.

    "Oi! Do you really think that I don''t exist just because I haven''t said anything?" Kazuya grabbed Sousuke''s wrist and stopped the man''s arm completely. "I can pretty much determine the relationship between the two of you from the argument."

    "Stay out of this, this isn''t any of your business kid." Sousuke glared at him.

    "Whether it is my business or not depends on your reason for being here. I don''t believe that the eldest son of the Kurogane clan would come to a humble establishment like this. You don''t need to make excuses because not only am I a regular here, I am well acquainted with the staff." Kazuya''s words immediately made Hikaru aware that she was tracked here.

    This wasn''t a surprise for Kazuya. Even in his previous life, Lee would show up in randomly just to pick on him. For normal people, if the Kuroganes wanted to know someone''s location, it wouldn''t be too hard to locate them.

    "Let go of my arm." Seeing that his attempts to get out of Kazuya''s monstrous grasp was impossible, he tried to demand his release.

    "Not until you explain why you''re here." Kazuya simply smiled and applied more strength which made Sousuke frown while trying to bear the pain.

    "I came to give this beggar an opportunity. The scribbles she dare called music were made into a treasure in the hands of professionals. They wanted something similar so that the artist would not have a sudden change in themes so I wanted to present her a rare opportunity." Sousuke proudly stated.

    "Scribbles!? You stole my work as you kicked me and my mother out of our home!" Hikaru hit the table in anger. "Neither was I given any compensation nor recognition for the work I''ve spent years on making! You can take your opportunity and scram the hell away from here!"

    Kazuya immediately understood how Hamasaki Hikaru''s songs have made it into the hands of Kuronuma Ayame. The name of the man who was married to her mother was hidden from the public in his previous life. This meant that it was probably due to the influence of the Kurogane clan.

    "Hmph! I just took back everything that was spent with my money." Sousuke shamelessly shrugged off her claims. "Seeing as you don''t want the opportunity of gaining additional funds for your mother''s treatment, I guess the hospital won''t have to accommodate her very soon." Sousuke grinned. He had his own ways of getting what he wanted.

    "You¡­" Hikaru couldn''t stop her trembling. She glared at him as if wanting to kill which surprised Kazuya. She must have gone through a lot because of Sousuke to be able to project that amount of hatred.

    "Hey ''uncle''" Kazuya once again joined the conversation.

    *BAM* Kazuya pulled Souske''s wrist towards the table and slammed it hard.

    "I thought I told you before¡­" he grabbed the bread knife from the side and spun it on his free hand for Sousuke to see. "¡­ Never mess with people I care about."

    *STAB!* it was a quick motion but to Sousuke, Kazuya made it seem like he was staring at it the knife''s descent for a few seconds.

    "AHHH!!!!" Sousuke screamed. Kazuya was not done and used the table napkin under Sousuke''s hand and tied it tightly. This made the arrogant Sousuke writhe in pain as the blunt knife sank deeper into his hand.

    The bodyguards who came with him were stunned. When they started to move in and help, they were blocked by Mame and two of his subordinates.

    "We can let you people pass and help that arrogant prick. Just remember, the young master is very close to your clan head and the old man wouldn''t like it if you hurt the precious grandson who just won him multiple awards." Mame stated confidently.

    The bodyguards hesitated. What Mame said was correct. This was the young master that Tenma had doted on the most. They would much rather be punished by Sousuke than face the wrath of the man who could make them disappear with a mere sentence.

    "Current events have made me a little more overprotective to those I care about so this is the last warning I can give you." Kazuya made sure that his voice was heard by the guards that came with Sousuke. This was to make sure that it would be included in the report that would reach Tenma''s ears.

    "Hamasaki Hikaru is under my protection so it would be in your best interest to keep your head down and scram whenever you see her. If not, hehehe¡­" Kazuya gave Sousuke a sinister look that for a brief moment, made him forget about the pain in his hand. "it would not end with just a simple wound." He whispered.

    "Get him out of my sight." Kazuya pulled Sosuke''s arm and threw him towards the hesitant guards. "Inform grandfather about what happened after you send him to get treated. Don''t forget to pay the restaurant for the damages and the stuff you will be taking with you." Kazuya gave an apologetic look towards the owner before signaling Mame to see these intruders out.

    Hikaru was already sitting down but she was still stunned at the event that just transpired. She saw a vague image of someone overlapping with this amazing student of hers after hearing what he said and witnessing his actions. Her rage towards Kurogane Sousuke had been replaced with slight pity after seeing him writhing in pain. They may have been at odds now but there was once a time where this man had treated her kindly and she thought of him as her father after all.

    "Thank you Kazuya-kun." Hikaru expressed her gratitude. She couldn''t imagine what would have happened if she was approached by Sousuke if it were any other day.

    She appreciated being called one of the people this amazing person cared about even though it was just because of the situation. She couldn''t think of any reason why he would say so otherwise. Just from the exchange between Kazuya and Sousuke earlier, she knew that they didn''t get along and it wasn''t the first time that Sousuke had threatened him either.

    "So what you were meaning to tell me earlier was that you were once called my so-called uncle''s daughter?" Kazuya sat back down and didn''t forget to cover the bloodstain on the table.

    "Yes¡­" Hikaru felt a little ashamed. "I didn''t know about it and treated him as a father until one day, Kurogane Sousuke attacked my mother while showing her DNA results that stated that I was not his daughter." She clenched her fists. "My mother and I were immediately cast out by both the Kurogane family and the Hamasaki family and we were erased from both family registries."

    "Your father?" he couldn''t help but ask.

    "My mother told me that he disappeared just after she had chosen him over Kurogane Sousuke. She never heard from him again." Hikari shook her head.

    "I see¡­" Both of them knew the kind of people the Kurogane clan was so it needn''t be said what her father''s fate was.

    "A few years after that happened, I heard that an illegitimate child was accepted into the Kurogane clan. You should already be aware of the rivalry between Kurogane Sousuke and his younger brother. Because of the trouble this illegitimate child supposedly caused the clan before being recognized, Kurogane Shishio dug up my mother''s past to fight back against Sousuke."

    This was the answer that Kazuya had been looking for. This was how he affected Hamasaki Hikaru''s fate. Though he didn''t know much of the details in his previous life, the fact that she had been successful despite her parents'' separation meant that the fact that she wasn''t blood related to Kurogane Sousuke proved that it was never discovered.

    He felt guilt. Though there weren''t many people he felt indebted to in his previous life, this person''s life had been ruined by him even if it had been unintended. He vowed to make the people he cared about live better lives without tragedy when he realized he had been given a chance to relive his life. Learning that he had caused Hikaru to suffer hit Kazuya hard.

    "This was the reason I was hostile against you when we met. All the people from the Kurogane clan are very similar due to the education they receive when they are young. I was saved from this because I had been very sickly when I was young but I mistakenly assumed you would have the same disposition as every young person in the Kurogane clan due to my resentment towards them." Hikaru''s voice slowly softened as she looked at Kazuya''s grieved expression.

    "I''m sorry¡­ I''ve caused you to suffer. If I hadn''t¡­" he couldn''t continue his words. He meant to say that if he hadn''t revealed himself it wouldn''t prompted the intensified sibling rivalry but that would have meant more danger for the Kouzuki clan. Thus Kazuya couldn''t think of anything to say.

    "None of this is your fault!" Hikaru raised her voice. She knew that Kazuya had started blaming himself for what happened to her. How could she let him? It was not his fault that he had been so outstanding that he attracted the eyes of the greedy Kurogane clan that wanted his talents for themselves.

    In Hikaru''s mind, they were both victims. Kazuya''s peaceful life with the Kouzuki clan was suddenly intruded upon by a person who played no part in raising him to be the amazing person that he was. The only choice he had was to play along with them or risk chaos to wash over his peaceful life.

    "Our troubles and problems both have the same roots so it would be useless for us to start blaming each other." She gently placed her hand over Kazuya''s and gave him a warm smile. She was touched by how kind he had been despite his scary appearance earlier. She felt stupid for actually trying to think that Kazuya was like his father.

    "I swear. I will make it right. Please allow me to make things right!"

    -

    Meanwhile, at the technological expo that was started by the rising Kazuno Tech, many people anticipated the main presenters. This included Stockton International''s head who was attending the event with his daughter. Kurumi wanted her father to be here because one of the things Kazuya told her was that some of the devices he was testing was going to be announced here.

    "Are you sure that your little boyfriend said that he was testing devices for his family''s company?" Jonson teased. The main event was about to start but there was still no sign of the presentation from the Kouzuki Corporation.

    "He''s not my¡­" Kurumi immediately blushed. She saw the mischievous grin on her dad''s face and puffed her cheeks in irritation. "Stop teasing me! Kazuya-kun already says he¡ª"

    The lights went dim around the stage as they were talking. Exciting music started to play as two company logos appeared on the screens on the stage above. This event was attended by various media as well as leaders who were well acquainted in the business scene so the two people that walked out of the stage together shocked them.

    Everyone who was informed had been speechless when they saw the two who were once unparalleled partners walk out together as if nothing had happened to them for the past few years. The current head of the Kouzuki clan and the CEO of Kazuno tech stood on stage together with smiles that made everyone who paid attention to them unable to take their eyes off.

    "We would like to thank everyone for attending this event. I''m sure the two of us coming out together like this is a big surprise." Kouzuki Kyouko began to speak as soon as the music died down. "Today, we will be unveiling some of the projects that both of our companies have worked together to develop!"

    The father and daughter pair who were in the audience were both surprised. Of course it had been for different reasons so the curious Maron who had tagged along turned to her cousin and immediately understood that she got the answer she was searching for when she stated her desire to attend this event with her father.

    "So? Did you figure it out yet? Ka-kun should have just answered your question. Why did he have to make you come all the way here?" Maron complained.

    "I see!" Jonson who was aware of that matter realized something. "Looks like the kid has been planning this all along." He looked at the two ladies who were supposed to be at odds with each other and thought that the only reason they needed to be seen like that was so that the Kurogane clan wouldn''t see them as much of a threat. The two of them appearing on stage together like this without any hint of their collaboration strengthens his belief that they were not at odds with each other to begin with.

    "What do you mean uncle? Did you figure out who Ka-kun''s engaged to?" Maron who was also curious about this immediately asked. She was annoyed at how secretive he was being despite the fact that Kurumi and him have already started becoming friends again.

    "If I''m not mistaken. It should be the mysterious little sister of Kazuno Tech''s CEO. They have that girl quite well protected that she rarely makes an appearance.''" He was sure of his answer.

    ""Kazuno Kaguya!?"" the cousins were shocked. They were not strangers to the name, rather they would consider themselves her fans. Ever since they witnessed Kazuya''s performance in Kendo, the girls have taken an interest in watching dramas that involved sword fighting. They always liked the character Kazuno Kaguya portrayed because of her cold and cool roles.

    What the three were unaware of was that Kazuya''s vague answer was because he wanted Stockton Jonson to be in the audience once the collaboration between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies was announced. He never knew that hinting Mei as his fianc¨¦ would cause them to misunderstand and direct their suspicions on his other identity.

    Despite this misunderstanding, all of the people were once again impressed and excited upon seeing the joint demonstration the two well known CEOs. They even went as far as thinking that the devices that were presented would soon take over the market as the standard for all new gadgets.

    One man who stood behind the crowd smiled as he watched the presentation. He was invited as a guest but chose to watch from the sidelines.

    "Looks like the Kouzuki family is more impressive than I thought." The man smiled. "I''m looking forward to meeting the person who put into action the utilization of modern technology with some help from magic formations."

    .

 160 A Lead

    .

    One month quickly passed. Many changes have occurred in the last few days that made people unsure on where to focus their attention.

    The Aoki group together with their idol Kuronuma Ayame, released a statement where they found that the songs that she used were credited to the wrong person. They apologized to the original composer and promised to take legal actions towards the people that lied to them.

    Hamasaki Hikaru was given full credit for her work and was granted the rights and compensation she deserved. The Kurogane clan already had enough bad publicity that they didn''t choose to fight the case. They gave a generous settlement in exchange for the secrecy of Kurogane Sousuke''s deeds and his relation to the victim.

    Another shocking event was the official announcement of the continued collaboration between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies. The demonstration they had given during their technological expo had gathered interest from across the shores and in which they announced that the versions for international release were already under development.

    It seemed that the Kurogane Corporation didn''t want to sit around waiting to be outshined so they too made their move. They released a statement in which they announced the end of partnerships between the companies that wanted their cooperation to end and gave a statement welcoming their competitors while offering a generous price in exchange for a nonexclusive clause in their contract.

    The opponents of the said companies saw this as an opportunity and so did many small businesses so they immediately signed up for the chance that was given by the Kuroganes. Many other businesses saw this as a shameless and desperate move and called them out for it. The Kurogane Conglomerate merely responded with; "You''ve always called us black hearted businessmen and all negative names, so we''ll act in the way you label us. We are a business in the end so call us what you will, we will do business with anyone who would prefer affordable prices that guarantee quality over what you all have."

    Due to Jonson''s theory, Maron had taken up the responsibility of confirming if he was indeed engaged to the high school actress, Kazuno Kaguya. Her efforts immediately gave Kazuya a headache after he just started attending Hikaru''s class again. The commotion Maron''s causing and Kazuya''s silence over the matter resulted in the rumor that the person he was engaged to was the ever so mysterious Kazuno Kaguya.

    Kanade, Mei and Kyouko couldn''t help but laugh after hearing about this rumor. They rarely got a chance to tease Kazuya so they immediately made a plan that he couldn''t reject. Kanade suggested an advertisement before Kazuno Kaguya disappeared from the public eye. She already knew that Kazuya would have to stop coming to the Aoki group as Kaguya because Ayame was bound to hear the rumor so she was determined to get him to make him appear as Kaguya one last time.

    Kazuya tried to reject the idea but was inevitably convinced by the three women. He was powerless against his mother and Mei. Kanade added reason and stated that since Kazuno Kaguya never existed in the first place, even if the Kurogane clan dared to make a move whilst they were under investigation, they wouldn''t be able to find someone who did not exist in the first place.

    The Kurogane clan didn''t need to investigate as Kazuya casually confirmed the rumor when Tenma asked. He would never put Mei in any kind of danger so he decided to bear with the embarrassing situation for the time being. Though Tenma also wanted to ask about the collaboration between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Tech, Shishio already informed him that Kazuya already made it clear that he would not spill any secrets that would give each side any advantage. He even swore upon his name just to make his point.

    Tenma and Shishio were of course irritated after confirming the news about Kazuya''s betrothal. They had spent numerous amount of resources in their plans to get rid of Shiroyuki Tomoyo only to find out that they set their sights upon the wrong person. It would have a consolation if the plan had succeeded but not only did Shiroyuki Tomoyo survive, an investigation was opened that had their clan at the top of the list of suspects.

    Though they immediately wanted to make a move against this Kazuno Kaguya, Yuriko and her team of detectives opened cases against specific members of the Kurogane Clan for various different crimes. Since they had already removed all pretenses and openly did business without a care for reputation, many individuals have stepped up to support these cases which made the Kurogane clan be on the defensive.

    -

    Kazuya sat in front of his computer while repeatedly tapping at his desk. He had been exchanging messages with an unknown person who had appeared out of nowhere and had been poking around the numerous old posts that Kazuya had scattered around various message boards ever since he was given a second chance.

    Checking the old posts he scattered around had become a habit for him because of the people who tried to decipher the scripts he had written. He had been quite busy recently so he intended to indulge the people who always wanted to talk about them but, very recently this same person had been making different attempts in trying to see if Kazuya really understood what he had been posting.

    "(This person definitely knows elven scripts¡­)" he couldn''t help but wonder who this person was or how they were able to read what he had written. "(Let''s give it a shot then¡­)" he quickly took a fountain pen and began to write a message in elven script before posting it on the thread that had been the most active recently.

    "[Who are you?]"

    Kazuya waited anxiously while ignoring the continuous calls that were causing his cell phone to distract him on the side of the desk. The calls were switching from Kanade and Ayame so he decided to ignore it. He already predicted how the girl would have reacted once the rumors between him and his alter ego were left unanswered by the sudden disappearance of Kazuno Kaguya.

    "[Someone who is wondering the same thing as you]"

    The person replied with a script of his of his own. Kazuya immediately went into action and went non-stop on his keyboard.

    *clak clak clak clak clak*

    "What''s with that racket? What''s gotten you all worked up all of a sudden?" Tsuna who had taken over the basement and turned it to his own personal room wondered what the commotion was about. He felt a flicker of mana coming from above and saw Kazuya ignoring his presence while typing away at the computer.

    "I think I found that person Tsuna-san." Kazuya turned a screen over to face Tsuna which indicated a place that was on one of the mountains in the prefecture.

    "Which person?" Tsuna''s was curious. He and Kazuya had temperaments that were similar to each other. They were quite solitary and reclusive towards people. They would rather stay with the people they already know rather than meeting new ones so seeing Kazuya excited over a person meant that it was someone unique.

    "There is a high chance that it is the person who broke in here and disrupted the formation." Kazuya showed the conversation and explained why he thought so. Though he didn''t leave that much protection over the heart of the formation, one couldn''t simply find it or even disrupt it to the point of almost breaking the formation itself. It required not only knowledge on ancient runes and spells, any person who could do anything must first have an adequate amount of mana.

    "You have a point. What do you think we should do?" Though Tsuna believed that no normal person could have done what Kazuya described, he knew firsthand just how wide the world was. There were people that were capable of making use of mana despite how thin it is on Earth compared to Edea.

    "Do you mind taking a stroll with me to the mountains?" Kazuya grinned. He couldn''t wait to get his hands on the person who entered his home and almost caused his formation to go haywire.

    Though Kazuya said that he was taking a stroll with Tsuna, these strolls they had were usually to find places where they could battle to their heart''s content. Though it didn''t occur that often, the people that accompanied them over the years always came back with extreme admiration towards the two.

    Mame had stepped up to accompany his young master and Tsuna for their stroll. It had been a while since these two faced each other and seeing the weapon that was hanging on Tsuna''s back, he knew that there was definitely going to be a battle.

    Amongst the people Kazuya has gathered to work for him over the years, Mame had been the one who had been most dedicated to improving himself to meet Kazuya''s standards. This was why Kazuya allowed him to serve directly in the Kouzuki household. This way, he would be exposed to more things to broaden his horizons and make him double his efforts.

    "Isn''t this place quite farther than usual, Young master?" Mame decided to ask after they arrived at a mountain village that was at the north of the prefecture.

    "We''re not here to train Mame. Tsuna-san and I will be meeting someone who has once visited the Kouzuki household in the past." A sinister grin appeared on Kazuya''s face.

    "Sigh¡­ (This kid sure likes to hold grudges¡­)" Tsuna shook his head and got off the vehicle after they arrived in front of a small general store.

    Mame went inside to ask for information, the shopkeeper said that there is a cabin high up in the mountain that should match the location they were looking for.

    "Do you feel it?" Tsuna turned towards Kazuya as they made their way up the trail into the forest.

    "The mana is growing denser as we continue to move up. It seems like we''ve come to the right place." He gave a nod and looked forward to seeing who it was that was responsible for this.

    Mame quietly walked behind them and watched out for anything that might suddenly come out. All he knew about the conversation was that the mana here was comparable to the Kouzuki clan''s main house. Though Kazuya had introduced the subordinates he trusted about mana, their understanding of it weren''t in the same level as Mei, Kyouko or even Tomoyo and Nanami.

    Even though his knowledge was limited, Mame still felt the difference between the atmosphere outside the Kouzuki residence compared to other places. It was like comparing a polluted area to a remote suburb when one could immediately tell the difference. He could tell why his young master wanted to go here, someone had replicated whatever he had done in the Kouzuki house and it was likely to be the intruder that Kazuya had been trying to get a grasp of all this time.

    "Hmm"

    "This is¡­"

    Both Kazuya and Tsuna stopped without warning. Mame who had been nervous, looked around cautiously. He didn''t believe that it was a coincidence that these two suddenly halted. Before he knew it, Kazuya was already holding a Katana on his waist. This was the weapon he used against the heavy staff that hung on Tsuna''s back.

    "Mame" Kazuya''s voice made him snap out of his thoughts. "Go back and wait for us in the village." Kazuya didn''t turn to look at him but focused on his surroundings.

    "But young master¡­ what about capturing the intruder?" Mame wanted to help. Though he was nowhere near what the two before him, he was willing to become a distraction if needed be.

    "Go back. Whoever is staying here should already be aware that Tsuna-san and I are here. This is not a situation where I would need you to step up for me." Kazuya and Tsuna sped up their ascent and disappeared from where they stood almost instantly.

    What they felt was a detection field that was very similar to the one in the Kouzuki estate. There was no need for further confirmation, they had come to the right place and this person was indeed knowledgeable in not only mana but also formations. Whoever is staying at this place deliberately set-up a similar system that Kazuya did.

    "Why do you think this person trespassed to ruin your formation?" Tsuna asked as they moved through the forest.

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    "My formation was designed to gather mana that was outside the range of intended place for mana to converge. Whoever is staying here must have ruined the formation on purpose because they couldn''t gather enough mana to maintain the current density in the area." Kazuya surmised. He summoned a black cloak from his ring and covered his head with a hood before putting on a mask.

    They were in the northern prefecture and the village was even farther north. While the mana is thicker in the mountains compared to the city, whoever the culprit was, weren''t satisfied with what they had. The already existing formation monopolized and gathered the mana around the prefecture. The culprit decided to track the source which led them to the Kouzuki residence which was the heart of the formation around their neighborhood.

    Now that Kazuya figured this out, he was itching to find out who this person was. It could be said that two tigers cannot live in the same mountain. Instead of this tiger finding another mountain to live in, it had decided to intrude upon Kazuya''s territory and even trespassed on his home.

    "Calm down¡­" Tsuna felt the rising killing intent coming from Kazuya. He understood this boy''s overprotectiveness towards his family more than anyone. "We need to get information from this person. Whoever this is, we need to know where they got the ability to understand elven scriptures."

    "I know... I want to know why and how this¡ª" both of them turned in different directions and immediately drew their weapons.

    *SHINK!*Kazuya drew his sword and slashed at the vines that suddenly attacked.

    *KLANG!* Tsuna deflected a projectile which he saw had been an arrow after it landed on the ground.

    "Looks like there isn''t only one culprit." Kazuya looked towards the two figures that hid above a tall tree a distance away from them.

    "Should we take one each?"

    .

 161 The First 2 in 1

    .

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    Two figures were seen with the enhanced senses of both Kazuya and Tsuna. They hid themselves under the shade of the big tree on the horizon and had chosen to take the higher ground.

    "Should we take an opponent each?" Though Tsuna asked this question, it was to prevent Kazuya from recklessly charging in on his own. Since both of them were former heroes, they had the habit of standing in front of others. This was the responsibility that came with the blessing they were given and it was something that couldn''t be changed just because they wanted it.

    "Fine." Kazuya agreed. "We''ll take on whoever faces us when we make our way up." Kazuya didn''t want to waste any time and immediately dashed towards the two figures.

    Tsuna sighed before heading towards the other direction. This way, the two would have to concentrate on either one of them and allow the other to reach them sooner or split their focus in which they would inevitably battle one on one if the opponents had failed to stop Tsuna and Kazuya''s ascent.

    ""!!"" The two figures hadn''t expected their positions to be discovered quickly. The two people showed that they were capable enough when the attacks that were meant to scare off these intruders were repelled easily.

    Realizing that Kazuya and Tsuna were no ordinary individuals, the figures decided to get serious. They didn''t know what they were doing in the mountains but it looked like they did not have good intentions. The shorter figure that had a sword on his waist was emitting a strong killing intent after all.

    Kazuya locked on to the target that stood on the right side of the tree. He made his advance swiftly despite the upward and uneven terrain of the mountain. It was only until he suddenly felt a surge of mana that he had turned to take a more careful route.

    As he had expected, he would have been in trouble if he had proceeded on the quickest path as the earth in front of him started to tremble. Multiple rocks roll towards the path Kazuya had taken and it didn''t take a long time for the terrain to change.

    "(Oh shit!)"

    To be continued....

 162 The Two Heroes 2 in 1

    .

    Two figures were seen with the enhanced senses of both Kazuya and Tsuna. They hid themselves under the shade of the big tree on the horizon and had chosen to take the higher ground.

    "Should we take an opponent each?" Though Tsuna asked this question, it was to prevent Kazuya from recklessly charging in on his own. Since both of them were former heroes, they had the habit of standing in front of others. This was the responsibility that came with the blessing they were given and it was something that couldn''t be changed just because they wanted it.

    "Fine." Kazuya agreed. "We''ll take on whoever faces us when we make our way up." Kazuya didn''t want to waste any time and immediately dashed towards the two figures.

    Tsuna sighed before heading towards the other direction. This way, the two would have to concentrate on either one of them and allow the other to reach them sooner or split their focus in which they would inevitably battle one on one if the opponents had failed to stop Tsuna and Kazuya''s ascent.

    ""!!"" The two figures hadn''t expected their positions to be discovered quickly. The two people showed that they were capable enough when the attacks that were meant to scare off these intruders were repelled easily.

    Realizing that Kazuya and Tsuna were no ordinary individuals, the figures decided to get serious. They didn''t know what they were doing in the mountains but it looked like they did not have good intentions. The shorter figure that had a sword on his waist was emitting a strong killing intent after all.

    Kazuya locked on to the target that stood on the right side of the tree. He made his advance swiftly despite the upward and uneven terrain of the mountain. It was only until he suddenly felt a surge of mana that he had turned to take a more careful route.

    As he had expected, he would have been in trouble if he had proceeded on the quickest path as the earth in front of him started to tremble. Many rocks started to fall on the path Kazuya had taken and it didn''t take a long time for the terrain to change.

    "(A mage!)" Kazuya exclaimed. The surge of mana he felt surprised him as he never thought that he would run into such a capable mage on earth.

    Seeing that Kazuya had perfectly evaded the landslide intended to prevent him from getting close, the mage wasted no time and turned a hand towards where Kazuya had dodged to. Sensing the spell and recognizing it, Kazuya quickly rolled to the side as an earth spike sprouted from the ground.

    "Annoying¡­" Kazuya clicked his tongue and focused mana on his legs. He jumped towards the spike and used its height to leap towards the mage''s direction.

    "Wind spirits converge! Mystral Wind!" Kazuya got close enough to hear the mage''s voice. It sounded like a man and a relatively young one at that.

    "Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue and immediately drew his sword.

    Mistral Wind was an advanced magic spell that would injure and send him flying down the mountain if he took a direct hit. This mage made a quick judgement to subdue him by using the aftereffects of the spell which would make him unable to use his body adequately because of the cold elements of the spell. He had underestimated this mage and assumed that the opponent was only adept in earth magic.

    "Blaze Break!" Kazuya shouted as flames immediately emerged to cover the sword in his hand. The explosion of both mana and flames that met the spell head-on startled the mage and both the archer and Tsuna who were also locked in an intense battle.

    Kazuya still hadn''t reached the mage but he successfully reached flat ground. The terrain would no longer be a burden when evading the attacks from the mage and he would be able to see and feel the magic spells that would be used against him.

    He looked at himself and found that his clothes had been damaged by the spell. He had been wearing an experimental fabric underneath his clothes that protected him from the spell but the unprotected parts were still left with scratches. It was truly reckless to meet an advanced spell head on so Kazuya decided to be a bit more cautious.

    Glancing towards his opponent who seemed to have also been shocked by what just happened, Kazuya was able to see that they too had indeed tried to hide their identities. The mage and the archer were wearing green cloaks that seemed to blend perfectly with their surroundings. This gave Kazuya an inexplicably nostalgic feeling that made him frown.

    "(That wasn''t a standard spell¡­)" the mage who observed Kazuya''s cloaked figure analyzed. "(Is he naturally blessed by fire spirits?)" he thought before raising his hand to cast another spell.

    "!" Kazuya immediately read the pattern. His experience and the memories that have been etched into his soul made Kazuya''s senses clear on what he was about to face.

    "Ice Needles!" sharp icicles immediately hurled their way towards Kazuya.

    He knew the intent of the mage, common sense indicated that water was the natural enemy of fire. If he used the sword to deflect the ice, it would turn into water and weaken the fire. It was a clever attack but since Kazuya already read the pattern, he chose to dodge by dashing towards the mage indirectly.

    "(Let''s see how clever you are once I close in.)" Kazuya thought as he continued his pursuit. As he was getting closer, he felt a fluctuation nearby but it had already been too late when he found out what it had been.

    "Quagmire!" the mage shouted as the hand that he hid on his back casted the spell. He had a hunch that his opponent had read the spells he was casting because of how quick and advanced his movements was. Though he thought that the probability was low, he still tried.

    Little did he know that his hunch had been correct and Kazuya had stepped right into the thick and muddy earth that almost completely halted his steps. From the speed that the ice needle''s couldn''t catch up to, it looked like Kazuya had a hard time to even walk.

    "(Damnit!)" he cursed in his mind. He had walked right into the trap. He was too distracted with advancing while evading the continuous barrage of ice needles that mage''s ability to cast earth magic slipped his mind. "(Looks like this is one mage I can''t afford to mess around with)"

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    It wasn''t that Kazuya had been inexperienced with handling mages, it was because there had been rarely any mages at his level and all the current experience he had accumulated so far had been focused on earth''s level aside from his spars with Tsuna, so this mage''s wits and capabilities were an eye opener for him.

    "(Looks like he''s finally taking his opponent seriously)" Tsuna dodged the incoming arrows and slowly continued his ascent.

    "I don''t sense any hostility from you compared to your companion. Why is it that you came here?" a female voice reached Tsuna''s ears. It sounded peaceful and elegant which made him want to talk, but before he could reply.

    *RUMBLE!*

    Kazuya wasn''t the only one who had underestimated his opponent. The quagmire was an advanced spell that was used to trap multiple enemies. Since it was only to trap one, the radius wasn''t that wide and as deep as it should have been so Kazuya was able to take advantage of this and had cast an advanced spell of his own.

    "Earth Pillar!" he had controlled the earth from deep underground and used it to pierce through the shallow quagmire under the mage''s control.

    Kazuya wasted no time and kicked the the rising pillar and used it''s force to hurl himself towards the enemy. The mage was surprised but it had only been for a moment. Multiple number of ice needles appeared in front of his hand and immediately made their way towards their airborne enemy.

    "Ignition" flames started to surround not only the sword but also Kazuya''s body. He intended to reach his opponent with this step and received the ice needles that evaporated upon touch.

    "(This person has an impressive amount of mana.)" the mage couldn''t help admire Kazuya. "(But I must apologize, guerilla tactics have a high probability of failing against me.)" the mage raised his other hand and reinforced his spells. The ice needles stated to quickly grow larger and looked more like spears now.

    "(Dual casting?)" Kazuya immediately recognized what the mage had done. It was not the spell that he was shocked to see but rather the speed it took to improve the intermediate level ice spell to an advanced magic.

    "Kid! Be careful!" Tsuna couldn''t help but shout. Even he had judged that they had underestimated the mage.

    "HAAAAA!!!" Kazuya gripped his sword tightly with both hands. The flames that surrounded him started burning in a different color. Blue flames sprang forth from the blade and completely covered his body. From Tsuna and the archer''s point of view, he was like a blue comet that was falling from the sky.

    "(Talented fellow. Looks like my dual casting didn''t faze him)" Kazuya slashed at the oncoming barrage of ice that seemed to have evaporated almost instantly. This made the mage even more surprised but he relented and concentrated on strengthening his own spells by making the stake-like small spears into javelins. "(How about triple casting?)"

    *BANG!* the earth rumbled as the impact from Kazuya meeting the spell head on shook the surrounding area. The large branch the mage had been standing on also broke as he fell to the ground. There had been a pile of mist a few meters away from him in which it was unknown if Kazuya had made it out unscathed.

    Tsuna and the archer appeared near the big tree but hadn''t made any moves. They were concerned about their companions after that big clash. the archer extended her hand towards the torn part of the mage''s clothes and was relieved that he didn''t suffer from a major wound.

    "Oi, Kid are you alright?" Tsuna stared at this misty crater. He wasn''t worried whether Kazuya had died because he knew better than anyone else how smart and crafty this kid was.

    "I''m fine" a shadow jumped off of the crater and landed beside Tsuna. Though Kazuya''s clothes had been tattered, he had been wearing a protective suit that he had the team of Kazuno tech develop so he didn''t suffer from any injuries.

    There was no one more surprised than the archer that Kazuya had been unscathed. Though he wasn''t able to reach her mage companion, Kazuya was able to inflict a light wound. She used healing magic to immediately take care of it but so far, there were very few people to have been able to give her companion any injuries.

    "Isn''t it about time you people tell us what your purpose is in intruding here?" the mage was unhappy. He had intended to give Kazuya an injury to give him an advantage if their battle continued but he wasn''t able to see what his opponent had done to prevent his attack from doing any damage.

    "You think you still have the advantage?" Kazuya patted the dust from himself and threw his tattered clothes to the side.

    "You may have succeeded in getting close but so what? Your weapon has already been shattered. I can tell that you''re primarily a warrior so expecting a chance against me in a magic battle is wishful thinking. I don''t want to shed blood unnecessarily." The mage shook his head and looked at the sword handle in Kazuya''s hand. It was the only thing that was left of the prized sword that Kazuya got from the Dokuro clan''s former base.

    "This is where you''re wrong." Kazuya dropped the handle and raised his hand once again. A gun appeared on his arm which startled both the mage and the archer. "I advise you not to make any sudden moves. I might accidentally pull the trigger if I sense even the slightest indication of mana usage."

    "You think a gun would make a difference?" The mage scoffed.

    "A regular gun wouldn''t. But would you think that I would take out an ordinary gun in a mana battle? Isn''t that like taking a knife out in a gunfight?" Kazuya grinned. "It''s up to you if you believe me or not but my bullets have been engraved with formations what would enable them to penetrate through mana. You should be knowledgeable about formations, right?" Kazuya''s statement startled the mage. He suddenly thought of something and frowned. If his thoughts were correct, these people came here because of him.

    "What is he talking about?" the archer suddenly spoke to the mage in a language that shook the hand that held the gun.

    Both Kazuya and Tsuna turned towards the person who spoke in the natural language of the elves. Tsuna immediately realized the weirdness he felt earlier. When this archer spoke to him, it was as if she had been a foreigner who had strange habits when speaking.

    "I¡­" the mage was hesitant. "It''s right, they should be here because of something I did." He replied in the same language.

    "What did you do?" the archer said in a scolding tone as if the mage had been a troublemaker. This caused the tension around the group to lessen. It had appeared that the mage had been obedient towards the archer. "I want to apologize if he has done anything to offend you." The archer politely bowed towards Kazuya who still held the gun towards them.

    "You may speak in your own language if you have difficulty adjusting to ours." Kazuya replied in elven tongue which shocked the archer enough to make her raise her head immediately.

    "You are¡­" the elf shook her head and immediately took off her cloak and revealed features that made the hardened Kazuya and Tsuna''''s mouths gape in shock."Allow me to introduce myself, I am called Lailah Aelrindel." The seemingly flawless woman had lustrous long blonde hair which didn''t make her pointed ears look strange at all. She was an elf, the presence of one had shaken Tsuna and Kazuya.

    "You must be from the Kouzuki clan, yes?" seeing an elf on earth was something truly shocking so the mage wasn''t surprised by their reaction. He broke the silence by speaking but he was immediately grabbed by the taller elf and forced to his knees.

    "He is correct. I am indeed from the house of Kouzuki." Kazuya removed his tattered cloak and mask without hesitation. "I am called, Kouzuki Kazuya. This person is Nagato Tsuna, a close friend of our clan and my godfather." Kazuya tried to remain calm as soon as he heard the elf''s identity. "It is an honor to meet an esteemed high elf such as yourself." Kazuya lowered his gun but remained vigilant.

    This time, it was the mage and the archer''s turn to be shocked. Not only did the cloaked figure turn out to be a young boy, the identity of the man beside him wasn''t that simple as well. This group certainly has a lot of things to talk about.

    Kazuya observed their reactions to his words and couldn''t help but frown. He turned towards the dependable Tsuna beside him who didn''t seem to have come to any conclusion after meeting this elf. This confirmed the suspicion he had somewhat been holding for the past few years. With the appearance of this high elf together with this mysterious mage, Kazuya had made a conclusion. The only thing left for him now was to confirm it.

    "I humbly thank Nagato-san for taking it easy on me." Lailah spoke in a polite language in regular tongue. "The hero from the legends surely lives up to his reputation. My husband has a lot to learn from his predecessor."

    "Predecessor?" Tsuna looked confused. He looked at the mage who just finished taking off the cloak to reveal the image of a young man who was in his 20s. None of them realized Kazuya''s surprise as the two were focused on the man they thought was behind the Kouzuki clan''s mysterious strength.

    "That''s right. It''s nice to meet you, Hero Raphael. I never thought that the man known as the spear god was still alive! I had just recently returned from Edea after figuring out how to take my wife with me to earth." The mage turned out to be a chatterbox who fawned over Tsuna. "Oh I almost forgot! My name is¡ª"

    "Natsuhisa Akira, otherwise known as; Hero Gabriel, the greatest mage." Kazuya interrupted. His words reminded them that he was still there. "I suddenly feel that my intelligence is still lacking for failing to figure out such a seemingly obvious conclusion." Kazuya couldn''t help but shake his head.

    He didn''t feel too good after finding out the conclusion that he had been trying to solve ever since he came back from Edea. His assumptions about his predecessor was muddled because of the centuries that separated the time they were summoned. Kazuya had neglected to consider the difference between the passage of time between the two worlds.

    From what he had gathered from the conversation so far. Kazuya returned to the point where not only he had yet to be summoned, but the hero Gabriel as well. His efforts to search for him as soon as he returned had no returns because the hero had yet to exist.

    The consolation that he got was his correct decision in not interfering with Natsuhisa Akira when they had met prematurely. It seems as though from what he could remember about this inventor''s past, the time he spent in Edea was when he reported to have been missing.

    Kazuya felt dumb and embarrassed. Even the inventions that utilized magical formations were indications that this man was capable of using mana. Even the beautiful wife he supposedly took home with him during his travels was an elf. The person who he assumed was Natsu in the first place, sparred with him without utilizing abilities to be known as the greatest mage!

    "How did you¡­" the mage, who was now revealed as Natsu couldn''t help but turn to ask Kazuya. He couldn''t think of a way where his identity could have been revealed so he took another look at the boy who he knew was still a middle school student but was able to fight on par with him.

    "Our identities aside, I think we still need to clear up a few things." Kazuya ignored Natsu''s question and turned towards Lailah. "In a hypothetical situation where someone breaks into the elven forest and that person permanently damages the forest''s sacred tree, how would the elf clan feel?" Natsu immediately froze after hearing Kazuya''s question.

    Each elven forest has a sacred tree that naturally gathers mana and makes the forest flourish. Elven tribes usually gather around these sacred trees and build their settlements while protecting them. Elves are magical creatures which strive on mana for survival. To them, eating like humans was optional and rather than absorbing the nutrients like humans, they primarily absorb the mana that existed in whatever food they choose to consume.

    "That is an unforgivable act." Lailah replied without hesitation. "Elves would deem the culprit an enemy that deserves death."

    "What if it was to save a person?" Kazuya continued.

    "We are not an unreasonable race. I believe we can come to a mutual understanding if that person needs something from the sacred tree." Lailah did not understand why the young boy asked this question, but she chose to answer anyway.

    "That is indeed the correct answer." Kazuya nodded. "Your esteemed husband broke into my clan''s home and nearly destroyed the mana gathering formation that I had built and nurtured over the years. Without warning or consideration, almost causing a backlash that would have made our land unable to gather mana until a few centuries later." Kazuya revealed his point in which Lailah had glared towards Natsu.

    "That was¡­" Natsu was unable to say anything to defend himself. Kazuya''s example had ruthlessly left him with no way to convince his own wife. His actions were indeed not what a hero like himself was supposed to do. "I apologize, I was desperate at the time. We had just come back from Edea and I had underestimated how devoid of mana Earth had been." He began to explain how Lailah''s condition was after they had arrived.

    She was severely weakened from the sudden change of environment which was like a fish who was suddenly thrown on land. If it weren''t for Natsu having retained some of the mana that he had from his visit to Edea, she would have only lasted for a few weeks.

    He quickly moved her to this mountain''s forest which was a lot better compared to the city. Natsu then began his search of a solution to solving Lailah''s problem and that was when he happened to sense the mana that seemed to be gathering towards a direction that led to a residential district that had an adequate amount of mana that was suitable for Lailah to survive in.

    Unfortunately, this neighbourhood was a place that an unemployed person like him, who had just come back, could not afford to stay in. There was no way that he could pay for a house in the neighbourhood so he opted to investigate why such a mystical place in the city could gather such a dense amount of mana. This led him to the Kouzuki clan''s estate.

    When he approached, he immediately got surprised at the detection formation that he didn''t expect to exist on earth. Having been desperate, he quickly found the formation that Kazuya had set-up. Though it wasn''t an overly complicated formation, his knowledge could tell even if he built his own formation, it wouldn''t be able to go against one that had been established for a long time. The mana around the prefecture had already been monopolized because of this formation which was upgraded throughout the years.

    "That was why I disrupted the formation in a hurry." There was a regretful look on his face.

    "I know you did it for Lailah-san. All of us here are aware of how elves survive. A high elf like Lailah-san would need a higher amount of mana compared to normal elves to survive so you should have asked, I wouldn''t have turned her away." Kazuya crossed his arms. "If not for her presence, I would have already shot you for endangering my family. I have killed people for much less." Kazuya revealed a hint of killing intent. "It wouldn''t have mattered even if we are already acquainted."

    "We''ve met before?" Natsu tilted his head while thinking. He was sure that he never met Kazuya before.

    "Twice." Kazuya grinned before turning around to face towards the direction away from them before taking out a golden hair ornament. He began fixing his long hair but all of them could sense the small usage of mana from his direction. "The second time was with me" a young feminine voice was heard as Kazuya turned around.

    "You''re¡­" he definitely recognized this person. "Kazuno Kaguya!?" How could Natsu not recognize who this person was? As he began to take interest in finding himself a living, he had been approached by the most likely candidate that he always felt was unfathomable.

    There were other revelations that Kazuya was able to tell as soon as he discovered who Natuhisa Akira''s really was. The requests he presented to Kazuno Tech before officially starting to work for them must have been granted by Stockton International in his previous life. He had requested help in order to give his ''foreign'' wife an identity so she would have no problems being registered as his wife. Kazuya understood the nature of his request as Lailah shouldn''t have any records in this world.

    Currently, although Natsu had already signed the contract with Kazuno Tech, he hadn''t started working because they had yet to complete their end of the bargain. Jirou had the most connections with the government and because of what happened with Tomoyo, even Kazuya had neglected to focus on the conditions for Natsu''s recruitment.

    "The first time we met was because of a mutual friend we had that was called Autumn Mist. I believe that was before you were summoned to Edea." Kazuya dispelled his disguise magic and spoke in his usual voice.

    "You''re the Winter Fog that established the guild!? That shouldn''t be right¡­" Natsu was speechless. He was now technically an employee of Kazuno tech and was a member of the guild which was where all the pioneer members of the company came from. How could he not know how the company was founded by the mysterious Winter Fog?

    It was then that Natsu had realized why the person who founded the company had refused to appear before anyone except the CEO who was rumored to be his fianc¨¦. From the time he suggested starting the company, Kazuya was even younger than what he was assumed to be taken seriously. Even he would have had his concerns as open minded as he had become after experiencing another world for himself.

    "Pardon my interruption but how did you know when Akira went to Edea?" Lailah couldn''t help but raise a question. "Not only that, how come you are even more fluent in speaking our race''s language compared to Tsuna-sama?"

    "The answer is simple, Natsu-san to me is, what Tsuna-san is to him."

    .

 163 Not a Hero 2 in 1

    Chapter 148: Not a Hero

    .

    Lailah did not think that the conversation was going to end soon so she invited Tsuna and Kazuya to their home despite Natsu''s protest. She believed that even though they weren''t clear of Kazuya''s identity just yet, the fact that he was the hero Raphael''s godson was enough for him to be treated as a well respected guest.

    Thus, Kazuya and Tsuna were taken to a wooden cabin that was built around one of the oldest trees in the mountain forest. The solar panels on the roof provided electricity for the cabin and various appliances could be seen around the house.

    It was said that Natsuhisa Akira had been a hermit-like researcher whose place was in an undisclosed location. From what Kazuya was seeing, it looked like the rumors were true. Natsu''s research facility in Kazuya''s previous life must have started out from this as well.

    "I have one question I''ve been meaning to ask ever since I saw your face, Kouzuki Kazuya-san." Lailah broke the ice after seeing that both her husband and his predecessor had still been in deep thought due to Kazuya''s last sentence.

    "What is it miss high elf?" Kazuya wondered what she would be asking. "And please, just call me Kazuya."

    "Are you related to the princess of the Oboro-clan from the magic window?" She asked him with expectant eyes.

    "Pfuuu!!" her husband who heard this from the side couldn''t help but spit out the tea he was drinking. "L-lailah¡­ I already told you that all the things shown in the television are not real. They are just stories much like the plays we''ve seen in Edea."

    "I don''t believe you! You have already tricked me multiple times ever since we''ve arrived in your world!" Lailah pouted. "You just don''t want me to interfere in your world''s matter because I can''t fully use my capabilities here!"

    "You are not mistaken. I was once known as the princess of the Oboro clan." Kazuya used Kaguya''s voice and the speech pattern of the part he played. "I have already escaped from that terrible fate and have been reincarnated. I currently live a peaceful life." Kazuya decided to play along to vent some of his frustrations on Natsu who looked to have been totally whipped by his elven wife.

    "You¡­" Natsu himself almost choked after hearing what Kazuya had said. He didn''t expect Kazuya to play along with his wife''s fantasy.

    He had tricked her several times ever since they arrived because she had been too overly excited about everything that she saw. It would have been dangerous if she suddenly walked in front of trains or vehicles so he had no choice but to trick her until he was able to explain everything she needed to know. The result was that she didn''t believe everything he told her about Earth until he was able to prove it and it included her attraction to watching different kinds of programs on the television which she refers to as a magic window.

    "Your sword¡­" Lailah glanced at the bladeless handle that was attached to the sheathe on his waist. She had been a fan of the drama and the character''s sword was considered connected to his life.

    "Worry not. This sword was merely a weapon I obtained from a foe that did not deserve such a weapon. Though it was a good blade, it was not made with the consideration of the usage of mana. It was an inevitable outcome in a battle against someone as well renowned as the greatest hero mage." Though he still played along, he immediately steered the conversation back on track.

    "Akira" Lailah turned towards her frowning husband. "I don''t think Kazuya is lying. I believe he has been to Edea."

    "What makes you say that?" Natsu was still unconvinced. The fact that Tsuna had been silently pondering about it himself proved that Kazuya had not informed him about it.

    "It is very faint but, I can sense the Demon King Mallum''s aura within him. You should know what that means, right?" Lailah''s words had struck her husband like a thunderbolt which caused him to take a more careful look at Kazuya.

    "(Mallum-san''s aura?)" Kazuya was confused. He didn''t know what she meant by that. He let Natsu put a hand on his shoulder and examine him.

    "It''s true¡­ not just his aura but his blood¡­" Natsu crossed his arm and started to think of any reason why his friend would do such a thing.

    "You could have just said if you needed proof. Mallum-san had entrusted me with a message to give to you." Kazuya stretched out his hand towards the table and made the book that he carried with him to this life appear.

    ""!!"" the couple was shocked because they recognized the worn book that just appeared.

    "Though I''ve added some contents myself, the accumulated research done by your companions are still intact." Kazuya let the two examine the book to their heart''s content.

    "Those guys¡­" Natsu only needed one look at the handwritings to come to a conclusion that Kazuya had indeed been telling the truth. The sheer amount of information that had been written on the book should have taken ages to complete. Even if he didn''t factor how worn the book now appeared to be, when he had left his unfinished research for his friends to complete, he left it so that they would not feel too bored and lonely after his departure.

    "What is going on?" Tsuna who had been sitting quietly on the side couldn''t take it anymore and decided to ask. He didn''t understand what the rest of them did and as someone who was supposed to be a generation ahead of them, it didn''t sit well with Tsuna.

    "I need to apologize to you Tsuna-san." Kazuya bowed. "I originally thought that you were the hero Uriel when I heard that you too had been summoned from Edea. I had my suspicions at first because of the vast difference was between your reputations. I never would have expected the predecessor before the hero Natsu was still alive. More than two hundred years have passed since the hero Natsu left did I arrive in Edea after all."

    ""Two hundred years!?"" Lailah and Tsuna couldn''t help but gasp. Only Natsu had remained silent as he could already tell that it was the truth while browsing through the old book in his hand.

    "How can that be? I''ve been with you for the last few years. These two said they had just returned from Edea so how could you have been summoned as a hero two hundred years after their departure?" Tsuna remained unconvinced. Though Kazuya definitely showed abilities and temperament of someone who had experienced the same things he did, Tsuna couldn''t help but question this.

    "I am not a hero¡­" Kazuya gave a bitter look. "This story is going to take a while so please save your questions until the story is over."

    Natsu closed the book as Kazuya started his tale. This was a tale that Kazuya believed that he would never forget even after he died again. Though a lot of years have already passed since his return, the scars still felt fresh and he couldn''t help but feel emotional at different parts of the story.

    He started the story by telling them about how he had woken in pain due to the accident he had suffered in his previous life. A boy that had no memories who only had one person who he could have called family. That family member was then suddenly taken away from him by a person who had dared to call himself an elder brother who had done nothing but make his life even more miserable whenever they saw each other.

    What followed was the time the boy had helped a young man. That young man returned the favor by offering him a place to stay. Kazuya discovered that the struggle to survive in the midst trying to reach the goal of being able to take back the person he cared for the most was hardest thing he ever had to do. Especially when it seemed like the people around you were working against you.

    Until one day, he had been swallowed by a bright light and heard a voice that pleaded for his help. This voice was the voice the other two people in the room should have heard when they experienced the same thing. The supposed goddess of light according to the people who summoned them explained which Natsu had proven was a recording of one of the sages who had made the summoning formation.

    From then on, the story had gone in a lighter tone. Each person in the room was familiar with it because they had experienced a similar start to their own adventure. Getting used to the new world, meeting new people, gathering allies, forging bonds, discovering new places were what they had all experienced in their own trip to the magical world that they never would have thought had existed.

    Of course, not all tales of heroes were filled with only good things. At least, not real stories. Companions were lost, wars were waged, the hero''s determination to end the war quicker intensified so that none of his companions would fall victim to the hands of the enemy.

    It was when the story had reached the main castle of the Demon Lord did the atmosphere in the room fall silent. This was the castle that Natsu and Lailah had stayed in the most after their own adventure. This was the home of their friend so hearing it being sieged had pained them. Only when the story had reached to the point of when Kazuya faced with the Demon Lord alone were they able to breathe.

    The meeting between the hero and the demon lord, a fated encounter that was supposed to have been filled with fighting and explosions had turned into a peaceful discussion. Natsu couldn''t help but praise and curse his friend at the same time for his reckless idea. Hellion Mallum was indeed worthy of his reputation as a person that even Natsu could never completely see through.

    After the conspiracy against the hero himself was revealed, the room had been filled with tremendous bloodlust as he continued to tell the story of what had happened when he confronted his allies. The pitiful end to the hero that was once called Gabriel who had been slain by the people who he had been putting his life on the line for.

    "I am not a hero. I was just a pawn used in a conspiracy made by the Church of Light and the Zweifel Kingdom. They used the hero summoning ritual and made me go against the demon race after fabricating a fake war." Kazuya said with depression as the bloodlust in the room began to fade.

    Tsuna turned and was about to speak but he was stopped by the hand that Kazuya had raised. He was not done, the story had taken an unexpected turn in which Kazuya told them about what he had experienced after he had declared cancellation agreement between Natsu and the demon king.

    From there, the parts of his experiences in his time in Edea were revisited. This time, his observations about the people''s behaviors and suspicious actions were included. It was not hard for people like Lailah, Natsu and Tsuna who were familiar with how dirty humanity could be to understand what Kazuya was saying.

    They could never understand how it must have felt for Kazuya to try and do right, only to be stabbed in the back by the people he fought for in the end. To makes things worse, he had to watch it over and over again without being given a choice. They did not know if anyone could have deserved to suffer such a thing but Kazuya was not one who should have experienced what he did.

    Lailah who had shed tears during multiple parts of the story couldn''t hold it after hearing what had happened. She bawled on her husband''s chest because of what happened to Kazuya after they thought they had solved the problem between the races.

    Natsu himself wasn''t happy either. The royal family of the Zweifel kingdom had dared to use the hero summoning as a tool for war. The alliance between them and the church of light had used the oath he had with his best friend and made it into a shackle. His successor had been used and thrown away like a tool after they played around with his emotions.

    Tsuna was silent. He had always felt that Kazuya held within him a certain amount of darkness. It was only now that he understood just how much. Kazuya''s overprotectiveness was also something he felt that he had underestimated. After hearing what had happened, he could only wonder how the boy could have stayed as sane as he appeared to be.

    "From when I was in that endless void, there was nothing else I could have wished for than to go back and shred those people who used and betrayed me to pieces. I wanted to save the people who didn''t deserve to die but did because their only sin was that they were true to me." He closed his eyes trying to cover his emotions.

    "When I finally rid myself from that endless replay, I found myself in a the body that I was both familiar and unfamiliar with. A person suddenly appeared and said that she was the mother I never met before." Kazuya turned to the window which showed the bright moon above the dark forest. "It may be unbelievable to you but, absurd as it may sound, I woke up in the six-year-old body of myself that existed even before I knew my memory started." For the first time since Lailah and Natsu met him, Kazuya showed a faint smile.

    "To me, Earth had been nothing but a place that gave me a life full of struggles. When I realized that I was sent back further than my original memories, I intended to bide my time and prepare for when it was time for me to be summoned to Edea." Kazuya turned to Natsu.

    "But¡­ after meeting my mother, grandfather and the people around them, I couldn''t help but change the tragedy that I had experienced. Meeting big sis Mei again, they have given me an experience of having a family which I never experienced in my previous life. If I couldn''t change the tragedy that happened here on earth, I didn''t have any right to go back to Edea to fix anything." He took the cup of tea that had gone cold in front of him and finished it, signaling that he was done with his story.

    "This¡­" Tsuna couldn''t find the words to speak. He never would have expected that Kazuya had experienced a different version of his life. The talented monster of both the Kouzuki and the Kurogane family had once been a victim of the latter''s devious schemes. He had experienced enough hardship on Earth to make him consider Edea as his new home only to be killed because they did not want him to stay after he had fulfilled his purpose.

    "You said you planned to return to Edea." An oppressive aura suddenly pressed onto Kazuya. "Why are you planning on going back when you already know that they plan to use you as a weapon that shouldn''t have been needed in the first place?" Natsu stood up and looked at Kazuya with a serious expression.

    Natsu couldn''t help but ask this question. If it were any other person, the answer would have been to take revenge upon the people who tried to use him. Though it would have been hard to face both the kingdom and the church, with the status of the hero, it wouldn''t be entirely impossible. This was especially after he heard that Kazuya had voided his agreement with the demon lord while he was taking his last breaths.

    He was afraid, afraid of what Kazuya might do if he returned to Edea. Though he understood Kazuya''s reason for wanting to do so, Natsu didn''t like the idea of Kazuya restarting the war between races that he and his companions had worked hard to prevent.

    "Let me tell you a few things, Natsuhiko Akira-san." Kazuya stood up like he hadn''t felt the oppressive force directed at him at all. "I idolized you back when I was a normal person, you came from humble beginnings and made a name for yourself so I had hoped that I could do the same. This was the reason I had approached you and wanted to recruit you to join Kazuno Technologies. I truly did not expect that you turned out to be my predecessor and the person who the demon king wanted me to deliver the message to."

    "What does that have to do with anything?" Natsu was confused.

    "Let me finish." Kazuya looked at his predecessor straight in the eye. "I just told you the truth because of your identity and the fact I accepted Mallum-san''s request. I don''t appreciate being threatened after I chose to be honest." Kazuya concentrated mana on his ring.

    *dun* *bun* dun *bun*

    Multiple objects fell on the floor. When Natsu glanced at them, his eyes immediately moved back and glared at Kazuya. Multiple explosives were scattered on the floor.

    "I don''t respond well to threats. It looks like you still haven''t learned your lesson from the last mistake you''ve made against me. You prefer to use force rather than asking me properly?" Kazuya grinned. "Unlike me, You and Tsuna-san have retained the mana in your bodies that was gained after the blessing had been used to summon you back but, I have not been sitting around waiting for the time of my summoning." He returned the glare with a casual look. Kazuya wasn''t afraid of Natsu because he had already accounted for this reaction.

    "Akira!" Natsu was suddenly slapped on the back of his head. "Has blood rushed up to your head again? He''s right! You haven''t even asked him properly and you''re already threatening him!" Lailah''s interruption had dispelled the tension in the room.

    Natsu couldn''t help but sigh and be thankful towards his wife. Seeing the amount of explosives that were scattered on the floor, though he was confident that he could have shielded himself and Lailah from the explosions, their house, and the formation that was under it would be destroyed in the process. He was not a novice when it came to battles so he was sure that this was not all that Kazuya had hidden under his sleeves.

    Truth be told, Lailah was startled as well. She tried to maintain her composure as she also thought that the Kazuya in front of them did not match the Kazuya that they heard about when he was narrating his story earlier. He had been an earnest and na?ve boy who cared more about people than himself. The boy in front of them was like someone who even she, an elf that had lived for centuries couldn''t grasp. Just the confidence he never lost when facing them made them feel like they would lose if another fight broke out.

    "I apologize. I had been too emotional. I was afraid that since you mentioned returning, you may cause another war between the races. Though you might be entitled to do so because of what you experienced, I still can''t let you do it while I sit here and do nothing." Natsu scratched his head feeling a bit embarrassed.

    "I know." Kazuya used his magic to gather the explosives on the floor towards his hand and stored it back on his ring. "I don''t blame you for thinking that way since those thoughts have indeed crossed my mind." Kazuya smiled before moving over to the pot to pour himself another cup of tea.

    "Was this the reason why you asked me that question earlier?" Tsuna suddenly raised a question. He remembered the serious question that Kazuya asked him before. Now that he heard everything today, he understood why Kazuya had been peculiarly serious about the question he never thought could have been done.

    "Question?" Lailah was the first to react.

    "He asked me if I would take the chance to go back in time to save the companions I lost. I thought that it had been a question because of the guilt he felt after his own experiences. Never would I have thought that It was because he had the opportunity to do so." No one could blame him. The situation was indeed something that they usually wouldn''t have believed.

    "So you remembered¡­" Kazuya glanced towards Tsuna and smiled before turning back to Natsu. "Delivering Malum-san''s message wasn''t the only reason I tried to find you. I wanted to seek your cooperation before I returned to that world. I believe that with your help, what I intend to do will not be as hard as I have imagined."

    "My help?" Natsu was startled. He didn''t expect to be asked this as he had just threatened Kazuya. He intended to make him swear an oath not to throw Edea into chaos.

    "You had a reputation of being the greatest mage and were often compared to the great sages in Edea''s history. From reading the book I was entrusted with alone, I decided to seek your help in getting stronger." He said without hesitation. "I was never given much time to learn and appreciate magic. It was only because of the knowledge I gained from the watching the experiences I had and reading that book was I able to gain the insights I currently have on magic." His admittance to his own weakness loosened the suspicions Natsu had against him.

    "Do you really want to go back just to save your companions? They wouldn''t even know who you are, much less know that you are saving them from something that hasn''t happened yet." Natsu wanted to remind him of this. Though he understood the sentiment, he wasn''t sure that Kazuya was resolved to experience the changes he will cause.

    "Why should it matter if they appreciate it or not? As long as they are well and safe from the danger that will surround me, that is good enough for me. If I could, I would chase them as far away from me as possible so that they would never have to be in danger." He replied as if it was a matter of fact. "I owe them too much to involve them in my affairs again. It would be better from them to have never have met me." A lonely smile formed on his face.

    "That''s¡­" Lailah wanted to say something but held her tongue after he saw Kazuya''s expression. This was the expression of someone who had already made up his mind so Lailah didn''t think that her opinion would have mattered. She moved closer to Kazuya and couldn''t help but give him a hug. "Your resolve is admirable¡­ but, do you think that they would agree to it?"

    "Well¡­" Kazuya remembered the conversation he had in a dream not to long ago. His fallen companions never said anything about not wanting to have anything to do with him but rather they only wanted to be called by their names after they saw each other again. He would have been beaten up if he dared tell them this plan of his.

    "I believe that the safest place for them would be when they are with you. Do you not agree? You''ve decided to keep your own family on earth safe so why must you push the family you have on Edea?" Kazuya couldn''t help but tremble after hearing Lailah''s words. "You''ve already lived a life of selflessness. You''re allowed to be a little selfish." Lailah encouraged him.

    "Lailah!" Natsu shouted. Though it was true that Kazuya indeed wanted to save his companions, what about the people that betrayed him? These were the heads of the church of light and the royal family. The kingdom would be embroiled in chaos if Kazuya decided to be selfish and take revenge upon them.

    "Shut up! I know what you''re thinking!" Lailah shouted back. "If he was focused on revenge, then wouldn''t his enemies in this world have all been eradicated!? With his current capabilities, would he even need your help after he receives the hero''s blessing? Isn''t the fact that we''re still standing here despite what you did to endanger the family he wants to protect proof enough that he is competent enough to not let his emotions get the better of him!?" Lailah was annoyed. She felt that Kazuya''s life had been too pitiful yet, he wanted to fight back to the world that made use of him just so he could save the people he cared about. It didn''t matter to him if they appreciated him or even knew him or not.

    "I agree." Tsuna stood from his seat and stood on their side. "If I were in his shoes, I would have gone back without even meeting you. Yet he stands here with full knowledge that you might stop him."

    "Even Tsuna-san¡­" Natsu sighed.

    "I''ve known Kazuya for quite a while. I can vouch that he won''t do what you are thinking about." He placed a hand on Kazuya''s shoulder. "No one who didn''t deserve death has died in his hands. You should know that the Kurogane family still exists after all this time right?"

    "Natsu-san" Kazuya stepped forward. "I''ve been straight and honest with you this whole time. Though my return to Edea will not be without bloodshed, It was never my intention to destroy both the church and the kingdom." Kazuya''s direct gaze showed him that he was serious. "I sought your help so that I may not resort to desperation and seek your wisdom in making a concrete plan."

    "You want me to help you plan your return?" Natsu was taken aback. Looking at the boy who was supposed to be younger than him, he could tell that Kazuya had already thought about this.

    "Yes. The knowledge you possess may prove invaluable in making this trip safer and more peaceful. My second objective is to prevent the war. You are Mallum-san''s friend and I believe that you don''t want him to suffer because of the conspiracy against us." Lailah smiled after finally hearing it from Kazuya. She walked back to stand with Natsu and nudged him with her elbow.

    "Fine¡­ I''ll cooperate." Natsu finally gave in after being reminded of his best friend''s plight. "This place is quite far off from your home. Are you planning on moving here for training?"

    "About that¡­ I will need some time to prepare a place for you and Lailah-san to move. In the meantime, I will make arrangements for Lailah-san''s identity on earth." Kazuya explained what he had in mind.

    With Lailah''s appearance, she would never pass as a native so Kazuya suggested that they have an official wedding ceremony after Lailah''s fake identity was made. This had been Stockton International''s doing in the past so he intended to ask for their help. The high elf was elated after hearing that she was going to be experiencing a wedding ceremony on earth and was thankful towards Kazuya for such a beautiful plan.

    Natsu ofcourse had other worries. He had just accepted a contract from a company that Kazuya was apparently in charge of. He had no money for such things so he would need to depend on this new benefactor to make the necessary arrangements. He couldn''t help but wonder what their life and the history of Edea would have been like if he and Lailah had stayed.

    After a lengthy discussion, Natsu saw Kazuya and Tsuna to the shortcut they magically hid towards the village. It had already been late and Mame and the others were still waiting for them so they couldn''t stay the night.

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    "I have one more thing I need to know." Natsu spoke as they were about to enter the village. "What do you intend to do with the people that betrayed you?" Lailah had stayed behind the cabin so he took the chance to ask this question.

    Kazuya looked back with a smile.

    "Isn''t the answer to that obvious?" he looked at Natsu as if he asked a stupid question.

    "I haven''t specifically decided If I should chain them up in a dark room and slowly let them starve, skin them alive and slowly boil them bit by bit, or feed them parasites that will painfully eat them from the inside. Nevertheless, they would wish they had never been born and i will laugh at them while they beg for their deaths. "

    .

 164 Heros Observation 2 in 1

    .

    Another month quickly passed by. Though Kazuya had gotten Natsuhiko Akira''s approval to train him, the distance between their homes prevented Kazuya from taking advantage of what his predecessor had to offer. He still had a lot of things he had to take care of and Natsu increased the things he needed to do.

    Now that he knew Natsuhiko Akira''s other identity, Kazuya immediately prioritized into making this person start in the company''s projects right away. He wasted no time and asked for Kurumi''s help into setting up an identity for Lailah. When Kurumi heard that it was for a girl, she frowned but immediately was relieved when Kazuya told her that Lailah was someone who needed a new identity because of her family''s actions against her marriage.

    Natsu and Lailah lived in a cabin in the northern part of their prefecture, so it was hard for him to go to work. Kazuya suggested for them to live in the Kouzuki residence temporarily after Lailah had gotten her credentials in order. This way, she would get to experience life in the city and learn about how to live properly on Earth without worrying about her condition.

    Though Natsu had been reluctant, he agreed to it after Kazuya had promised that it was only temporary. He promised to prepare a place for the couple to be on their own but needed given some time to prepare it. With Natsu''s financial state, he was thankful for Kazuya''s help but didn''t forget to make it clear that he would pay everything back in the future.

    Since they were leaving their mountain, Natsu dispelled his own mana gathering formation. This enabled the formation that Kazuya thought had been permanently damaged to recover to its prime state. With the amount of mana gathering near the Kouzuki residence, a high elf like Lailah wouldn''t have any problems living in the city. Kazuya even taught her different kinds of methods to hide or disguise her long ears.

    Natsu was introduced into the Kouzuki household as Tsuna''s distant relatives that also lived in the mountains with the wife he found when traveling abroad. Natsu would be working for Kazuno Tech while Lailah would be staying at the residence to be tutored by Akane in doing household chores and how to adapt into living in the city.

    The couple were surprised when they met Kyouko. Not only did they immediately sense the mana in her body, they also saw how much protection Kazuya had given her by amount of seemingly normal items in her possession that would be capable of blocking even master ranked spells. They both felt that Tsuna''s word''s over Kazuya being ''overprotective'' was an understatement.

    Kyouko and Lailah immediately hit it off after Kazuya told his mother she could ask the high elf for tips regarding her magic. Without having to worry about hiding secrets, they appeared to have been friends for a long time after only spending a few days with each other.

    With Natsu''s arrival, Kazuya had given the second storey of his laboratory over to him. It was where the former hero spent his time when he was not at work. Kazuya knew that Natsu needed time to read through and digest the results that had been written on the book. He was busy with a couple of things himself so the two had left each other to do their own things for the time being.

    .

    With the addition of Natsu who joined the team of pioneers immediately, there were a lot of people who were startled. He was a young man that was in his twenties yet he was directly scouted by the mysterious leader of the whole company.

    Many people tried to ask him if he had met the mysterious founder who was also the known fianc¨¦ of their CEO but much to their disappointment, Natsu said that he had only met with Kazuno Kaguya.

    True to his reputation in Kazuya''s previous life, it didn''t take a long time for Natsu to get used to the projects that were originally his idea in Kazuya''s past. This made Natsu''s impression towards Kazuya even better as he thought that they were very alike in terms of curiosity and ideas.

    "I''m really glad that you''re able to work with us!" Matsumoto Kippei was very satisfied with Natsu''s addition to the team as he was able to have another like minded individual who had a passion for their work. "Though Winter rarely involves himself with our work, whenever he does, we barely have any time to even go home and rest. With you here, we aren''t afraid of shortening our lifespans anymore!" he laughed out loud.

    "Does Winter-san usually give you guys extra work?" Natsu asked. He was a little worried that he wouldn''t be able to see Lailah and check on her progress in the Kouzuki house.

    "Hey, hey! The boss does give us work now and then but any extra work is because of the mischief or mistakes you and Ika usually make Kippei." One of the researchers commented. "And don''t forget! He also looks out for each one of us! You remember what happened recently right?"

    "Oh! That reminds me, Akira-san, you have to come with us after work today!" Kippei grinned. "Winter organized an event just for us who are part of the guild!"

    "A guild gathering huh¡­" Natsu pondered. After he had returned from Edea, he hadn''t spent much time with anyone other than Lailah because he was too worried about her. "Will he be showing up?" Natsu curiously asked.

    "Unfortunately, no. The boss said that he would be too busy with matters that he may not even be able to log on for a while. The way I see it, he probably came up with another project that will be passed on to us after he succeeds in testing out if it is worth researching or not." Kippei said as if it was the usual pattern.

    "I see¡­" it was expected. He wasn''t surprised by this as Kazuya was most likely waiting to progress a little more age-wise so that these people wouldn''t be too shocked to meet him. "I''ll go. I''m sure my wife wouldn''t mind.

    ""You''re married!?"" Kippei and the rest couldn''t believe their ears. The youngest member of their circle was not only impressive, he was already ahead of all of them in life. Though some of them initially had doubts in Kippei''s decision to invite Natsu to the gathering, these doubts were immediately dispelled after he mentioned that he had been married.

    .

    When they arrived at the usual restaurant the employees said had been where they regularly did gatherings, Natsu was a little surprised. It was a humble establishment that he didn''t expect highly paid researchers would hang out.

    Kippei and the others didn''t hold back and proudly told Natsu about how Kazuno Tech was established. Natsu wasn''t a na?ve person who would blindly trust, he had already looked up both Kazuya and the Kouzuki clan''s history. He knew that Kazuya had used his advantage of knowing about the past beforehand and was amazed at how he utilized it.

    "(If it was me¡­)" he shuddered. Natsu knew how valuable the information Kazuya had. He could have changed the course of history to his liking, but he opted to remain low key and establish a company secretly so that the Kouzuki corporation could stand up to the giant that was supposed to be the Kurogane Conglomerate.

    Kazuya was not aware of Natsu''s thoughts so he never would have expected Natsu to come up with a convincing argument himself that Kazuya was indeed only focused on protecting his family and going back to Edea. Not only that, he had assumed that the researchers in their departments were helped by Kazuya especially when they told them the story of how the establishment of Kazuno Tech had given them the chance to prove that the efforts and ideas other companies laughed at would have been very useful and popular.

    To be honest, it wasn''t that their ideas had been completely on mark. It was due to the combination of everyone''s efforts were they able to make products that were now part of people''s lives. Although Natsu was forced to agree to cooperate with Kazuya when they met, he purposely delayed things so that he could find out more about Kazuya. This was so that he could make sure that the boy was indeed worthy of the trust that Tsuna and Lailah apparently give him.

    With what he''s observed so far, Natsu couldn''t help but be impressed at how Kazuya had decided to use his advantages. It was even entertaining to see how the domineering boy who pointed a gun at them had been a docile and affectionate boy who pampered his mother like a princess.

    "I apologize for being late!" a female voice made everyone''s heads turn around.

    There weren''t many female employees that played the game so in this guild gathering so there were a lot more men that attended than women. Though most of them were members of the same guild and gathered here as employees, only recently did they start gathering in the name of the guild they had in New Gods Online.

    The woman who arrived didn''t look like a researcher at all. Natsu immediately took note of her attire which differed greatly from the colleagues he had spent a few days with. Not only that, this newcomer was rather attractive. She was more like a model or a celebrity, so he wondered if this person was someone from the CEO''s office.

    "Oh you''re here! come see who came!" Kippei didn''t waste time to call her over as the eyes of his colleagues started burning. "Can you guess who this young man is?" he grinned.

    The attractive lady observed Natsu and looked at him carefully. She knew the guild was mostly made up of men who worked for Kazuno Tech so there were hardly any young people in the guild. If they talked about young people then there were only a few people who she knew would fit the criteria.

    "Could you be¡­ SummerBreeze?" she immediately asked after coming to a conclusion.

    "Huh!? How!?" Ika was the first to react. He had expected her to guess that he was Winter instead of coming up with the correct answer. They wanted to see how this girl act if she thought that Natsu was their boss.

    "Yes. You are¡­ Autumn Mist?" They ignored Ika''s outburst. Seeing the young lady''s smile, he knew that he had guessed correctly.

    "That''s right! I''m pleased to meet you! My name is Hamasaki Hikaru." She introduced herself and was glad that she met another person who she usually played with in the game. "I see you joined the company as well" she giggled before turning to Ika who had been depressed for being ignored. "Winter is your boss and you already said that he doesn''t show himself so why would he wear a researcher''s outfit?"

    "Ah pleased to meet you as well. I''m called Natsuhiko Akira but you can just called me Natsu. It is synonymous to my name in the game after all." he was glad to meet the person who made the connection between him and Kazuya. Natsu was thankful towards this girl because it was due to her that he didn''t need to search for long before he got a job that fulfilled all his requirements.

    "Don''t let this guy''s young appearance fool you little sister, it appears that he''s already married!" Kippei raised his voice so that the women who were eying the younger Natsu could hear. The males on the other hand couldn''t help but feel envy as numerous questions about the newcomer were immediately raised.

    He already thought of a story to explain how him and Lailah had met. Natsu answered their queries as he was proud of having a wife like Lailah. Talking to friends and colleagues gave Natsu a sense of satisfaction. He had previously been working hard so that Lailah could live a normal life in this world that he had forgotten how he missed the company of others.

    It was at this moment that Natsu had realized that he was back in his home world. The modern and peaceful society that he had bragged about and missed while he was in Edea was being experienced by him once more. It was a normal life he didn''t expect to have soon after coming back but he was thankful for Kazuya''s help for making it happen.

    "We have only just finished making it official after we got Winter''s help. We have yet to have the ceremony, so I have to work harder to make that happen soon." Natsu didn''t use his magic to dispel the effects of the alcohol as he enjoyed the company of his peers. "I''ll introduce her to everyone when there is a chance."

    "It''s a promise!" Hikaru smiled. She didn''t think that she would be able to lead a happy life once again it was thanks to two people that she was able to smile again and hang out with people. What Hikaru wasn''t aware of was that the two people she was thankful towards were the same person. "Looks like Winter help you too huh¡­"

    "He helped you with something as well?" Natsu asked. After chatting with her, he learned that unlike everyone else, she was a new teacher of his alma matter.

    After Kazuya''s confirmed her identity a few months ago, he wasted no time and gathered Kippei and the other guild members. He even appeared in front of them in his avatar which made them think that something big was happening.

    "I called everyone here to inform everyone what I just found out today." Winter Fog''s avatar that everyone couldn''t mistake for someone else stood up and walked towards Kippei. "One of our members is in trouble and has been suffering in the hands of our enemies for years."

    Everyone was startled as they looked at each other. The ordeal against the Ringo Corporation was the first thing that came to everyone''s minds but they had long triumphed over that company that was barely surviving at this point. Not only did their bonds improve but also their loyalty towards the company that gave them security against the bullies who wanted the secrets that various companies ignored in the first place.

    "Who''s in trouble?" Ika immediately opened up his computer and was ready to retaliate. "Who dares makes one of our members suffer?"

    "Autumn Mist" Winter Fog''s words immediately shook them. There wasn''t anyone in the guild who didn''t know who Autumn was. She was the only person that had been part of the guild''s foundation that wasn''t an employee of their company. She was close with their boss and was like everyone''s little sister in game.

    "Who dares bully her? Is it those loathsome sneks again!?" one of the researchers that was bullied along with Autumn Mist in the past was immediately enraged.

    "No¡­" Winter Fog shook his head as he stopped right behind Kippei''s seat who turned around nervously. "I coincidentally saw her in real life. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the promised item I had Kippei-san here and the others develop suddenly referring to me as ''father''" his holographic arm rested on the culprit''s shoulder.

    *gulp* Kippei was nervous. He couldn''t believe that his small revenge was suddenly discovered. He was willing to change it if Autumn had complained about his little addition but she never said anything about it.

    "B-boss¡­" Everyone looked at Kippei with pity. He never would have expected his little mischief to be found out by the boss himself. Since none of them knew what Kazuya looked like, the devices that Kazuya had requested for were given a security feature that would only recognize a special input that only he was capable of unlocking. The plushie that had been sent over to them were set to recognize two people, one was the owner and one was their boss.

    "I will not pursue that matter now but I advise you to fix it." Winter turned around and walked back to his seat. "That matter aside, the Autumn Mist that we know is being harassed by the eldest son of the head of the Kurogane Conglomerate."

    Kazuya briefly told them about Hikaru''s living conditions as well as how her compositions have been stolen. He told them that he coincidentally found out about this and so Hikaru had no idea who he was or that he found out.

    "How can we help?" Kippei knew that Kazuya wouldn''t have brought this up if he didn''t have a plan already in mind.

    "I''ve already set some things in motion to help. What I need from everyone here is to set up a guild meeting. Though she is not part of the company like everyone here, Autumn Mist has been with us since the start and has encouraged and supported us in realizing our farfetched dream. It is time to return the favor." This was the start of a regular gathering of the guild members that included Hikaru.

    Of course, the secret that it was Winter Fog''s idea was not kept a secret for long. Hikaru was able to tell that the members were aware of how her current living conditions were because of all the help they offered her. Not only was she able to find a decent place to move into, it was a cheap but big place that was near the dormitories for Kazuno Tech employees. She was also helped by the researchers in moving as well as other miscellaneous stuff. She would have been beyond insensitive if she didn''t suspect anything from their actions.

    "Aren''t they such bad actors?" Hikaru giggled as she finished her story on how the guild helped her after their first guild meeting.

    "Please don''t tell the boss that you were able to figure everything out." Kippei begged. "It was only because of Akira-san''s tremendous help that I''ve been able to have some time for myself."

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    "When is winter coming back anyway? I still need to thank him. Though he was able to find out who I was, I think it''s unfair that I haven''t seen or noticed him." Hikaru complained.

    "You''re not alone there little sister." Ika finished chugging his beer and agreed. "All of us here owe a lot to Winter but we still haven''t been able to meet with him in person."

    Natsu listened to them and smiled. These people probably wouldn''t have minded if Kazuya appeared in front of them as he is now. They all respected and held gratitude towards everything that he has done for them. With Kazuya''s intelligence, he should have been able to tell that it wouldn''t have mattered if he was young or not so Natsu wondered if Kazuya had any intentions of revealing himself and accepting their gratitude.

    The way he saw it, his successor was someone who preferred to not take direct credit for anything he did not need to speak of. Just by asking Kyouko about the accessories she wore, one can tell that Kazuya didn''t tell her about how she could most likely survive a barrage of missiles unscathed. She was only aware of the protection effects of the jewelries she wore. Little did she know that every single piece of clothing that the couple has seen her wear were filled with protective charms and formations. Lailah even said that even the inner layers of clothing that earthlings wore were not an exception.

    "By the way, have you guys heard the latest news about the Kuroganes?" Kippei took the opportunity to change the topic. He was nervous whenever their boss was mentioned because he was afraid of what Kazuya might do to him after he found out that Hikaru was able to figure out that he had been behind helping her. "I heard some of the people from the security department talking about it a lot. They said that it was most likely them who was behind the attack on Shiroyuki Jirou-sama''s granddaughter. They say that their motive was because of a rumor that Kouzuki Kazuya and Jirou-sama''s granddaughter being in an engagement since birth."

    "Huh? Is that rumor true?" Natsu was interested in this topic. He had been introduced to Shiroyuki Tomoyo before because she visited the Kouzuki residence to receive some serious training from Tsuna.

    A girl who could easily be mistaken for mute and a girl who seemed calm yet was very fierce when fighting received training from Tsuna at the Kouzuki Residence. The couple immediately sensed the girls'' affinity towards mana so asked if they were Tsuna''s students. Tsuna laughed and said that they weren''t and pointed towards Kazuya instead. ''These two are probably the only real friends that the boy wasn''t able to push away.'' were Tsuna''s words.

    He told them about what had happened to the two of them so that Lailah and Natsu would understand why they were undergoing real battle training. They had no idea what the cause was but they decided to train these two so they could protect themselves if a similar situation occurred.

    "Huh? Why do you seem so interested in this rumor Natsuhiko-san?" Hikaru asked as she noticed Natsu being unusually proactive when he heard the topic.

    "Well¡­ My wife and I are currently staying at the Kouzuki residence for the time being. They were gracious enough to accept us because my wife and I used to live in a cabin in a northern mountain village." He explained. "I heard about the incident, but I didn''t expect that something like that would be the cause."

    "Oh! You''re staying at Kazuya-kun''s house? I''m Shiroyuki-san''s homeroom teacher and Kazuya-kun usually attends my class with her."

    "The Kuroganes are a bunch of fools!" one of the employees spoke. "They dug their own graves by messing with Jiro-sama''s granddaughter. The most laughable thing about it is, the Kouzuki clan''s son is engaged to our company''s little miss." He laughed.

    "Hey, that''s an unconfirmed rumor." Kippei warned. "Neither Kaguya-sama or Mei-sama have confirmed it."

    "But they didn''t deny it right?" Ika interrupted. "That''s the same as admitting it!" he thumped his chest proudly declared his deduction. "We all know the big miss and the little miss''s temperaments. They would have quickly denied it and even scolded us if it weren''t true!"

    None of them knew that this conversation would cause them an insane amount of workload in the future. There was only one person who had remained calm on the surface but wanted to laugh out loud after hearing such a ridiculous situation. He knew that this was something that the prideful Kazuya didn''t plan for but bore with instead because of what happened to his friend.

    "(It hasn''t been long since I''ve started looking into Kouzuki Kazuya but aside from his extreme enmity towards those who betrayed him, there is nothing I find strange. I haven''t seen or heard anything that would contradict that he had truly been straight with me.)" Natsu felt a little defeated. He felt that his initial rejection towards Kazuya had been futile. As much as he didn''t want to admit it, his wife truly did have a better eye when it came to humans.

    It wasn''t that Natsu had been hotblooded. What he, Kazuya and Tsuna had in common after their experiences in the other world was that they learned to be very cautious. Kazuya who he had never heard of nor met before had shown abilities that would pose a threat to them so Natsu was extremely wary of him.

    Even when Lailah seemed convinced of Kazuya, as much as he didn''t want to admit it, Natsu knew just how filthy humans can be. He wanted to protect Lailah who was very vulnerable on earth from any danger since he had been the one who brought her here.

    Tsuna was already aware of what Natsu was up to when both men had a talk about Kazuya in private. The senior hero gave Natsu his support and told him to do it until he was satisfied. The old man''s questions about the boy had mostly been answered after the revelation of Kazuya''s unusual situation. Tsuna understood Natsu''s concerns and as a person who had similar experiences he knew that it had to be done.

    "I haven''t heard anything from Kazuya-kun so I won''t be of much help." Hikaru shook her head after she was asked. "Oh, Matsumoto-san, there something I''ve been wondering about Snow-chan''s update¡­" she tried to change the topic because she wanted to protect her student''s privacy. "Did you change anything major?" everyone that had been present in the meeting with Kazuya had turned to Kippei while hiding their grins.

    "D-did you find any bugs in the update?" Kippei nervously asked.

    "Well¡­ I don''t know if it''s a bug or not but the way she addresses me now has changed. She wont change it back to the way she used to no matter how much I ask. I''ve gotten used to the way she called me a long time ago, so it feels weird to be referred in another manner." Unaware of Kippei''s internal struggle and the others'' mischievous glances, Hikaru asked with a concerned expression.

    "Well¡­" Kippei panicked and tried to come up with an excuse.

    "What did your plushie used to call you?" Ika decided to jump in and asked. He pretended not to know anything about it which Hikaru didn''t suspect at all.

    "Umm¡­" Hikaru felt a little embarrassed and blushed. "I was surprised at first but I got used to being called ''mother'' by it. I thought it made sense since I was the first person she saw when I turned on the program. I thought of how a baby chick would immediately assume the first person they saw after hatching were its parents so I got used to it." Tried to hide her embarrassment. "She started calling me Onee-chan after her latest update. She still calls my mom ''grandma'' so I wondered if there was some way to change it back to the previous version or have it fixed."

    "Oooh!" Ika and the other members gave her a teasing look. "Didn''t you say that your plushie watched and advised you as you played? How does he call the boss and everyone else then?"

    Her plushie''s program was because of the promise between her and Kazuya before Kazuno Tech had been built up. What Hikaru was not aware of was that she had been given a different and unique version of the program that had been used to make the company''s vastly popular virtual assistant; ''Rucy-chan''."

    "Everyone is called by their names in the game but as for Winter¡­" she glanced at Kippei who was supposed to be the one who had made the program. "S-she used to call her¡­ father." She covered her face with her hands after realizing how embarrassing it was to say it out loud. "I didn''t know about it until she called Winter that by herself when she started assisting me while playing with him."

    "I''m quite interested on how you decided to make the default settings as well¡­ head researcher Matsumoto." Apart from Natsu and Hikaru, the employees froze after hearing the voice that came from the thin wall that separated the group areas.

    *clak clak clak*

    The temperature instantly went colder as the sound of high heels came closer. There was only one person that called Matsumoto that way. Three beautiful women approached the group of researchers who instantly avoided eye contact while praying that the person heading the group of ladies didn''t hear the whole conversation.

    "K-kazuno-san¡­" Kippei trembled as she saw the cold smile that was directed at him. It wasn''t only her, one of the women behind Mei glared at him as if she wanted to go at him while the other shook her head and looked at him pitifully.

    "It''s nice to meet you two. I came to meet a recruit that ''he'' scouted himself. Who would have thought that I would stumble upon an interesting topic." The beautiful and elegant young woman glanced at Natsu before taking a good look at the woman who still looked a bit confused at the whole situation.

    "My name is Kazuno Mei."

    .

 165 Firsts

    .

    Another month flew by quick and it was almost winter. The temperature was slowly getting colder but the new products from the collaboration of Kazuno Tech and Kouzuki Corp was still hot off the shelves. Many have judged that the collaboration of these two companies may have just set a new bar when it came to gadgets. They could barely keep up with the demand so things have been very busy with the two companies.

    Most of the work that the company couldn''t handle were delegated to the research team headed by Matsumoto Kippei whose members couldn''t help but curse at their boss. His mischief had caused the CEO to be displeased at him, so they have been overloaded with all the work that could be pushed to them and there was nothing they could do about it.

    None of them could complain. Mei told them that any complaints they had could be directed towards Kazuya. Everyone knew how worse off they would be in if Kazuya knew about it so no one dared to inform their boss of not only Mei''s discovery over the matter. They would have to explain everything includingHikaru figuring out that Kazuya had been responsible for the whole guild helping the guild''s little sister out.

    Of course, none of them knew the fate that they were going to be in after the busyness died down. In desperation, Kippei and some of his members explained their predicament to Kazuno Kaguya who had shown herself in the company because of a promotion that was being made. They told the CEO''s little sister about their situation and asked if the little sister can pacify the big sister.

    "I see¡­ Not to worry, I will make sure that everyone has something to look forward to after this ordeal." Kaguya smiled at the others but when she looked at Kippei, her gaze made the head researcher felt an ominous glint that made his legs shiver.

    Kaguya, or Kazuya was already in a bad mood because he was forced to make another appearance. This was so that he could promote the new products more as well as make the rumors that something had happened to her because she was linked to Kouzuki Kazuya come to a rest. Many of Kazuno Kaguya''s fans have gone hostile towards the Kuroganes because of her sudden announcement to take a rest after all.

    With the exposure of what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo being a plan hatched by the Kurogane clan, Kaguya''s disappearance had been blamed towards the clan who wanted to move against Kaguya but did not have the slightest idea how to. Kazuno Kaguya was like a ghost who only appeared whenever she want to and the Kuroganes were baffled at how someone could evade their radar like she could. Even Kazuno Mei''s whereabouts could easily be located even if she had been heavily protected but no one could catch her little sister''s shadow if she didn''t want them to.

    "(I only need to keep up with this farce for a little longer¡­)" Kazuya sighed as he changed out of the kimono that he wore for the shoot. He was currently in the room at the topmost floor of Kazuno Tech''s building where Kaguya and Mei was known to have resided.

    *ring¡­ ring¡­ ring¡­*

    Kazuya''s face darkened as soon as he looked at his phone. Kuronuma Ayame had been calling him ever since she got wind that Kazuya had been shooting a promotional video for Kazuno Tech. Ayame who was once an endorser of the company had rejected taking part of the project and demanded that Kaguya face her before she even thought about collaborating with the company again.

    "Looks like you''ve been quite popular while I''m away" Kazuya felt a little hostility from behind him.

    "Big sis¡­" Kazuya turned around and found Mei grinning at him. "I''m still in the middle of changing¡­"

    "Don''t change the subject. It''s not like you haven''t seen me changing before, right?" She grinned. "You even pick out what kind of underwear I¡­"

    "Ugh¡­" Kazuya gave up and just hastened his actions. "(It''s only because you said that you wouldn''t wear anything if I didn''t do it for you¡­)" he complained in his mind and remembered the time he tried to call her bluff. Mei had already walked out the door before he folded and dragged her back into the room.

    "You''ve been having fun while I was away from the looks of it. Even becoming a father of a little toy without telling me." She pouted.

    "I already explained to you what happened¡­" Kazuya sighed. Mei had been bringing up this topic ever since she found out about Kippei''s mischief. "She was the very first person I met when I first started playing the game. That''s why we''re friends."

    With Mei''s discovery the relationship between Autumn Mist and Kazuya''s Winter Fog, She had been paying special attention towards Kazuya''s interactions with the opposite sex. He was already an adolescent, so Mei has been especially suspicious towards his relations with other women. Since they were still living apart, she couldn''t spend as much time with Kazuya as she wanted so she couldn''t help but shower him with both affection and frustration whenever he stayed with her.

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    She wasn''t in the Kouzuki household so the information to the developments took some time to get to her. She was especially concerned about Kazuya''s apparent betrothal to Shiroyuki Tomoyo. She wanted to strangle Kouzuki Kou for such a thing but Mei could only hear about how the old man had been thrashed by both Kyouko and Kazuya.

    "I know. That''s why I find it strange. That girl is the only person you play with that is not part of the company. Not only that, she turned out to be your teacher and you even went as far as to helping her using the members of the guild as well as the Kouzuki corporation''s entertainment company." Mei couldn''t help but list out the peculiarities she observed.

    Kazuya had paid too much attention to this so-called teacher of his who was not only beautiful, but very young as well. Mei knew that Kazuya had liked her ever since he was at a young age so her understanding of his preferences when it came to women were towards those who were older than himself. Hikaru was a natural beauty who fit the criteria so why wouldn''t she feel threatened?

    Hamasaki Hikaru was not only a teacher in Kazuya''s school but she was also the friend that he had met in a game he played for a long time. They spent time with each other that Mei had no idea about so of course she was worried that he might have a change of heart. She wasn''t always there for him and though Mei had been patiently enduring, she was feeling quite lonely by herself. Kazuya''s time had been split not only between her and Kyouko but he also had to spend some time with the Kuroganes.

    "I knew I couldn''t fool you¡­" Kazuya immediately gave up after seeing her lonely and worried expression. "Big sis knows me the best after all." Kazuya held Mei''s hand and led her towards the sofa to sit down. "Let''s see¡­ where do I start¡­"

    He didn''t find any reason to keep it from Mei now that they were at this point. His explanation started by reminding Mei of the dreams that he had once proven by obtaining the funds for their company. From there, Kazuya had explained that he had used the knowledge he had to find the people that he hired for the company. They were the people that society had overlooked and would only have been discovered after their passion and hard work were either stolen or taken for granted.

    The common point that these people shared with Kazuya was the game that he had started playing many years ago. He had decided to use the game as a means to communicate with this people with the purpose of giving them a chance to pursue their passion with Kazuya''s help. Majority of these people had nothing to lose and decided to risk it with Kazuya while some had decided to be skeptical about it and rejected were now regretful.

    "So, you utilized the knowledge from your dreams to this extent as well¡­" though Mei was surprised, she was not as shocked as she was when he first told her about it. It had already been a proven fact and this was just additional evidence towards the authenticity of his statement.

    "But of course, as I have changed the supposed natural flow of things, there were some unexpected changes. This is where Hamasaki Hikaru-sensei came in." Mei didn''t fail to notice the guilty expression on Kazuya''s face as he explained the life Hikaru would have had if all things progressed as normal in his ''dream''.

    Revealing that Hikaru had been formerly known as the daughter of Kurogane Sousuke was a shock. She immediately felt pity for the young woman who appeared to be cheerful when they met. Mei immediately understood why Kazuya had given her this much attention. With Kazuya''s personality, he would have blamed everything on himself and silently tried to make things right.

    "Like I told big sis before, I used to play NGO when in my previous li¡­ dream. I did not know the things I knew now but Autumn Mist was a person that spent a lot of time with me and one of the very few I could consider friends. I can''t just sit here after seeing that the changes I made had the opposite effect on her. It may have been through an online game but she was still one of my friends." Kazuya confessed.

    "I understand." Mei nodded and extended her hand to stroke his cheek gently before pinching it. "You should have told this to your big sis long ago! How do you think I feel when I heard about your entanglements with other women?" she pouted. "You even have that other girl making a scene in the lobby downstairs when she demanded to see your other self."

    Kazuya''s face darkened as he knew exactly who Mei meant. After getting wind of the shoot at Kazuno Tech''s headquarters, Ayame accompanied the staff and tried to get in to look for Kaguya. Since he didn''t bother to confirm nor deny the rumors to protect people who might be linked to him, Ayame had taken Kaguya''s silence as betrayal.

    After pouring her heart out to the person she had treated as her best friend, Kaguya turned out to be engaged to Kazuya. How could Ayame not feel betrayed? She felt like a fool whenever she remembered how she was given advice by the friend who apparently held the position she wanted to be in and tried to work hard for. She wanted answers from Kaguya herself, Ayame wanted to know why she was treated like that after their apparent friendship, most of all, Ayame wanted to erase the hope she had held deep inside that all of this was just a misunderstanding and some circumstances she doesn''t know about had forced this matter.

    "Kuronuma Ayame''s matters is more Big sis and Kanade-san''s fault more than mine. I wanted to avoid getting to know that girl as Kaguya but both of you had insisted." He sighed. "I don''t intend to show myself to that girl in either identity so I don''t think that big sis has anything to worry about when it comes to her."

    Kazuya indulged Mei and kept answering the questions she asked. He understood how lonely she had been and felt guilty for putting off things for this long. This side of Mei that was jealous and cute was something he hadn''t seen in his previous life so as he spoiled her, he could also feel the attachment she had for him.

    "Don''t worry big sis, everything will be back to normal soon. This farce has lasted long enough." Though it was technically safe for Mei to move back to the Kouzuki residence now, it still wasn''t the right time.

    "Soon?" Mei was surprised at the sudden news. Though she was initially going to suggest moving back with them, Mei knew that the collaboration between the two companies was only viewed as Mei and Kyouko finally working together again after all these years. Though the Kurogane clan may see differently, they were only some of the exceptions. She felt that some time was still needed before they could actually return to the way things were.

    "Natsu-san and his wife are better at me when it comes to magic. I believe that they would be able to make big sis'' improve in a much faster rate." Kazuya already told her about the couple that had recently started living in the Kouzuki residence as Tsuna''s distant relatives so she knew all about their capabilities.

    "Which reminds me¡­" Mei suddenly pounced at Kazuya. She pushed him down on the sofa and grinned. "Natsuhiko Akira and I had an interesting talk while he was giving me pointers in my office. He told me about how you have been keeping a lot of secrets from me and your mother."

    "Secrets?" Kazuya was startled. He wondered of Natsu revealed anything about Edea because he still didn''t know how to open up that topic.

    "From your expression, I can already tell that you''re guilty!" Mei grinned. "Natsuhiko-san recently had me studying the basics of formations, so I was able to notice a few things. When I asked him about It, he came clean and told me all about the formations you''ve placed on mine and Kyouko''s clothes!" Kazuya''s nervousness immediately dispersed after hearing her words. Mei of course took it as Kazuya surrendering and admitting it.

    "I didn''t mean to hide it. It''s nothing but additional security after all. I will spare no expense to protect mom and big sis." Kazuya didn''t think that it was a big deal and admitted it without hesitation.

    Mei of course didn''t think that it had been a simple matter. He had fallen sick when he first made the first set of jewelry that was supposed to protect them. She hadn''t been very clear about Kazuya''s progress through the years so she had always assumed that he had to go through difficulty whenever he gave them gifts for protection. When Natsu informed her that from what he could see, the security and formations around Mei was even higher than Kyouko''s, how could she not feel touched?

    "You naughty boy! You have gone through every piece of your big sis'' clothes and even underwear!" Mei giggled.

    "Uhh¡­" Kazuya didn''t know what to say. This was the reason why he had wanted to keep it a secret from them. He couldn''t help but curse Natsu for not taking their reaction in consideration after their discovery of this. "Sorry for not asking for permission¡­" he immediately decided to follow Matsumoto''s advice on how to deal with women''s irrationality. Kazuya apologized even though he had done it for her sake.

    "If apologizing was enough then there wouldn''t be need for laws and police officers! I want Justice!" she demanded.

    "O-okay¡­" Kazuya agreed as he watched Mei''s hand slowly get lifted up. He immediately closed his eyes and made sure that all the protective formations around his body wouldn''t activate. Kazuya didn''t want to hurt her while Mei gave him punishment so he concentrated to avoid any reflex from activating.

    "fufu¡­" Mei smiled mischievously at the boy and how cute he acted. She could tell that Kazuya had retracted the usual mana that covered him so that she wouldn''t be hurt if she chose to punish him. This made the warmth in her chest increase further.

    "!!?" Kazuya''s brain immediately received a shock as a soft feeling came on his lips. He was expecting pain from getting hit but instead felt Mei''s lips pressed against his. Kazuya was still pressed down on the sofa so there was no room to back away.

    He placed his hands on her shoulders intending to push her away but something soft had slid its way in his mouth which made his mind go blank. It was at this moment that Kazuya had realized that he had received his first kiss in this life. His first kiss in his previous life and his first kiss in this life had been ironically taken by the same person. The only difference was that in this life, Mei was unlike the half drunk big sis that pushed him down when he was helping her go to bed one night.

    "(Looks like I wasn''t able to avoid it in this life as well¡­)" he thought as he peeked at Mei who had her eyes closed. "(Fine then! I''ve already clarified with Natsu-san about the summoning requirements anyway¡­)" Kazuya made up his mind and returned Mei''s kiss earnestly.

    "!!?" Mei''s eyes opened in shock as Kazuya responded to the kiss. This was also her first kiss so she was shocked after getting such an intense response from a boy that was years younger than her. Her heartbeat sped up and was like a beating drum as Mei gradually felt that she was losing the strength to keep herself up. When she felt Kazuya''s arms move, she immediately backed away and abruptly ended it.

    Though Mei was shocked, she still had her pride as the elder of them both so she immediately tried to put up a calm front before Kazuya opened his eyes. She wondered if this was Kazuya''s first kiss after the comfortable feeling she immediately got after his response.

    "Your big sis has decided to give you a reward for caring about her safety by giving you her first kiss officially but¡­ why does it seem like you''re already experienced?" Mei looked at Kazuya suspiciously.

    "That was my first kiss too¡­ (at least on this life¡­)" Kazuya slowly sat up and realized something was wrong with what she said. "Wait, what do you mean by ''officially''?" Kazuya looked at the mischievous smile that appeared on Mei''s alluring face. He couldn''t help but stare at the soft and red lips that only moments ago were pressed against his before he frantically tried to clear his thoughts.

    "fufu... Isn''t it obvious?" me giggled. "Your big sis has already unofficially claimed it long ago. Now that you know about it, always think of your big sis whenever those pesky girls try to seduce you okay?"

    .

 166 In the Middle

    .

    A week passed by. Because of the advertisement plans Kazuya presented for Kyouko and Mei''s companies, Kazuya was immediately pulled by Takaya towards his family''s headquarters before school even ended. They were both set to appear on as guests on a popular historical drama that was on the air but Kazuya insisted on attending school before it was time for the shoot.

    "Phew¡­" Kazuya wiped his sweat after the director had yelled ''cut'' to end the scene.

    "Nice work Kazuno-san!" the director praised. "With your skills, it was like you were born from the era you''re acting out. It saves us a lot of time since you don''t need a stunt double and some of your improvisations are better than the choreography!"

    "Thank you for your praise director." Kaguya gave a polite bow. "This should have been my last scene right?"

    "Yes! Thank you for accepting the invitation for a guest appearance. I''m sure the fans will be satisfied now that our program has been graced by the ''samurai idol''." The director joked.

    "This is the only thing I can help my elder sister with." Kaguya excused herself and joined Kanade who was waiting at the studio''s exit.

    Kazuya never got a manager nor ever thought that he needed one so Kanade took it upon herself to play the role. There were practically no other people that Kazuya could have trusted to do this so even though he had to deal with her mischief, the fact that they were beneficial to the two companies made him not have much of a choice.

    "What do you plan on doing now?" Kanade couldn''t help but ask. "Are you really intending to wait for the photographer that will arrive later tonight? I heard his flight got delayed."

    "I will wait. Since the photographer agreed to hold a shoot late at night, I might as well finish the last appearance of Kazuno Kaguya for a while." He talked as they walked through the halls. "Kuronuma Ayame has been hunting me down persistently and if the shoot is delayed until tomorrow, I''m sure that she will cause a scene."

    "Do you really have to do this today? Aren''t there two events that should be more¡­" Kanade stopped after seeing Kaguya shake her head.

    Today''s shoot had lasted until early evening. Kanade was concerned because there were two important events that were being held tonight. One was the charity event that was hosted by both the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies while the other was the well known yet very secretive gathering that was hosted and attended by members of the Kurogane Family.

    "It would be better for me to not attend both. Even if I didn''t mean to, one side would definitely think that I am favoring the other so it would be better for me to do something that wouldn''t get me in the middle of their troublesome paranoia." Kaguya stopped in front of the room that had been reserved for her. "I''m going to take a rest I''ve been working since this morning. Please have someone inform me when the photographer''s is on his way." She entered the room and locked it before Kanade could say anything else.

    "In the middle of two great families huh¡­" Kanade sighed and felt a little pity towards Kazuya''s situation. She took out her phone and sent a message to Mei before turning back to the studio. She informed her friend about Kazuya''s unshaken decision to steer clear of any involvement between the two families tonight.

    .

    This night was the night for the famous Kurogane Banquet. It was the night that various members of the family who had been scattered all around the world to return to their roots to celebrate and discuss the accomplishments their clan had achieved. This was also the night where all previous heads of the clan would announce the next head if they had intended to step down from their position.

    Tonight, no personnel that didn''t belong to the Kurogane clan had been allowed to enter their land. All the security had been replaced with members of the branch families that usually acted in the shadows for the clan. This was the time where the most influential and powerful people of the clan would discuss their secrets so the security for this banquet had been the tightest.

    Though the Kuroganes have been known and labeled to be cutthroat and devious, it was mostly directed towards those who weren''t a part of their clan. Similar to the Kouzuki clan''s unbreakable promise, the Kuroganes had upheld the principle to never hurt their own kin for the sake of one''s benefits. Every single member of the Kurogane clan had been educated since childhood that the benefit of the clan is above everything else. Anyone who had broken this had the unified might of the clan destroy them without mercy.

    This had been the primary reason why the rivalry between Sousuke and Shishio never crossed the line where they plotted each other''s demise. Though each of them might have been confident to having their plans not being discovered if it ever came down to it, the teaching that they had received since they were children had been ingrained in their minds. Together with the existence of Kurogane Tenma who was like a god to both brothers, they could only bicker and fight like children in the presence of their father and his confidants.

    Of course, this principle had its exceptions as well. The clan''s benefit as a whole was always the priority of all the members. Any member acting in contrast of it could suffer the consequences of being eliminated. The head of the clan was not an exception to this rule but because of the clan''s practices, there had never been an incident in which a person chosen to be the clan head had been forcefully taken off their seat.

    In the case of Hashiyama Nagisa, though she was a member of the Kurogane clan after being wed to Shishio, various high ranking members including Tenma had approved of Shishio''s plan to dispose of her after she had failed her final chance when she had been brought to meet with Kouzuki Kazuya.

    Tenma and Shishio discussed Kouzuki Kyouko inside his office as they waited for every member of their clan to arrive. The mother of the monster that was Kouzuki Kazuya who had half of his genes was being considered as Shishio''s official wife to replace the absence of Nagisa. While there were various other candidates, with the current situation of the clan, the top choices had been Kouzuki Kyouko and Kazuno Mei because of the fact that they had close ties with Kazuya.

    "I believe that Kazuno Mei would be a more realistic target father." Shishio spoke to Tenma who like his son was dressed appropriately for tonight''s event. "Kouzuki Kyouko''s would never be moved after everything that has already happened between our families."

    "Are you sure?" Tenma raised his eyebrow and looked at his youngest son. "In the past, you had reasoned that she would have been a better candidate compared to Hashiyama Nagisa." Tenma grinned.

    "It is nothing but youthful indiscretion." Shishi gave a wry smile. "I had worked hard to make her into a perfect candidate that would suit my needs. Unlike the useless Nagisa, though the Kouzuki Corporation was not as big as the Hashiyama''s at the time, I believed that Kyouko had the talent to support me."

    "Indeed. I had underestimated that woman''s capabilities. Who would have thought that not only would she give birth to someone as capable as Kazuya, she was even able to raise that corporation that was forced onto her this far." Tenma sighed. It had been his decision to let Shishio abandon Kyouko and have him marry Nagisa instead. "Nonetheless, the Hashiyama clan were nothing but incompetent fools who had been lucky to have gotten as far as they did. If not for the existence of Kazuya, I would have no regrets in choosing them over the Kouzuki clan."

    The Kuroganes were able to easily control over everything the Hashiyamas had because of Nagisa. Her clan had been satisfied with having to receive money after all their work had been taken over. Everything had gone the way Tenma had planned where they had reaped most of the benefits even after their war against the Kouzuki clan and their allies.

    The only variable that made Tenma rethink his past decisions was the discovery of Kouzuki Kazuya''s capabilities. Though he had attributed the child''s abilities to be caused by the Kurogane blood running through his veins, not even he could deny that the boy''s talented mother had to be given some credit.

    *KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

    "Who is it?" Tenma sat behind his desk and turned towards the door.

    "It''s Sousuke¡­"

    "Enter." Tenma commanded as he glanced at his eldest son''s hands to find that the wounds he had suffered had healed. "Have you reflected upon your actions?"

    "I have¡­" Sousuke''s hands still hadn''t healed fully so he couldn''t clench his fists without feeling pain.

    "I know any resentment you feel towards Kazuya might be hard to forget but you had best forget about them." Tenma looked at his eldest son sternly. "You should feel gratitude towards him. He saved your corporation from completely falling with his ideas. I suggest you cast away all our enmity towards that child, for your own sake."

    "I¡­ received the report¡­" Sousuke bit his lip at the thought of being indebted to Kazuya

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    He was put under house arrest after Tenma had discovered what happened between him and Kazuya. Tenma hadn''t moved to talk to his eldest son because he and Shishio had been busy in implementing the changes that occurred within their businesses. Of course, with Kazuya''s idea, they were able to do business that had help the Ringo Corporation that Sousuke personally owned have a mutually beneficial relationship with the Kurogane Conglomerate. It had been a shameless move but because of Kazuya''s idea, neither Sousuke nor Tenma had cared about it.

    Of course, he had no idea of Kazuya''s proposal because the plan hadn''t been implemented when they had their last encounter. Sousuke had been planning on getting benefits for himself because he didn''t want his younger brother to claim that he couldn''t amount to anything without the help of the clan''s name. Seeing the illegitimate son of Shishio with the woman young woman he had once called his daughter triggered Sosuke''s emotions. The shame that his former wife brought him had been the start of his downfall and Sousuke just couldn''t get back on track after that.

    "Remember the clan''s teachings." Tenma''s cold look made Sousuke shiver. "The boy will no doubt inherit the Kouzuki clan which could be attributed to being our clan''s property the moment it happens. I already had the boy make a guarantee that he would never do anything that would harm the clan so unless he wants to lose everything, we can be sure that Kazuya will bring our clan to greater heights."

    "I¡­ understand¡­" Sousuke bowed to show that he had submitted to Tenma''s judgement. With Tenma''s reminder, he would have been doomed if he had resisted any further. Everything was for the greater benefit of the clan and though he would not be able to realize everything he had wanted, he would still be an untouchable member of the Kurogane clan and would enjoy further benefits.

    As much as he didn''t want to admit it, Sousuke had finally accepted his younger brother''s victory over him. Not only did Shishio have better achievements, with the addition of that monster of a child, although illegitimate, Tenma had already recognized and shown favor towards Kazuya despite all the other candidates the Kurogane clan had to offer.

    "Good!" Tenma had risen from his seat and put a hand on Sousuke''s shoulder. "Our clan will reach greater heights so of course I want my eldest son to be there to enjoy the view. I know that even with your failures, you always had the clan''s benefits in mind. I only advise that you move as carefully as you did in the past so that the hasty actions which led to your recent misfortunes will not be repeated."

    "Yes¡­" Sousuke wasn''t sure before but after his father''s reminder, he knew that the competition between him and Shishio was over. He had lost. "I will continue to work hard." He felt bitter but there was no way around it. This was Sousuke''s final chance, he could either accept the decision or be like every single person who had been judged to go against the clan as a whole.

    "Now then, I''ll leave it to you to entertain the members that have arrived while Shishio and I attend the meeting of the heads." Tenma left the room followed by Shishio who had not spoken a word after Sousuke entered.

    "Damnit¡­" the silence of his younger brother bothered Sousuke. He would rather Shishio had mocked him after his victory rather than act like this had been the expected result.

    Sousuke could only grit his teeth in defeat as he headed towards the main hall. He had been excluded from the meeting of the highest ranked members of the Kurogane clan unlike in the previous banquet. If the earlier exchanges between him and Tenma weren''t enough, the fact that he had been left to join the other members of the clan was proof that he had been disqualified as the candidate for the seat of the clan head.

    It was like the emergence of Kouzuki Kazuya had been the prelude to Sousuke''s inevitable demise. Both brothers had been competing against one another when it came to accomplishments. It was only because of the issue with Hashiyama Lee that Shishio had fought back with the revelation that Hamasaki Hikaru was not related to him by blood. This was how the shamed eldest son decided to take bigger risks in order to defeat his younger sibling who had gained such a monstrous child while he lost both his own family and reputation.

    "Greetings Sousuke-sama!" various members of the Kurogane clan who gathered around the decorated hall greeted Tenma''s eldest son with respect.

    The hall had been decorated lavishly and there were many types of food and beverages to choose from. Even if everyone had eaten to their heart''s content, there were much food and expensive wine to go around that anyone outside the clan would be envious of. The Kurogane clan held back no expense when it came to their own clan members and brought out the rarest of their specialties and delicacies.

    "Greetings everyone!" Sousuke smiled. "Father has sent me here to look after the family members that have gathered from different places while he meets with the other elders. I hope that everyone will look forward to the results of tonight''s banquet." Though defeated, he was still the son of the current head and a member of the main family so no one dared look down on him.

    He looked at the clan members who grew excited after his greeting. This was his own way of showing them that something was going to happen tonight and he supported it. In his own way, he had taken measures in protecting himself and started to take steps into whatever announcements that would later be made.

    There was but one person who completely ignored him. Sousuke looked at the familiar figure who was more interested in the wine and food than listening to him. He immediately moved closer to identify this person as he was followed by those who wanted to speak with him.

    "!?" he immediately halted his steps as he came close to the boy who didn''t fail to recognize the stares of the people approaching.

    "Good evening uncle. I''m glad to see that your wounds have healed without complications."

    .

 167 The Banquet I 2 in 1

    .

    As various members of the Kurogane clan enjoyed themselves in the grand banquet, the meeting between the top members of the clan had gone through their achievements and troubles between the past five years. Each of them were now aware of what the clan had achieved and due to the recent changes of the way the clan did their business, they were looking forward to the gains they would get in the long run.

    "I believe I speak for everyone here when I say that the recent changes we''ve made was but a stroke of genius Tenma-sama." One of the elders that was in charge of the western business praised.

    With the continuous strikes of their enemies and the recent decline of the clan, the sudden changes implemented by Tenma and Shishio was a saving grace for the whole clan. Though it did have its own source of troubles, none of the clan members were new to such hindrances and they were able to showcase the Kurogane clan''s dedication to making profits.

    "As much as I would like to take the credit for this to end my reign, I and my youngest son only smoothened out the details." Tenma saw their shocked expressions from his casual statement and continued. "The idea was Kazuya''s, Shishio''s son and my grandson."

    """¡­."""

    Complete silence. All of them looked towards Shishio to gain some insight but Tenma''s youngest son shook his head with a smile. This made the leaders of the Kurogane clan that didn''t belong to the main house confused. Shishio had rejected being named as the next successor. With Sousuke absent in such an important meeting, who could be the next head?

    "I will ruin the surprise if I announce it here. I want everyone here to know that I have thought about this clearly and have taken every measure to make sure that my decision is correct." Tenma stood up from his seat and glanced at everyone to show that he was still the same man who had swept every competition he had back when he was still vying for the seat of the head.

    "If that is so, then I have no problems with your decision." The man who had kept silent on the other end of the table spoke. This was Kurogane Genma, Tenma''s elder brother and his closest competitor in the past. He had been left in charge of the west after he had accepted defeat gracefully. "I know you and your methods better than anyone here after all."

    "Thank you." Tenma smiled as he wished that his sons had the same relationship he had with his brother. "Now then, shall we move to join the rest at the hall? I believe that they should be anxious to start the festivities."

    Tenma led the group followed by his son and elder brother who wasted no time to talk about the grandson that Tenma had been so fond of. Shishio didn''t forget to inform them of the steps Tenma and him took to make sure that they had nothing to worry about.

    Though anyone outside would assume that the group who had just attended the internal meeting of the Kurogane clan were made up of elders, they would be mistaken. Tenma was known as the most capable leader the Kurogane clan has ever had. None of them ever doubted any risk or decision he had made because everything had led them to prosperity. He was known as a person who appreciated talent and loathed incompetence, this was a trait that all of them appreciated and feared at the same time.

    Each and every member of the Kurogane clan had the chance to rise up no matter their age because of how Tenma valued talents. There wasn''t a single member who tried to usurp the seat of the clan head because all of them knew how each and every person who tried to go up against Tenma had ended up. This was why no one dared make a fuss about the situation the clan had been in after Hashiyama Lee''s actions.

    "I will go on ahead and announce your arrival father." Shishio bowed to everyone and went on ahead. No one stopped him because everyone knew that this would be the last time that Shishio would be announcing anyone''s arrival.

    The Kurogane banquet was a well-known event that the clan had even though it was secretive because of one reason; it was the amount the clan spends whenever they held the event. Though no eyes were allowed whenever it happened, the secretive clan didn''t cover up how lavishly they spent for the event. Those who kept an eye on them were able to find out what they bought for the event.

    Extravagant food, wines, jewelry and the like were purchased. The banquet was like an awards ceremony in which the clan had awarded the individuals with the most achievements and potential so that everyone could recognize who in the family they should be supporting. Various changes in the organization such as positions and transfers were also held during the banquet.

    Of course, it was not limited to just that, it was also where the clan announced who their competitors or enemies were. This was so that there would be no mistakes in recognizing who the clan needed to crush or cripple before the next banquet. The banquet was a rare event to anyone who barely met with their clan head so even if it wasn''t compulsory to attend, no one would dare miss the chance to get into Tenma''s good graces.

    Finally, the most important tradition the Kurogane clan had was that only in the banquet would the clan head be able to announce the next head of the family. Though the competition for the seat was very limited to the most talented members of the family, it was only through the banquet would everyone unanimously welcome the crowning of the new clan head or at least the one who was next in line.

    Unlike the previous heads, Kurogane Tenma had never directly announced his sons to be his successors. This was to remind everyone that anyone who had the talent to surpass his sons would be able to take his seat as the next clan head. This was the reason why the branch families had worked hard to strive for that chance. One example was Kurogane Suzaku''s father who was once part of the branch family members until he was able to get his family transferred over to the main headquarters after his stellar performance.

    "hmm?" Kazuya who had been enjoying the expensive wine without worrying about anyone reprimanding him glanced towards a person who had been staring at him full of hostility.

    "Heh" Kazuya gave a mocking grin towards the boy. "(Kurogane Suzaku huh¡­)"

    *GRIP* Suzaku almost lost his temper as he gripped the steak knife on the table. He hid it inside his sleeve which Kazuya didn''t miss.

    "(Kouzuki Kazuya¡­ you''re the only person I will never forgive!)" Suzaku didn''t bother hiding his hostility as the people around him turned towards Kazuya who had been drinking his wine in a relaxed manner.

    "I know how you feel Suzaku but I advise you not to do anything stupid." A young man who appeared to be older than Suzaku warned. "This is the Kurogane Banquet and causing a disturbance here will land not only you but your father in a precarious situation."

    "I know that but¡­ I have to know! He should know something about Ringo!" Suzaku shared a table with his peers so they knew the issues between Kazuya and Suzaku. These were the branch family members that had been in the same position as Suzaku.

    Suzaku has spent the last few years trying to find any clues about the whereabouts of the members of the Muimina family that had disappeared. With Tenma''s command and direct warning towards him to never mess with Kazuya or his matters, Suzaku focused on the allied clan that attacked the Muimina corporation; the Domyouji clan.

    He had taken action alone so that no one from the family could trace his actions but he was caught and brought in front of the head of the Domyouji clan. Suzaku thought that his life had already ended then and there so he took a risk to ask about Ringo''s fate and why the Domyouji clan took actions against the Muiminas.

    After a long conversation, Domyouji Gakuto merely answered his question with; "[Ask your ''cousin'' Kazuya.]" before sending him on his way unscathed.

    "Huh?" Though Kazuya didn''t feel any threat from Suzaku, he noticed the person trying to stop the hostile boy from coming over. Though it was only his back, Kazuya didn''t think he was mistaken, it was the same back that laughed while walking away from a beaten-up version of Kazuya. "(I heard that Suzaku pushed for it but¡­ I didn''t think he would dare attend the banquet while knowing that I might attend.)"

    With the young man stopping Suzaku, Kazuya thought of an idea as he moved his hand slowly so that Suzaku could see what he was doing. Kazuya moved his hand to grab one of the sliced apples from his plate before raising it in front of him as if showing what it was to Suzaku.

    *Bite* Kazuya exaggerated his slow movements before grabbing a napkin to show that he spat the apple he just ate. Kazuya gave Suzaku another mocking grin before crushing the rest of the slice of apple in his hand.

    "!!!" Suzaku flung away the arm that stopped him which caused the young man to glance towards Kazuya''s direction. He wanted to see what Kazuya did to further piss off the steaming Suzaku but what he saw was Kazuya''s gaze looking at him like a beast that had found its prey.

    *shiver* he knew that it was no use since he was already spotted. Hashiyama Lee gave a slightly respective bow towards Kazuya who he couldn''t look in the eye.

    Just as Suzaku started approaching, he heard his name being announced by the current emcee of the banquet. He had been named as one of the individuals with the lowest and harming performance in the clan. With even Tenma looking at him, all Suzaku could do was to bow apologetically at everyone.

    "I have brought shame upon the clan and will work hard to redeem myself in the coming years!" he declared as he directed his bow towards Tenma. The other members whose names were also called out followed suit and bowed towards Tenma.

    Sousuke was also included in this list but no one could blame him. Even if he was Tenma''s son, history seemed to have repeated itself in which the younger son had surpassed the elder brother. With Shishio''s performance, everyone thought that the risks Sousuke had taken were in order to beat his younger brother''s efforts. It was only unfortunate that the seeds that he had planted did not bear any fruit.

    *grit¡­* Suzaku reluctantly got back to his seat after the emcee moved on with the program. Many people were presented with prizes depending on their performances. Money, gems, promotions, this was what everyone had been here for. Most importantly, even to those who didn''t get anything because of average achievements, the information on who they needed to support or compete with was as a sort of reward in itself.

    "Now then, please enjoy the performance of our very own Kurogane Miyabi. As mentioned earlier she was awarded as a finalist in the violin contest held this year!" the emcee gave the stage to the elegant young lady who held an exquisite looking violin.

    "(Kurogane Miyabi huh¡­)" Though Kazuya hadn''t been familiar with the members of the Kurogane family in his previous life, he knew this person''s name in particular.

    It was big news in his previous life, Kurogane Miyabi was attacked by various former violinists whose hands were unable to play the violin anymore. She was attacked by the violinists that had snuck into the stage during her performance where they cut her hand and stomped on it to make sure that it couldn''t be reattached.

    "(These people¡­)" Kazuya shook his head as he listened to the above average performance of Miyabi. She had talent but Kazuya had judged that it had not been enough for her to gain the prize that was announced that she had won earlier.

    He stood at one side while watching the clan members fawn over Tenma and the other leading figures of the clan. Kazuya couldn''t help but smile after sensing two people approaching him from the front and the back.

    "Kazuya¡­" Hashiyama Lee approached cautiously. Since he had already been discovered, the only thing he could do now was to make sure that Kazuya didn''t have any more hostilities with him.

    "No need to speak pleasantries. I''ve already said whatever I needed to say to you back then. Unfortunately, you didn''t heed my warning once again." Kazuya shook his head looking disappointed.

    Leaving Hashiyama Lee alive after everything he had done to Kazuya in the past was an act of mercy. In his mind, Lee had barely done anything in this lifetime so he had been given a chance to not follow the footsteps of the version of him that Kazuya knew very well. Seeing Lee in front of him now in the form of the man who laughed triumphantly as Mei was taken away, Kazuya couldn''t help but curse himself for even giving this person a chance.

    "You don''t understand¡­" Lee took a deep breath to calm himself. He wanted to explain the circumstances on why he had returned to the Kurogane household.

    "You don''t need to tell me. The Kurogane clan holds the Hashiyama family''s assets. With the death of Kurogane Nagisa, my father and the clan now have full control. Do you think I was not aware of this? I even knew that you were taken in by the branch family because of that brat Suzaku''s insistence." Kazuya looked straight into Lee''s eyes. "The only thing that mattered to me when it came to you was that if you would dare show up in front of me again."

    "I¡­" Lee''s body trembled as he struggled to stay calm under Kazuya''s gaze.

    "Seeing as you''ve plotted against me again¡­" Kazuya glanced towards the side where Suzaku was approaching to show that he already knew what Lee had been up to. "Did you really think that I would let you off after you try stopping someone that I wouldn''t even classify as a threat?" he smirked.

    "Bastard!" Suzaku heard Kazuya''s remark and immediately pointed the knife on his hand against Kazuya''s back.

    "Is that an insult? Should I be insulted by the truth?" Kazuya ignored the object pointed at his back and shrugged.

    "Tell me! What did you do with Ringo? Where is she now!?" Suzaku pushed the pointed edge of the knife against Kazuya''s back.

    "Muimina Ringo?" Kazuya was a little surprised that rather than revenge, Suzaku had prioritized information about his former fianc¨¦. The emotions on his voice couldn''t be hidden and Kazuya understood that this boy genuinely had feelings for that girl. "Why are you asking me about her? Shouldn''t you be asking the Domyouji clan?"

    "I already did and their head pointed me in your direction!" Suzaku quickly retorted.

    "Domyouji Gakuto told you to ask me?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed. Suzaku should have already been eliminated if he had been poking around and had gotten caught. If not, they would have had the Kurogane clan pay some kind of remission for this boy''s stupidity yet this was the first time Kazuya ever heard that these people had made contact. "I refuse to believe that he would have said such a thing. Are you perhaps baiting me? What kind of conversation could you possibly have with the Domyouji clan''s leader for him to let you ask me instead." Kazuya scoffed at Suzaku.

    His purpose was simple, make Suzaku spill the beans on what led to Gakuto sending Suzaku towards him for news about Ringo. Though Kazuya still had doubts about the authenticity of Suzaku''s claims, he couldn''t ignore the possibility that what he said was the truth.

    Suzaku immediately told him about the conversation he had with Gakuto after getting caught. He was confident because it had been the truth and thought that Kazuya only needed to confirm it. His desperation to get to the truth of Ringo''s disappearance made Suzaku unable to see the trap he had fallen into.

    Though Lee already noticed that his former little brother was confidently probing, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Rather, he was able to find out that Kazuya and the Domyouji clan might have had some conflicts. He started to consider his next move while listening in on the conversation.

    "¡­ that''s it. His answer was simply that you knew what happened to Ringo far more than he did so I should get my answers from you." Suzaku once again pushed the tip against Kazuya''s back. "Tell me!"

    "I appreciate the information." Kazuya grinned. "I applaud your determination but I loathe your stupidity. Do you think I''m afraid of a little knife? The person you took in despite being discarded already shot me you know?" Kazuya took a step back to push himself against the knife.

    "You¡­!" Suzaku immediately pulled his hand back.

    "This is the Kurogane banquet. What do you think would happen to you if you cause a commotion and stabbed the clan head''s grandson?" Kazuya smirked and glanced at Lee who was once in the same situation.

    "Put the knife away Suzaku." Lee immediately moved to grab Suzaku''s wrist. "I already told you about what happened before. If this knife ends up getting stabbed in him, would anyone believe that he was the one who stepped into getting stabbed?"

    Suzaku frowned. He honestly didn''t believe Lee''s claim that Kazuya had forced him to pull the gun''s trigger. Now that they were in this situation, Suzaku couldn''t deny that Lee had been telling the truth that no one even dared to consider. Kouzuki Kazuya was a crazy person who didn''t fear death.

    "Do you really want to see Muimina Ringo that much?" Kazuya asked as the musical performance came to a close.

    ""!!!"" Even Lee couldn''t help but turn towards Kazuya after the words he spoke had sunk in.

    "Where is she!?" Suzaku glared at Kazuya murderously. His outburst had been mixed in with the cheers and applauses so no one noticed as their eyes were drawn towards Tenma who had begun to move towards the main stage.

    "You make it look as if I was the bad guy." Kazuya shook his head. "Remember, it was the two of you who tried to ruin my peaceful life, right? Don''t tell me that both of you expected me to just let you do whatever you want because you''re from the Kurogane clan?"

    ""¡­"" The two of them couldn''t say anything. What Kazuya said was correct, they were the ones who forced themselves to be recognized by Kazuya. They had brought his retaliation upon themselves.

    "But¡­ I am not an unreasonable person." He sighed. "If you really want to see Muimina Ringo, I will personally see to it that you will see her after the banquet."

    Kazuya didn''t wait for a reply and walked back to his seat. The intermission was now over as Tenma joined the emcee in telling everyone about the changes that they decided in the earlier meeting.

    "Now then, before I continue to discuss the further changes, I have a very important announcement to make." Tenma''s observed everyone as he projected a serious demeanor. Everyone immediately knew that something important was about to be announced. "The member of the clan who had the most contributions had not been mentioned or awarded earlier. Not only did he give our name glory by dominating the competition that I once participated in, he was also the person who came up with the idea that led to the current change our company had gone through."

    Everyone turned subconsciously glanced towards Shishio and Sousuke who were the likely candidates. The elder brother''s bitter expression made it obvious that it wasn''t him while the younger one kept his gaze towards the back of the crowd. Tenma''s description already gave away Kazuya''s identity as everyone gazed at the boy who was nonchalantly enjoying the expensive glass of wine in his hand.

    "Allow me to inform everyone that I will be stepping down as the clan head." Tenma''s declaration made everyone gasp. Though he was already old, everyone had been convinced that the old man still had what it took to lead the clan. This had been evident with the way he had handled the matters of the clan after stepping out once more.

    "My successor will be none other than my grandson, Kurogane Kazuya."

    "Whaa?!" Suzaku dropped his own glass as he turned towards his father who was seated with the rest of the leaders. His father glared at him and gave a serious nod confirming that it was already decided.

    "No way¡­" Lee was in disbelief. He once desired everything Kazuya had as the heir of the Kouzuki Corporation. Kazuya would have led a peaceful life with Kyouko if he hadn''t disturbed them like Kazuya said. If that had been the case, was everything happening now because of him? Lee thought.

    Kazuya was able to attain something the Lee never even dared to dream about. He was once the adopted son of Nagisa and Shishio. Kazuya wasn''t even in the picture. It was only after being forced to rise, did everything change. Before he knew it, everything had already come to this point.

    "Settle down!" Tenma commanded. "I know everyone has their own concerns so I will leave it to the other leaders to explain the details as I will keep things short." Tenma waited for everyone to settle down before speaking again.

    "Though I did announce Kazuya to be the next head, as he is still too young, my youngest son Shishio will be the temporary head as I focus on teaching Kazuya about the responsibilities of being in this seat. Some of you may think that I may be stepping down too early, but I wish to focus on nurturing the person who I think is the most capable person our clan has produced thus far."

    Many of the clan members present were already aware of who Kazuya was. They all paid attention to any news about the main family so many people had already looked through Kazuya''s background. None of them could refute Tenma''s claim because just by Kazuya''s records alone, the young man showed potential that even trumped Kurogane Tenma''s.

    Tenma briefed everyone of the changes that will take place after he had stepped down. Everyone who had been initially shocked had learned that this was not an impulsive decision by the clan head as every concern that they had in their minds were answered as Tenma continued to talk. It had been a while since the person known as the greatest clan head had taken such direct action so any doubts they currently had were put on hold.

    "Now then, I believe it would be appropriate for Kazuya to address everyone." Tenma waved over to Kazuya who already stood from his seat.

    Everyone''s eyes looked over to the newly appointed clan head. Most of the people in the hall regretted not talking to him earlier when they had the chance as they observed Kazuya walking confidently towards the stage. Being the center of attention amongst all the other members of the Kurogane clan had not fazed him and he even projected a commanding aura that they didn''t feel when Kazuya had been minding his own business previously.

    "I didn''t know you would be doing something like this." Kazuya stood beside Tenma. Shishio soon joined them and stood by Kazuya''s side.

    "The fact that you walked forward showing authority under the eyes of the clan members proves my decision to be correct." Tenma looked at Kazuya proudly.

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    "Is this the reason why you made me take such an oath? I already mentioned that I will not be taking the Kurogane name officially when you asked me the first time." Kazuya made his stance clear.

    "I know." Tenma nodded deeply. "You have the Kurogane blood in you and the potential to lead it to better heights once you gain enough knowledge. I will make sure of that." Tenma placed a hand on Kazuya''s shoulder and urged him to address everyone who had been waiting.

    Kazuya closed his eyes for a few seconds and breathed in deeply. He focused his mind and felt his surroundings.

    The moment Kazuya stepped forward to look at the rest of the clan members, an indescribable pressure was felt by everyone including the two behind him. This was the presence of the next head of the Kurogane clan. Tenma held the urge to madly laugh out loud, he felt that he had still underestimated this peculiar grandson of his. Kazuya emanated an aura that even Tenma could feel the urge to fall to the ground.

    "This should be the first time I would address everyone. Many of you, especially the people in the main family know that I am officially known as Kouzuki Kazuya. So allow me to do something for everyone that befits the Kurogane name." Kazuya stepped forward and raised his arm towards the ceiling.

    "Grand Tier Magic: Epicenter!" Immediately after swinging is arm downwards, everyone could feel the intense tremble quickly intensifying beneath their feet.

    "Let the real festivities begin!"

    .

 168 The Banquet II 2.5 in 1

    .

    While the Kurogane banquet was ongoing, a different kind of celebration was going on at the cultural arts center owned by the Aoki group. A charity banquet to help the further research of the education technology that was produced by the cooperation between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies.

    "This is quite an invention." Stockton Jonson, the CEO of Stockton International spoke excitedly after trying out one of the prototypes that were intended for virtual schools to be built on AF country.

    As a person who has travelled all over the world, Jonson wasn''t a stranger to less fortunate countries who are in need of such an invention. The problem was that the actual government of these countries don''t put much effort in these kinds of things due to various other problems in their country.

    "This is merely a sample of what we can do with the invention. The current version is tailored towards the people attending the event so that they can understand better how the device works. Further research is needed for a more accurate programming that would fit the actual needs of the countries that are in need of such devices." Matsumoto Kippei, one of the head researchers explained.

    "After hearing that, I''m convinced that you researchers are really serious about intending to make these to help others." Jonson smiled. He already noticed that the lessons he saw on the machined had been tailored for him to better understand it. Kippei''s explanation convinced him that they indeed intended not to fool people but to develop these kinds of inventions to better suit the people they were intended for.

    "Of course. Most of us that joined the company had been misfits who were once ridiculed by our peers because of how unprofitable our ideas or researches were. It was our boss that listened to every single one of our ideas and risked everything to bring us this far." Kippei continued. "This is one project that the boss came up with so everyone wants to make sure that the boss'' efforts won''t be wasted."

    "I assume you''re talking about the mysterious person behind Kazuno Mei-san." Jonson smiled. Even with his wide network, this was the most information he had gained about the secret person behind Kazuno Tech.

    "Err¡­" Kippei realized his mistake immediately after hearing Jonson and scratched his head awkwardly. He was still under punishment for incurring even the CEO''s wrath.

    "Please don''t use our employees to gather information Jonson-san." As one of the people responsible for the event, Mei appeared wearing an elegant white dress that she wanted to show Kazuya. Him not being here added a little to her displeasure since he was the one who had chosen the specifics for this charity.

    "Pardon me, it was not like I was gathering information. You can call it the curiosity of someone who cannot fathom how the person behind you has managed to rise up out of nowhere and even gain such talented and loyal followers such as yourself." Jonson lightly bowed. "I would very much like to support this endeavor as a collaborator. Meeting the person behind the scenes isn''t asking too much for a potential partner, right?"

    "That is correct¡­ If we were looking for collaboration." Mei took a sip of champagne with a smile. "Unfortunately, we are currently not looking for anyone else to collaborate with the project at the moment. Though we do appreciate all the help we can get with the foundation we set up for endeavors like this one¡ª"

    *RUMBLE* *RUMBLE*

    ""E-earthquake!?"" people looked around to make sure that they weren''t just imagining it.

    "Please calm down everyone." Kyouko stepped up to the podium accompanied by Yumi. "We are currently in one of the safest structures against earthquakes in the city so please don''t panic." She signaled the security personnel to help those who wanted to take shelter in other rooms or under the tables.

    Kyouko''s reminder made Jonson turn towards his own secretary who shook her head after noticing her boss'' glance. There wasn''t any warning about the current earthquake but this one was particularly strong.

    "(Was this¡­ predicted?)" Though he confirmed it with his secretary, Mei and Kyouko who had remained calm despite feeling the tremors made him think that there was something that he didn''t know.

    What Jonson wasn''t aware of was that both Mei and Kyouko were confident because they already had several discussions with Lailah and Natsu who confirmed that every single piece of their clothing had some kind of protection on them. Though a calamity like an earthquake was something that was worth fearing, with their current skills, they were sure that there was nothing that can cause Kazuya to worry about them.

    "Hmm? Is something the matter Jonson-san?" Mei noticed the strange look he gave her.

    "It''s nothing. I was just admiring how lucky we are since the charity event was held here." Jonson immediately made an excuse.

    "Lucky¡­ !?" Mei suddenly had a thought. "Please excuse me Jonson-san, I remembered something I needed to discuss with Kyouko." Mei excused herself without waiting for a reply. "(He''s right¡­ this shouldn''t be a coincidence!)" considering Kazuya''s adamance about the date and venue of their charity event, it would be strange if he didn''t know that something would happen. The issue was, why?

    Just as Mei headed for the podium where Kyouko was. She noticed that there were two people that stared in the same direction with grim looks in their faces. Lailah who was taken to the event and introduced to Natsu''s co-workers stared at the west wall together with her husband. Concentrating her senses, she tried to look at the same direction and suddenly felt something.

    It was faint but there was a surge of mana that came from that direction. It was relatively far away but she hadn''t felt something like this before. Mei couldn''t figure out what exactly was going on so she moved closer to the couple with the intention of asking.

    "Natsu-san, Lailah-san, what is this feeling coming from that direction?" Mei asked in a soft voice.

    "Is there some place we can talk in private?" Natsu followed Mei and was taken to one of the VIP rooms together with Kyouko and Yumi.

    "Did you feel it too Mei?" Kyouko''s question made her feel a little guilty because Mei hadn''t noticed it until she concentrated her senses.

    Kazuya always reminded her to always leave her senses on so that she can perceive any danger but she was upset with him for not attending the event tonight. Kanade sent her a message saying that Kazuya was currently taking a rest in the Aoki group and didn''t want to attend either event.

    "What are the places west from here?" Natsu interrupted and asked the question.

    "West? What''s the matter Natsu-san? What is this strange thing we''re sensing?" Mei couldn''t help but ask.

    "Someone is activated a large-scale magic spell which is normally impossible to be cast by someone alone." Natsu crossed is arms. "Tsuna-san immediately left as soon as he sensed it so I couldn''t ask him anything."

    ""Large-scale spell¡­?"" Kyouko and Mei only knew one other person that might have been the cause but though it was from the same direction, it didn''t match the area where the Aoki group was located.

    "Ah!" Natsu couldn''t help but exclaim after using his phone to pull up a map.

    "What is it? Did you figure it out?" Lailah who was still unfamiliar with the surrounding areas turned to look at the map.

    *gasp!* She immediately understood what her husband thought after seeing the name of the place indicated on the map.

    "What''s wrong Natsu-sa¡ª" Kyouko froze as soon as she saw what had been on the center of the screen.

    [Kurogane Clan Property]

    -

    The H prefecture was located on the north of the country that used to be nothing but small villages surrounded by mountains and dense forests. Though it was viewed as the countryside who didn''t reside in the country, after several decades of development, many powerful families in the country had settled in places that were similar because unlike the capital, there was abundant land where they could own and develop.

    The Kurogane clan held one of the largest properties in H prefecture where they built their family''s foundation. Though the property of the Kurogane-clan prevented anyone from usually entering, that did not stop them from showing off their riches and bragging about how they are one of the few who could own a castle or fortress like property in this day and age.

    Though many members of the family had stayed in the main headquarters of the family, the mansion was excessively large and made up of different buildings that would be considered a luxury than a necessity. This housed the clan''s secrets which very few in the family had access to.

    "I have to say; modern technology is really impressive." Kazuya looked at the current state of the Kurogane clan''s main house, or what was left of it.

    He stood on top of the half collapsed shooting range. It was a distance away from the main house so only half of it had collapsed because of the crater that formed around the ruined property of the Kurogane clan.

    "Looks like I may have overdone it a little bit." He picked up one stone close to the bottom of the unaffected part of the building and placed it inside his ring along with the other he had recovered. "It took a few years to complete this formation but I''m glad to overdo it rather than not have enough."

    He only had a little time to clean up the formation he built around the property so Kazuya didn''t spare any of his mana to move around. Though there was a small chance of anyone discovering what really happened, he didn''t want unnecessary problems caused by any evidence.

    "Phew¡­ this should be the last one¡­" Kazuya stood in front of the main house and kept the last stone after making sure that he had the right amount. "I bet Tsuna-san would scold me if he found out that the mana stones I asked him to collect was used for this."

    A building that could now be called a ruin put a smile on his face. Kazuya sat down to catch his breath in front of the main building admiring how the building had barely survived the spell that would have usually destroyed middle sized castles in Edea.

    Area of effect destruction spells that didn''t affect their own casters only existed in games or fiction so after Kazuya activated his grand spell, he wasted no time to get away. Large scale destruction spells didn''t distinguish between friend or foe unless it was directly controlled by the caster which required effort and concentration. Kazuya didn''t need to waste his effort as he took away the two people that he needed after knocking them unconscious to escape the area.

    "(Damn¡­)" he scanned the crumbling building with his sensing ability and discovered that there were more survivors than he thought. Kazuya raised his arm and pointed a spell towards the western side of the building but immediately stopped as soon as he felt a few presences approaching.

    "Y-young master! Are you alright?" the guards who had been stationed to keep watch against outsiders rushed to the main house with unsteady legs.

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    "I''m fine! Everyone rush towards the western side of the house. I heard voices of survivors there! The eastern side looks unstable so it would be safer to enter through the west side!" Kazuya commanded.

    "Right away!" these people were members of the various branch families. They immediately hurried to find survivors since some of the people inside were in charge of their own branch. All of them thought that it was their chance to have those leaders indebted to them.

    *BOOM* *BOOM*

    "AHH!"

    "It burns!!!"

    "That came a little later than expected." Kazuya grinned as explosions from the ruined kitchen started to cover the ruins in flames.

    "Y-young master! S-should we call for help?" the guard who stayed behind to protect Kazuya trembled as he watched what remained of the guards fell victim to the chain of explosions and falling debris. He was thankful that he had decided to stay beside the clan head''s grandson who could grant him many benefits after everything was over.

    "Are you stupid!? That would give the authorities an excuse to search through the remains of the clan! If they uncover our secrets, even our wealth wouldn''t be able to save us!" Kazuya scolded and felt glad that no one had been allowed to take any communication devices to the banquet. The Kuroganes were a paranoid bunch so even security cameras were deactivated during the event to make sure that even their lips couldn''t be read. They did discuss very sensitive matters and shared it to the rest of the family after all.

    "I apologize for my ignorant suggestion! Should I gather the rest of the guards?"

    "How many are left?"

    "The ones left are the young trainees. We left them with the responsibility of stopping any people who tried to enter." The guard replied.

    "Leave them to protect the gates. It would be over if the authorities get through them. Follow me." Kazuya started walking towards the crumbled walks near the main entrance. "We have to save grandfather and any of the other survivors!"

    "Yes!" he followed immediately but kept a safe distance between the two of them. The guard had resolved himself to run at the first sign of the building completely collapsing.

    The lone guard couldn''t figure out if Kazuya who was known for being the most intelligent young master of the clan was brave or a fool. It was as if he had not concerned himself with the current unstable structure as he kept on moving towards the hall without stopping.

    "Looks like it''s blocked." The guard caught up with Kazuya after much caution and found him standing in front of large debris that covered the large doors leading to the large hall.

    "Young master¡­ this place doesn''t look safe." he worried about himself as he kept hearing crumbling noises every now and then.

    "Then you go back outside and see if there is any way to enter from the east entrance. There shouldn''t be any fires there since there are mostly rooms located in that area." Kazuya didn''t want to be followed by this person so he sent him somewhere else until Kazuya was done.

    "O-okay¡­" after confirming that Kazuya couldn''t have a way to enter the hall, the guard left. He was initially worried to being called a coward by the survivors but after hearing Kazuya''s suggestion, there was a chance for him to be able to get to the survivors first and getting sole credit for his deeds.

    "Every single person in this poisonous clan is garbage¡­" he couldn''t help but curse after the guard had left.

    *BAM!*

    Kazuya released his frustration on the debris blocking his way. Forcing his way through, Kazuya entered the hall that became unrecognizable in just a few moments. The large extravagant hall that was once decorated with expensive ornaments was now filled with dead members of the Kurogane clan and their body parts.

    "H-help¡­" a cry for help below the wall that had collapsed reached Kazuya''s ears.

    "How ironic¡­" Kazuya looked at the woman who stood proudly on the stage earlier in the evening. One arm and both legs were crushed beneath the thick walls. Kurogane Miyabi''s music career was definitely over even if she survived.

    "P-please¡­ I''ll do anything¡­ even if you want me to¡­ do things in bed¡­" she lifted her head and froze. Kazuya gave her a look as if he had been looking at a pile of dung on the street.

    "Tsk!" Kazuya held back the urge to spit at her and clicked his tongue in frustration. "A painless death would be a mercy towards you who ruined the future of many talented artists. None of the people here deserved to have a quick death!"

    "W-we are members of¡­ the same clan¡­" she didn''t dare look at Kazuya directly and used whatever strength she had left to lift her free arm to grab Kazuya''s leg.

    "Fire Wall!" flames burst from the cracked floor to immediately burn the arm trying to reach for his leg. "These flames are insufficient to cleanse this clan of their sins but, they will help in sending you people to a place where such flames may exist. Though, the choice will be up to you."

    "AHHHH!!" Kurogane Miyabi could only scream and watch as her arm got scorched. She couldn''t believe her eyes when she saw Kazuya moving his arms towards the hall''s exits which soon got covered by the same flames that suddenly appeared in front of her.

    "No need to worry, these flames will only burn those dirty rats who try to escape from this hall. Seeing as you''re unable to move from that spot even if you wanted to¡­ Shall I give you a chance?" Kazuya smirked as a knife suddenly appeared on his hand.

    "Y-you damn monster¡­" witnessing what Kazuya had finished doing to Miyabi, Suzaku couldn''t help but comment. He was initially afraid when he was woken by Miyabi''s wails but, after seeing his current condition, he said what he thought without hesitation.

    "Unfortunately, i don''t think i can give you the same chance as her." Kazuya didnt show any expression as he looked down on Suzaku who was impaled on the floor. Metal bars were poking out of different parts of his body. "Besides, I already fulfilled my promise. You will be able to see your beloved Ringo before the night ends." Kazuya turned around as Suzaku''s vision was no longer able to focus on him.

    "I¡­ no¡­ we should have¡­ listened to your¡­ warning¡­" Suzaku''s vision was alreay fading so he turned towards the light caused by the flames. He could no longer see Kazuya who had entered the passage behind the staircase.

    "(I sense a few life sources coming from below¡­) This is where those who survived got away huh¡­"

    Beneath the great hall were the rooms that held the greatest secrets of the Kurogane clan. It had been constructed as a bomb shelter at first but was transformed into several rooms that held the Kurogane clan''s personal storage and servers.

    When Kazuya entered via the secret entrance, though the shelter had been damaged, it served its purpose and withstood the great spell that Kazuya cast upon the Kurogane clan''s property.

    *BAM BAM*

    Loud noises of things being broken were echoing through the halls.

    "Hurry! We don''t have much time! I''m sure that the authorities will use whatever means they can to enter our property! We can''t let them find anything they can use against us here!" Tenma''s voice could be heard as Kazuya gradually approached the main server room.

    "Father¡­ I suggest we use the self-detonation function we built here. No matter how hard it is for them to discover this place, we don''t have enough time to destroy everything." Shishio tried to reason.

    "The explosion will wipe out any survivors who might be trapped! Our losses today have rendered our clan''s numbers to dwindle to almost extinction! We haven''t even seen any sign of Kazuya!"

    "I know what you mean but¡­ if this place is compromised by those trying to go against our clan¡­ there wouldn''t be anything left for us! We would all be imprisoned and our assets frozen! Our company would be devoured by those against us without our lead!" Shishio had chosen to sacrifice the surviving members to keep the secrets of the clan outside the hands of the officials who would likely use the excuse of search and rescue to invade the Kurogane clan''s property.

    "Ugh¡­" as much as Tenma would like to disagree, what Shishio said was correct. What worried him the most was that there had been no sign of Kazuya ever since the calamity fell upon them. An earthquake of this magnitude had appeared without any warning even though their country had the technology to detect and predict most of even the small magnitude of earthquakes.

    "Father!" Shishio continued to urge. Every second counted. Even if they did activate the self destruction sequence, some time would be needed for the effect to completely destroy the equipment so that nothing could be recovered.

    "We have no choi¡ª"

    "AAAAHHHH!"

    "N-nooo STOP!!!!! GAHHHH!!!"

    "Y-you! MONSTEERRR!!"

    Screams coming from the other elders who survived echoed through the rooms of the bomb shelter. Shishio wasted no time and grabbed the axe he retrieved to destroy the machines and raised his guard towards the main server room''s entrance.

    *step step step*

    Sounds of footsteps that were accompanied by a scratching sound came closer to the main server room. It was as if someone had been dragging a blade against the walls. The two leaders couldn''t help but think that someone had infiltrated their clan after taking advantage of the sudden calamity.

    "Ah! So this is where you two were!" Shishio almost jumped at the shadow that appeared at the doorway but stopped in his tracks after hearing the voice. The flickering lights in the hallway revealed the familiar silhouette that was definitely not of the adults that came down with them whilst trying to escape the building''s collapse.

    ""Kazuya!?"" both of them were relieved to see that he had made it.

    Tenma who was especially hesitant about activating the self-destruct sequence gave a nod towards to his youngest son. Though he was worried about the fate of Sousuke, with Kazuya''s survival, the clan''s next generation was all but secured.

    "!" Shishio who was about to turn his back immediately froze after his son had entered the light of the room.

    The boy who entered the room was still wearing the suit he had donned earlier. The only difference was, the white shirt underneath the black boat was dyed red and had been dripping red liquid as he moved. On his left hand was a combat knife that was dripping blood as well.

    "Hmm? What''s the matter father?" Kazuya tilted his head as if he had been confused.

    "Whose blood is that?" Shishio gripped the axe in his hand.

    "Oh this? Let me think¡­" Kazuya crossed his arms and acted innocently. "The first one should be from cousin Miyabi. She was trapped under debris. Fire has been spreading from the gas leaks caused by the earthquake so I had to cut the limbs that were trapped to give her a chance of surviving." He smiled at Shishio.

    "What about the o-others¡­" Shishio felt as if he had been looking at a stranger. He felt that this son of his was suddenly a stranger, a very dangerous stranger.

    "The rest are from the people who were trying to destroy the clan''s servers." He shrugged. "I don''t know why they were trying to do that but, I can''t just let them destroy the efforts the clan has accumulated over the years now, can I?" Kazuya smiled.

    "That was my order." Tenma interrupted. Though he felt the same way as Shishio, he believed that there was no way that Kazuya would do anything to them. His explanation earlier made sense because this was indeed the perfect time for any traitors to appear. "It cannot be helped but we have to destroy these servers to prevent the remaining survivors of the clan to end up in prison." Tenma explained.

    "You''re wrong Kurogane Tenma." Kazuya called him by name. "The Kurogane clan, or I should say the roots of the Kurogane clan will not survive past this night." Kazuya disappeared in front of their eyes.

    *STAB* *STAB*

    "UGHHH!" Shishio fell on his knees. He was stabbed above his knees on both legs before he was kicked aside.

    *CRASH!*

    "You¡­" Tenma couldn''t believe his eyes. "Why!?"

    "Looks like you don''t recognize this knife." Kazuya turned to Shishio. "So that''s why only you kept your guard up." He scoffed.

    "What is he talking about Shishio?"

    "That knife¡­ is part of the special set that was given to Shiriharu Kira." Shishio tried to get back up with the help of is internal energy but there was no use. Trying to stand only caused his wound to widen and bleed further.

    "I''ve given the Kurogane clan plenty of chances but it looks like that I was still being na?ve." Kazuya shook his head. "No matter how much a snake sheds its skin, it is still a snake in the end. The moment you two decided to plot against the people I cared for, tonight''s events had been inevitable." Kazuya waved both arms towards Tenma.

    "Guhh!!" two knives were embedded themselves on Tenma''s legs. They were the same spot as Shishio''s wounds as Kazuya didn''t want Tenma to have the mobility to escape. With Tenma''s personality, there should be a secret passage that he could possibly escape to that no one else knew about.

    Kazuya walked towards Tenma as two new knives appeared on his hand. He threw them towards the old man who immediately raised his arms to defend.

    "KAZUYAAAAA!!" Shishio snapped as he saw his father''s arms in the same state as their legs. He gripped the axe he left on the ground and mustered all his strength before throwing it towards his son.

    "Annoying." Two spikes sprouted from the concrete floor and impaled Shishio''s arms. The earth spikes pinned his arms towards the machines behind him. "Stay put Kurogane Shishio. I will deal with you after I take care of the clan head."

    Both men couldn''t believe what they were seeing. Not only did Kazuya seem to be responsible for the feat that they thought only Tsuna was capable of, he even caught the axe that had been thrown towards him by the blade with one hand.

    "L-let me go!" Tenma was dragged towards where Shishio had been impaled.

    "Shut up!" Kazuya used a small knife to stab several parts of Tenma''s body before letting him go. "As much as I would like to make you both feel the consequences for going against me, I do not have a lot of time. So I am going to have to improvise to deal with both of you at the same time."

    He raised his arm and concentrated mana towards his ring. A metal barrel appeared out of nowhere which took the two anxious men by surprise. Kazuya''s methods had been nothing but ruthless so they were afraid of what the drum contained.

    "Those abilities¡­" Tenma couldn''t help but be reminded of his grandson''s godfather. The only man that had made the prideful Kurogane Tenma feel fear. "Don''t tell me that you were the one who caused the earthquake!?"

    "Oh? It seems like you aren''t as stupid as I thought you were." Kazuya tore open the metal barrel''s top. "You''re correct. I was indeed the one who caused it." He turned to Tenma before lifting the old man.

    "Did you agree to join the Kurogane clan just to take it down from the inside?" the light in Tenma''s eyes had faded. He had accepted his fate and just wanted to get answers. His grandson had revealed his killing intent from the moment he struck Shishio and he of all people understood that this grandson of his had taken even more lives than he did.

    "No¡­ I wanted to cast away all doubts for my future plans. It was an experiment as well as a learning experience. If a single existence such as myself was enough to change the way you rotten pieces of filth''s principles without the use of fear." Kazuya shook his head and showed Tenma what had been inside the barrel.

    "I am thankful. Now any doubts caused by my former self has all been washed away." Kazuya gave a chilling smile that made the two grown men shudder in fear.

    No longer wondering at how effortless Kazuya made it seem to lift a grown man such as Tenma. The clan head had surrendered himself to his fate. Though he was full of regrets, it was already too late as he was dumped on the metal drum filled with strange liquid. Only his head and arms that ad been spread to the side of the barrel hadn''t been submerged.

    "Ghhh! What is this liquid?!" immediately feeling an itching sensation spreading throughout his body, Tenma struggled to lift himself out of the barrel.

    Kazuya already removed the knives that were stabbed in Tenma''s limbs so the blood loss combined with the damage he dealt wouldn''t let Tenma muster any strength even with the help of what little internal energy he could muster.

    "A special type of corrosive acid that I personally made. I made non-fatal holes on your body earlier so you can savor the feeling." Kazuya grinned. "Please enjoy the feeling of being dissolved inside and out." Kazuya gave a chop towards Tenma''s throat to prevent him from screaming.

    "So Kyouko has been raising a monster that even I couldn''t fathom¡­" tears couldn''t help but fall from the prideful Shishio''s eyes after seeing the fate that his father had been put under.

    *BAM*

    Kazuya mercilessly kicked Shishio''s face after hearing his remark.

    "Are the Kuroganes all delusional and paranoid? My mother tried everything to shelter me from all the evil this world has to offer." The combat knife he used earlier appeared on Kazuya''s hand once more. He put the blade''s edge against one of Shishio''s thumb and slowly started to cut.

    "YOU!!!!! DON''T FORGET! YOU''VE BROKEN YOUR OATH!" Shishio struggled but there was no way he could free himself. He screamed at the boy who seemed to be enjoying himself but that only made Kazuya''s grin grow wider.

    "You people only remember such details when it suits you." Kazuya scoffed as he picked up the discarded thumb.

    "YOU''VE LOST YOUR RIGHT TO RETURN TO YOUR OWN FAMILY!" Shishio continued screaming as the knife''s blade rested on the next finger.

    "Did the pain make you retarded?" Kazuya shook his head. "The Kurogane clan has been living freely because of the insufficient evidences to prove anything. Who would be able to prove that everything that happened here was caused by a mere middle school student?" Kazuya grinned.

    "You''ve seem to have forgotten what you and your father have been forcing down my throat for the past few years. Let me remind the both of you." Kazuya glanced at Tenma who was still struggling in the now blood colored liquid.

    "Half of my blood belongs to the Kurogane clan, right?" a gaze filled with contempt met with Shishio''s fear stricken face. "Feel and savor two lifetimes worth of my wrath! This is for me and the people care about that have suffered under your clan''s actions!"

    "I will wash away this accursed identity with your blood."

    .

 169 Branches United

    .

    A shadow that appeared to some carrying something stood atop a building a little ways from the burning and crumbling structures that used to make up the Kurogane residence. Another figure appeared on the same rooftop without warning and approached.

    "I knew it¡­ this was your handiwork." Tsuna sighed as he looked at the obvious culprit who had been carrying an unconscious person.

    "I hoped that you wouldn''t be curious even if you sensed the mana fluctuations Tsuna-san." Kazuya turned to face Tsuna wearing his usual poker face. "Am I going to get lectured? If so, can we save it for after I deal with the garbage I''m carrying?"

    Tsuna was a little surprise. Though he already knew that Kazuya held no guilt towards what he had just done to the Kurogane clan, he was curious as to what was to be done to the unconscious man that Kazuya was carrying.

    "Are you going to kill him?" he tried to get an idea on what his godson was up to.

    "No" Kazuya shook his head. "Death is too easy for this snake."

    "Just what are you up to¡­" knowing Kazuya''s attitude, Tsuna gave up trying to think about it and asked him directly.

    "We can talk on the way." Kazuya took one last look at the scene before leaping quietly into the night.

    -

    A few days passed and the news of the Kurogane clan''s tragedy left even their enemies shocked at the sudden event. The banquet that was secretive and extravagant at the same time turned out to be the last celebration the Kurogane clan would ever hold.

    "[The Kouzuki clan saw this calamity as an opportunity to get rid of my Kurogane clan! Kouzuki Kazuya! You will not get away with this!]"

    This was the official statement of the only known survivor who attended the banquet; Sousuke. He was found unconscious near the building where he was lucky enough to escape the fate of everyone else. He launched this campaign as soon as he heard that Kouzuki Kazuya was not among the list of casualties and had been acting as if nothing had happened.

    Sousuke even gathered the support of those who were left in the branch families. These were the members that were fortunate enough to not have enough power to be invited to the illustrious banquet. They were promised to succeed various high positions once Sousuke had taken over as the clan head.

    Though he was saddened about what happened to the members of the Kurogane clan, Sousuke saw this as an opportunity to get the position that he would never have gotten if such a tragedy ever occurred. With both his brother and father gone, no one would dare look down on him, even if it was that arrogant nephew of his who had caused him to suffer so much recently.

    Of course, with all the accusations towards the Kouzuki clan, their immediate response was that they or any member of the clan had anything to do with the tragedy that befell the Kurogane clan. They had remained silent over Sousuke''s aggressive cry for justice and stated that they will work with the authorities if ever they indeed have any need for their cooperation.

    Being well aware that Kazuya had attended the Kurogane banquet, the Kouzuki clan''s insistence that he did not attend their banquet only prompted to agitate Sousuke to be even more aggressive with his claims. He even made the guards that have been left in the perimeter that night to state that they indeed saw Kazuya attend the Kurogane banquet.

    To make things worse, many members of the branch families that were scattered all over the country went over to the Kouzuki corporation''s headquarters and began to protest in front of the building. They screamed for the Kouzuki clan to admit to those crimes and have Kazuya explain himself.

    Of course, this claim was not completely unfounded. Traces of C4 were found when the authorities investigated the scene. Some that were left unexploded were found attached to pillars of the building that had been ruined by the earthquake. This of course, left people convinced that even if the earthquake had not occurred, the Kurogane clan would still have suffered a tragedy.

    "[Their refusal to face the accusations just makes their guilt clearer]"

    Sousuke who had gained the support of all the branch members stated in an interview. He declared that he wouldn''t stop what he had been doing until Kazuya and the Kouzuki clan pay for what happened to his clan.

    Though the Kouzuki corporation was not affected at first, Sousuke''s efforts and their own silence over the matter had started to affect their business. Many clients who visited their headquarters would be harassed by the protesters and even those who they collaborated with were starting to get troubled.

    "What an annoying fly¡­" Kazuya sighed as he kept himself updated of the progress. "I guess it should be about time¡­"

    With no signs of this scandal dying down, the press conference that Kazuno Tech had announced with the Kouzuki Corporation was swarmed with different kinds of reporters who had various intentions. Though it was supposed to have been a conference about their latest innovations, they didn''t stop all those reporters who had nothing to do with what they intended to discuss attend the event.

    Sure enough, these reporters weren''t disappointed as soon as they saw Kouzuki Kyouko arriving with Kazuno Mei and taking their seats together. Many of them were incited by Sousuke to keep pushing the conference towards the topic of the Kurogane clan.

    "I request everyone to please keep quiet"

    To everyone''s surprise, the person who was going to be leading the conference was the younger sister of Kazuno Mei who was wearing her trademark traditional kimono. Kazuno Kaguya was one of the main endorsers of Kazuno tech so it wasn''t much of a surprise that she was here. Those who were with bad intentions hid their grins and thought that it would be interesting to see how this girl was going to handle their relentlessness.

    Kaguya looked around the crowd of reporters and cameras pointed at her and quickly identified the multiple reporters that had come with bad intentions.

    "Though this is supposed to be a press conference that would announce the recent developments of the collaboration between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies, I would be blind to see that majority of the people that came here had come with other intentions."

    Many reporters tried to avoid the piercing gaze she gave them.

    "So to start off this press conference that will unavoidably stray off it''s original purpose, let me lighten the mood a little." Kaguya took two magazines and showed it to everyone. She was in the cover holding on to the recent releases of the two companies. "This is the result of the photoshoot that had taken place on the same day of the Kurogane tragedy. This lasted till 2:48am because the famous photographer, Mutou Hei, had his flight delayed."

    Kaguya pointed towards the large monitor above them which showed various security footages from the Aoki group''s studios. Each one had their timestamps.

    "I bet everyone is wondering why I''m showing this?" Kaguya smiled. "This is a move I prepared in advance to avoid future accusations because of my allegiance. Baseless yet aggressive accusations without evidence can only go so far so I''m making sure that such stupidity won''t be directed my way."

    "Pffft!"

    "Hahaha!"

    "Good one!"

    Many reporters tried to hold their laughter. Kazuno Kaguya rarely appeared in public so her making a joke that was also a jab at Kurogane Sosuke''s lack of evidence caught them off guard. Only those who were on Sousuke''s camp did not like the sudden change in the room''s mood.

    "Is everyone convinced of my innocence?" she gave an innocent smile and watched almost all of the reporters nod their heads.

    "Are you treating the tragedy that has befallen the Kurogane clan as a joke, Kazuno Kaguya-san?" one of the reporters decided to fire back.

    "You seem to be confused reporter-san." Kaguya turned to one who interrupted. "Though many people call the tragedy as ''karma'', I am not making a joke out of it. The joke I''m making is directed to the idiotic claims of one person who stands to gain most of this so-called tragedy. Have you ever asked yourselves the question; Why is this person being this aggressive when he can just use the courts, laws or any official channel our country has to offer to settle matters?"

    The reporter''s face immediately darkened. He did not expect such a counterattack. All those who were listening also began to ponder in silence. They couldn''t help but be impressed by the mysterious Kaguya whose voice had only been heard when she was delivering her lines on television.

    "Are you saying that Kouzuki Kazuya has nothing to gain from this? Aren''t you misleading the people here?" one of the reporters stood up as backup.

    "When did I say that? I merely asked the question of ''who has more to gain?'' Kouzuki Kazuya is the illegitimate son of Kurogane Shishio. He is only entitled to inherit his father''s assets while Kurogane Sousuke is the eldest son of Kurogane Tenma who is the head of the Kurogane clan. So what do you think the cause of this aggressiveness against the Kouzuki clan is? Justice? Please tell such jokes to all those who suffered injustice against such an oppressive clan."

    "Aren''t you merely speculating? Like you had said before, isn''t evidence needed for such claims?" the reporter didn''t back down and tried to apply pressure.

    "Evidence? Of course I have it! Since you people have brought it up then I guess we can save the main topic for this conference for later." Kaguya smiled and turned towards the screen.

    "[I swear in the name of the Kouzuki clan that I will not make any moves or create any troubles against the Kurogane clan as long as they end their feud with the Kouzuki clan and halt all hostilities.]"

    A video of Kouzuki Kazuya played which made all of the reporters slightly confused. The timestamp on the video indicated that it had been taken months before the Kurogane tragedy.

    "This video was taken as a prerequisite for Kurogane Tenma''s will." Kaguya looked back at the now stunned reporter. "Don''t take my word for it thought, allow these people to verify it." Gesturing towards the doors below the platform, a group of lawyers who were famous for shady groups such as the Kurogane conglomerate entered.

    The man leading the bunch ignored the ruckus the reporters were making and politely took the mic that Kaguya held out.

    "I am Kirishima Hayato, the one who handles most of the sensitive issues that Kurogane Tenma-sama entrusts me with. I am here to verify what Kazuno Kaguya has just declared. The video shared to everyone just moments ago was indeed part of the requirements that Tenma-sama had Kouzuki Kazuya-sama record in our offices."

    "And why was such a video recorded?" Kaguya ignored the reporters and continued.

    "Because Kurogane Tenma-sama decided to hand over his position to Kouzuki Kazuya-sama after much deliberation. These were measures he believed were necessary in Kazuya-sama''s succession." Kirishima answered without hesitation. "To denounce any type of claim Kurogane Sousuke-sama might make in the authenticity of this claim, Kouzuki Kyouko-sama, who is Kazuya-sama''s legal guardian has given us permission to share the footages taken when Tenma-sama had signed his new will as well as copies of it. We will not allow anyone to besmirch our reputation with baseless accusations fueled by greed."

    """WHAT!??"""

    There was nothing but shock in surprise in the faces of the reporters. Kurogane Tenma actually intended for Kouzuki Kazuya to succeed him? Then all this time, Kurogane Sousuke was pinning the blame on Kazuya because the boy had been designated to inherit all the Kurogane clan had?

    "Is this evidence sufficient to satisfy you reporter-san?" Kaguya didn''t miss the chance to ask the pushy reporter.

    "Then does the Kurogane Conglomerate belong to Kouzuki Kazuya now?" one of the neutral reporters decided to raise a question towards Kirishima.

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    "Yes. It has already been finalized. Kazuya-sama decided to remain quiet all this time and worked with several individuals to make sure that every single issue hurled at him and the Kouzuki-clan would be given a response that will be enough to satisfy everyone." Kirishima confidently declared. "I have worked with many individuals and as Tenma-sama''s trusted confidant, I experienced firsthand why he made such a decision. It is too bad that he will not be present to see just how far Kazuya-sama will grow." He added.

    The reporters couldn''t help but buzz at the sudden information that was given to them. Many of them started to call their superiors as this news was certainly to make the headlines. The Kouzuki clan had come prepared!

    The people that were hired by Sousuke started to panic. The conversations their peers were having pretty much almost determined that Kurogane Sousuke''s aggressiveness was just a desperate struggle to defame the rightful heir his father had chosen.

    "What about the explosives found at the scene? Though there was an earthquake that occurred that night, it was already revealed that because of the unexpected event, some of them weren''t activated!" one of the nervous reporters grasped at straws and decided to bring this point up.

    "I will direct the issue of evidence once more. Do you have any evidence of your claims?" Kaguya showed a hint of disdain which caught some of the people that had been paying attention to her off guard.

    "I am just a reporter that is asking questions. Why do I need to have evidence just to ask a question." The reporter replied rudely after receiving the look Kaguya had given him.

    "Why are you asking such questions to someone who is supposed to be handling a press conference about the announcement of their new products?" Kaguya shot back. "Though we have shown courtesy and answered questions that have nothing to do with this press conference, please don''t push your luck with questions better left for the authorities."

    "Are you trying to dodge the question?" the aggressive reporter didn''t give up.

    "Not at all but¡­" Kaguya squinted her eyes and viewed identification the reporter was wearing. "Will the ''monthly video'' publication you are working under release such topics?"

    Everyone turned to the aggressive reporter''s chest and confirmed that he did indeed attend this press conference under such a publication. It didn''t take many of them to understand that there were indeed individuals who had come to stir up trouble. Many of the previous aggressors received some attention as there were dubious problems with their credentials and their questions.

    "I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say that the question you''ve struggled to grasp was out of curiosity. I believe someone else would be more qualified to answer this question of yours."

    Kaguya once again gestured towards the side and welcomed another person.

    .

 170 Shackles Off

    .

    Kazuno Kaguya may not have as many fans as the more famous Kuronuma Ayame but the always mysterious kimono wearing minor celebrity had a lot of dedicated fans. These fans were going crazy after hearing and tuning into the press conference that was supposed to be about what the collaboration between the Kouzuki corporation and Kazuno Technologies were working on next.

    Anri, who was the person that volunteered to handle the matter of anything related to Kazuno Kaguya had delegated the job recently to Matsumoto Kippei''s research team on top of everything they had already been working on. This was because of his previous mishaps in mishandling the tasks assigned to him by Kazuya when it came to his homeroom teacher.

    At Kazuno Tech''s headquarters, everyone had been glued to the current state of the press conference. Everyone had been mesmerized by Kazuno Kaguya''s unseen side which they had never seen before.

    "The fans of the young miss are going crazy!" Kippei laughed as he too shared majority of the reactions of Kaguya''s loyal fanbase.

    They were all speculating that the rumor about the engagement between Kazuya and Kaguya had been a done deal. They were speculating that those who supported Kurogane Sousuke had incurred the wrath of their kimono princess who was now defending the honor of her future husband.

    Though many of the fans weren''t satisfied with Kazuya, all of them couldn''t deny that he was one of the most perfect candidates if they ever choose a partner for their beloved Kaguya. Those who still didn''t agree would have been those who refused to look into Kazuya or were just in denial.

    "Kaguya-sama sure is fierce¡­." One of kippei''s assistants commented after they watched Kaguya shut down those who tried to support Kurogane Sousuke.

    "Whose sister do you think she is?" Kippei laughed out loud. He was satisfied about the current tone the conference was going. Many employees of both Kazuno Tech and Kouzuki Corp. had been pretty dissatisfied how the Kouzuki clan had been ignoring everything that was being thrown at them. It was only after hearing the explanations that they understood why the clan had taken such a stance against Kurogane Sousuke.

    "Hopefully, after the press conference, that Kurogane Sousuke would shut his filthy mouth." One of the researchers added.

    "That will depend on how this conference progresses." Kippei crossed his arms. "With how things are going, I believe that they had prepared for such an event to occur. If all concerns are dealt with, I think that Kurogane Sousuke''s whole propaganda will be turned against him."

    They continued to keep their eyes on the screen as Kaguya welcomed another guest.

    .

    "Allow me to introduce one of the main detectives that have been working with us to reveal the truth to everyone." Kazuno Kaguya turned everyone''s attention to the beautiful young woman who walked up the stage.

    "Greetings everyone, I am Sanada Yuriko, one of the detectives in charge on various investigations against the Kurogane Clan." Yuriko gave a polite introduction.

    Frankly, many of the reporters were already aware of her identity. She had been one of the frontrunners who had been brave enough to go against the Kurogane clan. It had been a task that no one dared to take but she showed no hesitation in showing her passion and dedication in going up against one of the most powerful clans.

    "Detective Yuriko, I believe you can now share with everyone about the current progress of the investigation, right?" Kaguya inquired with confidence.

    "That is correct. Upon the discovery of the tragedy that befell the Kurogane Clan, both the efforts of law enforcement officers as well as search and rescue operations were initially hindered by guards that were tasked to guard the Kurogane estate. It was only until Kurogane Sousuke had been discovered to have survived were medical personnel were able to enter the premises together with the rescue team who wasted no effort in searching for survivors."

    "That''s strange¡­" Kaguya paused. "With what happened, why would they try and hinder people who are there to help?"

    "As the person who had the most authority at the scene, Kurogane Sousuke allowed officials into the premises under the condition that we must not take anything without his authority. My team was especially barred from entering the premises." Yuriko continued. "He claimed that we might ''plant evidence'' that will be detrimental to his clan''s reputation.

    "So what happened afterwards?"

    "One of the rescuers who surveyed the surroundings discovered the dead body of a person that was identified to be one of the guards. His death had nothing to do with the calamity as he had died from multiple stab wounds. The discovery turned the incident towards a different kind of investigation."

    "M-murder?" Kaguya looked to have been surprised.

    "Yes. It was only afterwards that we were able to find traces of explosives placed on several parts of the estate. Our findings concluded that some of the explosives that were leftover were not detonated because of the sudden collapse of the building due to the earthquake."

    "Yes. I believe that was announced in one of the initial findings. Can you tell us what else you have discovered?"

    "We found a shelter that had been built underground the estate but Kurogane Sousuke was very adamant about no one touching that place. Luckily, he had no authority over the matter as Kouzuki Kazuya was the person with real authority over the matter and granted us with full cooperation over the matter regarding the Kurogane estate."

    "What was Kurogane Sousuke''s response to the matter?"

    "After Kirishima Hayato-san had denied him any power over the Kurogane clan''s properties and finances, Kurogane Sousuke took a more aggressive stance in declaring Kouzuki Kazuya as the culprit. He made various reports about his claims that Kouzuki Kazuya had attended the banquet that night even though the clan had turned their visual surveillance systems on the days of the banquet."

    "I see¡­" Kaguya looked at the stunned reporters. "Things are finally making sense¡­ Did you find anything in the facility under the Kurogane estate?"

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    "It wasn''t really a secret that the Kurogane clan had built their own systems and servers and had them located in their properties. Most of the facilities underneath were servers and records of everything the Kurogane clan had kept. With it, most of the answers me and my team had been looking for had been found."

    "Could you elaborate on that detective Sanada?"

    "Transactions, records, evidence towards all of the cases currently against the Kurogane clan''s members. Due to the cooperation between us and the Kouzuki clan, they have suffered as we conducted a thorough investigation against the clan and their evil deeds. I am here today to help clear up everything as well as publicly express the gratitude of the police force towards the Kouzuki clan for their full cooperation towards this matter." Yuriko turned towards Kyouko and gave a polite bow.

    "All of the cases against them? Like the crime against the Shiroyuki family?"

    "That is correct. Not only have we uncovered the traces of how the money had moved, we were also able to discover the place the escaped convict had been living in. It was one of the Kurogane clan''s secret properties."

    "W-were you able to catch that scary person?" Kaguya stuttered and showed a hint of fear.

    "Unfortunately, he was not there when we raided the complex. We did discover something interesting in the process, an accomplice that was also suspected to be responsible for placing the explosives on the Kurogane estate."

    "Can you divulge that person''s identity? Is that person really responsible for those explosives?"

    "The name of the person is Hashiyama Lee. He was discovered sleeping in the killer''s room while his room had leftover explosives and equipment that we have confirmed to be from the same source as the ones we''ve found at the Kurogane Residence. Various other evidences that confirm his guilt were a set of knives that the killer used with DNA of various members of the Kurogane clan and suspect Lee''s fingerprints all over them."

    "By Hashiyama Lee, you mean¡­" Kaguya''s words trailed off.

    "Yes. The same Hashiyama Lee who was responsible for shooting Kouzuki Kazuya when they were still very young." Yuriko turned to look at the reporters who were either typing or writing down the information she just divulged. "He is currently in our custody and we will be releasing a more detailed report about our findings at a later date. I believe that this should help clear up the issues that have been raised against the Kouzuki clan."

    "NO! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT!"

    Kurogane Sousuke showed himself with an expression that was full of rage.

    "Kurogane Sousuke¡­ So you decided to show up here." Yuriko''s eyes narrowed and looked at him as if she had found her prey. "I suppose the team going to your residence to find you have wasted a trip. I will have to arrest you myself." Yuriko took out a pair of handcuffs.

    "THIS IS A COVERUP! You haven''t even confirmed Kouzuki Kazuya''s alibi and you dare declare that you have conducted a thorough investigation!?" Sousuke who was already driven to a corner held on to the last thread of truth he held.

    "Kouzuki Kazuya''s alibi? Wasn''t that already addressed at the beginning of this press conference?" a sudden interruption from Kaguya made Yuriko who almost pounced on Sousuke turn her attention back towards the so-called fianc¨¦ of Kazuya.

    "LIES!! Don''t think I only arrived here! I have been listening from the start and the only thing you showed at the beginning was of yourself!" Sousuke started to build up confidence because he knew that Kazuya wouldn''t be able to produce any concrete alibi.

    "I had hoped that it wouldn''t have come to this¡­. But, I did come here with the intention of clearing every single point you''ve tried to raise against us." Kaguya glanced at Sousuke before turning towards the cameras.

    "I would first like to apologize to every single fan that has supported me. I just hope that you would all understand that this was the only method I can think of to protect those who are dear to me." Kaguya pulled the ornament that held up her hair before giving a sincere bow that made everyone confused.

    "Are you trying to stray everyone from the topic?! Who would care about the fans a meager extra like you has!?" Sousuke mocked Kaguya who still maintained her bowing position.

    "We don''t expect you to understand."

    "True. Unlike the Kurogane family, we do not take pleasure and satisfaction when we mislead people."

    Kyouko and Mei who had been silently observing from the start of the press conference stood on both sides of the bowing Kaguya. The bowing girl moved both of her hands and put it in front of her face.

    Sousuke grinned after assuming that he had made the arrogant emcee cry. He, along with the reporters soon realized that their assumptions were wrong as the bowing girl''s movements indicated that she had been removing something from her face that they weren''t able to see at the moment.

    "What the hell are you doing!? Don''t you think that this spectacle is going to make me stop asking abo¡ª"

    "The inquiry you''re holding onto as your final hope has already been addressed from the very beginning." A male voice from the bowing girl''s direction made everyone glance around the stage looking for its source. "Kurogane Kazuya''s alibi had already been proven"

    Kazuno Kaguya slowly raised her head. As soon as the long hair covering her face had been pulled back, everyone''s eyes were glued to the face that matched the voice that Sousuke would never mistake for someone else.

    "Kouzuki K-kazuya!" Sousuke shouted in shock. There was no way that he would forget the confident smug of the brat that hindered him ever since he came to light.

    "That''s right, ''uncle''. Kazuno Kaguya is none other than Kurogane Kazuya." He dropped the feminine act and stood proudly in front of them. "The alibi you had been desperately looking for and the reason for my refusal to address it should be self-explanatory."

    "N-no¡­! You''ve planned all of tHIs YOU BASTA¡ª oof!"

    Yuriko threw him to the ground and placed the handcuffs before Sousuke could fire off his insults.

    "Though Kurogane Tenma had named me his heir and successor, it never had anything to do with affections or any kind of familial feelings. All he saw in me was my intelligence and potential as well as my position as the only heir to the Kouzuki family¡­" Kazuya faced everyone and began to explain his relationship with the Kurogane family.

    He had given a similar version of it when he became collaborators with Yuriko but this time, the reason for Kazuno Kaguya''s existence was included. Many who heard about his tragic story couldn''t help but shed tears, this included fans who were initially angry after finding out that Kazuno Kaguya turned out to be a boy.

    "I decided to follow the Kurogane clan''s plans for me with the initial hope of taking it down from the inside. After I had discovered the scheme they hatched that led to the injuries of my friend, Shiroyuki Tomoyo, I sought the help of detective Sanada."

    Kazuya declared this as keeping it a secret didn''t matter much at this point. With how he had already described his relationship with the Kuroganes, he had a clear motive of bringing them down from the inside.

    "Tomoyo, had been schemed against because of the rumor that she and I had been betrothed since birth. If a rumor was all it took for them to decide the fate of a person that I cared about, what would become of the others that I would meet that they didn''t approve of?"

    Though there were many who werent aware, those in the business circle certainly knew why the Kurogane clan had acted with such a response. It was because the rumor had originated when Kouzuki Kazuya had rejected the princess of Stockton International''s proposal for marriage!

    ''How can the Kurogane Tenma let go of such a delicious piece of cake?'' Those who understood the underlying implication of the Kurogane clan''s involvement against the little girl who almost died couldn''t stop their thoughts and hands from writing such a juicy piece of information.

    It was only until Kazuya began speaking again that they once again fell silent.

    "There is one last claim that Kurogane Sousuke made that I need to address, it is the fact that I still stand to gain as Kurogane Tenma''s successor. I have already made arrangements with the help of Kirishima-san but for the most part, all of the Kurogane clan''s assets will be liquidated. No money will be kept by me, this I swear on the Kouzuki clan''s name."

    ""!!!""

    There were many that thought that he was crazy. Though the Kurogane clan had recently declined, their assets were still considered one of the top in the country. No one had doubted him because of his declaration under the Kouzuki clan''s name.

    "I never wanted to be involved with the clan that abandoned me and hurt my mother. I would be lying if I said that I felt sorry for what happened to them. I sought the cooperation of detective Sanada to take the clan down one day. I never would have expected the heavens to punish the scourge that made many people suffer."

    "Kazuya¡­" Yuriko smiled. She was happy, she felt happy for Kazuya who was finally able to give a genuine smile.

    "I am finally¡­ free¡­"

    -

 171 Coming Clean 2 in 1

    .

    With the joint conference between the Kouzuki Corporation and Kazuno Technologies turning out the way it did, there wasn''t anything that they could do but end it without their initial purpose. Seeing the reporter''s faces, there was no way that any of their announcements will be featurednor will the public remember it after the fiasco that just happened.

    As the live broadcast of the press conference, gained traction on the internet, the employees of Kazuno Tech themselves were still shocked even after the broadcast had ended. People who met and conversed with Kaguya were still dazed as they couldn''t believe what they had just seen and heard.

    "Where''s Natsuhiko?!" Kippei immediately shouted as he had been the first to snap out of the shock. He remembered that this new colleague of his mention that he was staying with the Kouzuki clan. There was no better person to ask for any information about this and many of the other researchers looked around to try and find him to get some answers as well.

    "Natsuhiko-san was¡­" Kipper''s assistant spoke with a low voice and was immediately startled when everyone''s attention turned towards him. "he was assigned by the CEO to lead the people bringing her stuff over back to the Kouzuki clan''s residence¡­"

    "Ugh¡­ " Kippei couldn''t help but sigh. There was no way he could gain any answers now. "I need a drink but¡­ I still have too much work to do¡­" he stared at the amount of paperwork that was on his desk and sighed. He had been too engrossed with what happened at the conference that he ended up using the time he had thought of for resting.

    .

    At the magic training area under Kazuya''s lab, the main character of today''s press conference sat on his knees as the adults surrounded him. Though Kyouko and Mei had kept their composure at the earlier event, many of what Kazuya had revealed earlier were unknown to them.

    Tsuna, Kyouko, Lailah, Mei, Yumi, and Kou all looked at Kazuya after having a meeting themselves while insulated inside a sound barrier. They were not oblivious to how Kazuya had thought. Except of the recent addition to the group who had been aware of their secrets, they had spent a lot of time with Kazuya and were more or less aware of how his personality worked.

    "Kazuya" Kyouko had been the first to speak. "Did you have anything to do with what happened to the Kurogane clan?"

    Kazuya immediately turned towards Tsuna. The old man only responded with silent lips that moved to say that he barely said anything in their discussion.

    "I did." He replied without an ounce of guilt or remorse in his expression.

    Mei and Kyouko didn''t miss the glance that he gave towards Tsuna and realized that the old man had been aware of something. They respected this man, especially Kyouko but that didn''t stop them from glaring towards the former hero who immediately felt pressured under the two''s glares.

    "Tsuna-san! Did you help him with this!?" Kyouko didn''t hide her anger.

    "I did not." Tsuna raised his hands in defeat as he shook his head. "I attended the charity event because Kazuya here asked me to keep you both safe. I only left the scene because I felt a strong surge of energy towards a certain direction which led me to the Kurogane clan''s base."

    "Ah¡­ I see¡­ so what gave it away was the concealment formation unable to withstand the force leaking out." Kazuya crossed his arms and reflected upon this revelation.

    "Kazuya!" Kyouko, who never scolded Kazuya seriously before shouted. She was really mad this time and Kazuya was startled by this. "Do you know what you''ve done!?"

    "Mom¡­" Kazuya met with her gaze. He gave a wry smile and figured that there was no way that he could talk his way out of this predicament by his usual means. "I guess I can''t really hide it now¡­"

    "Did you know how many lives were lost after that earthquake?" Kyouko''s stern gaze remained.

    "I do. Kurogane Sousuke''s claims weren''t all made up. I attended that banquet after all."

    """!!!!!""" The group except for Tsuna had been astonished. After the alibi he had presented before he revealed his identity earlier, they had only thought that he had activated the spell from afar. Natsu was the one who confirmed that with how limited Kazuya''s mana capacity was, it had most likely been a grand formation that caused the earthquake.

    "You attended the banquet? Why?" Mei was the first one who responded.

    "To make sure that there were no survivors." He replied as if it was a matter of fact.

    """¡­."""

    Kazuya didn''t want to lie to the people he cared about the most anymore. The Kurogane clan had been dealt with and he felt that one of the biggest burdens on his shoulders had been taken off. He didn''t want to keep acting like a different person towards them. The current situation was an opportunity to make everything clear towards them.

    "Ever since I agreed to spend time with Kurogane Shishio, I already had a specific plan in mind. When I mentioned that I was going to take them down from the inside, I didn''t mean that I would just collect evidences against them so they would be able to defend themselves with chances of being pronounced innocent." Kazuya shook his head.

    "Even if they were brought to justice, that wouldn''t change things much. They were still a powerful enemy who would stop at nothing to strike back after knowing that it had been me who had taken most of them down. That kind of thing only works for normal kinds of enemies and everyone here knows what type of people we are dealing with." He continued.

    This was a fact. No matter how competitive the Kurogane clan had been amongst themselves, they were a petty and vengeful clan who would not stop at nothing against their enemies. The only reason why the Kouzuki clan had been safe after going against them was because of Tsuna who Kou had luckily gotten along with at the time. Everyone else, no matter how small of an enemy had all been reduced to lead unfulfilling lives.

    "I started building the formation around the Kurogane estate as soon as I was able to freely wander around the area. I was only able to complete it a few months ago and rushing it seems to have caused the mistake on having the mana containment feature I added to malfunction¡­" Kazuya explained the details of his plan he made for the past few years in order to destroy the Kurogane clan.

    The Kurogane banquet was the perfect chance to get rid of all those who held power in the clan. Being Tenma''s heir or the next head of the Kurogane clan hadn''t been part of the plan because the only reason he tried to raise his reputation amongst the clan members was for the purpose of being trusted and left on his own.

    The decision Tenma made had solved the problem Kazuya had been worrying about. With the Kouzuki clan and the Kurogane clan''s history, there was no doubt that the suspicion of them being the perpetrators of anything that happened would cause the Kouzuki clan to be under crosshairs.

    "This was the only reason why both Hashiyama Lee and Kurogane Sousuke had survived."

    Though Kazuya was surprised to meet Hashiyama Lee at the Kurogane banquet, he was already aware that his former brother had kept his connections with the Kuroganes. He was the baggage that Kazuya had carried after he had left the Kurogane estate that night.

    The apartment complex that Shiriharu Kira had lived in was secretly owned by the Kuroganes. The room that Kira had lived in was right next to the one that Lee had been staying in after he had graduated from his reform school.

    The unconscious Lee had been placed to sleep in Shiriharu Kira''s bed while the bloody knife used on both Kurogane Tenma and Shishio had been hidden in the room. Kazuya then proceeded to place a few leftover equipment and explosives to his former brother''s real room before sending Yuriko a few files that led to the supposed hiding place of the killer that had eluded the authorities after his escape from prison.

    Of course, by the time the police was able to get the necessary paperwork to break in to Shiriharu Kira''s supposed living place. What the police found instead was a confused Lee who claimed to have nothing to do with the said case. Having no idea how he got to where he was, Lee who had been once the victim of Kazuya''s framing immediately claimed that he had probably been drunk and entered the wrong room.

    He welcomed the police to check his own room to prove his innocence but what Lee didn''t know was that the police not only found the bloody knife that contained his fingerprints, they also found the gifts that Kazuya left in his room as well as remnants of clothes that had blood all over them in the building''s incinerator.

    It was only after these evidences were presented towards him that Lee had changed his story to what he believed to be the truth. He pointed his finger towards Kazuya but by then, Sousuke had already started to paint the blame on the same person who Lee didn''t know was the person providing the people with vital information. Lee realized that he would have stood a better chance of proving his innocence if he had only told them about everything about his experience when they first asked.

    Lee had been arrested one day after the Kurogane tragedy. Neither he nor the police really had put the pieces together about the significance of the evidences they found at the time. His arrest was kept a secret for two reasons; one was that they did not find any traces of Shiriharu Kira, the second had been was the connection between Lee and Sousuke.

    He was once adopted by Kurogane Shishio but was later disowned after his crimes. The family that helped support him was one of the branch families that Suzaku had belonged to. This specific family had belonged to one of the camps that supported Sousuke as the next head of the clan.

    It was only after the authorities were granted access to the whole Kurogane estate were they able to connect the dots. The interrogation with Lee afterwards made his mind crumble as he could only madly laugh at his own predicament. He was charged with the murder of various individuals which included the torture of his former adoptive father and grandfather.

    "That¡­" even Mei who loathed Hashiyama Lee felt pity for him. She looked towards Kyouko whose eyes remained sternly on Kazuya. Both women knew the history within the two both in real life and in Kazuya''s previous dreams.

    After the crimes that he was charged with, there was little doubt that he would be given the death penalty. Even the only remaining survivor of the Kurogane clan''s ruling powers would suffer the same fate because there was no one else to suffer for all of the crimes that had been revealed because Kazuya had already given the authorities full access to the Kurogane clan''s secrets.

    "I killed them. Both Kurogane Tenma and Shishio were given a taste of the pain that they have caused us." Kazuya confessed with a straight face. "I don''t feel regret for what I did nor would I have changed the outcome if anyone tried to stop me. If¡­"

    Kazuya hesitated. Seeing Kyouko''s stern expression on him, he swallowed nervously and steeled himself.

    "If mom and big sis see me as a monster, I will leave immediately and¡ª"

    *SLAP!* the loud sound echoed throughout the room.

    Everyone turned towards Kyouko in shock. No one ever expected her to ever raise her hand against Kazuya. They could tell from just the sound that Kyouko did not hold back. No one could blame her though. These people knew just how intelligent Kazuya was but they couldn''t help but feel that he was being a fool right at this moment.

    *drip*

    There was no one in the room who didn''t miss that subtle sound in the silence. Kazuya turned his head back to look at his mother only to see tears dripping down on her beautiful face.

    "¡­" Kazuya''s chest felt like it was tightening after he saw that sight. Even though he never met his mom nor asked much about her in his past life, meeting her and spending time with her after he was given a second chance made him realize just how much this person cared for him.

    Parts of the memories he recovered during his first life was proof that Kyouko cared about her son even more than herself. When the accident that took her life occurred, she didn''t hesitate and tried to shield her son without hesitation.

    "I''ve already been more or less aware of what you have been doing for the past few years!" Kyouko began reciting the names of the people that used to work for the Kouzuki corporation that had been used as experimental subjects because of their betrayals. "ALL OF THEM had one thing in common! They all started disappearing on days that you weren''t at home! Do you think that your mother is like those people who you have been fooling?"

    "¡­" Kazuya glanced towards Mei and saw that she didn''t look surprised at all.

    Both of them were smart women despite the way they acted around Kazuya. They were also the women who lived and spent time with Kazuya so there was no way that he could fool them since they lived under the same roof.

    "I know you''ve taken care of those people and didn''t want me to know about it. That''s the only reason why I haven''t said anything." Kyouko looked her son straight in the eye to show that she was serious. "You didn''t want me to know about this side of you while I also don''t want to let you see the side of me that deals with my work! How could you even think that I would ever see you as a monster!?"

    She was right. Unlike Mei, who had no problems showing Kazuya her cold demeanor whenever she interacted with anyone other than them, Kyouko never showed a different side when Kazuya was around. Though her reputation was rather positive around the people in the business circle, even Stockton Jonson was someone who acknowledged her talent and attitude to be one of the top in their world.

    But who could blame Kazuya? Even with all the experiences he''s been through, there was no way he could be knowledgeable about something he had never dealt with. Though he had accumulated quite the amount of knowledge ever since he had been given a second chance, majority of them were towards his preparation for his inevitable return to Edea.

    There was no mistake that he treated and saw Kyouko as his mother. He never had any experience about having a real family before so he had assumed that Kyouko would react like a normal human being on earth when she found out how much blood he had on his hands.

    This was not a world that turned a blind eye to things such as taking other people''s lives. The only reason why Kazuya hasn''t gotten in trouble for all the lives he has taken so far was because of his ample preparations whenever he took lives.

    Without realizing it, even though Kazuya had already accepted Kyouko as his own mother, there still existed an invisible barrier between them. Both of them acted as if it didn''t exist because they feared that it would cause their relationship to crumble. It was now Kyouko who chose to break through this barrier and made sure that Kazuya understood where she stood.

    "Kazu." Mei spoke up as she stepped beside Kyouko. "I''m on Kyouko''s side this time. I''ve known just how much you''re willing to go to protect us from what happened to the Dokuro clan and I''ve never seen you as a murderer. You did it to protect us and that''s what you''ve been doing all this time. We both know that."

    "I¡­ see¡­" Kazuya stuttered as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Tears continued to pour from his eyes like a dam that had its floodgates opened. "I''m sorry for being¡­ stupid."

    He had feared that this family that he gained would abandon him after they found out everything he did. Yet, he pushed on and did what he had to do because even if they ended up seeing him as a monster, he would be fine as long as he knew that at least they would be safe from all harm.

    The relief Kazuya felt after knowing that the way they saw him after knowing about his deeds was something that only the two former heroes in the room understood. They both understood how significant it was for someone like them to be accepted in this world.

    Tsuna had his acknowledgement through how he had been treated by the country while Natsu had someone by his side who had gone through what he did when it was his time in Edea. Kazuya had been transported through time in an era that was peaceful so there was no way that he could have a similar experience his predecessors had.

    The two former heroes looked on warmly while trying to maintain their neutral expressions. They looked on as both Mei and Kyouko hugged the boy who rarely showed any real emotion. Lailah herself was crying as she too was happy that Kazuya could finally open himself up completely to his family.

    There was only one person who felt differently in the room. Yumi felt nothing but admiration towards her young master. Hearing his plans and how he carried out his plans left her in awe. Though she was also taught about mana and trained after she was tested to have affinity towards it, hearing about how Kazuya utilized his skills had left her speechless. Her young master was capable of things she never even thought of.

    "Though I don''t plan on reprimanding you of what you''ve already done, I want you to promise me that you will talk to me before doing anything dangerous." Kyouko wiped her tears and started talking to her son. "Dealing with the Kuroganes and the other enemies of our family should have been my responsibility." She began telling Kazuya about the plans she initially planned on implementing.

    Kazuya was amazed at how much his mother''s plans complimented the actions he took. If he wasn''t capable of doing what he did, Kyouko''s plans were certainly one of the best choices considering the rules and laws their world had. Though it would have taken longer, with his help, they would have definitely been able to crush the Kurogane clan together with their branches in the end.

    "Mom¡­ Though that plan might have worked, I would have still taken the same actions I did." Kazuya took a deep breath and braced himself for this conversation.

    "Why?"

    "Do you remember the dream I experienced before I lost my memories right? There are a few things I''ve never told you or big sis about." Kazuya glanced at Mei who tensed up after hearing that. She had always assumed that Kazuya had taken his own life after all the tragedy he suffered in that dream, so she was afraid of hearing about it.

    Kyouko fell silent and listened after giving a nod. Unlike Mei''s assumptions, she wondered how her son lived a life without the two of them. She was aware that her son had dreamed more than he let on because of how mature he had been. Unfortunately, it did not reach the point in where it would match an adult''s, so she wondered just how far he had gone before he woke up in the hospital with only those dreams as his memories.

    "I don''t think there is a need to prove about the accuracy of the things that happened in that dream at this point." Kazuya glanced towards the others who were more or less informed about the ''dream'' Kazuya had experienced. "I was taken to a faraway place. This was the place where I learned everything about mana."

    Though everything had been a vague summarization of what he had experienced in Edea, Kazuya explained that the people who took him there made him feel that he was needed for the first time in his life. They sought his help so he decided to do what he could to help. There, he met various people and eventually found people who a person like him treated like family.

    Kazuya left out the unbelievable details and let them understand the situation first. Since it was a place where he learned to use mana, of course using it was a given. He explained that the reason they needed their help was because they needed a talented individual to deal with someone who they themselves couldn''t handle.

    None of them any qualms about it because they knew that Kazuya''s prowess in utilizing mana could only be toppled by someone like Tsuna who had lived a lot longer than him. It was already a testament to how talented he appeared to be when he could give the old man a challenge.

    "In the end, those people who asked for my help were able to have their wishes fulfilled." Kazuya gave a wry smile. "at the expense of the lives of the companions I have befriended and treated as family."

    "So you''re saying¡­" Kyouko felt nervous after hearing everything.

    "I''ve been preparing to go back there and change what happened as well." Kazuya''s gaze was enough to show his mother that he was determined to do this no matter what.

    Everyone who knew Kazuya after he had lost his memories were baffled with the change in Kazuya''s personality. Though Kazuya was overprotective towards the people he cared about, all of them couldn''t understand why even though he had abilities that would categorize him as a superhuman, the boy relentlessly trained as much as he could.

    His harshness towards himself when it came to training was finally crystal clear to them. He had already set his sights on changing the regrets he had suffered in that dream of the future he had experienced.

    "What about you?" This time it was Mei''s turn to give Kazuya some pressure. "Did you end up like those companions who sacrificed themselves?"

    Since Kazuya was revealing everything they had been wondering about, this was probably the only chance where he wouldn''t hide anything. Mei saw this an opportunity to clarify about things she had been bothering her.

    Her initial assumption was proven to be wrong but she felt suspicious about a lot of things after she heard his story. It seemed like he retained everything from his dream that he could use small details such as lottery numbers to take advantage of. Though they considered it a dream, it had been Kazuya had lived in a world with a different reality.

    "No¡­" Kazuya gave a pained expression. "After making sure that the people responsible for my companions'' deaths were going to be taken care of. I left that place¡­" He wouldn''t tell them about the fate he suffered in the end because not only will they not allow him to go, they would try and stop him.

    "What happened after that?" Mei was puzzled.

    "I woke up with only memories of that dream. It was only until a few years later that started recovering fragments of memories that I lost. Though they were not complete, it was enough for me that I remembered the time I spent with mom."

    "Where is this place you''re going to?" Mei seemed to have thought of something and continued her questioning. "Though you may have been preparing thanks to the dream you had, if you''re really determined to help those people, I think it would be better if we helped."

    "Though both Tsuna-san, Lailah-san and Akira-san had been there before, it is not a place where they can go back to even if they wanted to." Kazuya shook his head. Though Mei could have met the requirements to be summoned, he didn''t plan on taking anyone with him to that world.

    The group turned towards the three who had been silently standing on the side. They confirmed Kazuya''s claims by nodding their heads. It was no wonder that these three were as knowledgeable as Kazuya when it came to mana. They had visited that place once before.

    "How long until you go? How long will you be gone?" Kyouko showed a bit of anxiety. How could she not? From Kazuya''s explanation, it was a place that contained dangers.

    "It won''t be long." Kazuya gave a smile to comfort his mother. "I plan to leave in a few years and if all goes well, I would only be gone for a few months." He gave an answer based on his grasp of the difference of the flow of time between the two worlds using Natsu''s time there as reference.

    ""A few months¡­"" the three ladies of the Kouzuki household frowned.

    They had just concluded the problem that caused their time with Kazuya to be limited. Now they heard about Kazuya completely being gone.

    "Please don''t worry too much. It is not a place that is as dangerous as Kazuya-kun made it sound like. That place is where I came from after all." Lailah stepped forward and spoke. "Kazuya-kun''s explanation about that place had been a little too vague." She proceeded to dispel the spell Kazuya taught her and appeared before him in her elven form.

    Even Kazuya was shocked at this sudden development. Though his shock was not because he had never seen an elf before, he had forgotten that there was living proof right in front of him to help them understand about what Edea was.

    "E-elf?" Yumi was the first one who could voice out what was on her mind after seeing Lailaih''s true form.

    "Not exactly." Natsu stepped in to stand beside his wife. "Lailah is a high elf who came back with me after my trip to the place Kazuya talked about. I believe he didn''t want his story to become too unbelievable so he left out a few of the minor details." He explained.

    """[Minor Details!!?]""" Even Kou who hardly reacted cursed inside his mind after such a major detail was referred to as something minor. It turns out that they had been living with someone that could only be found in books or legends all this time and none of them were the wiser.

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    "It is called Edea. It is a place that is vastly different from earth. I believe the term ''another world'' (isekai) would be a better term for it?"

    -

 172 Hajimemashite~ 1.5 in 1

    .

    Four peaceful years later. Kazuya stood in front of the people that had earned his trust after he had been given a second chance and live another life.

    They stood inside the new facility that was Kazuya''s very own research laboratory. It was located in what used to be a forest behind the new headquarters for Kazuno Tech''s research and development employees.

    After obtaining everything the Kurogane clan had owned, Kazuya had no intention of using the land that was left to him by Kurogane Tenma. Therefore, with the help of his mother, they negotiated with Sacred Forest Academy in hopes of obtaining the land where the academy stood in exchange for the entirety of what used to be the Kurogane estate.

    It was a well-known fact that even though Kazuya was the sole heir of everything the Kurogane clan used to own, he had no intentions of taking advantage of such dirty riches. This was why he had offered to offer the more suitable and developed lands that the Kurogane clan had worked on for several decades. It was a better place for an academy to stand rather than the mountainous terrain that had given the students a challenge to attend.

    After negotiations that lasted for a month, Sacred Forest Academy agreed to the deal and the Kouzuki clan was given shares of the illustrious Academy in exchange for the land that land that was twice as large and developed compared to where the academy had been built.

    Of course, since there were still students attending the school, Kazuno Tech and the Kouzuki clan could only focus on the development outside the school premises in which Kazuya''s research center, as well as the new home for Lailah and Natsu were built. It took a year after the negotiations were settled until the brand-new Sacred Forest Academy was able to open their school.

    Lailah and Natsu had chosen to develop their new house in a place surrounded by nature while Kazuya''s personal research center was located in a very specific location. This was the place where he was going to be summoned. The center of the structure had been built into a sturdy room where Kazuya had trained under the tutelage of the high elf Lailah and the two former heroes in preparation for his departure.

    "It''s almost time" a tall young man who had recently turned 17 smiled at the people who had gathered to see him off.

    Kyouko, Mei, Yumi, Tsuna, Tomoyo, Nanami, Lailah, Natsu, and Kou stood anxiously before the young man who wore a dark outfit that looked somewhat similar to a military uniform. People who mistake him for someone that had the intention of cosplaying if they saw him walking around in this outfit.

    "Be careful okay?" Kyouko approached the son that was now taller than her and stroked his cheek. He no longer had his long hair as Kyouko was convinced that it might put him at a disadvantage in battle.

    "I will, mom. Don''t worry!" Kazuya kissed his mom''s forehead as he was given a hug. "I''ll be back with souvenirs before you know it" he laughed.

    Kyouko of course didn''t want her only son to go on such a dangerous journey. She tried a few things to make him reconsider going on the trip for the past few years but none of them worked. With Natsu and Lailah providing them with information about the effects of this journey, as a mother, nothing could make her worries go away.

    "Kid." Kou who now looked a few years younger than his age stepped up. "Don''t cause too much trouble alright?"

    "I should be the one saying that grandpa!" Kazuya retorted. "Please don''t cause too much trouble make sure that everyone is safe while I''m gone." Both of them stared at each other. They were men so a few words were enough.

    "Young master¡­" Yumi nervously approached and helf out something with both hands. "Please take this with you."

    "Protection charms?" Kazuya immediately identified the three charms that were emanating Yumi''s mana.

    Of all the people who Kazuya had taught, only Yumi had put in a lot of effort towards making things such as these charms. Though she was a talented mage, despite her busy schedule as Kyouko''s secretary, her talent in making magic accessories were better than anyone. Kazuya had left her to be responsible for casting protection magic over whatever new things that his family members bought while he was away.

    "Please¡­ stay safe." She shyly spoke.

    Her resistance towards Kazuya had lessened as he grew more. Kyouko''s encouragement and Yui''s teasing after her return didn''t help much either.

    "Thank you Yumi-nee." He took the charms and placed them on his breast pocket. "Please don''t work too hard okay? I''ve always been worrying how little time you take to rest."

    "Y-yes¡­" Yumi shyly made a retreat as soon as she felt people coming up behind her.

    Kazuya turned to the trio who approached him next. These were the only people that knew where he would be going as two of them were his predecessors and one had been born there.

    "Kazuya-kun, don''t forget to stop by the elven territories when you have time." Lailah smiled at him warmly.

    "I definitely will. I wasn''t able to explore much of the elven territories last time so I''ll make sure and visit and give your regards to them." he then turned to his grandfather''s friend and his godfather.

    "I have little doubt that you''ll have any trouble with all your preparations for the past few years." Tsuna patted Kazuya on the shoulder. "Unlike our first trip there, you already have knowledge and control of your mana, not to mention your training."

    "Haha¡­" Kazuya laughed. "Wasn''t it you who always said to never be overconfident?"

    "That was before I started losing to you consecutively." Tsuna shook his head and felt proud of this godson of his. He had lost the confidence in an all-out fight against this young man about a year ago. "There shouldn''t be that many in Edea that can take on you seriously after you receive the hero''s blessing."

    "Thank you for bearing with me for the past couple of years!" Kazuya bowed with gratitude.

    "Haha! Think nothing of it. It was fun for me too! I never thought that I would be able to push myself to the limits. I will be waiting for you to tell the story of your journey once you return."

    "Please make sure my grandfather keeps himself out of trouble." Kazuya smiled and turned to the high elf''s husband who had been keeping a serious expression.

    "Remember your promise." He didn''t have much to say. After all, he was the person next to his family, Kazuya spent his time the most with.

    The reason for this was simple; Natsu and Lailah had helped him with his plans when he returned to Edea. Not only did he receive teachings from both of them when it came to magic, he also took advantage of their wisdom and discussed many scenarios which helped Kazuya''s preparations immensely.

    "I will." Kazuya nodded. "I''ll also give Mallum-san your regards." He smiled.

    *tug tug*

    Kazuya turned sideways and saw the familiar robot girl who wore the ribbon he had given her after she passed his test a few years ago. Behind her, was the graceful girl who was once a well-known delinquent.

    "You still haven''t fixed that habit?" his mouth twitched.

    Tomoyo had been using her voice to communicate with him nowadays, her old habits were something that stubbornly remained.

    "Kazu¡­ya-kun, I still haven''t changed my mind." the robot girl, whose voice had once been considered a legend by her peers spoke softly yet clearly.

    Tomoyo entered Sacred Forest Academy''s S class after she had recovered from the incident that almost took her life years ago. This was because she and Nanami had started training under Kazuya and Tsuna''s strict tutelage.

    Kazuya looked at the girl who stood at the same height as him and compared this beautiful and popular girl to the quiet bully that had beaten him to a pulp in his previous life. Though they did look the same, Tomoyo''s expressions was much more humanlike compared to the stoic girl that he once hated. Her treatment towards him was also a complete opposite from his previous life.

    Unlike his previous life, Kazuya and Tomoyo had remained on the same grade. With the accident not occurring, Kazuya didn''t take a year off to recover from his injuries completely. Both of them were known as modern sword saints who had never lost a match when they participated in kendo tournaments.

    "You don''t need to remind me every year¡­" Kazuya sighed. He ruffled the robot girl''s hair. "You should take this time without me and make more friends. Think of it as training for when you attend university without me."

    "Bully¡­" she pinched his arm.

    Tomoyo hated it when she found out that Kazuya didn''t have plans on ascending to Sacred Forest Academy''s university department. When Kazuya noticed, he always used this as encouragement to make her meet other people. She almost cried after it relented and called it his way of bullying her.

    "Sigh¡­" Kazuya shook his head and ignored the stubborn robot girl. He hoped that some time apart from each other will help Tomoyo get rid of her relentless attachment towards him.

    "Kazuya-san, Please take care!" Nanami smiled at him as soon as their gazes met. She had absolute confidence that Kazuya will come back unscathed like every other time he encountered trouble.

    "Sure!" Kazuya smiled back and acknowledged her. "I know you''re not like this robot girl so we''ll hang out when I come back."

    "P-please take this with you." Nanami nervously handed him a multi-layered lunchbox for his trip. Thought it may not last for his whole journey, it would at least be enough for a few meals after he had arrived in his destination.

    "Thanks! You''re cooking only gets better and better so I won''t be polite and take it with me." Kazuya gratefully took the lunchbox from her and stored it in his ring to main its freshness.

    *EHEM*

    Tomoyo and Nanami perked up immediately and stood to the side after they heard that.

    "Big sis¡­" Kazuya awkwardly looked at Mei who had her arms crossed and wore a dissatisfied expression.

    "Flirting right in front of me. You three sure have guts." Mei grabbed Kazuya''s collar and pushed him against the sealed doors that separated them from the training space that was also the spot where Kazuya was supposed to be summoned.

    "Umm¡­" Kazuya couldn''t help but be a little nervous.

    Among all the people who knew about his departure. Mei was probably the person who was against it the most. Though Kazuya didn''t think much about telling them about his intention to leave for Edea four years ago, thinking back, he might have told them too early.

    Mei was especially very specific about asking Kazuya about the companions he intended to save after he found out that majority of them were women. How could anyone blame him? Women were more gifted with their control over mana even on earth. Only heroes such as Tsuna, Kazuya and Natsu were exceptions because of the hero''s blessing.

    She once thought that Kazuya being more carefree and approachable after he had told them everything was a good thing. It showed that he had gotten over the issues that held him back and was finally able to show them the real Kazuya. Unfortunately, the Kazuya that once pushed away people stopped pushing away most of them and started getting along with those who didn''t come at him with ulterior motives.

    With Kazuya''s popularity, Mei''s possessiveness towards him was made more apparent after his change.

    "Two women¡­" Mei muttered.

    "Huh?" Kazuya tilted his head in confusion.

    "I will only allow you to bring back two women!" She raised her voice in annoyance. "You mentioned two people who you wanted to save the most right? I will only allow you to bring back two at most! You should be thankful that I''m even allowing you more than one!"

    "Haha¡­" Kazuya gave a dry laugh.

    He told her the experiences he had in Edea with his companions and the realizations he had after being under interrogation for a long time. Two individuals specifically were able to make Mei feel grateful as those two had sacrificed their lives for Kazuya.

    "Thank you big sis¡­" Kazuya held her close and gave her a tight hug.

    Mei remaining by his side in this life was enough of a reason for him to come back to his own world. With the rest of his family and friends waiting for him, how could he even consider not coming back?

    Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please clickfor visiting.

    "Rucy-chan, unlock training center." Kazuya turned towards the orb at the top of the doorway and put his palm against the door.

    "[Mana recognition confirmed. Access granted Kazuya-sama!]"

    The solid doors slid opened and the group found a formation in the middle of the room that hadn''t been there before emitting a faint radiance.

    "I''m off!" Kazuya didn''t turn back and immediately leaped on top of the formation.

    Enveloped in a blinding light, Kazuya felt the minute changes in his body as he started receiving the hero''s blessing. Though he was supposed to be standing still, his body felt that it had been travelling in a direction that he really couldn''t tell.

    The familiar voice that was already identified as a recording through Natsu''s research was once again heard by him. In a short moment, he would be arriving at the land that once gave him the life he wanted.

    Kazuya felt weird. Thinking about his previous life, he left the world that made him feel like a speck of dust and entered a world that treated him as he was the most important person alive. Now, he was entering the world where the people who summoned him, would have seen any person that answered their summons as a disposable tool for their schemes while he left the world that he would never have left if it were not for his companions.

    "I''m almost there." As the hero''s blessing reached its peak in his body, Kazuya opened his eyes and saw the light at the end of the tunnel that moved him through an unknown amount of distance.

    His vision was still blinded by light but Kazuya was able to hear distinct voices that was made by various different people. He slowly felt the feeling of gravity back on his body as both of his feet landed on solid ground. He tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling he felt after being summoned and tried to confirm his surroundings.

    "Hero? Can you hear me?" he heard and understood the language the melodious voice that was close to him speak.

    As his vision cleared up, the first thing he saw was the person who kept calling out to him. A beautiful maiden who was wearing a pure and white dress that complimented her long golden hair and clear and alluring emerald colored eyes. He couldn''t help but stare at this beautiful maiden as his mind seemed to have been frozen.

    "It worked!" the handsome middle-aged man wearing a crown immediately celebrated.

    "Congratulations your majesty! The hero summoning that only our Zweifel kingdom is capable of is a success!" the round faced noble didn''t waste time and flattered the man who appeared to be a king.

    "He looks to be wearing similar garbs that are very similar to the collections left behind by one of the strongest heroes in history!" The king excitedly commented after observing Kazuya''s attire. "He should be one of the people that hold some kind of position in the realm of heroes!"

    The people looked excitedly at the dazed Kazuya after the king''s comments. The noise they were making grew louder and caused Kazuya to snap out of his thoughts. He looked around and observed the faces and expressions of the people that gathered.

    "Hero?" the beautiful girl called out to him once more.

    "Daughter, the hero here is still unable to understand our language." The king spoke. "You should give him the magic ring of knowledge so that he may able able to understand our tong¡ª"

    "I can understand you very clearly." Kazuya interrupted the king. "How is it that you are able to speak the language that my lineage uses as a means to deter spies?" Kazuya spoke in the language the humans used commonly in Edea.

    "Language to deter spies?" the beautiful woman was the very first to react. She turned to look at the handsome features of the hero that had been summoned but she immediately froze after their gazes met.

    The hero in front of her shot her a glare that sent chills down her spine. She was a princess that had various amounts of accomplishments. She hardly ever met people that could give her any pressure yet, the man before her gave her a feeling that she was already in front of death''s door.

    With her keen senses, she immediately noticed the seemingly normal action of the man before her who had reached for something in the side of his body. Though it appeared to be slow for her, the rest of the people who wasn''t accustomed to battle didn''t realize it until the hero was already pointing some sort of device towards the princess of the Zweifel kingdom.

    A metallic object which no one had ever seen before was on the Hero''s hands. It had no sharp edges so no one considered it to be a weapon that could hurt the princess even if it had been a weapon.

    "(Alicia von Lichtenstein¡­)" Kazuya would never forget this mesmerizing beauty that he was once infatuated with. "Hajimemashite~" he suddenly spoke in a language that she didn''t recognize. The atmosphere immediately loosened up after the people noticed that he had given her a warm smile.

    "What did you sa¡ª"

    *BANG!* *BANG!!*

    "Your ''hero-sama'' has arrived"

    -

 173 SS1: Robot Girl 3.0 3 in 1

    .

    A week had passed after Kouzuki Kazuya, the youngest competitor ever to join the national gun competition had swept multiple events. He returned to the Kouzuki household to make up for the time he spent training in the Kurogane clan.

    Shiroyuki Tomoyo slowly opened her eyes and found a ceiling that was similar yet different to the one that they had in the Shiroyuki household. Her body felt heavy and as she wondered if she had overtrained once again.

    Thinking back, the last thing she remembered was feeling relief after successfully causing the person who took away her parents to retreat. The next time she opened her eyes, she saw a white ceiling moving at a fast pace and assumed that she was in a hospital.

    "!" her grogginess disappeared after remembering what happened.

    "Tomoyo!" an anxious voice called out to her.

    "Grandpa¡­?" she turned to see Jirou who was also inside the room she wasn''t familiar with.

    Jirou stopped by for his daily visit anxiously waiting for Tomoyo to regain consciousness. He was informed that it may take a couple of days. The grandfather almost shed tears after seeing his granddaughter sitting up from the bed seemingly without problems.

    "?" Tomoyo reached behind her head as if looking for something but she could only feel her own hair. She looked at her grandfather as if asking where the item she was looking for was.

    "Ah¡­ you see¡­" Jirou stepped closer and took a tray from her bedside and showed her.

    "!" Tomoyo immediately saw the ribbon she always wore torn and some parts were soaked in dried blood.

    "I figured you might have looked for your ribbon when you woke up so¡­" Jirou could immediately see the sadness in Tomoyo''s eyes. She treasured this ribbon so much that Jirou needed to show her what happened to it or he might have been suspected of getting rid of it.

    "¡­" Tomoyo grabbed the pieces of the ribbon and tried to tie them clumsily together. She ignored the look her grandfather gave her and hoped that she could still use whatever what was left of the ribbon.

    "Tomoyo¡­" Jirou couldn''t help but sigh. "How does your chest feel? Do you feel any pain anywhere?" changing the subject, Tomoyo''s memory was jolted.

    "!!" she looked inside of her clothes and touched the part where she was stabbed. It felt a little sore but aside from that, she found no trace of the wound, not even a small scar was left behind.

    Thinking back, she could never forget the feeling of the blade being embedded inside her. If it wasn''t for the fact that she was more concerned about whether Shiriharu Kira could still fight, she would have fallen as soon as she felt that blade.

    "What''s the matter? Does it hurt?" Jirou anxiously came close.

    *shake* *shake* Tomoyo slowly shook her head and gave Jirou another confused look. She knew nothing after she lost consciousness so she turned to the only person who could answer her right now.

    "Well¡­ right now, we''re at the Kouzuki residence¡­" jirou began to tell Tomoyo what happened after she was taken to the hospital.

    Hearing about what happened, Tomoyo had mixed feelings. She placed a hand over her chest and felt very grateful towards Tsuna and Kazuya. At the same time, she felt a little embarrassed after hearing that Kazuya performed something similar to surgery to save her life when no one else could.

    Kazuya saw her bare body. The thought of it made her face felt hot. It was something that she hadn''t experienced before. She already knew that it would happen in the future because they were promised to each other but she didn''t expect it to happen this soon.

    "W-what''s wrong?" Jirou saw the unusual change in Tomoyo''s color. "Do you havea fever?"

    *shake* *shake*

    Tomoyo didn''t know how to describe the current emotion she was feeling but she felt that it was not something bad. She turned her attention back to the pieces of what was left of her ribbon and frowned after making its condition worse.

    "I was wondering what was taking you so long." Tsuna entered the room and was happy for Jirou. "It looks like the little princess has woken up." He smiled warmly at Tomoyo.

    "Thank¡­ you¡­" she gave a polite bow towards Tsuna.

    "Think nothing of it." Tsuna waved his hand. "More importantly, Jirou. Shouldn''t you inform your wife about Tomoyo?"

    "Ah!" Jirou glanced at the clock and saw that it was already getting pretty late. "I''ll call her right now!" he excused himself and rushed to make a phone call.

    "hmm?" Tsuna noticed the pieces of cloth that used to make up a ribbon in front of the girl. "That ribbon was given to you by Kazuya right?" he asked with a smile.

    *nod*

    "Was it important to you?"

    *nod*

    "Why?" Tsuna changed the question to something that couldn''t be answered by a simple gesture.

    "¡­" Tomoyo froze. It wasn''t because she couldn''t talk but rather, she didn''t know how to answer the question.

    It wasn''t something as simple as it being given by Kazuya. If that were so, the different types of wooden swords she passed on to her would have had the same. There was something else about that ribbon that made her want to still wear it even in its current condition.

    "It¡­ makes me feel¡­ safe¡­" Tomoyo tried to express herself as best as she can. "As if¡­ Kazuya-kun is¡­ with me¡­"

    "I see¡­" Tsuna smiled. He understood what she meant. Tomoyo was a talented combatant and was more like him than Kazuya when it came to instinctively manipulating mana.

    Her explanation meant that her senses are getting to the point where she can detect the hint of mana Kazuya had used to cast a small protection spell on her ribbon. Though it might not be comparable to what Mei and Kyouko were equipped with, hearing that Tomoyo had been given one of Kazuya''s earlier prototypes already indicated that he already started caring about this girl albeit unconsciously when she was given the ribbon.

    "?" Tomoyo tilted her head at Tsuna after seeing him have something in mind.

    "Oh¡­ you see¡­" when Tsuna noticed her gaze, he started to explain why she felt that way. "Sensing it means that you''re getting¡­" Tsuna stopped after noticing Tomoyo gazing back at the ruined clothes.

    "¡­" Tomoyo held a few pieces and tried focusing on them.

    "You won''t be able to sense it now." Tsuna shook his head. "After it served its purpose, Kazuya''s mana was already expended."

    "¡­" Tomoyo put the pieces back into the tray looking disappointed.

    "Do you want me to ask him to give you a new one?" Tsuna wanted to cheer her up. She did just wake up and it was worth celebrating.

    *no¡­* Tomoyo stopped midway. *shake* *shake* she changed her mind quickly.

    She felt that if Tsuna asked for it, Kazuya wouldn''t have given it to her out of his own free will. She had gotten the ribbon as a reward from him so she didn''t want to be given something similar just because Tsuna had asked.

    "(Pride huh¡­)" Tsuna couldn''t help but smile and find Jirou''s granddaughter quite amusing. "(If only Kazuya hadn''t taken you under his wing¡­)" he felt a little regret. Though he knew Kazuya wouldn''t have minded if she took Tomoyo as a disciple, now that his godson had taken Tomoyo seriously, he didn''t feel right to ask.

    Tsuna decided to do what he can for Tomoyo and discussed the battle she had with Shiriharu Kira. He already discussed it with Kazuya and agreed that after Tomoyo woke up, she would stay in the Kouzuki household to recover and undergo training under both of them. With Shirharu Kira still on the loose, after Tomoyo''s survival was made public, there was a chance that he or the Kuroganes might take another shot at her.

    Jirou soon returned with Kaori who immediately hugged Tomoyo. She was relieved to hear that there were no complications. Tomoyo was even able to stand although a little unsteadily. It was already quite late when the couple left to let Tomoyo have some more rest.

    Having just woken up from a long slumber, Tomoyo couldn''t fall asleep and tried to walk on her own. Though healing magic may be amazing, it was not omnipotent nor without aftereffects. Tsuna informed Tomoyo that she needed to undergo a little physical therapy to get back into shape so she decided to use her time effectively.

    *knock knock knock*

    "You''re awake right?" Tomoyo tried walking towards the door after hearing the voice of the person she had been wanting to see ever since she woke up.

    Kazuya opened the door and entered before Tomoyo let go of the foot of the bed.

    "Don''t be reckless and take it slow." Kazuya sighed and suddenly lifted her up before gently placing her back to bed. He glanced at the tray beside her pillow and saw the pieces of cloth that he was familiar with.

    "!" Tomoyo tried to stop him when Kazuya grabbed the tray but she was too slow.

    "Incinerate" he cast a spell before Tomoyo could say anything. All the pieces had already disappeared before she realized what was going on.

    *hit* Tomoyo tried hitting Kazuya''s chest but she was too weak. It was like she was tapping Kazuya in her current state.

    *pinch* unable to vent her frustration. She pinched his arm instead.

    "(This girl¡­)" Kazuya definitely felt it as Tomoyo had unconsciously focused mana on her fingers. This was the first time that she did something like this, so he was a little speechless.

    "There''s no need to be mad at me for destroying something that had already served its purpose." Kazuya gave a wry smile and opened his palm to reveal a ribbon and a hair ornament. "One is a replacement and the other is a reward."

    "?" Tomoyo was confused as soon as she heard a reward.

    "A reward for protecting Nanami and overcoming your fear of blood." Kazuya smiled and placed the ornament on the side of her head.

    This was something he had made especially for this robot girl so the effects of it were comparable to the latest additions to Mei and Kyouko''s protective accessories. He also made one for Nanami but had yet to hand it over.

    "Thank¡­ you¡­" Tomoyo was very happy. She tried to express herself by moving closer to Kazuya but didn''t have the strength. She landed on him instead but that didn''t bother her. Placing her arms around Kazuya, she held him close and finally was able to relax.

    "Did that guy hit you on the head or something?" Kazuya was a little worried. Tomoyo was acting very differently from how she usually did. Her face was a little red but her body temperature wasn''t out of the norm.

    *I''m¡­ okay¡­" Tomoyo''s answer made him feel even more confused. She talked, the girl who preferred to communicate with gestures rather than talking no matter how much he insisted actually replied like a normal human being!

    Kazuya thought for a moment and assumed that something must have happened to her after experiencing what she did. This was something that he could try and figure out later as he had come to see her with a different purpose tonight.

    "Tomoyo" Kazuya called her name as he gently pushed her back to look her directly in the eye.

    "¡­" Tomoyo didn''t know how to react. Kazuya almost never called her by name so it must be something important.

    "Are you aware of the engagement our grandfathers agreed to before I was born?"

    *nod*

    "I knew it¡­" Kazuya sighed. "You knew about it when we first met right?"

    *nod*

    That confirmed it. Her knowledge about the agreement even before they met made Kazuya sure that the robot girl who he hated so much in his previous life was not bullying him but rather toughening his former pathetic self up in her own way.

    "Why didn''t you tell me about it?" Kazuya it was a little unfair asking someone who hardly talked about it but continued. "Both my mom and I only learned it about recently. We beat up grandpa for not letting us know about it too."

    "!!" Tomoyo was both surprised and confused. Why did he tell Stockton Kurumi that he was already engaged then?

    "Let me ask you this then¡­ Do you like me? I mean romantically speaking."

    *¡­ nod*

    "Your hesitation tells me that you yourself don''tunderstand just what exactly it is I mean." Kazuya shook his head. "I''ll make it simple. I have no intention of honoring that agreement."

    The usual expressionless Tomoyo started trembling. Before they knew it, tears were already flowing from her eyes as she felt devastated over what she just heard.

    "W..hy¡­." barely being able to say anything amidst the sudden rush of emotions, a tiny voice spoke out.

    "Simple, it is simply unfair to you¡­ no both of us." Kazuya didn''t let her tears affect his decision. "You are someone who has yet to completely understand what love truly is yet your future has already been decided?" Kazuya shook his head. "What a joke! We are not from the feudal era."

    *sob*

    Tomoyo continued to shed tears. She always listened to Kazuya because he had always been right. This was the first time that she didn''t want to agree with what he had decided but she had no idea how to even begin arguing with him.

    "Listen¡­" Kazuya sighed after observing that the girl who had just regained consciousness, didn''t show any signs of stopping her sobs. "I know you see me as a friend." Kazuya held her cheek gently and wiped away her tears with his hand. "You''re an irreplaceable friend to me as well. This is why I wanted to make things clear."

    "sniff¡­" Tomoyo stopped her sobs and looked at him.

    "The Kurogane clan played a big part in what happened to you." Kazuya gave her a simplified explanation of what he found out. "Just being associated with me puts you in danger. It was because of my thoughtless actions that you suffered." He didn''t hide the guilt he felt.

    "I''ll tell your grandfather about my decision when I see him." Kazuya took back his hand. Tomoyo was going to stay with them for a while so that she would recover safely. This gave him some time to complete his preparations for dealing with the dangers that Tomoyo would experience when word of her survival got out.

    *tug*

    Tomoyo didn''t understand it herself but she stopped Kazuya from leaving. She felt that if she let him go now, the relationship between them would grow farther apart.

    ""¡­"" The two of them looked at each other.

    In the past few years, before Kazuya knew it, he was already used to understanding what Tomoyo wanted to say with just a simple gaze. He didn''t know how to explain it exactly, but he just did. The look she gave him now made him feel like this girl didn''t want to accept his earlier explanation.

    "You''re still not convinced?" Kazuya scratched his head as if expecting it. Though it was finally clarified why this robot girl had acted the way she did towards him, he was aware that she wouldn''t be able to change the way things were in an instant.

    *nod*

    "I''ll give you a test then." Kazuya grinned. "Do your best to recover as quickly as possible and train with both me and Tsuna-san here." he looked her in the eye to show Tomoyo that this was not a joke.

    "This test will only give you one chance. If you pass, I will tell you a secret. This secret is something even my mom or big sis doesn''t know about." Kazuya grinned after noticing that he aroused her interest. "I''ll even give you enough of those ribbons you like to change them every day." he smirked. Kazuya planned to use this robot girl''s stubbornness to make her be capable of protecting herself in the future.

    "!" Tomoyo was surprised. Just the fact that he was giving her the ribbons was more than enough to motivate her.

    "Don''t get too excited because if you fail¡­ Not only will I stop training with you, I never want to hear about that stupid agreement between our grandfathers." Kazuya turned around and headed for the door. "You have a month or so to prepare."

    After he left the room, Kazuya had no idea that the dazed expression of the robot girl changed into a determined one. If Kuronuma Ayame was in front of her right now, she would say that these were the same eyes that stared her down after declaring that Kazuya was hers.

    "Aren''t you being too hard on her?" Tsuna appeared from the shadows before Kazuya reached the doors of his room.

    "I believe she''ll be fine. She gained something out of that experience." Kazuya pointed at his sleeve. It had some blood on it which didn''t cause Tomoyo to flinch or stop her from coming close to him.

    "Whose blood is that?" Tsuna frowned.

    He initially didn''t want to ask Kazuya why he smelled like blood because from what it seemed like, the boy was confirming whether Tomoyo had been over her fear or not. After seeing that it was not planted but an actual splatter caused by hitting someone, Tsuna couldn''t help but question him.

    "Oh, this?" he raised his sleeve and chucked. "Let''s just say a certain philanthropist had gone and hidden himself after hearing that the authorities were onto his moneymaking schemes."

    Tsuna sighed. He never had plans to use the authority that was given to him much. However, even though Kazuya might have provided himself a few ways out, there were still people in the government who might possibly look closer into this. The person who his godson just sent on a permanent vacation was involved with government projects after all.

    "I''ll leave her training to you Tsuna-san." Kazuya smiled. "She should at least be able to handle herself against special forces after a month or so."

    Tsuna was startled. He couldn''t help but stare at the door that just closed. He pondered on Kazuya''s words. Tomoyo indeed had the potential to have the strength if he focused on giving her intense training.

    Under Tsuna''s guidance, Tomoyo was able to utilize her mana to recover in just a week. Kazuya had already taught her the basics on how to increase her own recovery rate so Tsuna focused on teaching her how to use her own mana to accelerate her body''s healing abilities.

    Nanami, who heard about Tomoyo regaining her consciousness from Jirou, visited the Kouzuki household immediately. She learned that her friend and usual sparring partner was to stay and undergo training there so she asked Tsuna if she could accompany her friend.

    Aside from Tomoyo, Nanami was another person who was very similar to Tsuna''s type of fighting style. He couldn''t reject her request because aside from the fact that Tomoyo needed someone to compare herself with, Tsuna wanted to keep developing this girl as well.

    "These two are so talented that it leaves me in envy." Tsuna sighed as he observed the two girls with Kazuya. "You''ve found yourself excellent disciples." He praised.

    "Disciples?" Kazuya was slightly confused. "If anyone should be their master, it should be you Tsuna-san."

    Kazuya ignored the mouth that gaped in front of him. He never saw these two as his disciples. Sure, he did give them pointers and trained with them but, unlike his previous self who would have been the same type as them, he already decided on changing his own path.

    "A-are you sure?" Tsuna couldn''t help but confirm this. It was a big matter to him after all.

    "They''re more like friends and companions than students." Kazuya chuckled after noticing how important this was to Tsuna. "I''m still too young to take in disciples even if I wanted to." He joked.

    Kazuya was glad. Tsuna had been extremely helpful ever since he decided to stay with them. There was barely anything that Kazuya could do for this old man so leaving the two girls completely under his tutelage is something that he didn''t think twice about.

    Tomoyo''s survival was slowly made public. It began when Jirou went to the school and requested for her to join their grade''s S class. This gave her more freedom to train with Tsuna without affecting her education. With increased security and the Kurogane clan under suspicion, Tomoyo was able to return to her own home.

    When Natsu and Lailah started staying in the Kouzuki house, Tomoyo was both curious and surprised after she found out that it was Kazuya who asked them to stay. She would often stare at them whenever she had free time, especially since she noticed that there were times that the lady guest''s ears shape changed a lot.

    What Tomoyo wasn''t aware of was that Lailah had done this on purpose. While getting used to the shapeshifting spell Kazuya taught her, she didn''t hide anything since she was inside the house. She found the cat-like girl who silently looked at her with curiosity quite cute and endearing so she let Tomoyo observe her as she liked.

    "Tomoyo-chan right?" Lailah approached Tomoyo after a while.

    *nod*

    "Which do you think suits me better?" Lailah turned to the side and showed different ear shapes.

    While she was grateful that Kazuya had taught her magic that she didn''t know, Lailah had been frustrated for the past few days. Tsuna, Kazuya and even her husband wasn''t aware that a spell like this was very troubling as the freedom to change the shape of her ears to a human''s was a very serious matter for her.

    Leaving the fact that she was a high elf whose noble ears symbolized something similar to a crown, as a woman, if she could help it, she wanted what suited her the best.

    With Kyouko and Yumi who she had gotten along with busy with work, Tomoyo was the only person in the house who she could talk to right now. Even though she was still young, Lailah had already seen the way she gazes at Kazuya and even confirmed it with Tsuna.

    "Second one¡­" Tomoyo was still confused but she answered the question nonetheless.

    The two instantly hit it off after that. Since Natsu started working, without the need to patrol the forest or even forage for food, Lailah often had nothing to do. Akane and Tsuna both couldn''t keep them company all the time and Nanami still had school, so these two enjoyed each other''s company.

    Lailah was amused. She heard that Tomoyo barely used her voice but this silent girl was especially talkative whenever they talked about Kazuya. Because of this, Tomoyo had another person to practice talking with. In return for Tomoyo''s company, Lailah helped with the robot girl''s training and even went as far as letting Tomoyo train her dodging abilities by making her avoid arrows that she shot.

    In no time, two months had passed by since Tomoyo had regained consciousness. Under Tsuna''s strict tutelage and Lailah''s help, without her being aware of it herself, the robot girl''s skills took a giant leap forward.

    Kazuya, Tsuna and Lailah sat on the sidelines and watched Nanami and Tomoyo spar at the practice area.

    "huff¡­ It''s my loss¡­" Nanami tried to catch her breath as she stood unsteadily.

    *bow*

    Although being the victor, Tomoyo wasn''t in a much better state. Both girls had fought as Kazuya instructed and treated it as a real battle. The two girls had suffered cuts and bruises although using wooden swords which showed just how much they have grown in the past two months.

    "It''s my win~" Lailah giggled as she took the last piece of cake that was supposed to be Tsuna''s.

    "I guess it can''t be helped." Tsuna gave a wry smile. "Lailah-dono''s help has helped Tomoyo''s progress to this extent¡­ What do you think Kazuya?" They both turned towards Kazuya who had been observing the two who were already concentrated on recovering their energy.

    "Her progress truly had taken a leap. The advantage and lead that Nanami gained after being introduced to mana has lessened a great deal in just these two short months." Kazuya grinned.

    "Just what kind of test are you preparing for Tomoyo-chan?" Lailah asked curiously.

    "She told you about that huh¡­ You two sure have gotten real close." Kazuya felt a little relief. He had been quite busy lately so he was thankful that Lailah had agreed to help with the methods to get the robot girl to make use of her own voice.

    "Of course! Tomoyo-chan is a good girl. Tsuna-san doesn''t seem to know what the test is all about but as you can see, her shocking improvement is due to her desire to get through it. You should clearly understand how she feels right?" Lailah looked at him in the eye because she didn''t see or treat him like his current age after all.

    "I know¡­" Kazuya sighed. "I plan to resolve it depending on her passing the trial I set or not."

    "So can you tell us what it is? Seeing as you treat both of the girls in the same way¡­ are you going to prepare one for Nanami-chan as well?"

    "I can only say that Tomoyo''s trial involves the critical difference between the two of them." Kazuya gave up and answered. "I don''t think Nanami needs to have the same trial, but I intend to have her observe and decide if she needs it or not."

    ""Critical difference¡­"" the two immediately fell into deep thought.

    "With Lailah-san''s help, she has grown much faster than I thought. My estimate was off by a month so I would need a few days to prepare the trial itself. With her current skills, I think she can pass." Kazuya smiled before standing up and silently leaving.

    A few days later, after Kazuya made sure to have both Tsuna and Lailah to be busy at the same time, he left the Kouzuki residence with Tomoyo. With Mame with them for security, the residents didn''t find their actions suspicious.

    After picking up Nanami who was asked by Kazuya to come with them during the night, he explained that tonight was the night for Tomoyo to undergo the trial that he asked her to prepare for.

    "The harbor?" Nanami was slightly surprised after they had arrived at their destination.

    "Yes. This is the place where I put Domyouji Kuuga''s body after I ended his life." Kazuya nonchalantly replied after they entered the warehouse that used to be owned by the Ringo Corporation.

    "!? Wait¡­ w-what did you just say?" It took a few seconds for Kazuya''s words to sink in so Nanami felt she had to confirm that she hadn''t been hearing things.

    "When he disappeared after the operation with the Dokuro clan, I intended to give him a warning to stay away from my big sis." Kazuya calmly explained. "When I arrived at his base of operations, I ended up eavesdropping on a call of him making a deal with Muimina Ringo to take away big sis so things ended up the way they did."

    Nanami shuddered. Though she was already aware that Kazuya was indeed capable of ending a person''s life after what happened to the head of the Dokuro clan, finding out what happened to Domyouji Kuuga and Muimina Ringo was orchestrated by Kazuya in a single night had left her finding no words to say.

    "Though, I believe that Gakuto-san has been secretly investigating from behind the scenes."

    "Why are you telling me this?" Nanami didn''t understand. Though Domyouji Gakuto had his suspicions, it was based only on his intuition.

    "It''s because I believe that Nanami-san would understand my point of view? You did inflict wounds on Shiriharu Kira that would have been able to take his life if he were not skilled enough after all." Kazuya led them deeper into the warehouse.

    "Huh¡­?" Nanami was slightly confused. "Wounds?"

    Kazuya remained silent and switched on the lights inside the large warehouse that seemed to only have one thing placed at the center of the room.

    ""!!"" The two girls were surprised at the sight of the chair that bound a man that they wouldn''t be able to forget anytime soon.

    Tomoyo''s body involuntarily trembled.

    "This is your test Shiroyuki Tomoyo." Kazuya faced the two girls after making sure the warehouse had been sealed. "Whether you understand it or not, you are aware that lives have been taken by these hands of mine, right?"

    *¡­nod*

    "You are aware of how protective I am towards the people I care about. I have gone through much trouble in hunting down this person who has hurt both of you but simply making him disappear will not be able to help you in any way other than securing your safety."

    "¡­"

    "You said you wanted to remain by my side. If those words were serious, then you have to pass this test.

    In the near future, there would be a time that I would leave for a period of time. I will be unreachable so not only have I been spending time making sure that everyone I care about is safe, I''ve also been preparing each person to be capable of defending themselves."

    "What¡­ do I¡­ need to do¡­?" Tomoyo''s expression changed after hearing Kazuya''s words.

    "Pass this test. Use your own hands to punish the person who not only took your voice but also your parents. Prove to me that what you told me are not just mere words. End this scum''s life so that he will never be able to take away anything from you again." Kazuya declared as he handed her a katana that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

    Tomoyo was surprised as soon as she took the weapon. She thought that holding steel would have been a lot harder than her practice sword but she felt as if she was holding the same thing.

    She immediately understood that all the training she had been doing these past few months have been carefully considered by Kazuya. He had given her his trust in being able to overcome the terror she felt whenever she remembered the man who almost ended her life not too long ago.

    *SLAP* the sound echoed through the warehouse.

    "Wake up Shiriharu Kira. I brought a gift for you."

    "¡­Huh?" after regaining consciousness, Kira struggled to find himself restrained. His blindfold was removed and found a boy looking straight in his eyes. "Who are¡ª"

    Kazuya didn''t wait for him to finish and unrolled a piece of cloth that contained a set of blades that Kira was very familiar with. This caused a bit of confusion on Kira''s part as he was currently bound.

    "You should understand if you look behind me when I said I brought you a present." Kazuya moved to the side and revealed Tomoyo standing a distance away from them.

    "Are you K-san?" after observing Kazuya who was slowly removing his restraints and the presence of the two girls that put him in a shameful state a few months ago, Kira tried to confirm his suspicions.

    "What makes you say that?" Kazuya gave him a smile.

    "There is no one else in the world that would help me." Kira grinned confidently. "I have to admit, you have quite the sick taste. Orchestrating everything up to this point."

    "(Just what is this guy thinking?)" Kazuya wondered after finally removing his restraints. "You don''t need to be wary of the other girl. This will be between you and Shiroyuki Tomoyo." He didn''t bother clearing up whatever misunderstanding Kira had come up with.

    Though Kira thought about attacking Kazuya the moment he got free, he held himself back because he couldn''t forget what had happened when he was taken from his apartment. The helplessness when facing someone that wasn''t close to his league made him not want to show any hostility towards the boy in front of him.

    "Should I be expecting a favor from you after I dispose of this final target of mine?" Kira rubbed his wrists and equipped himself with the blades.

    "No. If you win, I will set you free myself." Kazuya walked away from the two and headed towards Nanami. "You two may begin as soon as I reach the side."

    This was not a duel but a real fight so there was no need to signal them to start. Tomoyo kept her eyes on her opponent and took a stance while Kira on the other hand, remained relaxed while continuing to check his own body''s status.

    "Kazuya-kun¡­" Nanami called out to him in a worried tone.

    Who could blame her? Tomoyo only had a single experience when it came to fighting outside of a competition setting and it was an experience that nearly cost the robot girl her life.

    "Watch without worries. I will step in if she''s in any real danger." Kazuya reassured Nanami who didn''t doubt his claim. He may have acted normal but Nanami''s could tell that he was able to move at any moment''s notice.

    "I gotta say, I didn''t expect to get my hands on you this soon." Kira grinned as he lowered his stance with a knife in his hand.

    "!!" Tomoyo used the katana in her hands to block the sudden dash towards her.

    *CLANG* Sparks flew as the two blades met.

    Kira was slightly surprised at how Tomoyo was able to take that strike without losing her balance but he already knew that Tomoyo had the ability to hold her own from their last encounter.

    A rush of attacks from Kira made Tomoyo go on the defensive. If it were not for the physical enhancement she was taught, Tomoyo would have already been knocked onto the ground by the fierce rush that the bloodthirsty Kira was unleashing.

    "HAHAHAHHA!" finding himself having the advantage after causing a cut to appear on Tomoyo''s shoulder, Kira laughed out loud.

    He kept his guard up against Nanami and Kazuya who were at the side because he didn''t trust them. he didn''t think that they truly wouldn''t have made a move if Tomoyo was in danger. Seeing Kazuya holding the shoulder of Nanami who almost stepped forward after first blood had been drawn, his confidence that his sick benefactor will hold back Nanami increased.

    "Calm yourself. Tomoyo still hasn''t revealed her hand."

    "What are you talking about Kazuya-kun? Tomoyo isn''t fighting like herself. She hasn''t attacked at all despite having multiple opportunities to do so!"

    "No" Kazuya shook his head. "You''re misunderstanding Tomoyo''s style as you are looking at her in the perspective of a person fighting against her."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You and her had very similar styles. You probably couldn''t tell since you''re always sparring with her but she had started to change after the incident with Shiriharu Kira."

    "Change?" Nanami was confused. Aside from the tremendous growth that Tomoyo showed, she didn''t find any changes in her style in particular.

    "Well¡­ you probably wouldn''t have noticed because her change was something that you have gotten used to already." Kazuya''s words only caused more confusion in Nanami''s head so he pointed towards the match.

    Tomoyo clearly looked to have been on the disadvantage as cuts she suffered from started increasing. The number of blades that Kira throwing at her scattered around. Tomoyo held on as she barely attacked and had been mostly blocking or evading.

    "I don''t know if it was because of what happened but the robot girl is showing similarities to the style of someone you are very familiar with."

    "!!" Nanami immediately realized what Kazuya meant. Thinking about the intense matches they had, Tomoyo recently timed her strikes in a way Nanami hadn''t expected. "Kuronuma Ayame''s¡­"

    "That''s right. You probably haven''t realized it yet because the two of you know each other''s styles well but Tomoyo had started analyzing me whenever we spar. Though it''s pretty useless because I tend to lead her on, to someone who is currently looking down on her¡­" Kazuya grinned as he looked on.

    *CLANG!* Tomoyo''s Katana got knocked back.

    "DIE!" Kira didn''t plan on getting this opportunity pass and stepped in for the kill.

    "HAAAH!" A sudden battle cry from Tomoyo overwrote Kira''s shout as her left hand grasped the sheathe on her waist and used it to strike her enemy''s throat.

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    "GUAHH!" Kira instantly fell to his knees. Grasping his throat with both hands, he tried to gasp for air.

    "¡­" Tomoyo looked at the state of her opponent with a blank expression.

    Her parents were taken from her by this person. Though training with the sword was to make her remaining relatives happy, never did she think about using her skills to protect someone until Kazuya almost died when he was shot.

    It might be a selfish wish on her part to protect someone who had never shown faced her with his true skills but, it was a wish she took seriously. Tomoyo didn''t want to lose anyone without being able to do anything about it.

    "You''ve won." Seeing that Tomoyo had crushed Kira''s windpipe, he walked towards them. He was a little disappointed that she hesitated to give him the final blow but, he had no intention of healing Kira so the result wouldn''t have changed.

    "No¡­" Tomoyo muttered.

    *SLASH*

    "!!" Nanami froze after Kira''s head went flying. She was no stranger to blood or dead bodies but this was the first time that she had seen someone''s life taken before her like this.

    "This¡­ is what Kazuya wanted?" Tomoyo turned to Kazuya with her usual expression but this time, it seemed like it was not as stiff and robotic like before.

    "Yes. Although in a messy way, you definitely passed." Kazuya gave a wry smile after looking at the bloodstained robot girl. He had mixed feelings about what had just happened but healing her took priority.

    "Your promise¡­?" Tomoyo''s sight focused on Kazuya. Though she had started talking more than he had expected, her gaze told him that she wasn''t planning on letting him delay matters.

    "Fine¡­" Kazuya sighed and pulled her away from the dead body that was making a bloody mess and had her stand beside the frozen Nanami and he closed up her wounds.

    "Had you failed, I would have treated you as a regular friend like Takaya." Kazuya faced both of them and then asked. "You two like me in a way that is more than a friend, right?"

    "Wha!?"

    *nod*

    The two reacted differently but it was more than enough to confirm Nanami''s standing.

    "Though I would leave the discussion as to why at a later time, I want to give my answer and apologize as I cannot have any relationships in that regard anytime soon." He gave a serious apology.

    "That isn''t the only reason though. We are still at a young age so I want both of you to accept this answer of mine and think about your feelings more. As I am happy to have garnered your affections, I will not tell you both to stop but rather examine these feelings."

    "Does this have something to do about what you said earlier about leaving for some time?" Nanami who was struggling to keep herself calm decided to ask.

    "Yes. I will not nor will I even begin to think about such feelings or relations until I come back. This is why I want both of you to think and examine your feelings more."

    Kazuya who will tell them the same secret about the memories he had experienced would tell them that the reason he said this was because of his own conclusion about the different people he met in that dream. From his perspective, he wanted them to have the opportunity to examine their feelings and differentiate them from admiration, gratitude and the like.

    For someone who had thought he had fallen in love only to have lost them or betrayed by them, he wanted to give them a chance that he had not been given.

    "I only have to think about it and¡­ understand right?" Tomoyo suddenly spoke up.

    "You''ll be fine after you return from your trip right?" Nanami quickly followed up.

    "Why do I have the feeling that you girls don''t get what I''m trying to say?" Kazuya sighed and cast a spell to get rid of the corpse before the smell of blood got any thicker.

    "You want us to make sure that we are sure of our feelings right?" Nanami confirmed.

    "That''s a quick summary of it but¡ª"

    "Then we''ll do that!" Nanami who was more or less already aware that Tomoyo had the same feelings she did for Kazuya didn''t plan on losing.

    "I''ll report on my¡­ progress¡­" Tomoyo showed her seriousness.

    "You two¡­"

    .

 174 v3 SS2: Priorities 2 in 1

    .

    A few weeks have passed ever since the controversial press conference that revealed the devious propaganda that Kurogane Sousuke had started. What the people affected did not expect however, was the public''s eye being attracted to Kazuno Kaguya''s revelation that she was none other than Kouzuki Kazuya himself.

    The person in question already expected a backlash of negativity thrown towards him but, despite his expectations, the majority of the people supporting him had overwhelmed the people that thought badly of him.

    "Their support is mostly due to Kurogane Sousuke trying to push it too far with trying to pressure us using the public''s opinion." Kyouko commented. "People do not like being played like fools."

    Due to this unexpected turn of events, Kazuya could only shake his head and sigh as he had no way of rejecting both Mei and his mother''s opinion of letting him continue on becoming the face of both companies. The story he told during the press conference had touched a lot of people''s hearts after all.

    The fact that he decided to not take a single cent from what he gained from the Kurogane corporation was also a big factor in gaining the public''s support. The support he had given to the companies that have once been the victim of the devious movements of the Kurogane conglomerate were a big help in solidifying the Kouzuki clan''s reputation.

    "Is there any update from Sacred Forest Academy''s board members?" Kazuya turned to Mei.

    The flatlands that was once known as the Kurogane property had been offered to the executives of Sacred Forest Academy in exchange for the current campus and its surrounding land. The Kouzuki clan had declared that they had no interest in the land and said that it would be a better location for the educational institution to be built.

    "Even though we offered them an exchange with no strings attached, they offered us quite a generous number of shares and a seat in the board of directors." Mei smiled. "With everyone''s eyes on everything we do with what used to belong to the Kurogane clan, they would be criticized if they didn''t offer that much."

    With the rapid expansion of both the Kouzuki corporation and Kazuno Tech, there was a need for them to build new facilities. Though the land that the Kurogane clan was indeed the most suitable place for them to build, Kazuya had long chosen to try and acquire the land that belonged to his school.

    His first reason was that the place that he was summoned from had been in the forest close to the school. The second reason was that the location near the mountains behind sacred forest academy was perfectly secluded and more suitable to build the home that he had promised Natsu and his high elven wife. Of course, another reason was that exchanging the land that he saw as tainted with an educational institution that was struggling with expansion was good camouflage.

    "Won''t the current people still against us protest that we used what you inherited from the Kuroganes for your own benefit?" Kou raised a concern that had been bugging him.

    "That is why we offered the exchanged with no strings attached at first." Kazuya replied with a smile. "Besides, I never said that I would not use everything I got, I only said that I would never use money I inherited for myself. As we have technically donated the land to a school, we can just say that whoever keeps complaining is needlessly nitpicking."

    Kazuya was confident in this decision as the Kouzuki clan did not hide their activities with how they used the money that had been obtained from the Kurogane clan. 50% of everything that had been used to compensate the clan''s past victims, 25% had been donated to research, and the remaining 25% had been given to a former member of the main branch whose identity had been kept a secret.

    This of course was Hamasaki Hikaru whose life had been changed because of his interventions in this life. Though the person herself was not aware of his true intentions, Kazuya did not take no for an answer and simply transferred the money without a second thought.

    "Will it really be fine?" Kou still wasn''t convinced. The current Kouzuki corporation had reached such heights in just a short amount of time and he was still not used to it.

    "It will be fine." Mei grinned. "The directors of the school have even begun to announce the deal to the public and have been contacting multiple companies capable of swiftly building their new facilities. It will most likely take less than a year for the new Sacred Forest Academy to be built at this rate."

    "Well if you two girls are confident, I guess I''m just worrying for nothing." Kou decided to leave it to his daughter and the capable Mei who had gained his trust through her own efforts.

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    "Just focus on keeping everyone safe grandpa." Kazuya gave Kou a meaningful glance as if saying not to let his guard down. Though the biggest danger had been taken care of, there might be desperate remnants intending to hinder them. Kazuya himself knew that he still needs to take care of a few loose ends before he completely relaxes.

    "Ou! Leave it to me!" Kou thumped his chest and turned to his grandson after a sudden thought. "You should also talk of the old bat''s granddaughter. He''s been contacting me nonstop cause that girl has been feeling devastated ever since you revealed your identity."

    Kazuya''s eyebrow twitched as he gave a sigh. He had completely forgotten about Ayame and though he didn''t want to admit it, he didn''t even think about what she would think when he decided to reveal himself as Kazuno Kaguya.

    "I''ll get to that eventually¡­" he had no idea what he would say or how he would even face her.

    -

    Two weeks later, an important meeting with several important members of Kazuno Technologies was about to take place. The members weren''t briefed about what would take place but the members were already somewhat used to it because these were the times where the mysterious boss would show himself in the avatar they were already used to.

    "Hey Natsuhiko-san, don''t you think this sudden meeting feels weird?" Kippei turned towards Natsu who was mysteriously included in meetings that only used to include members consisting of pioneer employees.

    "Why do you say that?" Natsu who was more or less aware of the purpose of the meeting tried to dodge the question.

    "Well¡­ don''t we have a guild gathering later today as well? The boss himself announced the gathering so it wouldn''t make sense if we got ourselves involved in a main project so suddenly." Kippei crossed his arms. He had just set himself free from the mountain of work that he had been assigned with so he was afraid to get in trouble with Mei or Winter.

    "You should just watch what you say and you wouldn''t get yourself in trouble Kippei-san." Natsu grinned.

    "Urk¡­ can you blame me? It''s Winter''s own fault that he is such an interesting topic for both rumors and discussions. His identity aside, the relationships he has with our boss or even the shockingly beautiful Autumn-chan are interesting topics!"

    "Well I can''t deny that¡­" Natsu nodded as he too shared the same opinion.

    Ever since Mei moved back to the Kouzuki residence, he was surprised at the relationship that Mei shared with Kazuya. What seemed to have been a strange relationship that was should have been similar to a child and an adult made sense if one knew about Kazuya''s experiences.

    It was obvious in Natsu''s or even Lailah''s eyes that Kazuya had been holding himself back with Mei''s advances because of his determination to head back to Edea. What was even more interesting was that after Natsu learned about the relationship between Autumn Mist and Winter Fog in Kazuya''s first life. Kazuya had no idea that the Hikaru had formed ambiguous feelings after Hikaru discovered that the sudden support had been because of their guild master''s actions..

    Though Hikaru had tried her best to hide it during their conversations online or in guild gatherings, a part of her couldn''t control herself whenever the conversation ended up mentioning the mysterious Winter Fog. Even though Natsu had been gone for some time himself, he was already aware of the friendship the two had formed when they played the game.

    Unfortunately for any girl that was interested in Kazuya, the boy in question had already steeled himself to not even consider such relations. This was something that Natsu gave Kazuya admiration for and why he was confident that Kazuya was someone that was worth giving his trust to.

    "You live at Kouzuki Kazuya''s place right?" Kippei decided to shift the conversation before he got himself in trouble again. "Do you think the rumors about him circulating recently are true?"

    "Which rumors?" Natsu tried to hold back a laugh because his colleague had been unaware that his attempt to get himself out of trouble had been for naught.

    "Well the rumors were about him being engaged to the boss younger sister who turned out to be him in disguise so¡­" Kippei pulled up a discussion on the laptop in front of him and showed it to Natsu.

    [Anonymouse: Those two are definitely secret lovers! Under the pretense of being both girls, they were quite affectionate in public weren''t they?]

    [GenericName: Nooo! My Ayame-sama must have been a victim to a crossdresser pretending to be a girl!]

    [BlackMirror: kukuku~ Those two might be doing it in their dressing rooms for all we know~]

    [MuscleFan: Above poster is a perv¡­ Though, being in such close proximity, Ayame-sama should have been aware right?]

    [ImRox: Definitely secret lovers!]

    "These¡­" Natsu had been aware of Kazuya''s struggles with thinking about how to deal with Kuronuma Ayame so he was taken aback at the rumors that would probably made things harder for the two of them.

    "Do you know anything? As much as I would like to defend the young mi¡­ master, I have no idea since I wasn''t told anything about it."

    "it''s definitely just a rumor." A voice coming from behind the two suddenly interrupted.

    Kippei turned around and found the boy that he was just inquiring about.

    "K-kouzuki Kazuya!" Kippei''s outburst made everyone aware of Kazuya''s stealthy appearance as they stood in attention to the person who they recognized last time as Mei''s little sister.

    Ever since they saw the press conference, the staff were confused on how they should treat Kazuya. Kazuno Mei''s sister was someone that never existed so they had no idea on how to see Kazuya from then on. Though he was the person who will inherit the Kouzuki company, Kazuno Technologies was a separate company in itself and their CEO had did not give any instructions about it so they were lost in how to proceed.

    "There''s no need to be confused everyone." Kazuya smiled and walked towards the seats reserved for the directors. "You can treat me the same as always. Of course, not as Kazuno Kaguya." He turned to welcome Mei who entered with Anri.

    Everyone was confused about what Kazuya meant. If they couldn''t treat him the way they treated him when he appeared as Kazuno Kaguya, what did he mean by treat him as usual?

    ""!!?"" Kippei and the rest were surprised when Kazuya had taken the center seat where Winter Fog''s hologram always appeared. It was a seat that Mei had been adamant about not taking yet she had ignored the young boy who stood in front of it.

    "Good morning everyone. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Kouzuki Kazuya. I''ve appeared in front of everyone as Kazuno Kazuya a few times, everyone her should have met me as ''Winter Fog'' before the company was established."

    """Huuuuuuuuuuuhhh!??!?!"""

    -

    Kazuya left Kazuno Tech after the long meeting. They announced that they had finalized the deal with Sacred Forest Academy and had obtained the mountain where the school stood as property of the Kouzuki clan. They would give the school time to build their new facilities before taking over the place where the school stood so Kazuno Tech would be building their new facilities in the undeveloped areas of the mountain in the meantime.

    He arrived at his next destination and stared at the long flight of stairs that led to the main property that belonged to the Kuronuma clan.

    "HAAAAH!!" Ayame shouted as she attacked the opponents that surrounded her in the dojo.

    "Uwaahh!"

    "ack!"

    "Owww!"

    "ooof!"

    "Gah!"

    *huff huff* Ayame maintained a cold expression as the next group of opponents to go up against her hesitated to come forward.

    After she found out the truth, Ayame had taken a break from her activities as a celebrity and once again picked up the sword. It was also the day that the nightmares of the members as well as the instructors of the Kuronuma dojo began.

    Though they were initially glad that Ayame had once again rejoined their practice, the idol''s intensity and ferocity had left several members unable to keep a happy face when paired up against her. Even Ayame''s own grandfather had started pestering his friend in order to resolve the source of Ayame''s current rampage.

    After Kazuno Kaguya''s true identity had been revealed, Ayame felt a myriad of emotions. Rage, shame, embarrassment were those that made her the most frustrated. More than being mad at Kazuya who had been fooling her all this time, Ayame was mad at herself and felt stupid to have never realized such a fact even though he had already been so close to her all this time. The fact that she even confessed her feelings towards him without even realizing it made it worse.

    What bothered her the most was that Kaguya''s reaction and attitude towards her when they first met had made sense. The girl who originally didn''t want to have anything to do with her was forced to become her friend because of Ayame''s own insistence. She wondered whether she unconsciously felt Kazuya that made her do such a stupid thing but in the end, it was her own fault that she was in such a predicament.

    "Ayame" Komori called out to her after just arriving.

    "Are you finally going to spar against me again grandfather?" Ayame turned to Komori wearing an expectant gaze. He was the only one who did not hesitate to fight her in their dojo but had refrained from facing her ever since she started practicing again.

    "No." Komori shook his head. "You have a visitor." He stepped aside and revealed the boy who she never expected to see in her own home.

    "!!" unaware of the glares the members of the dojo shot towards Kazuya, Ayame froze at the sight of Kazuya.

    "Quite the unexpected reaction." Kazuya looked at the hostile members who held the emotions he expected Ayame to show towards him and understood the situation.

    They had suffered because of him so Kazuya really couldn''t blame them for being hostile towards him.

    "What are you doing here?" Ayame finally got over her shock and shot Kazuya a glare.

    As much as she wanted to celebrate the very first time that Kazuya sought after her, Ayame''s pride didn''t allow her to simply forgive him for what he had done.

    "Though it was due to various reasons, the fact still remains that I have deceived you." Kazuya slowly bowed towards Ayame. "I don''t expect you to forgive me but I wanted to give you my sincerest apologies."

    When Ayame saw the conference where Kaguya revealed himself as Kazuya, Ayame was enraged enough to want to rush to the scene and give him a beating. The only reason why she didn''t even try to come close to him was because she understood the reasons why he had done such a thing. She felt as if when Kazuya was explaining himself in the press conference, he had been talking to her.

    "Did Shoroyuki Tomoyo know?" Ayame couldn''t help but ask the one thing about the situation that she was most curious about.

    "She knew about it." Kazuya was confused at the sudden question but answered it anyway. He saw the regretful expression Ayame held after his reply and remembered how she saw Tomoyo as a rival after their duel.

    "Why didn''t you just tell me?" forgetting that they were still surrounded with people, Ayame continued.

    "It was a matter that concerned the safety of many people I care about." Kazuya explained. "I hope you don''t take it the wrong way but our relationship only involved meeting a few times so I hope you understand why I couldn''t reveal such an important secret to someone I hardly know."

    He knew that his words would hurt her but it was the truth. Though Kazuya saw Ayame as an interesting person, that was all that she was. She was not a comrade nor a friend that he could risk Mei''s safety for.

    "You couldn''t have told me after hearing how I felt about you?"

    "I don''t understand that logic." Kazuya shook his head sideways. "Just because you claim to have feelings for me does not automatically make me trust you, nor should I. The mere fact that you only took an interest in me in the first place is because you sensed my affinity with controlling mana is enough reason for me to doubt whether you are attracted to me as a person."

    "Wha¡ª" Ayame was immediately irritated after hearing his words.

    The only advantage that Ayame could think about after everything that happened was that he should have understood how she felt about him because some of the discussions Ayame had with Kaguya was something that normally would have never reached Kazuya''s ears. Yet she couldn''t believe that Kazuya was doubting her feelings for him.

    "Don''t get me wrong, it''s not like I wasn''t listening to any of the conversations we had as Kazuno Kaguya. It is just that unlike lets say, the robot girl or Nanami-san, you moved with the assumption that I would like you and never really got to know anything about me."

    "¡­" Ayame trembled after hearing his words.

    "I don''t know if it had anything to do with your confidence or pride but what you did and planned to do would have only made me want to avoid you more."

    Ayame felt like she had been splashed with cold water. She was looking directly at him and she could tell that he wasn''t telling a lie. It was one thing being compared to Tomoyo who was not only always beside him but was someone she considered a rival but, a person who she hardly even put her eyes on was included as an example.

    "So I am no match for even Akabane Nanami¡­" Ayame felt like her confidence was shattering like a broke mirror. "In the end, you chose Shiroyuki Tomoyo¡­"

    "No." Kazuya shook his head. "I told her almost the same thing when it came to the unsure feelings she had for me. I have no interest in such relationships until I accomplish something I had been preparing for even before we ever met."

    "Then does that mean that you don''t recognize the engagement that was set by your grandfather?" Ayame finally heard a piece of good news and tried to grab onto it.

    "Yes. I already told her that was the case."

    "Then¡ª" Ayame was immediately cut off.

    "This conversation is going off track. I believe I have done what I came here to do so I will excuse myself." Kazuya bowed politely and swiftly walked away before Ayame could add anything more.

    "This¡­" she clenched her fists as this was a clear indication of his rejection.

    "Ayame-sama¡­" the other students gave her concerned looks as there was hardly anyone in the dojo who didn''t know that she had set her sights on Kouzuki Kazuya ever since they met.

    Kazuya''s rejection had come right after his apology so no one could say that they expected it. To the members of the dojo, Ayame who was both talented with the sword and a real-life idol was a dream like girl who they were lucky to just be in the presence of. They all shared silent admiration for the boy who could have done what they would never have been able to.

    "Ayame" Komori put a hand on his granddaughter''s shoulder.

    "Granpa¡­" Ayame turned to him with teary eyes.

    "Make him regret everything he said." Komori really didn''t know how to comfort her so he could only think of his own way of dealing with frustration. "Become someone who is leagues better than anyone who he is even considering."

    Komori didn''t want to see his granddaughter being more depressed than she already is. The only good thing that happened after everything that happened is that Ayame had picked up the sword again. With Akabane Nanami joining the Shiroyuki dojo, Komori''s own dojo was slowly getting overshadowed in terms of popularity amongst the young people.

    "Make him regret¡­" Ayame repeated those words. Her gaze grew sharper as she looked at where Kazuya walked away from.

    "I''ll do it. I''ll become better than anyone who chooses to buzz around him and prove that he is making the biggest mistake if he doesn''t choose me."

    .

 175 v4 SS3: What is a Family?

    .

    It hadn''t been too long since Natsuhisa Akira had come back from his long campaign in Edea. Technically, he had spent more time in that world more than he did on Earth so his decision to return had not been an easy one.

    Not long after he returned however, the family who he looked forward to get back to had rejected his return and suspected him of being an impostor that eyed their assets since he was once known as the most talented eldest son. They even disrespected the person he wanted to introduce to his family as his wife.

    Not long after that, the mana depletion condition that Lailah had been hiding was found out by him when she had fainted from exhaustion. This led him to move towards deep into the mountains and made the former hero take desperate actions to ensure his elven wife''s survival.

    Never did he expect that his actions would lead to meeting up with not only one of his predecessors, but also a young boy who unbelievably claimed to be his successor.

    Kouzuki Kazuya, the boy was supposedly sent back in time wanted to return to Edea rather than avoid the conspiracy that led him to be summoned in the first place. He wanted not only to save his companions, but also to exact his revenge towards the people that not only killed him, but also made a joke out of everything Natsu had achieved in his time as a summoned hero.

    Though Natsu had showed that he was against it, he was actually glad that Kazuya had shown determination that Natsu himself saw as close to an obsession. The fact that that Kazuya was willing to risk his life after already altering the tragedy he experienced in his previous life, was a testament to what type of character the boy possessed.

    Not only did his apparent successor had shown such loyalty to his companions, he was also willing to save everything that Natsu risked his life for. This was more than enough to satisfy Natsu''s willingness to share his wisdom to help Kazuya come back to Earth.

    He thought about what he could do for Kazuya and his family since they had not only been lenient with his desperate mistake, they had welcomed him and Lailah like family members. The boy even went as far as designating a rich land that had been perfect for elves in the mountain he had acquired for himself.

    "Do you think we should let them know about what you discovered after meeting with your family?" Lailah asked while the couple had been discussing on how to continue with Kyouko and Mei''s lessons in magic.

    "I''m not sure. We might just cause discord between the boy and his family since I don''t think that such a thing would be an issue for him." Natsu replied. "Even I don''t think it is such a big deal until I found out for myself."

    "I believe that Kyouko has the right to know. Besides, isn''t it about time you begin your lessons with Kazuya? He''s been patiently waiting for a long time for your decision and you''ve already observed him more than enough already." Lailah teased him for refusing to admit that Natsu had indeed been overly suspicious.

    "Fine¡­ I''ll be leaving my boss'' lessons in your care then." He sighed. "But first, we should tell Kyouko-san about it¡­"

    The couple met with Mei and Kyouko under the pretense of magic lessons. This was to avoid Kazuya from eavesdropping and give the two some time to digest the information they were about to be told.

    "Is it a joint magic lesson this time?" Mei curiously asked. "I want to be able to jump silently on top of roofs or escape tall buildings like Aoki theatre quietly through the window like Kazu someday~"

    "...umm before that, we need to discuss a few things Kazuno-san. Starting tomorrow, both you and Kyouko-san will be taking magic lessons from Lailah." Natsu announced.

    "Does that mean that you finally decided to work with my son?" Kyouko was overjoyed at the news since Kayuza himself had mentioned that he wanted to learn from both Natsu and Tsuna to ensure that he would face less dangers when he left for Edea.

    This was also one of the things Natsu had been envious towards Kazuya about. He was able to be completely honest about the unbelievable situation he was in. Although it took quite the amount of time for them to slowly be able to digest the mostly unfiltered part of the truth, Kyouko and Mei not only were able to understand, they also supported Kazuya despite their worries.

    "Yes, but we believe that there should be something about going to Edea that you should understand, Kyouko-san." Natsu gave her a serious look. "I only discovered this fact when I came back from the trip."

    "What is it?" though she appeared calm. Kyouko felt nervous since this must have been something that her son had not been aware of. His dream had ended before he returned according to him after all.

    "Let me ask you a question? What do you think a family is? Is it limited to only blood relation? What would you do if you found out that Kazuya and you did not share the same DNA anymore?"

    "That''s a silly question." I gave birth to my son and raised him alone. "Even if his DNA says otherwise, the time we spent together is a bond that would even genetics cannot compare to."

    "I see¡­" Natsu gave a sigh of relief.

    "Why the strange question? Does that have anything to do with Kazuya''s intention of going to Edea?" Kyouko curiously asked.

    "Yes. That is precisely why Akira asked such a question." Lailah interjected. "What we learned after we came back was that after meeting with Akira''s family, was that the results of the rest your world does to prove that one is related by blood will show a different result." Lailah told them of what they experienced after Natsu decided to take a DNA test to disprove his family''s suspicion.

    "I believe we already discussed that going to Edea is not something by choice but by chance. It is like the hero summoning in popular novels we have here, only in the case of reality, there are inevitable changes."

    "Changes¡­" Kyouko felt nervous after hearing the word.

    "Please be at ease Kyouko-san. I don''t mean changes to Kazuya''s personality or anything like that. If I were to say, there can only be nothing but good changes."

    "What do you mean by that? Can you be more specific?" Mei took the initiative sine Kyouko had begun to show her habit of analyzing all the information she was hearing in her mind without care of her current situation.

    "Being summoned to Edea is synonymous to receiving the blessing that would help anyone who is summoned face all the difficulties of living there. I initially assumed that it only involved elevating the abilities of the person who was summoned by granting them with an enormous amount of mana.

    What I realized after thinking about it was that it wasn''t only that. The person''s resistances, immunities, physical prowess and overall abilities have been improved with their limits unlocked.

    What I can surmise after coming back to earth was that although the amount of mana granted to the person travelling to Edea would be taken back, the improvements to their bodies would remain the same and the mana they had gained after the initial blessing would remain in with them once they return.

    This brings us to the Earth''s scientific aspect of the phenomenon caused by the blessing. It is my belief that with the blessing received when one is summoned to Edea, the body is improved to its optimal state in which even DNA is changed so that the person can evolve into a state that is should surpass a normal human being on Earth."

    "Huh? Does that mean that Kazuya will turn into an elf like Lailah or something?" Mei grew a bit confused at his explanation.

    "Let me put it in another way. Though mana on earth is so scarce that it is considered as an urban legend, Mei-san and Kyouko-san''s constitutions have improved and has been getting better as you get accustomed to more mana in your bodies right?"

    "Well, yeah."

    "It is the same principle only in a much grander scale. Enough to change his DNA to be changed to not be limited to be similar to the limits of his bloodline. The name blessing is fitting yet an understatement at the same time." Natsu explained.

    "Is that why Tsuna-san appears to be a lot younger than what his age is supposed to be?" Kyouko spoke up after hearing Natsu''s explanation.

    "Yes! I almost forgot about the most suitable example."

    "I see¡­" Kyouko gave a sigh of relief. "If Kazuya is going to receive such a blessing then there is no reason to prevent him from getting it. Though I am worried about the dangers for him to be needing such a thing, I believe that with Natsuhiko-san and Tsuna-san''s help, Kazuya will be able to do everything he intended there with little difficulty." Kyouko gave Natsu a thankful bow. "Thank you for informing me of this and deciding to accept my son''s request."

    "P-please raise your head." Natsu was flustered. "Me and Lailah should be the ones who are thankful."

    "What Akira says is correct." Lailah gave a bow. "He had regretted returning to this world after what he had experienced with his family. I am glad that we were able to meet people that lived up to his description about the inhabitants of this world."

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    "Lailah, you¡­" Natsu was taken aback by his wife''s comment.

    "Don''t think you can hide it from me. You have always been worried about how your family has been especially because of their high expectations of you back when you met me. I just haven''t spoken about it because I knew that there has been much in this world that you''ve longed for."

    The two of them had already come to an agreement on how they could help Kazuya to not lose himself to the hatred he felt towards his enemies. Before they agreed to teach Kazuya with everything they knew, Lailah and Natsu had come up with various conditions that he needed to uphold once he arrived in Edea.

    Some of them involved always prioritizing his own safety whenever he came upon a situation where even with his current prowess, the result would be unsure. While some involved giving several people involved in his revenge a chance by using his own advantage to prevent them from doing evil acts.

    The two believed that since Mei and Kyouko were the ones closest to Kazuya, they would be able to helpthem with the conditions they would give in order to keep him from being consumed by hatred. While they wouldn''t be able to tell them the whole truth, their help would prove to be indispensable because of their knowledge about Kazuya''s personality.

    "Hey! Wait a second!" Mei suddenly came up with a startling thought.

    "Since everything about Kazu''s DNA will change¡­ doesn''t that mean that he would technically be able to marry Kyouko!?"

    .

 176 v4 Prologue

    .

    Ever since there has been confirmed news that the art of hero summoning could once again be performed, the attention of the people of Edea have been focused on news from the Zweifel kingdom. The last hero; who was known to be the greatest mage had been responsible for centuries worth of peace between the races.

    The hero Natsu, dubbed by the church as ''Uriel'' had hidden the most important parts of the spell to summon heroes because he had judged that there shouldn''t be any threat to the peace he had been responsible for as long as his deal with the Demon Lord had never been broken.

    However, at present, the current heads of the Zweifel kingdom along with the upper echelons of the church of light had come to an agreement to perform the hero summoning ritual. They had spent several years researching and uncovering the parts that the hero Natsu had hidden.

    Despite numerous opinions from other countries about once again performing the ritual, the church and the royal family of Zweifel kingdom had decided to perform the ritual and summon a hero to their kingdom.

    With the biggest human kingdom and the most influential organization in Edea not listening to the opinion of the others, there wasn''t much anything the others could do unless they wanted a hero turned against them if the Zweifel kingdom had succeeded in calling forth a hero.

    A letter had just arrived at the stronghold of the most elite soldiers of Zweifel kingdom''s Eberbach family. It had contained the Duke Eberbach''s seal and was addressed to his daughter who had been training under the Steel Wolves unit.

    "Sodina ojou-sama, a letter from the duke has arrived for you." The messenger handed over the letter to one of the members of the Steel Wolves that had prevented him from approaching any further.

    He looked at the dazzling young girl with long golden hair that had been wearing a bright blue military uniform. She was currently sparring with one of the instructors with her trusty rapier and he couldn''t help but admire the graceful skill she showed in her practice.

    "I understand. You may get some rest and return to my father after a day." Sodina sheathed her rapier and turned to face the messenger.

    "But¡­ what should I tell the duke?" seeing that Sodina hadn''t taken the letter right away, he was worried about what to tell the duke.

    "It should be about calling me back to the kingdom because of the hero summoning, correct? My father has been pestering me about it when I came back to the estate the last time. Hasn''t it been two weeks since they started doing the ritual? There should be no need for me to hurry back to the capital right away."

    "But miss¡­" the messenger didn''t know how to persuade her. The duke had ordered to get positive results since he wanted for his daughter to be one of the first people to meet the summoned hero. The duke would have gotten mad if he yielded no results but pissing of Sodina was the same as suffering from the duke in the future, so he was stuck in a bind.

    Sodina was the one and only daughter of the Eberbach household who held one of the most powerful military might of the Zweifel kingdom. She is known to be a very stubborn advocate of chivalry and the duke himself protected and spoiled her.

    She noticed the messenger''s hesitation and began to misunderstand. Sodina had thought that since this had been the third messenger her father sent, her father must be losing his patience.

    "You may inform my father that I will head for the kingdom myself in a few days." She sighed. "It is almost time for me to prepare to travel to the academy so if the hero summoning ends up failing, I will just use that time to set things in order."

    "T-thank you very much!!" the messenger was overjoyed and immediately turned to excuse himself before Sodina changed her mind.

    "Hey! Take a rest first!" she shouted to the messenger who showed no signs of going to the barracks to take a rest before setting off back to the capital.

    "It''s no use Ojou-sama. That man has closed his ears so that the fact that you had given your word about returning to the capital will reach the duke''s ears." One of the members of the Steel Wolves unit wearing a dark blue military uniform that showed off her status as the vice commander commented.

    "Laura-san¡­" Sodina slumped her shoulders and looked at Laura regretfully. "I don''t understand what the big deal is about meeting this hero right now anyway. We would eventually meet at the Academy anyway." She pouted.

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    "You don''t understand." Laura shook her head. "Your father had been against the decision about summoning a hero since there has been no clear and decisive evidence that the demon king had broken his pact with the former hero."

    "Then why is he making even me attend the ritual?" Sodina questioned. "I don''t believe father has changed his mind about it because I too think that summoning a hero this early might just rouse the demons even more."

    "It''s because the Eberbach family holds military strength that is one of the most powerful forces of the kingdom." Laura turned to Sodina with a serious expression. "The nobles against us may use this opportunity to pull the hero towards their faction or use the opportunity that the hero doesn''t know about anything in our kingdom to make him strike against us."

    "Huh?" Sodina tilted her head looking confused. "Why would they do a thing like that?"

    "Because humans are such creatures." Laura sighed after seeing Sodina''s reaction and chose to explain it ambiguously. "Your father wants to give you a chance to establish relations with the hero so that we can prevent those with ulterior motives to take advantage of the visitor''s innocence."

    Laura didn''t want to explain further since she believed it was not her place to ruin Sodina''s innocence with the filth of the capital''s nobles. The whole squad had been warned strictly by the head of the Steel Wolves to never discuss filthy politics to their young miss. They would be severely punished by that person if Sodina, who had been sheltered from such things started losing faith in the people that are supposed to be trusted by the people to govern their kingdom.

    "I don''t really get it but father has hardly ever been wrong, so I guess I really do have to go back to the capital and see this hero for myself soon enough." Sodina came to a conclusion and turned back to the trainer whilst holding her weapon''s handle.

    "Very well. I shall make the proper arrangements so we can leave for the capital anytime." Laura felt relieved that Sodina didn''t press the issue further.

    "No¡­ the whole squad is on standby and is waiting in case Ritty-san calls for reinforcements, right? I''ll be fine with one of the regular units or even the trainees." She quickly denied Laura''s intent on accompanying her to the capital.

    "That will not do! Even if the duke doesn''t mind, the commander herself will punish us if we don''t see you safely to the capital!"

    There wasn''t anyone in their unit that hadn''t been aware how Sodina had been treated like a younger sister by their commander. It was even possible to say that the Steel Wolves'' commander had been working together with the duke to spoil the Eberbach family''s only daughter and fend away any man that tries to come near her.

    This had been the reason why Sodina''s presence at the hero summoning ritual played an important role. The stubborn and overprotective duke who treasured his daughter was going to let her meet the hero regardless of the fact that it could be a man or a woman.

    This was to show that even if he had been against summoning a hero, he was willing to comply with the decision of the royal family and had no intention of going against the final decision. The Eberbach household did use the teachings from one of the former heroes'' descriptions about some of the military practices of his world after all. The current uniform of the Steel Wolves had been designed from the old records depicting Natsu''s description of how his world''s soldiers had dressed.

    "I''ve made up my mind Laura-san. Ritty-san had gone on an especially dangerous mission with only half of the unit because she wanted to leave people to train with me. I want everyone here to be ready to rush to her side if there are any signs that she is in danger." She had been worried about the extended period of Ritty''s Mission because she only took half of her unit to do the mission. This had been the primary reason why she hadn''t answered the continuous summons of her father who she usually obeyed without a complaint.

    "But¡ª"

    "I''m going to be rushing towards the capital so prepare fast horses. You don''t really need to worry about me that much Laura-san. You''re aware of how much stronger I''ve gotten right?" Sodina raised her rapier and used her mana to perform a serious attack on the training dummy.

    "HAAA!" multiple holes appeared on the training dummy before it inevitably broke down on the ground.

    "¡­" Laura was immediately able to tell just how much their young miss had improved in just a few weeks of training. She was certain that there wouldn''t have been many in her age in the Zweifel kingdom that could contend with Sodina.

    "What do you think, Laura-san?" Sodina grinned confidently. "Even if criminals are able to catch our fastest steeds, they would still have to face my rapier, right?"

    "Please give me a little time to think about it." Laura didn''t want to give a definite answer and excused herself to find people that would be able to go with their young miss when she rushes towards the capital.

    None of the people in the camp were aware that in just two days, a pillar of light that signified the success of the hero summoning ritual would appear. This would cause Sodina Eberbach to rush to the capital so that she wouldn''t be too late to fulfill what her father had intended.

    What they didn''t know was that while Sodina was heading for the capital, the hero would make a bloody entrance that would shake the nobles and the Royal family of the Zweifel kingdom.

 177 A Summoning No One Expected

    .

    The southern part of the Zweifel Kingdom''s capital; Maynira, usually had quite the amount of visitors. The knights'' graveyard, the hero park and the temple of the hero were located in the southern part of the large capital of Maynira.

    The temple of the hero had been closed down for a month due to the Zweifel Kingdom''s efforts in renovating the sacred temple that was once the residence of the former hero that helped their kingdom rise against the Demon Race. This was due to the fact that a room of summoning had been prepared so that they would be able to call upon another hero.

    Today had been the 16th day since they began the endeavor of summoning a new hero to the zweifel kingdom. Many of the nobles have already been bored and tired of waiting but most of the ones that stayed were hell bent on making connections to the hero if the ritual did succeed.

    Both the church and the kingdom''s most talented mages and researchers have been working hard on making sure that the formation had been working properly. The repercussions of making a mistake of a spell in this grand scale would most likely destroy the southern part of the capital. This and the reason that summoning a hero lowered the density of mana had been the primary reason why there were many against calling upon a hero in the capital.

    For the past 16 days, the hero''s temple had worked like the castle since the king and the nobles had been doing their meetings and discussions about the kingdom in one of the rooms. The Kingdom''s princess herself even worked with the priestesses of the church and the mages responsible for maintaining the summoning circle as she had been chosen to represent Edea in exchanging first greetings with the hero.

    "How is everything Alicia?" King Benino von Lichtenstein III, approached Alicia who had been on standby by the summoning circle.

    "We have been increasing the input of mana in hopes that the hero from the other side would notice our call." Alicia replied and made sure that the nobles that had been wearing impatient expressions would hear it. "Is this morning''s meeting over with already?"

    "Well, there isn''t much to be discussed since the arrival of the hero is an event everyone is looking forward to." The king replied

    Alicia frowned. She was sure that there were very few amongst the people with them who were present because of their beliefs of the holy being which was the ''hero''. She gave a quick glance over to duke Eberbach in particular because he had been one of the people who had been against this but had stayed with no particular interest in case they failed.

    The king noticed the direction of her stare and knew what had been on Alicia''s mind. The Eberbach family had been a military family that although loyal, upheld a stubborn sense of chivalry that would make the other nobles be dissatisfied with them.

    "You don''t need to worry about Elrich all that much. a plan has already been set in motion to take care of the Eberbach forces soon." The king whispered. "If you can, delaying the success of the summoning for a few days will ensure that he wouldn''t be a problem."

    "Though it may not be a guarantee, I can let the others lower the mana¡ª"

    A sudden surge of mana made Alicia stop speaking to turn towards the summoning circle.

    """Whoaaa!""" the people near the room''s entrance had exclaimed as a pillar of light suddenly rose from the formation.

    "Tsk!" Alicia clicked her tongue and turned towards the king who could only give a nod before going back to his position.

    Just as they were planning to delay the summoning, the signs that someone from the other side of the summoning had responded to their calls. None of the people in the room had been present in the previous hero summoning so they could only base their knowledge from records that had survived the test of time.

    Alicia moved back to the forefront of the summoning circle. She silently wished that this was just a false alarm.

    "(Though it may not have been your fault. I''ll make sure to remember that you caused us an inconvenience if you come out at such a time hero.)" Alicia stared intently at the pillar of light that slowly turned into a person''s silhouette.

    "(A young man?)" Alicia had been the first to confirm the summoning''s success. "(This would be easier than I thought.)" She couldn''t help but smile after judging that the hero that has been summoned was close to her age.

    "(He looks younger than me¡­ and jet-black hair like the description of almost all the previous heroes.)" Alicia continued to observe the boy who had his eyes closed while slowly completing his materialization to their world.

    A handsome young man wearing dark clothes that reminded them of the military garbs that duke Eberbach made his soldiers wear appeared before them. Many of the nobles had started congratulating the king for the ritual''s success.

    Alicia noticed the closed eyes of the hero respond to the sudden noise that filled the room. This was enough proof that his senses have been active. Alicia stepped forward seized the opportunity that was given to her.

    "Hero? Can you hear me?" she stopped just outside the inner formation and stood in front of the hero that slowly opened his eyes.

    "¡­" he started glancing around the room with a cold but neutral expression.

    "(Such a deep penetrating gaze¡­)" Alicia tried to prevent herself from shuddering under the crimson pupils of the person in front of her. She felt like everything would have been seen through by this person, including the fact that they had specific plans to make use of him. It was like she had no choice but to feel naked in front of his gaze no matter what she did.

    "?" The hero''s gaze changed into what appeared to be similar to curiosity as soon as it landed on duke Eberbach. The noble that had been wearing garbs that were similar to the hero''s although not as extravagant.

    "hero?" Alicia immediately called out to him once more. She wanted to put all his attention to her before his curiosity took over. This was the only time they would be able to control how the hero saw things in their world after all.

    "Daughter, the hero still does not know our language" the king noticed her intentions and immediately spoke a reminder. "The ring of the knowledge we prepared for him should allow the hero to¡ª"

    "I can understand the language you''re using very clearly." The hero suddenly spoke in the human language that Edeans used. "How is it that you are able to use one of the languages that only few people in my lineage use to deter spies?"

    "!? (Spies?)" Alicia trembled as the hero''s gaze focused on her. The fact that she wasn''t able to see through the thoughts of any man that was close to her age made her mind go into panic. She didn''t know what the hero was thinking but it was like he had been looking at her like he was looking at someone he recognized.

    "Hajimemashite~" the hero spoke in words that were foreign to her as he slowly pulled out a metallic object and pointed it in front of her.

    "What did you¡ª"

    *BANG! BANG!*

    Sparks suddenly appeared from the metallic object that he held in front of her.

    "!!" Alicia had no idea how the others saw it, but she was a person that had been trained by various individuals about battles. Her instincts immediately told her that something that threatened her had just happened so she immediately cast a barrier to protect herself.

    "How impressive¡­" the hero whispered to himself as a powerful barrier was erected in front of Alicia. "But it''s no use¡­" he smirked as the bullets reached their intended target.

    "Ukkk!!" Alicia felt hot searing pain on her knees as she lost the power to stand. She shut her eyes expecting her face to crash on the floor but she was unexpectedly caught by the very person who just gave her injuries.

    The hero remained nonchalant and immediately caught the falling princess and pointed the metallic object that had been identified as a weapon and pointed it towards her head. This immediately halted the knights that were currently present in the room.

    "Alicia!"

    "Hime-sama!"

    "Princess!"

    "¡­"

    "Now then, I believe I suppose I was right to assume that this girl is in a position importance?" The hero grinned towards the person he assumed to be a king because of the flashy crown on his head.

    "How dare you!"

    "Let go of the princess this instant!"

    "Someone call a healer!"

    *BANG!*

    The people making a ruckus immediately shut their mouths as the hero moved his weapon behind the slowly moving arm of the princess and shot her elbow without hesitation. The knights who drew their weapons immediately lowered their weapons as they didn''t want to cause another injury.

    "KUK!" Alica but her lips in pain and gave up trying to do anything in her current situation.

    *drip* *drip*

    The sound of the princess'' blood falling on the floor could be heard as everyone stared nervously at the hero who had been observing them with his gaze.

    "Has everyone settled down now?" he glanced at the people who looked at him with different kinds of expressions. "I have a pretty good guess about what this place is after taking a look at the people in this room. Now then, shall we start our talk?"

    "Why did you suddenly attack my daughter?" the king was displeased at the hero''s calmness. He didn''t understand how he could be calm after just attacking someone he knew was of importance out of the blue.

    "Why wouldn''t I? I suddenly woke up in a room surrounded by people who could suddenly use the language we use to deter spies. Some of you even have weapons and give off a dangerous feeling of being able to use mana." The hero commented.

    "The last thing I remember before I woke up here was that I was supposed to be headed towards a battlefield against one of my enemies. So, you tell me, should I not ensure my own safety before talking with people who most likely kidnapped me to some strange place?" The hero kept his gaze at the king looking for an answer.

    "¡­" the king didn''t know how to respond. He understood that what the hero had just said made a lot of sense and couldn''t come up with anything to refute him with.

    "I am a person who is in a sensitive position so do pardon me if I take my own safety into priority before anything else. There are a lot of people who are after my life after all." The hero spoke again after the king had remained silent.

    "Pardon me." Duke Eberbach took a step forward and caught the attention of everyone in the room almost instantly. "I couldn''t help but be curious about your earlier statement about having a good guess on where this is. I wonder if clearing that up would prove that everyone here does not have any intention of causing you any harm."

    "And you are?" the hero curiously looked at the duke.

    "Pardon me. I am Elrich Eberbach, a duke of the kingdom which you are currently in. May I ask that you grace us with your name young hero?" he smiled amicably.

    The duke and the hero stared at each other with respect. Both of them have come to a silent understanding that they might get along with each other.

    The duke looked highly upon the hero''s show of intelligence and the swift action into turning the unknown situation in his favor. He knew that the hero would be able to pick up the subtle hints he had already gave him in their short exchange of words.

    "I see¡­ so is this the Zweifel Kingdom? Or is it another human kingdom that called me here?" his innocent response startled everyone including the hostage that had forgotten the pain she was in at the moment. "I had a feeling that this place had been the Edea I heard so much about after seeing everyone''s attires and sensing the mana around you people."

    "Y-you know where you are?" the duke stuttered.

    "I do." The hero nodded and lowered his weapon. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kazuya, the successor to two of Earth''s most influential organizations and the current commander of the Mana Security Forces."

    His introduction had given the people of the Zweifel Kingdom quite a shock. The records indicated that the summoned heroes from old had been given a hero''s blessing and possessed enormous amounts of mana but, since they were from a world that barely contained any mana, they had no idea how to use it.

    That wasn''t the only reason. Many people have already realized that this hero was not a normal person because of his actions. With his introductions, they understood that they have summoned someone with an extraordinary standing in his world.

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    "I am honored to meet you Sir Kazuya." The duke politely bowed. "I am relieved that you have some knowledge of the situation. This is indeed the Zweifel kingdom of Edea. May I ask if you can release the princess so that she may be able to receive medical treatment?"

    "Do you swear on your honor and the lives of your family members that you have no intention to harm me?" the hero''s smile faded as he gave the duke a serious look.

    "I swear upon the Eberbach name that my family bears you no ill will. Neither me nor my soldiers will make a move to hurt you unless you endanger us." He declared.

    "I see¡­" the hero nodded and then turned towards the king. "What about you? You''re the king right? Do you swear upon your crown that none of you will attack me once I release this girl?"

    The king already stared at the hero blankly as he felt a sense of loss after the unexpected turn of events. Not only did Alicia fail to ensnare the male hero with her uncontested beauty, duke Eberbach had gotten on the hero''s good graces after just a short exchange of words.

    "Yes. I swear upon my crown that we will not hold you responsible for this misunderstanding." He couldn''t help but swallow the loss as there was far too much at stake if he and the hero had a falling out now.

    "Very well." Kazuya entrusted his hostage to the knights the priestesses that approached. "I apologize about this seemingly worst way of meeting. I made sure I aimed for spots that should not ruin your beauty I hope you give me a little credit for that fact." He smiled at the bitter looking princess as she was being carried out of the room.

    "(I''m sure you''re going to hate me to death after you realize that no normal healing magic will be able to affect the damage that my anti-magic bullets caused. Until then, have fun trying to figure out how you will be able to walk again Alicia.)" Kazuya laughed in his mind. "(I look forward to the time when you swallow your pride and ask me for any solutions to your predicament.)"

    "Now then, shall we begin the discussion on why it is that I am here?"

    -

 178 Well, arenst you people selfish?

    .

    Due to the pillar of light that could clearly be seen even during daylight, the news of the successful hero summoning had spread across the kingdom of Zweifel and the cities closest to the capital with haste. Every citizen, even those who weren''t in favor of calling upon a hero at this time was excited upon the fact that a person who could only be considered a legend would exist in their current generation.

    What the excited citizens that had already gathered around the temple of the hero were unaware of however, was that there was already a person who had schemed to summon the hero already regretting her decision.

    Alicia laid on her bed after being rushed back to the castle. Knights have already been sent out to call for higher ranked healers since the priestesses who accompanied her back for healing were perplexed at how their healing magic were not affecting the princess'' wounds.

    "Useless!" Alicia scolded them in frustration.

    She began to worry since she couldn''t feel anything starting from the parts where she had been wounded. Both her legs and her dominant right arm made her lose a sense of feeling starting from her knees and elbow.

    "Get the bishop here from the temple if you have to!" she commanded without holding back her rage.

    What Alicia didn''t know was that the moment she showed a sly smile after confirming that the hero summoning was a success, her fate inside the hero''s mind had already been determined. That had been enough for him to consider her as having bad intentions towards him.

    "Princess!!" a young woman dressed in armor that only royal guards could don entered the room in a fluster. "What happened? How did you get such injuries? Weren''t you supposed to be in the hero''s temple?"

    It was the day of the month where the leaders of the royal guard were to have a meeting so the responsibility of looking after Alicia for the day had been delegated onto another. No one ever expected that the currently heavily guarded hero''s temple would experience an attack from the inside.

    "Don''t remind me Julia. It was that hero that did this to me." Alicia calmed down a bit after her personal guard had entered the room and told her what had transpired. "I don''t know what he did or what that weapon of his was but, it looks like the priestesses'' healing magic is of no use against my wounds."

    "I will make sure that he answers for what he has done!" Julia angrily rose. "I will tear that weapon of his to pieces too."

    "Don''t. Not even my father had been able to refute the hero''s reason for doing what he did. Not only did I try to retaliate, looking at things from his point of view, we are merely kidnappers that took him from his world without permission." Alicia persuaded her knight to stay.

    "But not only did he injure a member of the royal family, he also dared to draw a weapon in front of his majesty! That is enough reason for us to have a reason to turn him into a criminal slave!" Julia didn''t care about the hero''s reasons and already condemned him in her mind.

    "No. That would only condemn us in the eyes of all the people and countries who look up to the hero. My father had already sworn on his crown that we would do nothing to harm him." Alicia bitterly explained. "It might be because of our lack of information about the world the heroes come from or this specific hero just might be an exception but the fact that we had not expected him to see us as threats was our own fault."

    "I don''t think there wouldn''t be a problem if I acted against him because of my personal feelings. My personal feelings are separate from my duties as a royal guard and it is my belief that he should suffer for what he did to you, princess."

    "How stubborn." Alicia showed dissatisfaction despite being pleased with her royal guard. "Just remember to make sure that it is clear that you are moving as an individual and not as a person employed by the royal family before you make such a move. As much as it pains me to swallow this disgrace, the fact still remains that he is a major part of our plans." She reminded.

    "I am aware." Julia nodded as she was aware of the reason why the hero had been needed.

    "Hero Kazuya¡­ just you wait. It will be me who has the last laugh¡­" Alicia grit her teeth as she tried put some strength towards her limbs. Her pride couldn''t accept her current condition and she refused to even think about asking the person who treated her like that resolve it.

    -

    Over at the hero''s temple. Kazuya had just finished listening to the same spiel that the king and the nobles had given him about why he had been summoned to Edea. The only thing that changed was that they had chosen their words more wisely.

    Kazuya believed that this was because of the presence of duke Eberbach, a person who was not present when he was summoned the last time.

    "(Too bad that stupid knight Julia wasn''t here when I took Alicia as a hostage. I would have liked to cripple that bitch as well.)" he sighed inwardly after hearing what the nobles had to say.

    "We beseech you to lend us your strength." The king gave a humble looking bow that Kazuya was not unfamiliar with.

    This action had been one of the most important factors that made him decide to lend the Zweifel kingdom a helping hand. This time, the hero held the urge to slay this king for this shameless attempt of trying to fool him.

    "Though I assumed that there had been such a reason for why I was summoned here, I am interested to know just what you people might do in case I choose to refuse to help?" he shot a question that once again left the king struggling to answer.

    "That''s¡­"

    "I mean, think about it, putting aside the fact that I don''t know anyone here, would anyone of you agree to put yourselves in danger just because you were asked to? By the ones who suddenly brought you to another world all of a sudden?" Looking at their expressions was enough to tell him what they thought.

    "None of you even know anything about me nor even bothered to ask. Would you, a king, decide to go on a long journey in an unfamiliar world when you know that you have a kingdom who is currently in need of you because of a war?"

    "I would not¡­" the king couldn''t help but say so because he was in the presence of his subjects.

    "This is preposterous! Are you saying that you are a king in your world!?"

    "How shameless!"

    "How dare you continuously question the king!"

    Kazuya''s eyes narrowed as he turned to the nobles who were speaking up for the king. He released an enormous amount of mana to show that the current him, who had just received the hero''s blessing had released mana due to his current emotions.

    "I may not be a king specifically, but I am one who will stand on top of two of Earth''s most influential empires in the future. Two empires that affect not just a single country, take note of that. One is my family''s empire and the other is my fianc¨¦''s. I don''t expect any of you to understand because none of you even tried to consider my own circumstances." Kazuya looked at them like he was looking at insects.

    The nobles felt like they were going to be crushed under the pressure and started to regret their decision to suck up to the king. Their decision had most likely turned the hero against them and it would be hard to recover from it.

    "I apologize." The king bowed his head once more. "We had been so desperately clinging to the hope of summoning a hero that we have forgotten to think about your circumstances." The king had finally thought of a way to save himself from the current situation.

    Though Kazuya wanted to press them further, he stopped himself because he knew that both him and the kingdom wanted to have an amicable relationship for their own purposes. He stayed quiet and continued to listen to how the king intended to salvage the situation.

    "You indeed have the right to refuse to help." The king''s words surprised the nobles that surrounded him. "Our kingdom will take full responsibility of you during your stay in our world."

    "My stay?" Kazuya already knew the answer, but he acted as if he did not know what the king was trying to imply.

    "Yes. Currently, we have just recovered the capability of summoning a hero such as yourself. Due to our circumstances, we have yet to complete the research about the method on how to send you back to your world. I''m afraid that you will have to stay here until we are able to find a method to send you back." The king explained while maintaining a regretful expression that Kazuya wanted to hit so badly.

    "¡­" Kazuya remained silent and acted as if he had been thinking about the situation.

    This was the first time that the hero had been silenced so many of the nobles felt a sense of relief. They still didn''t know much about this hero, but his intelligence was glaringly apparent. The mana he was able to emanate earlier was as impressive as the elite knights, so they looked forward to the result once he had been formally trained to control it.

    "As much as I would like to say that your desperate action is akin to using a poison without an antidote, I understand the situation after that explanation. I will take you up on your offer and impose on your kingdom while you search for a method for me to return to Earth." Kazuya came up with a compromise for the current situation.

    "What about your decision to help us with our peril?" the king knew he had the current advantage.

    "I still haven''t decided. As I take you up on your offer to be in this kingdom''s care, I will think about whether I can help or not after I learn more about this world. I would like to believe that a wise king such as yourself won''t use the method to return me to my world as leverage. Which is why I want your word as a king that you will seriously find a way to send me back."

    "You have my guarantee. It is what we should do as the summoners after all." the king agreed and gave his word without hesitation.

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    He believed that he had victory over the conversation in the end. With how it turned out, this hero will inevitably lend them a hand. With being able to go back home much quicker at stake, the king was confident that Kazuya will eventually go through the process that had so meticulously laid out for him.

    "Good! In the meantime¡­" Kazuya turned towards duke Eberbach. "Would I be able to intrude upon your place Duke-sama?"

    "That''s¡ª"

    "That will not do hero-sama, everyone knows that the hero will stay at the castle."

    "A parade has even been prepared from here to the royal palace!"

    The nobles immediately tried to dissuade him because they had been the ones against duke Eberbach.

    "I don''t mind it being announced that I''m staying at the palace. That would be more convenient anyway." Kazuya didn''t deny them that. "As a person new to this world, I want to know just what kind of kingdom this is with my own eyes. It''s not like I''m not planning on going to the palace since it should have a library in it that''s full of knowledge, right?" he turned back to the duke and waited for his decision.

    "It will be an honor to be a host for the hero, but¡­." Elrich looked over to the king implying that he did not have the final say.

    "It''s fine¡­" the king knew that it wasn''t possible for the duke to have planned this all out beforehand. The hero had just been summoned so such preparations to make them look bad wasn''t possible. "Duke Eberbach is one of the most loyal subjects of the kingdom so there should be no problems leaving him to inform you with other things you need to know."

    The king gave Elrich a serious look. This was a reminder and a warning for the duke to not say anything that the hero shouldn''t need to know. Both were aware of why the duke had been against summoning a hero so the king had felt that there had been to need to say it himself.

    "I humbly accept the king''s trust." The duke gave a polite bow.

    The meeting had ended not too long after that and the grand parade of the summoned hero was started. The king did not sit on his throne despite his numerous competitors for it. He had already decided on a way of dealing with the hero.

    For the prideful ruler, he had taken everything the hero said with a grain of salt. He was still a young man despite his words and actions. By showing Kazuya the glory and advantages of being in his position, there was no doubt in the king''s mind that it would not take too long for Kazuya to accept his fate.

    "(I dressed up for it just in case but¡­ looks like it isn''t easy to change the events without being forceful about it.)" Kazuya thought as he rode the grand carriage that he and the king boarded. "(I''ll take this compromise Benino von Lichtenstein. Our game is just beginning.)

    .

 179 Palace Tour

    .

    The grand parade to welcome the hero had just ended and the hero had arrived at the royal palace. There weren''t many humans who didn''t know about the heroes of legend that saved the human race from calamities, so Kazuya had been welcomed with smiles and cheers.

    "(The face remained almost the same)" Kazuya thought as he got off the grand carriage.

    He looked at the royal palace which represented Zweifel kingdom''s authority. One big difference from his previous life was that this time, the Zweifel kingdom''s princess wasn''t closely standing beside him. The engagement between him and Alicia had been announced because there were a lot of people who thought that they had been a match made in heaven.

    Now, the possibility of that happening were close to nil. Not only did the two of them not have a good first impression, Alicia probably wanted to tear him to pieces. Kazuya grinned at the direction of Alicia''s room and smiled.

    "(I wonder what kind of expression you''ll be showing me the next time we meet, Alicia.)"

    "You seem like you''re used to this kind of thing, hero." The king stood approached after getting off the grand carriage himself.

    "Though it may not be always at this scale, I''ve more or less experienced such events." He replied nonchalantly to the king''s inquiring comment.

    Though he had mentioned that he had been a personage that held a position in his world, the king and many of the nobles didn''t take it much to heart. They knew nothing of the hero, but his demeanor and actions have been proving his statements to be true. Not even the most talented person from the kingdom''s theater could appear as calm as the hero did when he stood at the center of such a grand parade.

    "Welcome to the Royal Palace. I had hoped that you would stay here as you learn more about the world and our kingdom." The king expressed regret.

    "Don''t take it the wrong way, king. The reason I chose to stay at the duke''s place is because I want to be able to move as I wish around this big city. Though this castle is indeed impressive, I wouldn''t be able to move as I pleased here wouldn''t I?" Kazuya grinned. "Since I''ll be here for the foreseeable future, I will learn about this world through its people as much as I read about them."

    "I see. That is a unique way of looking at things." The king wasn''t really interested in what Kazuya had to say but he refrained from saying anything about him wanting to learn through reading. Though the language barrier may have been resolved coincidentally, the king didn''t think Kazuya would be able to read Edean scriptures.

    "er¡ªKazuya-san" Elrich approached. "I will need a little bit of time to prepare quarters suitable for you at my estate here in the capital. Would you like a tour of the city in the meantime?" though he was aware of the hero''s wisdom, the duke was still uneasy about leaving him at the palace.

    "I suppose I did impose on you suddenly." Kazuya appreciated the offer. "I am thankful for your offer but since I am already here, I would like to see if the castles in this world are similar to what they are like in mine." Kazuya''s decision made the king ecstatic.

    "I see¡­" the duke was slightly disappointed. "Very well, I shall personally make arrangements and come back later to fetch you."

    "I appreciate you going through the trouble duke. A simple room will suffice since I would be uncomfortable if it were too extravagant." Kazuya finished bidding Elrich farewell and accompanied the king and headed towards the castle.

    Though it had been unfortunate that Elrich wasn''t given a chance to be alone with the hero, the duke was still able to get himself chosen to be Kazuya''s host. Though it will only be a few hours till they met again, the head of the Eberbach household wished that the hero''s wisdom would be enough to fend himself from the nobles that wanted nothing more than to use him.

    "(Get here as fast as you can, foolish daughter. The opportunity to befriend a hero that defines a generation isn''t something you choose to miss.)" Elrich sighed before taking one last look at Kazuya who did nothing but impress him before heading back to his estate.

    Nobody that wasn''t in the royal family in the kingdom had the privilege to walk beside their king normally but Kazuya acted as if he wasn''t aware of such things and strode beside Zweifel''s ruler without a care. This caused the castle staff to give surprised and curious looks but not even the nobles accompanying them had the nerve to say anything about it to the hero.

    "Hero, about that weapon you used earlier¡­" the king decided to break the silence so that he could take his mind of this embarrassment.

    "What about it?" looking at the empty gun holster in his side, Kazuya acted oblivious to the question he had been expecting.

    "It was able to shatter the barrier my daughter put up as if it was nothing. Though it may not sound like a big deal to you, Alicia is one of the most talented youths in the capital. It makes me wonder just what kind of weapon it is." Though the king had not mentioned it directly, his desire towards the unknown weapon was apparent.

    "Well I guess you would have found out about it sooner or later but that was my ''Soul Weapon''." Kazuya didn''t bother thinking about it and gave an immediate reply.

    "Soul weapon?" The king was unfamiliar with it as he turned to one of the magicians behind him. The court magician could only shake his head because he too did not know what it meant.

    "It is a special weapon that certain individuals on earth known as ''awakened'' are able to use." Kazuya maintained a poker face as he explained. "It is made from fragments of an awakened person''s soul and appears as a weapon that is suitable for the user. Mine is as you have seen, a ranged weapon."

    "Made from a person''s soul¡­" the king wasn''t unfamiliar with the concept of souls. He was unable to confirm nor deny Kazuya''s explanation.

    "Though it is a ''special weapon'' it doesn''t mean that it had no limitations." Kazuya noticed the disbelief and decided to go for another push. "With my current mastery of it, I can only materialize it for a short period of time. The time it can stay in physical form is even shorter if I use it."

    "Is that so?" the king felt that it hadn''t been a lie. There was no sign of the weapon in the hero''s possession. "I had hoped that it was something that can be manufactured. Such a weapon could have been helpful in these troubling times." An exaggerated sigh of regret was shown by the nation''s ruler.

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    Kazuya resisted the urge to roll his eyes and scoff at the king''s exaggerated acting. He was satisfied seeing that his lie had been accepted by those who were skeptical about his gun. Revealing the weakness and limitation of his weapon made their vigilance go down together with their desires to acquire it.

    What they were not aware of was the reason the hero had made such an elaborate lie. Not only would they have to think twice about attacking the hero though he appeared vulnerable, they would also not be able to disarm him under the pretense of a place forbidding the presence of weapons.

    If they were planning to do something to the hero, they would first have to make him use his to its limits before they can make a move. While the limitations he spoke of was non-existent, the lie would give Kazuya an appropriate warning that these good for nothing people would be up to something.

    "I apologize for not being of help with that. Since my world is not blessed with the abundance of mana this world has, people like me have to pay an appropriate cost so that we can ensure our safety." Kazuya gave a negative hint about the cost of using his weapon and showed that he did not want to talk about it any further.

    After separating from the king and the other nobles, the members of the royal guard were tasked to show him around the important parts of the castle. Kazuya acted like a tourist and showed interest in the palace while he imagined different scenarios in which he would be able to see it crumble.

    Of course, Kazuya was well aware that the method he used to destroy the Kurogane estate wasn''t an option he could use here. Not only would the formation around the castle be easily discovered, the royal palace itself was several times larger than the Kurogane estate. It was the place that housed the most important figures in the kingdom, so it had been covered with several layers of protection that even he would have a hard time dealing with.

    "And finally, this is the royal library." the royal guard led him to the final stop of their tour.

    This was the place aside from his room that Kazuya spent the most time in at the palace. He used this place not only to familiarize himself with the language, but also the kind of world Edea was. One of the regrets Kazuya had was that he wasn''t able to look through the articles he was interested in before he was sent away from the capital.

    "Oh? A new face?" an old man walked from the desk covered by several books and met them.

    Kazuya smiled after seeing the old man. The library was like a sanctuary for him because he was able to come here whenever he wanted to run from the instructors who kept training an earthling like him in the art of fighting. This old man is one of the oldest people staying at the palace so no one was able to go against him. This included members of the royal family.

    "Hello. My name is Kazuya, I will be frequenting this place often so will be in your care." Kazuya''s respectful demeanor stunned the royal knights who already witnessed him mercilessly debate with the king and the nobles without a care.

    None of them knew that people like this old man were the only reason why Kazuya refrained from destroying the castle without a care. Though this place did indeed house the most rotten people of the kingdom, there were individuals like the old librarian who got along with Kazuya even in his past life.

    This old man in particular was the one who patiently taught him how to speak, read and write in this world. This had been because of the simple and unconscious action Kazuya had been used to as a regular visitor of a public library. In the old man''s eyes, the hero was unlike anyone else who visited the royal library and actually returned the books he was done with to their proper places.

    "What a polite young lad! Are you by chance the hero that has been summoned?" the man''s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

    "I guess that would be me. Though I haven''t accepted the request for assistance, I wanted to learn more about this world before coming to a decision."

    "A wise decision!" the old man nodded. "Are you alright with reading in our world''s language?"

    "There should be no problems but¡­" Kazuya turned towards the royal guards who kept their eyes on him.

    "I understand. You can leave this to me!" The old man straightened himself before standing in front of the guards who tried to follow the hero that went to look for books in the aisles.

    "Sir Quinn¡­" the guard called out the old man''s name hoping that he would understand that they were under orders to keep their eyes on the hero.

    "You guards stay put here! I''m already being lenient in letting you enter this place with your weapons." He sternly looked at the other guard who tried sneaking past him in another direction. "This place only has one place to enter and exit. You will be able to observe the hero once he has finished choosing the materials he wants to read!"

    They were aware that the old librarian had connections to even the previous family heads and veteran generals so they didn''t dare offend him. It was true that there was only one place to enter and exit the library so the guards compromised and watched the hero come back with a pile of books in hand.

    Quinn, the old librarian was satisfied when he saw the hero concentrated on his reading. It had been a few hours since Kazuya started immersing himself in the books. Quinn figured that the hero picked up books that made him curious and finally went back to his own work.

    "(Phew¡­ this old man sure is thoughtful in his own way but...)" Kazuya breathed a sigh of relief after making sure that the old man no longer paid attention to him.

    Probably waiting to be asked questions, Quinn waited for the hero who showed nothing but concentration in the books he started reading. The old librarian figured that his help would be needed once the hero figures out just what exactly he will focus on learning, so he went back to his own work.

    The royal guards already got tired of being vigilant every time the hero stood up to return the book he finished to get new ones. They sat near the large doors of the library and kept an eye on him from afar while looking bored.

    "(Though it would be a bit risky to do it now¡­)" Kazuya reached for a small device from his pocket and placed it on his seat before moving towards the aisles once again.

    He waited for a moment where both the guards and the old man didn''t pay any attention to the place where he just left before pressing a button to activate the device he left on his seat.

    "yawn¡­ hmm?" The guard scratched his head after seeing the hero already back on his seat with a book in hand.

    Kazuya observed the situation for a while before deciding that there weren''t any problems. This would give him some time to walk around the castle by himself. There was one place in particular that he wanted to stop by no matter what.

    "(Time to give my respects to the royal castle''s vault. I need to get some compensation for the inconvenience and mental trauma that this summoning has caused me~)"

    -

 180 End of Day One

    .

    After carefully studying the royal vault and the royal treasury, the hero secretly took a generous sum for himself. He refrained from taking everything since it would cause a panic. Kazuya still needed to stay at the capital so taking everything would only have put him at a disadvantage.

    "(Since I''ll most likely won''t be able to receive a sponsorship unless I agree to be their hero, I''ll help myself and receive some compensation.)" he took some currency but left the artifacts intact. It would have been discovered if those suddenly disappear after all.

    Kazuya had gotten word that Elrich''s preparation had been completed after he had successfully replaced the hologram of himself that was left in the library. He left with a promise to come back as he bid his farewells politely towards the old librarian.

    "I look forward to seeing you again, young hero. It is very rare that an old man like me comes across seekers of knowledge after all." the old librarian smiled and closed the doors of the royal library.

    Since Duke Eberbach had a territory of his own to govern, he didn''t give much importance to his estate in the Royal capital. He spent most of his riches on the military and focused on making the Zweifel kingdom''s forces stronger.

    Due to this, though his estate was not as grand as those who have a lower position than him in the capital, the power and position he held was what even the royal family envied. This was the dedication and the danger of the Eberbach family which did things that no noble would be able to.

    "This place is¡­" the hero was surprised after reaching the Eberbach estate at the capital. It was not because it wasn''t fit for a ''duke'' but, because this exact estate was a place he was familiar with.

    "Welcome to the Eberbach residence." The butler bowed outside of the carriage accompanied by a number of maids that were lined up on both sides of the way leading to the manor. "I will lead you to your room so that you can leave your luggage and freshen up before meeting with Elrich-sama."

    "Eberbach residence¡­" he looked around and felt as if a fly had flown into his mouth.

    This had been because this same manor was presented to him when he was first summoned to Edea in his previous life. The estate was humbly placed near the gates that separated the noble district from the western part of the commoner''s area in the capital.

    He had been impressed with the size of the manor and how neatly it had been decorated. The hero of the past was most grateful in receiving such a big and expensive looking property to serve as his home and base. What gave it more value in his first life was the statement ''it used to belong to a duke who once had been the kingdom''s most powerful general'' spoken by the king himself.

    Today, not only had Kazuya learned that everything that he was impressed about this place had been a shameless lie, the confirmation of what he had been pondering about all day was already answered. He had arrived in Edea a few months early compared to his last visit.

    "This will be where you will stay." The butler opened the door and let Kazuya enter the big room that had been prepared just for him.

    "This room¡­" Kazuya''s lips couldn''t help but twitch. "¡­ is mine?"

    It was a room where he was specifically wasn''t allowed to enter even while bearing the name hero after he had received ownership of the mansion in his previous life. It was because it belonged to one of the members who were once part of his party.

    "Yes¡­" the butler noticed the weird expression on Kazuya''s face. "I-is it not to your taste?"

    "Ah! It''s not that." Kazuya quickly shook his head and tried to get himself off his imagination. "I just thought that this room was a little bit more than what I expected. Does this room not have an owner?"

    "It is a room where one of Elrich-sama''s most trusted subordinates stay in when they visit the capital. Need not to worry hero-sama, no one will contest you for this room."

    "I see¡­" Kazuya shifted his eyesight and saw the two maids that followed showed somewhat awkward expressions. "(These two should be part of the Steel Wolves or something similar¡­)" he thought.

    "Well then, I shall leave you to yourself and help with the preparations for tonight''s dinner. These two maids will be responsible for serving you." The butler introduced them as Neun and Acht. "Please inform them if you need anything or if you are ready to meet with Elrich-sama." He bowed and excused himself.

    "(Neun and Acht huh¡­)" The two attractive maids impressed Kazuya but not because of their looks but because of how skilled he had judged them. Though he initially didn''t know much about the duke when he first arrived, the royal guards that guided him around were quite talkative about the most powerful nobles as well as the most hated ones.

    Kazuya was able to easily figure out the awkward atmosphere amongst the nobles as soon as he chose to stay with Elrich. Though it was not fully intentional, his decision turned out to be better than what he had initially planned. A neutral party was better than working on a person who was on the side of the king.

    "Umm¡­ hero-sama?" the ponytailed Acht called out to the quiet Kazuya.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya raised his head and found the two maids in his room as if it were natural. "Ah, pardon me. I was just thinking about something."

    "Would you like some help will your luggage?" Neun acted professionally and stared at his backpack. It was unlike any of the work she ever saw and wanted to see what kind of things the hero brought from the other world.

    "I didn''t really bring anything that I would need help with but¡­" Kazuya looked at them for a moment and smiled. "Can I ask you both to prepare a warm bath? We can talk while I wait."

    ""Understood!"" the two said in unison and immediately moved to guide Kazuya to the bath.

    Arriving at the familiar grand bath, Kazuya couldn''t help but feel a little nostalgic. He didn''t expect to come here as a guest of the manor''s previous owner. He watched the two maids with their preparations and decided to break the ice when they didn''t look so occupied.

    "Which unit are you two from?" his sudden question startled the two maids.

    "That¡­" Acht couldn''t help but leak out her voice and got glared at by her partner.

    "You two don''t have to hide it. I can tell that most of the personnel in this manor is capable and worthy to be called a subordinate of the ''War Duke''. I would have gotten the wrong impression if it was only you two but, even the butler called Zwei was pretty capable." He grinned.

    ""¡­"" the two maids were speechless. Even Neun who tried her best to maintain a straight face couldn''t stop her expression from twitching.

    They knew just how important a guest this person was to the duke just by being given a room that was next to his daughter. This was why even though they weren''t really maids, they did their roles humbly and faced this guest as politely as they could.

    The duke had given specific instructions to treat the hero well. What he didn''t take into account was that the lack of personnel that wasn''t included in the military was almost nonexistent in the manor. This led to the predicament of the two maids who were worried that Kazuya might misunderstand and think that he was under surveillance.

    "Didn''t I just say that there is nothing to worry about? Do I really look that scary?" Kazuya held back the urge to sigh and tried joking with the two. Their reaction was enough for him to throw away the possibility of the duke putting him under heavy surveillance.

    "N-no¡­ there aren''t really many people here that have proper training as maids to be able to serve a guest such as yourself¡­" Acht spoke nervously.

    "So, the duke is a military man before he is a noble like I heard." He tried to placate them by smiling amicably. "Looks like this kingdom has some hope after all." he chuckled.

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    The Eberbach household had intrigued him ever since he heard the name of Elrich Eberbach. Known as the ''War Duke'' in this life and referred to as the ''Mad Duke'' in his previous one. A noble he never met but had perished before he arrived in Edea. His unexpected meeting with the duke together with Alicia and the king''s actions as soon as he arrived served as evidence that their plans to use him had not changed in this lifetime.

    "D-do you really mean it when you said that you wouldn''t misunderstand? We''re not serving you because of our capabilities¡­ the other maids are still clumsy at serving people so Zwei-sama assigned us." Acth told him about the situation.

    "I asked the opinions of the royal guards. They said that Elrich-san was an oddity as a noble. Some admired him for his acceptance of anyone capable to the military as well as his policy for not being as extravagant as the other nobles."

    Neun who had remained silent couldn''t help but admire Kazuya for his quick and sharp wit. For an elite like her, there were very few that impressed her enough to compare them to her commanding officer. This made her think that his title as hero, despite how normal he seemed was not so exaggerated after all.

    What the two maids didn''t know was that Kazuya had already taken measures as soon as he opened his eyes in this world. The hero''s blessing he received was slowly being suppressed to the point that even through the skilled eyes of the two maids, Kazuya seemed like a person who just had a small advantage in mana capacity compared to them.

    "Now then¡­" seeing the two calm down, he went to the main topic. "I want to ask you two a couple of questions about this kingdom¡­"

    Though he couldn''t get all the information he wanted because it would cause suspicions, Kazuya was still able to get valuable information about the nobles and their current situation. The slight misunderstanding they had earlier turned out to be a good thing for him as the two maids didn''t really hold back in telling him what he wanted to know.

    The maids excused themselves and Kazuya was able to soak in the bath while thinking about what needed to be done from here on out. The big difference in his arrival compared to the previous time he was summoned gave him new sets of options on how he would proceed.

    Though it indeed give him several new options, it also meant that the unpredictable factors of this version of Edea had also increased. He knew that he would soon need to decide whether he would let the events happened in his previous life pass or change it and cause a major change in the history of Edea he knew.

    "sigh¡­ (I guess I''ll have to find out more before I decide.)"

    Kazuya immediately asked to be taken to see the duke after fixing himself back up. The two maids were a little bit more comfortable with him and though they were still careful about how they acted, the fear they had of him had more or less disappeared.

    "Welcome to my humble abode, Kazuya-san." Elrich welcomed him warmly. "I heard that you were immediately able to discern that both Acht and Neun weren''t ordinary staff members. I''m impressed."

    "I''ve spent a fair share of time training people and training with people to be able to notice. Their movements were too precise and wouldn''t have fit regular servants." He replied. "It really isn''t a big issue unless the person they are spying on is skilled or has people surrounding him that are the same."

    "Ah indeed. I was not wrong in my assumption that you indeed possess great qualities as a commander. Let us talk while we dine shall we?" The duke led him to the dining area while the servants served their meals.

    The duke primarily talked about the things that the king wanted to convey. Even though Elrich didn''t get along with the decisions that the king has been making lately, he understood that the king was looking at the best interest of their kingdom.

    Elrich then continued with his own opinion on the matter. His principles and leadership were based on the hero Raphael''s words about how soldiers were like on earth. Combined with the philosophy of chivalry, the current military forces of the Eberbach house was one of the most feared and respected armies of the human kingdom.

    "(I can see why both the church and the crown didn''t want to let house Eberbach come into contact with me.)" Kazuya thought.

    He was assumed to be a military man because of the clothes he chose to wear. Despite his disastrous actions after arriving, the duke felt some sort of kinship towards him after making even the king himself speechless with his reasoning. Elrich agreed with Kazuya that their kingdom appeared to be kidnappers while the hero himself was indeed a victim of their selfishness.

    "I wanted to let you meet my daughter but unfortunately, she has been too focused on her training that she had missed your arrival." Elrich''s words made Kazuya remember something about the history he knew of the Eberbach house.

    Elrich Eberbach was known as the ''Mad Duke'' in his previous life because of one incident; the murder of his one and only daughter. According to what he was told, the demons wanted to weaken the kingdom''s most powerful army so they had plotted to murder Elrich''s daughter and blame it on the nobles who were at odds with Elrich.

    Because of this, the duke went on a mad frenzy and attacked anyone who he suspected to have been a part of the scheme. This led to his ominous title and eventual downfall. Even the mighty military organization of the proud duke was no match for the combined forces of the kingdom and the church of light.

    "Daughter?" Kazuya acted surprised. "I assumed you were still a bachelor since you look young." Kazuya gave a slight laugh.

    "Haha! You''re quite good with words." The duke laughed out loud. "She is about the same age as you and has been training with one of the most elite squads under my command. Her skills with her weapon are almost unmatched compared to people her age in the capital." He proudly boasted.

    "Sounds like she is a child a military man like yourself is very proud of." Kazuya tried to know more about the person that caused this proud duke to go against the nobles he appeared to have been tolerant of earlier in the day.

    "Indeed. I am lucky to have such a daughter." he nodded and felt satisfied that he found someone who listened to his boasts about his little princess.

    "There is no need to disturb her training just to let her meet with someone like me. I haven''t even agreed to help this kingdom after being called here so meeting me would have been pointless if I decide to return to my world."

    "Right¡­ About that¡­" Elrich''s scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I''ve already received word that she will be going here."

    Elrich knew that the hero had keen instincts. He tried to hide his expression to his thoughts being seen through. With his attempt to avoid talking about the pressure the king and the church will give Kazuya later on, Elrich missed the change in Kazuya''s mood after hearing that the duke''s daughter was currently on her way to the capital.

    "How long will it take for her to get to the capital?" he looked at the framed map in the wall. "Come to think of it, I''ve heard the names of places the nobles introduced they own but didn''t really understand where they were."

    "It is a good thing that I had a copy of the Zweifel kingdom''s map that indicates which noble occupies which land. I prepared it for my daughter, but I don''t expect her to use it anytime soon." Elrich signaled one of the servants to fetch it. "It will take a few days to get here from the iron fortress but¡­ if that light that brought you here was seen all the way there, she would take 2 days in the quickest. "

    "2 days¡­" He mumbled and fell into thought.

    Kazuya was used to a more chaotic map of territories. The distribution of the territories had a large part of it simplified by being labeled Eberbach''s territory. His mind was quickly jolted after realizing that this information could help in telling which noble played a cruel hand against Elrich''s family.

    "Do you not want to meet my child?" The duke also suddenly thought of this thought.

    "No¡­ It is just that I wanted to be more knowledgeable about the customs of this world before meeting people that deserve respect." Kazuya had some thinking to do so he excused himself after thanking the duke for dinner.

    Not knowing that his excuse to the duke had increased the noble''s impression of him, Kazuya went for his room to think about this sudden time restricted decision.

    "To keep history the same and keep my advantage, or¡­ changing history and saving an army that will possibly go against me when I go against this kingdom¡­" he sighed. Kazuya wasn''t prepared to make a decision that will change a whole world''s history on his first day in Edea.

 181 Elrichs Headache

    Chapter 162:

    .

    The next morning, Elrich tried to invite Kazuya to breakfast but was told that he had insisted on taking his usual morning run. Zwei served the duke his meal in his office while giving a report about the information they were just sent.

    "Elrich-sama, we have two reports that you need to hear." Zwei received these reports early on and decided to start with the most important ones.

    "Did ravens from the territory come?"

    "Yes. Word came from Laura that Lady Sodina has left for the capital after the pillar of light was seen from the fortress. Two Knights together with five promising trainees are accompanying her." Zwei reported.

    "Why didn''t she take knights instead of members of the special units with her¡­ Nevermind, this should be a test to see if she is capable of taking command." Elrich smiled. Zwei also mentioned that they took the fastest steeds in the fortress so there wouldn''t be any problems if there were any pursuers. "What of the other report?"

    "Princess Alicia has yet to recover from the injuries the hero has given her." Zwei in a more serious tone.

    "What?!" the hardened duke couldn''t help but turn towards Zwei.

    "Even one of the bishops couldn''t figure out why his healing magic wouldn''t work. The princess is still bedridden and is currently unable to make use of one arm and her two legs. Basic medical treatment has been given for the meantime." Zwei continued.

    "This is a problem¡­" Elrich crossed his arms. "If Kazuya-san was just another person, he would have been slain for even putting a scratch on Alicia. The king is swallowing this insult because summoning another hero this soon might not just cause a drought, it may just turn a big part of the kingdom into barren land."

    Apart from the fact that the former hero Natsu had achieved peace with all the races, the former hero had hidden the method of summoning heroes in Edea because of the consequences to the environment when performing the ritual. Many other races were in favor of this because of their connection to nature and the example of the consequences in the southern lands.

    The old temple of the hero was located southward in the territory of the Filodoxos Kingdom. It was once a research facility of one of the great sages who hid their base in the middle of a forest. After summoning many great heroes that saved Edea from multiple perils, the lush forests were now part of the southern desserts.

    "It will not take long before they call upon the hero to ask about the princess'' condition. I think it would be best if we ask him about it first."

    "That''s true. If we ask him and inform the castle, the relationship between the two wouldn''t deteriorate any further. I''m afraid that Kazuya-san might just respond harshly if he''s threatened."

    "I''m surprised you are fond of the hero after being against the hero summoning Elrich-sama." Zwei smiled. He had assumed that Elrich would have been one of the people to be disliked by the hero.

    "Though I respect the hero Raphael and have been putting into practice what he taught about his world''s military, the fact that the hero summoning is a huge gamble repels me. Throughout history, we have only called upon heroes when we have no other options." Elrich shook his head as if he were disappointed.

    "We have the full force of the Kingdom and our allies in case the demon king decides to break his pact. Calling upon a hero because of an unconfirmed threat is like playing your trump card too early in the game." Elrich continued.

    "I believe that we got ourselves a hero unlike any other. One that is not easily swayed by the pleas of this world despite the king''s implication that he will not be able to return if the problem is not solved. Kazuya-san is exactly what I envisioned a hero should be, someone who doesn''t naively point his blade towards whoever was deemed evil."

    "But, wouldn''t that mean that he could point his blade against our kingdom?" Zwei was surprised that the loyal duke said such words.

    "That will not happen. Didn''t I tell you exactly what happened after Kazuya-san arrived in this world? If my guess is correct, the hero is still hiding a very important detail that no one has yet to realize."The duke grinned.

    "The hero summoning¡­" Zwei recalled the report as well as the narration of the duke himself and suddenly realized something that had been overlooked. "He knew the common tongue¡­ that means¡­"

    "He is definitely connected to a person who has once been here. There should only be a select few of people that we know of that has come and returned back to the world where heroes come from, right?"

    *gulp* Zwei couldn''t believe it but neither can he refute it. All the records indicated that the heroes called from another world had always started out with difficulty because of the initial language barrier. The fact that Kazuya was not only able to use common language, but also be fluent in it means that he was connected to a person that has been to their world.

    "I understand¡­" Zwei''s impression of the hero that answered their summons changed tremendously. What Zwei thought was a clever boy with a ton of potential turned out to be someone whose league wasn''t even close to his. "Should I call Kazuya-sama for a private talk after he comes back?"

    "Make sure he is free before doing so. I don''t want anything to go wrong with our discussion so please pay attention to his mood." Elrich ordered.

    Kazuya was the type of person Elrich thought was a perfect choice to bear the title of hero. The only problem was, this was not the type the kingdom preferred since what they wanted was a person that wouldn''t question anything they said.

    "P-pardon my intrusion!" Acht entered the room looking flustered.

    "What''s the matter?" Zwei frowned after seeing her losing her cool.

    "K-kazuya-sama has brought back with him two injured people who he said have tried tailing him in his morning exercise. T-they look to be members of the ''Royal Shadow''" she explained.

    Zwei and Elrich looked at each other and exchanged strange looks. They couldn''t blame Acht for reacting like she did. Only a day had gone by yet the hero had started his second day in this world with another blow to the Royal Family.

    "I understand." Zwei didn''t mind Acht''s reaction anymore and had her lead them to the unexpected visitors.

    "Lead us to them." The duke couldn''t help but smile once he heard that the secret force that was a copy of his elite unit had suffered while tailing one of his guests.

    Very much like the Steel Wolves unit under the duke, the Royal Shadows were the secret forces the crown had under their control. They would usually act as the eyes and ears of the capital but there are cases where they are sent to take upon secret missions issued to them by the crown. These missions were very sensitive in nature and very few people even knew of the secret force''s existence.

    "Where is he?" Elrich asked where Kazuya was after entering the room where the servants put the ''guests''.

    "Kazuya-sama left the responsibility of discerning their identities to us. He said that he will return after cleaning himself up." Neun replied to the duke and kept her calm.

    Though not everyone knew about the existence of the Royal Shadow, the ones who did knew that they worked under direct orders from the castle. Even the duke himself wouldn''t be able to make them speak if they claimed that they were under orders of secrecy.

    Some of the servants were aware of the current tension between the Eberbach house and the royal faction so they couldn''t help but be nervous at the fact that this may end up furthering the tension between the two sides.

    "How is their condition?" Elrich entered the room and asked one of his subordinates that had his hands covered in blood.

    "It''s strange. It looks like they were pierced with something thin and circular. I have never seen a weapon like this before. What is even stranger is, healing magic doesn''t seem to work." The servant showed the bullet wounds on the shoulders and legs of the two men.

    "Healing magic is ineffective you say?" Elrich couldn''t help but give a smirk before turning to Zwei who understood that this was a good chance.

    "We''ve applied first aid but¡­" the subordinate explained as Elrich and Zwei approached the patients.

    "Why were you following the hero?" Zwei looked at one of the men in the eye and asked.

    "Do we need a reason to observe anyone we see suspicious?" The man replied sarcastically. "a person wearing strange clothes while roaming around in the nobles district is more of a reason for us to keep an eye on him."

    "What a load of bullshit." A voice coming from the door made its way inside. "I am very sensitive to gazes so I could tell that you people were tailing me the moment I exited the duke''s household." Kazuya walked in wearing a black tracksuit and scoffed at them.

    "You¡­! Do you even know who we are!?" the man didn''t care about his open wound and glared at Kazuya.

    "I don''t care who you are. Do you know who I am?" he retorted. "I won''t even question you dogs on who your masters are. Just make sure to tell them this; their actions aren''t helping in making me give their request a favorable answer."

    "¡­" the man immediately closed his lips. No matter what the hero did, it was their failure for being detected and captured. He was aware that their superiors would be more than willing to execute them to please the hero rather than defend them to gain his ire.

    "Oh, and one more thing¡­ The only reason why your wounds are on your body instead of your head is because I don''t want to bring the duke unnecessary trouble. My actions yesterday are proof enough." A cold smile came from Kazuya that made the wounded men think that he was a villain rather than a hero.

    "May I have a word with you?" the duke spoke to Kazuya.

    "Sure." Kazuya, Zwei and Elrich left the treatment room and entered the dining area. "What is it you wanted to talk about?" he asked as he was served breakfast and Elrich was given tea.

    "It''s about your weapon. Our healing magic doesn''t seem to work on the wounds caused by it. I was wondering why that was?"

    "Unlike Edea, Earth does not have an abundance of mana. It does exist but it is so scarce that people think of mana as a myth." This didn''t come as a surprise as records did indicate that the heroes summoned in the past were unlike Kazuya who were unaware of what mana was.

    "However, there are people that have the ability to control it. My enemies are one of them so my soul weapon inflicts injuries that makes it so that any spell that uses mana to heal it is nullified." Kazuya explained calmly before adding another detail. "It seems my lack of combat abilities was compensated by a convenient soul weapon."

    Elrich and Zwei were a little startled when they heard Kazuya share an unexpected weakness. It was a weakness that they thought the hero didn''t have from the way he''s been acting so far. It made the duke have mixed emotions because it showed that the hero had given them a bit of his trust.

    "Is there any way to treat it?" Zwei put himself up to the task to know the answer they were looking for.

    "Normal medical treatment is the only way I know of. Depending on the rounds I use, stitches may be necessary." He replied without hesitation.

    "You can''t make it so that they can be healed with magic again?"

    "It isn''t like they can''t be healed with magic once they get injured by me. Only the wounds caused by my soul weapon won''t be allowed to heal in any way other than the body''s own healing abilities." Kazuya paused. "Why?"

    "You see¡­" the duke explained the report they''ve gotten earlier about the princess'' wounds baffling the church''s healers.

    "Oh, I almost forgot about that girl¡­ A princess huh¡­" his expression changed for a bit before comically shrugging his shoulders.

    ""??"" The two were confused as to how Kazuya treated this matter so nonchalantly.

    "This world''s nobles sure have a funny way of asking for favors. Kidnapping, blackmail and now stalking? I''m amazed at the difference of values of different worlds." Kazuya spoke sarcastically.

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    "Sadly, I have no words to refute that." The duke sighed. "To be honest, if it were not for my suspicions or if the kingdom was indeed in a situation that we couldn''t handle on our own, I would have been one of them."

    "I appreciate your honesty." Kazuya''s mood was able to lighten up because of Elrich''s words. "I would have responded more favorably after I''ve gotten a good grasp on the situation but¡­ everything currently stinks of a conspiracy."

    Elrich and Zwei flinched. They shared the same sentiments. The fact that the kingdom and the church who were usually at odds with each other working this amicably together tells them that they were up to something.

    "I would rather not be used as a weapon that is thrown away or disposed of after having lived its use. Do you understand what I mean Elrich-san?"

    "I do. It may not mean much, but I feel really apologetic for how they have acted." Elrich sighed as he felt ashamed of how the king himself has handled the situation so far.

    Kazuya was indeed different from the heroes they have read about. The actions that they have seen so far tells them that the crown has plans to take complete advantage of a hero''s innocence. This currently ended up backfiring because Kazuya was sharper than an individual that was supposed to be living in a peaceful world with no wars.

    "I don''t mind it if you share the treatment method with them but please tell them that if they want me to treat her myself, then they would have to ask me nicely." Unlike Kazuya''s gaze, his mouth smiled.

    "I plan to attend a meeting with the king later this afternoon so I will pass on the message as well as concerns of my own regarding the current matters."

    "I see¡­" Kazuya felt some relief. The current situation was devolving into a state in which he would have no choice but to go up against the crown. It would make it harder for him to clear some of his goals so it wasn''t ideal for him to do so.

    "Can I have or borrow some of this world''s currency?" Kazuya suddenly changed the topic.

    "Money?"

    "Yes. From what I observed from the people at the parade, the clothes I have will only stand out. I wouldn''t be able to move around the common districts without making a fuss so I wanted to purchase some stuff for my own use."

    "Ah I can make arrangements for that. I will ask the two maids to accompany you and help with anything that you may need."

    "Thank you. (It will be troublesome with two escorts but I guess I can return the favor right away)"

 182 Attacked

    .

    The next day, the king and the minister of finance were having a conversation inside the king''s office.

    "I heard you had a talk with Duke Eberbach yesterday your majesty."

    "Hmph! We did." The king snorted. "For a person who was against summoning the hero, he sure did change his colors quickly."

    "Did the duke agree to making good use of him?" the minister questioned.

    "No. It was several warnings about agitating the hero. While he claimed to have done his job on giving the hero an introduction on our kingdom''s situation, he says that we need to be more careful in not making the hero turn against the kingdom."

    "Is he making a threat your highness?" the minister''s eyebrows twitched. He wasn''t one of the people that liked Elrich because of his overbearing nature.

    Though Elrich appeared to be amicable and easy to talk to, the nobles in the palace thought otherwise. This was because of the difference between their posts. Most military families usually are at odds with the statesmen so there were not a whole lot of people that welcome Elrich''s presence.

    "I don''t believe so, Ivan. Elrich may speak like that but I can guarantee that he would be the first to volunteer to defend against a threat against the kingdom. If only the hero had come at a later time, things would have been different." Benino sighed.

    "What do you mean your majesty?"

    "Those incompetent people from the church can''t even provide a few berserk demons to serve as additional evidence for the threat. All they were able to do was get rid of a few villages." Benino shook his head in disappointment. "Elrich would have been on our side if they were able to do their job well."

    "Will the plan to keep the duke occupied work when the hero is currently in his care?" worried that the hero may join the duke in case his reaction to what will happen may be more than what they had imagined, the minister asked carefully.

    "Relax. The hero may have been unexpectedly sharp but, one thing I''ve learned about him is that he values himself above all else. I may have suffered a bad streak ever since he was summoned, but the fact that he hasn''t spent much time with Elrich will make them not involve each other in anything personal." The king had taken a look on the bright side since it wouldn''t be beneficial for him if he remained hostile to Kazuya.

    "I see¡­" the minister agreed with the king''s assessment. "Should I grant the hero''s request on funds then?"

    "Yes. Make sure to let him know once he arrives today. He''s supposed to meet with Alicia to give her some treatment." Benino commanded.

    "Understood. I will make sure to mention the king''s generosity on the matter." The finance minister bowed before excusing himself.

    "Hero Kazuya¡­ I will make sure to see through you and put you to good use¡­" the king whispered as he stood near the window facing the front of the palace.

    Little did the king know that he was currently in the eyes of Kazuya who had just entered the palace. He was accompanied by the two maids who were instructed to accompany him and help with whatever they could.

    "(Oh you will?)" Kazuya grinned after reading the king''s lips. "(I''ll be waiting for you eagerly Benino.)"

    "I suggest you practice on your smiling face, Kazuya-sama." Nuen commented after being startled at Kazuya''s expression.

    "Nuen is right Kazu-sama! Your face looks like you''re about to scam someone!" Acht chimed in.

    "Ugh¡­ you two are merciless¡­" Kazuya slumped his shoulders and walked with the two to the castle while being led by one of the knights who had guided him before.

    He had grown closer to the two maids after the two had confirmed that Kazuya was just like any other person. His title of hero as well as the duke''s warning to be careful of their actions initially made them extremely careful around Kazuya.

    Their visits around the shops in the previous day made the two realize that even though his entrance into this world was enough to separate himself from all his predecessors, the hero Kazuya was a kind person.

    Though he looked very capable, the fact that he was new to this world despite his mastery of the knowledge had helped them be more at ease when interacting with him. Kazuya made good use of his apparent deficiency about the norms in their kingdom to ask the girls subtle questions about matters he needed to know about.

    He was able to learn about the young miss of the Eberbach family while asking about her dislikes when picking out clothes for himself. Kazuya even revealed some of his apparent weaknesses towards them so even Nuen had begun to relax herself around him.

    The two maids were shocked when Kazuya asked them questions about the slums and orphans around the common districts when they passed by. If they hadn''t been informed about how Kazuya had acted when he arrived in Edea, the two would have been skeptical about it after they have already met.

    "Please refrain from using that expression. If the nobles saw, they would assume that you were plotting something." Neun reminded.

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    "Ugh¡­ None of my subordinates ever complained about it before though. They told me that it was an expression that assured them of victory." Kazuya sighed.

    Of course, the two were also curious about earth. Kazuya stayed true to his role as a commander and told them about how he had met his first group of subordinates when he was still a young boy. He also told them about the various inventions of his world that seemed unbelievable to the two.

    "That''s because they were your subordinates! They''re too afraid to point it out!" Acht giggled.

    "While it may be true that a smile like that can improve morale in the battlefield, it does not apply when socializing." Neun added. "I believe I just had a grasp of Kazuya-sama''s socializing capabilities." She tried to hold back the smile growing on her face.

    "How rude. I''ll have you know that I¡ª" Kazuya immediately stopped to turn towards the other end of the hallway.

    Kazuya immediately called the gun to his hand and pointed towards where the sudden killing intent came from. He saw a flash of light that came from the assailant drawing a weapon. This caused him to be unable to identify the blurry figure who had been in a hurry to do him harm.

    "Tsk" he clicked his tongue and hesitated on squeezing the trigger. He didn''t have the luxury to identify who the attacker was if he wanted to maintain his fa?ade.

    "Please leave this to us." Neun immediately stepped in front of Kazuya to prevent him from shooting.

    "Hehe, someone actually dared to attack someone under our protection!" Acht giggled and stood beside Neun.

    Neun pulled a pair of hair ornaments that held up the back of her hair. Acht on the other hand crunched her knuckles. The two prepared to take on the sword strike from the unknown assailant.

    "For the princess!" Kazuya''s eyebrow immediately twitched after hearing the annoying voice that was full of blind loyalty.

    *CLANG!*

    "(Hou¡­ quite impressive)" he thought as the attack from his former party member was completely stopped.

    Kazuya had heard about the members of the steel wolves unit but it was the first time he was able to see them in action. Using metal ornaments, Neun was able to imbue her mana on them and stopped the sword that was struck down at Kazuya. Though it looked to have been simple, Julia Tisdale was no normal royal knight.

    Acht didn''t stand around either. Immediately after Neun blocked the sword, her fist agilely moved towards the assailant''s throat. Though it stopped before it made physical contact, the wind pressure caused by it had accurately hit it its mark.

    *cough* *wheeze* cough*

    Julia Tisdale who hadn''t been wearing her uniform immediately fell to her knees. She tried to gasp for air while glaring at the two who prevented her attack and launched their own.

    "Steel¡­ wolves¡­" she could barely let her voice out. Let alone have a good grip of the weapon on her hand.

    "You are not wrong, but you are not right either. We are but candidates." Neun corrected Julia while wearing a neutral expression.

    Kazuya took the opportunity to look at the sorry state the annoying princess'' guard was in. He regretted not being able to be the one who caused it as he wasn''t able to identify her earlier.

    "I don''t think we have ever met before. Why did you try to attack me?" he asked her curiously.

    "Bast¡ª" Julia mustered her strength and lifted her sword.

    *click*

    "¡ªard" she felt cold steel on her forehead and froze.

    "Looks like you''re an ingrate who hasn''t realized your life has been saved by the two ladies who blocked you." Kazuya grinned. "My patience is extremely limited against those who want to do me harm so I will not ask again. Who are you?"

    The cold smile from Kazuya made Julia''s back feel like it had been doused with cold water. He gave her the feeling that he didn''t care about her identity at all and was just curious if she would answer. The two maids who saw this had sighed as the warning they had given earlier had just been ignored.

    "She is the personal guard of Princess Alicia." Someone interrupted. "A guard that is supposed to be off duty today." A man who had been introduced to Kazuya as the kingdom''s finance minister walked up to them looking displeased.

    "So let me get this straight¡­ I was asked to come here by the king to treat his daughter via the duke. Now, I come here only to find that the personal guard of that daughter tried to kill me. I somewhat find that amusing and unamusing at the same time." Kazuya didn''t hide his displeasure.

    "I¡ª" Julia tried to speak but Kazuya only pressed the gun''s barrel on her harder to prevent that.

    "I am terribly questioning this world''s standards for personnel. Wasn''t the palace supposed to be the safest place in the capital?" he looked at Julia directly in the eye. "I should have the right to end this failure of a guard''s life, right? Minister Ivan?" he directed the question towards the minister but kept his gaze at the trembling Julia.

    "Please don''t. This is not the place to be spilling blood if we have a choice." Ivan quickly replied to prevent him witnessing the sudden attack from the hero''s soul weapon. "This person is very close with the princess since they have grown up together. She must have lost her temper after seeing her liege''s condition."

    "Though that is indeed my fault, I had the proper reasons to do so. None of you have questioned me about it so I expected it to not be an issue. Should I be expecting people like her attacking me then?" Kazuya had no intention of listening to his excuses for her.

    "I will make sure that she gets punished for what she has done. This I swear on my name." Ivan had no choice but to make an oath in front of the duke''s subordinates. "Rather, I would like to inform you about the good news that the king has granted your request on this world''s currency." He immediately tried to move away from the topic.

    "I will take your word for it then. I''ll make sure to come to you if another loyalist tries to come after me for the same thing again." Kazuya lowered his gun. "I''ve changed my mind about helping the princess so I''ll come with you and hear what you have to say instead."

    "That¡­" both Ivan and Julia flinched at Kazuya''s sudden decision.

    "I''m a pretty good marksman so I''m sure the pretty princess should have a lot of trouble moving right about now. I hope that people in this world have a good understanding about healing techniques that don''t involve mana or it would be a waste for that pretty girl to not be able to walk again." Kazuya moved to the side and made sure to step on Julia''s sword on the ground before passing by.

    *grab*

    "P-please¡­ Heal Alicia-sama¡­" Julia finally let go of her sword and grasped the hero''s pants.

    "That was the reason for me being here in the first place but, congratulations, you have changed my mind. That doesn''t happen very often." He scoffed and tried to brush off her hands.

    "I am willing to give up my arms and legs in exchange!" she shouted just as he was about to get away.

    Kazuya stopped and took another look at Julia. He had made his mind up about this woman''s fate but what she just said had surprised him more than anyone had expected. This girl had no problems about showing her loyalty towards Alicia even in his previous life but he had always assumed that there had been a limit.

    "(Looks like I didn''t know about her as much as I thought I did.)" he thought.

    "¡­" Julia looked nervous. Even so, she returned his stare and steeled her resolve.

    "I am not interested in taking your body parts. (At least not according to your wishes.) But your resolve has piqued my interest. You of all people should know that your life as a knight is over the moment you are unable to even walk. Does that mean that you are offering your life in exchange for the princess'' ability to walk again?"

    Though Julia''s resolve had been taken as a desperate plea, Kazuya''s confirmation had made the others realize just what Julia Tisdale was offering. Even as the two maids who had been at the receiving end of her attack couldn''t help but admire the loyalty she was showing her master.

    "Yes¡­" Julia couldn''t help but swallow after watching that chilling smile once again show on Kazuya''s face.

    "Neun"

    "What is it Kazuya-sama?" a little surprised at suddenly being called out, Neun flinched.

    "Is there a method in this world that will make her not go back on her words after I heal the princess?" Kazuya already knew the answer to his question. He only asked to prevent any suspicions about what he has been focusing on learning about Edea.

    "I can think of two¡­ A soul contract and a slave contract."

    .

 183 Misunderstanding?

    .

    Whenever there are heroes, they bring with them glory, disaster, joy and sorrow. A hero''s life is rarely dull but the people who approved of the hero summoning never expected that it would be their kingdom who would be taking unexpected losses from the very start.

    The historical records used to reference the heroes of the past have turned out to be false in this instance because of the strange but clever young man who was summoned. The king himself thought that this specific hero was summoned because of their hidden agenda in calling forth a hero.

    This is only the third day but not only have the king''s faction have to tread very carefully around a single individual that has no ties to a country, they also have their princess injured and her personal guard possibly now under Kazuya''s beck and call.

    The finance minister couldn''t help but feel troubled while he observed the exchange between the hero Kazuya and Julia Tisdale. Her loyalty to the princess aside, her strength was something that no one had ever gauged accurately before since many veterans have mentioned that she only showed her true skills whenever the princess was involved.

    With her loyalty, it was not too hard to think that if she really exceeded Alicia''s talents, it was so that she wouldn''t overshadow her liege. If this were really true, the princess was about to lose one of her most excellent cards. Still, the finance minister weighed out the options and judged that getting the princess back in top shape is better for the kingdom rather than her personal knight.

    Alicia was well known around the kingdom and had a stellar reputation amongst the citizens. This was due to the fact that she had went around the kingdom while the king needed to remain in the capital. Her beauty and charisma were able to naturally attract people and thus became one of the most influential figures in the king''s faction.

    "Let me explain the way currency works in our kingdom." Ivan led them to a private room and handed Kazuya a magic pouch where the currency was stored.

    Kazuya felt a little nostalgic after hearing the finance minister teaching him about Edea''s economy. It was pretty simple, the common denominations were bronze, silver, gold coins. A hundred coins of each denomination would be worth 1 of the higher ones. A single gold coin would be equivalent to 10,000 yen on earth. This was the standard in human kingdoms.

    The more uncommon currencies were platinum and mithril plates. In Kazuya''s previous journey around Edea, he was able to discover that although races like elves, dwarves and some beast races accept human currency, they valued the uncommon currencies like platinum and mithril slightly higher than the human kingdoms do.

    Of course, there were also some tribes and races that preferred bartering more than trading currencies. Some of them even only traded in this fashion.

    "(A hundred bronze, silver and gold coins huh¡­)" Kazuya''s face twitched after confirming the contents of the magical pouch.

    He couldn''t help but feel a little annoyed because in his previous time as a hero, he was given 50 gold to spend at his own leisure and had the kingdom send him 10 gold each month through the church of light. Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh inwardly after being reminded by his own gullible and na?ve self in the past.

    "The king also mentioned that the kingdom will give you monetary support of 20 gold per month if you accept the task of helping us with our problems with the demons." Ivan looked as if it were an act of their generosity.

    "I will take that under consideration as I learn more about this world. I have no way of returning to my world even if I wanted to right now after all." Kazuya had no plans of letting them get what they wanted just yet.

    Since they were treating him carefully, Kazuya knew that he would get more favorable conditions compared to the concessions he was given when he agreed to help without question the last time. He wanted to get as many advantages as he could to prepare for the future. As sensitive as the situation was with him and the kingdom, he had still just arrived and both sides were still testing the waters.

    "I do apologize if your relationship with the nobles have gotten off to a bad start. I''m sure everyone is just worried about the looming threat. This kingdom was built on the hero''s legend so everyone is tense because stories of the heroes was always accompanied by a power that would have destroyed the human race." Ivan didn''t forget to show an apologetic expression that tried to show sincerity.

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    "I understand your plight. Please do not misunderstand my actions against your people so far. As important as you make this role of being the hero of your people make it sound, I have my own responsibilities to my people to consider." Kazuya explained seriously.

    He didn''t pay attention to the quiet entrance of the princess who was seated in a comfortable looking wheelchair that used to belong to the king''s mother. Kazuya pretended not to notice the arrival of the girl who tried to hold back her killing intent and continued with what he was explaining to Ivan.

    "I may have seemed harsh, cold and cruel to you people when I arrived but, I don''t think you people realized just who it is that you called upon forcefully. This kingdom would have immediately been declared war to if we were in the same world." Kazuya''s explanation shocked even the hostile princess who couldn''t help but take another look at him.

    Kazuya resisted the urge to smirk as he noticed that Alicia had finally seen him as a person. The hero who was no longer another one of those people who were almost faceless to her. Though she still had her doubts the fact that he did those things immediately without knowing anything about them had convinced her. She was confident in both her beauty and talent to manipulate people that it forced her to have little mind to doubt his explanation.

    "My life is no longer my own which is why I intend to take my time in learning whatever I can about this world to see whether I could risk myself in helping or not. As a man who handles money, do you not need time to consider the risks before deciding whether to invest or not?" Kazuya smiled after noticing Ivan''s expression change.

    "(Comparing it to our kingdom, his position should at least be a war minister or someone who has his own in our kingdom¡­)" Ivan gave the maids behind the hero a glance. He thought that it was no wonder that Elrich and him got along quickly. The two of them were like two peas in a pod.

    Of course, Acht and Neun was already aware of this because of their presence when Kazuya had told Elrich the same story. Their calmness revealed that Kazuya had informed them of this which convinced Ivan about the King''s earlier hesitations. The king couldn''t confirm the information Elrich reported after learning more about the hero.

    "I understand. I am thankful that we have finally reached the point where our sides can learn more about each other amicably." Ivan didn''t dare doubt the fact that duke Eberbach and the hero could not have collaborated with each other after just a day and a half.

    The two were both clever individuals. Clever individuals also share the trait that makes them aware that they needed to be vigilant. Though it is not all of them, the fact that the hero decided to take an extreme route after arrival shows that he is not one to give his trust that easily.

    "It seems that I have entered at an inappropriately opportune moment." Alicia had taken the initiative to announce her presence. She gave an amicable yet weak smile that would have made people feel pity.

    "I am not a stranger to hierarchy. Even if I didn''t want others to know, it would have eventually reached your ears." Kazuya shrugged and looked at the princess wearing a neutral expression.

    It was there that she understood. This person, this hero dared to see her as she saw other people. He did not treat her much less see her as a person who was equal.

    "(He dares¡­ HE DARES NOT PUT ME IN HIS EYES!?)" Alicia tried her best to remain calm as her breathing accelerates .

    "That being said, I need to let you know that though I know how to treat you doesn''t mean that I have the necessary equipment to make it as uncomfortable for you as possible. The duke''s people have asked herbalists around and none of them have anything that would make this procedure painless." Kazuya pretended not to notice the changes with the princess.

    He was slightly disappointed that even the old him would have already asked what was going on with her. Kazuya was currently unaware what was on Alicia''s mind. He doubted her too much after what he had experienced and failed to remember the fact that this princess was always unstable whenever her temper was ignited.

    "Do you think I''m just a dainty rose that is a stranger to hardships?" Alicia finally showed some hostility.

    "I am a proud princess of this kingdom. I have experienced defending my country and am no stranger to the battlefield. I am not afraid of pain." She looked at him in annoyance.

    "Pardon me if I have caused you to feel insulted. That is not my intention. Though I do not know how my sensitivity has become much sharper. I can sense that the mana you hold is superior compared to the ones I''ve encountered so far." He tried to pacify the princess.

    "It''s just that my world''s method may seem barbaric and needless in the eyes of people who mostly rely on magic to even recover lost limbs."

    Kazuya was no longer wearing the large bag that filled his back when they last met. The hero put his hand inside the magic bag that Elrich had granted him and pulled out a box that had a mark that Alicia was not familiar with. After which, he took out some tool looking objects that included a transparent bag that Alicia had never seen before.

    The item mystified her, but she couldn''t help but notice the small thing has metallic contents in one of them. They appeared to be small needles that were shaped like hooks. Alicia wondered if the hero had a hobby of sewing as the other transparent bag had different threads.

    "Let me explain the process." Kazuya stopped himself from laughing out loud after seeing her curious expression. Alicia was unaware of how these objects were later going to let her have a new experience.

    "Since my world does not have much mana, we don''t have the means to have nor rely on healing magic. This was why we have researched on methods in survival via procedures that would help one''s own body''s recovery." To make them understand more about the weight on Kazuya''s shoulders, he explained one big difference he found between Earth and Edea.

    It was how they valued life. Due to the mere existence of healing magic, the way the worlds treated the dangers to one''s life. On earth, a terminal illness almost always spelled death. In Edea however, even a critical wound could end up being healed with no repercussions if the person was taken to a healer on time.

    "Since there is no exit wound when I shot you. The bullets have to be taken out by hand. I would then have to put stitches on you until your wounds end up healing naturally." He explained while examining the wound on her arm. "It will hurt a lot. Despite how primitive and barbaric it''s seen in the eyes of those who have healing magic at their disposal, that is how medicine in my world works. To us a mere stab wound is something that would require time to heal."

    Ivan nodded grimly while Alicia was lost in thought. She had never really tried thinking about the world where these heroes came from. This was the very first time that she considered such things. What she learned about the place that was so-called earth was that heroes talked about machinery that would make them look at them primitively.

    Though as a child, she imagined such a dream-like world. The current her thought that Edea did have some things that are like fantasy from the perspective of a person from where heroes came from. The thought that the world where people that became legends, could look upon their world and see it in the same way that the Edeans see Earth, made her feel a little proud.

    "I will take it upon myself and experience this." Alicia steeled her resolve.

    "I admire your courage. I hope you will not blame or hate me later on because I did warn you." The hero had showed a gentle smile for the first time in Alicia''s presence.

    "(Why do I get the feeling that that smile is one of amusement?)" Alicia stared at Kazuya as he instructed the servants to place some linens on a long table and help the princess lay down there.

    "Please pardon me. I would need to touch you to treat you." Kazuya excused himself and removed the bandages that were tightly wrapped around the princess'' wounds.

    Edea might not have advanced much in medical science but they understood that wounds could become infected. The wound he inflicted had already started to heal. Alicia''s vitality had prevented her from bleeding out. Though the wound cannot be healed via healing magic, Edeans living in a world full of mana made their bodies heal faster than an average earthling.

    Though, her wound already closing meant that it would hurt a lot more. Kazuya needed to take the bullets that were lodged onto Alicia''s strong bones. Without any drugs to numb her pain, Kazuya had prepared the excuse that she needed to be awake to confirm regaining her the feeling on her limbs to prevent them from suggesting magically induced sleep on her.

    "Acht, Nuen, Julia, please hold down the princess. If she moves too much because of the pain, it might cause even more damage." Kazuya''s gaze stayed on Julia making her understand that he was not joking.

    A person as devoted to the princess as her understood just how important for this task to be completed. Though it pained her to be able to see Alicia in pain, the hero had made it painfully clear that this procedure was the princess'' best shot.

    "Bite onto this" two thin wooden sticks were placed on Alicia''s free hand. "This will prevent you from biting off your tongue."

    "¡­" Alicia nervously followed his instructions as he watched the hero nonchalantly brazenly raise her long dress'' skirt as if he were simply opening a curtain. She would have kicked his face out of reflex if only she could lift her leg.

    "Now then¡­" Kazuya glanced at the three girls holding the princess down and gave them a nod to show that he was going to start. "Please try not to faint." He inserted the metallic tool in his hand directly onto the wound to search for the bullet.

    "MMMPHH!!!"

    -

 184 S. #1

    .

    The process of healing the princess had taken a few hours. After confirming that Kazuya''s procedure was completed successfully on her last limb, Alicia immediately passed out. The procedure had lasted longer than they had anticipated because the princess had broken the makeshift gag on her mouth due to the pain several times.

    Julia silently followed along behind Kazuya and the two maids while covered in cold sweat. She had never seen the princess in so much pain before and she was tasked to prevent her liege from taking any action to relieve herself from it. There were traces of blood on the former royal knight''s lips as she had bitten herself in frustration during the entire procedure.

    Ivan, the finance minister made himself scarce just after hearing Alicia''s first muffled scream. He was a noble that did not have much exposure to blood so he did not have the stomach for it. With the excuse that he wanted to give the princess some privacy. He left the private room with a pale expression.

    "I hope you stay well Alicia-sama¡­" Julia turned towards the princess'' window before she boarded the carriage along with the hero their kingdom had summoned.

    The trip back to the Eberbach residence in the capital was quiet. It was unlike the commotion that the trained servants of the duke caused after seeing the Royal knight nervously and submissively following behind the hero.

    Though Julia Tisdale''s name was basically non-existent in the public''s eye. It was different compared to the nobles and those who were aware of their affairs. To them, she was the princess'' right hand as well as both her shield and shadow. She was someone who no one could even consider bringing over to their side because of how she revered Alicia.

    Now this same person was entering basically enemy territory submissively. Who couldn''t have made a fuss over seeing such a scene?

    "Well then, I shall make a report to the duke while Acht gets her hands on a soul contract Kazuya-sama." Neun bowed together with Acht as they excused themselves.

    Julia and Kazuya were left inside the simply decorated room that was assigned to the hero. They silently sat across each other on the round table that was used for having tea.

    "I hope you will see this true to the end and stay true to your word." Kazuya served his guest with a cup of tea.

    "Please do not make light of a knight''s pledge." Julia retorted with displeasure. "It is the only reason why I have yet to take my own life after leaving my liege''s service."

    "Oh, I was not making light of your pledge when you made it. It is just that now that we''re alone, the opportune moment to kill me to avoid signing a soul contract with me is now." Kazuya smiled as what he was talking about had nothing to do with himself.

    "I will do no such thing!" Julia glared at him with a gaze that was full of hostility. "In exchange for having my soul be under your command, you will need to provide the princess with the treatment you mentioned after she recovers her mobility. I intend to put that under my terms."

    "Do you have any more demands I need to consider? I want to draft a contract before we use the soul contract. I don''t know what it actually is but I''m sure that it is something that is considered rare." Kazuya shrugged.

    "Yet you dare use it without knowing anything about it?" Julia couldn''t make up her mind if the so-called hero in front of her was an idiot who liked to take risks or a brave individual.

    "Why would I hesitate on using something that sounds so useful?" Kazuya scoffed at her. "Anyway, just providing after care for the princess is everything? I already treated her anyway."

    "I¡­" Julia stared at the relaxed demeanor of the hero. If one were to see them interacting, they wouldn''t have thought that they were discussing something like binding their souls under certain terms. "I want to be able to reject any order that will cause harm to the princess."

    Julia didn''t know much about Kazuya. The fact that he attacked Alicia for the reason that she looked ''important'' was something that she considered reckless and thought that he was more impulsive than he seemed. Though she resented him for daring to put a scratch on Alicia, she didn''t want to have a hostile relationship with the person who she was going to serve.

    "No can do." Kazuya shook his head sideways.

    "You¡­!! Are you planning on harming the princess more than you already have!?" Julia lost her temper immediately after Kazuya''s rejection and put a hand on the sword that was allowed to return to her waist.

    "Why would I agree to something so absurd?" Kazuya looked at her as if he was looking at an idiot. "The princess is probably the person who holds the most hostility towards me in this world at this moment. Though it may have been due to circumstances, I am not a person that will not retaliate if she decides to get her revenge on me." Kazuya rolled his eyes at her.

    "The princess would¡ª"

    "Spare me the debate if she would or would not. The moment someone tries to bare their fangs at me is the moment they stop being someone I would need to consider coexisting with. It is as simple as that." A metallic object suddenly appeared on his hand. The gun was pointed at Julia.

    "Though it''s already too late, I want to make sure that you are certain you want to go this path. Death might be a much easier path you know. I''ve already given back the princess'' ability to move and feel her injured limbs. Her recovery is just a matter of time." The hero spoke while keeping the gun pointed at her.

    His expression told her that he was not going to hesitate in case Julia''s answer was not the one he was looking for. To him, Julia had already died the moment she attacked. It wouldn''t have mattered if Julia explained that she had no intention to end his life. The result would have been the same.

    "You win¡­ I don''t care what you put in that thing anymore. I''ve already lost my reason for living anyway." Julia quietly sat back down. She only watched the hero in a daze as his hands moved swiftly to state different terms on the contract.

    "Then you just saved me from wasting a life that would have been useful to this world." Kazuya talked no further and continued to write.

    He may have appeared calm, but Kazuya''s thoughts were currently distressed. This whole situation had come at him unexpectedly that he couldn''t make up his mind on how to deal with Julia Tisdale. Though the fact that she had attacked him remained, he had already noticed that the sword she brought with her had a blade that wouldn''t even cut through the protection under his clothes.

    "This¡­" Julia''s eyes continuously moved from the draft and towards the hero after reading the contents. "Just what is it you''re up to?" She couldn''t believe what she was reading.

    As they had talked about earlier, Kazuya would have authority over Julia''s soul. Not only was she to sign a soul contract, she would also be receiving a slave''s crest. This much was expected but what shocked Julia was that the terms that Kazuya would put upon himself.

    Kazuya had rejected her earlier plea, but he put in restrictions that would protect Julia from being treated like an object. Some points she couldn''t believe were;

    [Julia Tisdale will always prioritize Kazuya''s safety above all else.]

    [She will not divulge any information about the hero or his secrets unless ordered to do so.]

    [She cannot inflict harm to her own self.]

    [She cannot be ordered to give sexual favors.]

    [She cannot be harmed by Kazuya unless she needed to be punished.]

    Julia looked at him in disbelief as her fears of becoming a stranger''s slave so suddenly had been lifted off of her mind. As a person who spent most of her time amongst the nobles, she was no stranger to the skeletons that were being kept in their closets.

    "Why are you looking at me like that? Did you expect harsher terms?" he grinned at her.

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    "Yes¡­" she could only reply honestly.

    Aside from the fact that she had to follow his orders, this was already more than she could ever ask for. While Julia would bear the shame of having a slave''s crest cast upon her, the role she could imagine herself doing under Kazuya was similar to a servant who needed to guard him as well.

    "Don''t tell me¡­ you were actually expecting those things¡­" Kazuya shuddered. "perverted knight¡­"

    "You''re the pervert!" Julia retorted and slammed the table with a red face. "Who would believe that you were not up to something with terms like these towards someone who just tried to attack you!?" she clenched her fists and breathed in deeply to calm herself.

    Julia never considered herself as a person with a short fuse but for some reason, this person knew how to press the right buttons to make her feel frustrated. Even what she had thought to be an unconscious action by the hero when he stepped on her sword seemed like it had been done deliberately just to mock her.

    "Is that all?" Kazuya sighed and looked at the knight with disappointment. "From the looks of things, you have no experience in serving someone else." He shook his head.

    "What are you implying?"

    "No matter how you see yourself. The moment you sign the contract and receive the slave crest, you become one of my people." Kazuya looked her straight in the eye. "I don''t care how this world treats their slaves or subordinates. Never have I treated a person who was under me cruelly or unfairly without reason."

    "¡­" Julia''s mouth opened and closed repeatedly but no words could come out.

    She could tell that he was telling the truth. Kazuya''s words had just made the fact that she was indeed going to serve a master that was not Alicia sink in. Julia didn''t know what kind of future she would have with this crazy person from another world but, for now, things did not seem as bad as she had imagined.

    Julia took another look at the draft and still couldn''t believe it. It was like the soul contract had put more of a burden on the hero than herself. She did not trust him just yet but she could not think of anything that would make the person who was supposed to have all the advantages give some of it to her voluntarily. Her curiosity to know more about this so-called hero and understand him started growing rapidly.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "I guess they''re finally back." Kazuya smiled. "Come in."

    He was introduced to a magician under the Eberbach household who would be responsible for putting a slave seal on Julia. He also had Neun check the draft he had written. The maid gave him the same look Julia had given him earlier so he explained his reasons for doing so.

    "So it means that this royal do- I mean former royal dog will have the same role as us?" she frowned.

    Nuen, the magician and Acht looked a Julia like they were looking at a strange creature. Julia flinched but recovered to glare at the maid who had caught her strike with mere hair ornaments.

    "Why are you looking at me like that for?"

    "Don''t tell me you don''t understand just how lucky you are?" Nuen looked at Julia in disdain.

    "Lucky?" she gave the maid who didn''t flinch despite the pressure she had emitted a hostile look.

    She couldn''t take her words seriously and assumed that Neun had been mocking her.

    "Never mind. I don''t expect someone who only knows how to wag their tails towards their master to understand." She handed a scroll that had been empowered with strong mana towards Kazuya.

    The magician had begun to explain to Kazuya the process. The magician had gathered some of the hero''s blood and mixed it with the ink bottle. He then left Kazuya to write out the contract in peace while having Julia lay down on Kazuya''s bed to draw the slave crest.

    After signing the contract with their own blood, the scroll turned into tiny small fragments before being absorbed in both Kazuya and Julia''s bodies. They were now under the terms that they had agreed upon whereas Kazuya could feel the authority he had over Julia''s soul. He only needed to confirm it in his head before ending the knight''s life.

    "It is done" the magician excused himself and went towards the duke''s office.

    "How do you feel?" Acht approached Kazuya who acted as if he was feeling differently.

    "It sure does feels strange." He opened and closed his palms. "So this is what it feels like to have complete control over a person''s life." The curious look he gave Julia made her back feel cold.

    "From this moment on, my life is in your hands¡­ m-master." Julia knelt on one knee and missed the hero shuddering at the way she addressed him.

    "(To think such a day would come¡­ I wonder how the you I know would react if she saw you like this, Julia.)"

    "Is there something else that you require assistance with, Kazuya-sama?" Neun ignored Julia and talked to Kazuya.

    "Come to think of it, could I ask you to go to her place and recover her things? As her employer, I need to consider what I should be providing her with."

    "I understand." Neun bowed politely. "We will also be examining those things to make sure that there are no spells placed on them."

    "Thank you." Kazuya smiled and saw the two of them off before turning back towards the kneeling knight.

    He took another look at Julia''s attire and decided what he needed to do next. Their trip had taken longer than he thought so he needed to make up for it. Fortunately he had solved the biggest problem which was separating himself from his two escorts. The two maids already let down their vigilance after Julia had been bound by both the slave crest and the soul contract.

    "Stand up and come with me." He watched as his command compelled Julia to obey. He walked out hiding the satisfied smile from the proud knight.

    "Where are we going?" Julia asked. She might have been forced to serve Kazuya, but unlike what it was with Alicia, she did not consider treating him as politely and respectfully as her former master.

    "While those two are busy, I''ll use this chance to explore this strange world." He grinned. "I''m sure that with a former knight like you by my side, I can convince the duke''s people to let me roam around on my own."

    .

 185 Her Situation

    .

    Julia Tisdale, a girl from the line of loyal retainers that served under the very first king of the Zweifel kingdom. The daughter of the former guard who had once served directly under the queen as the head of the queen''s guard. This led to the introduction between Julia and Alicia.

    She had lived her whole life as a noble. Though she wasn''t required to have become a knight, the admiration and reverence towards the princess made Julia follow the same path as her parents. At least, until she had met the person who was supposed to be the one to save the kingdom.

    "¡­" Julia silently stared at herself in the mirror.

    Kazuya and she were currently in one of the clothing stores at the capital''s common districts. They left the duke''s manor after the hero had changed into common looking clothes which he had bought previously with the guidance of the two maids.

    The hero had told her that she stood out even with her common clothes so he took her to get a more unnoticeable outfit. This led to the current situation where Julia was experiencing yet another event that she never thought would ever happen in her life. She looked at herself and couldn''t help but wish that no one she knew would see her wearing garbs that many people must currently be wearing.

    "Oh, that looks great. Certainly the one that fits you the most from this shop." Kazuya praised. "We''re a little short on time so we''ll only be buying that for you to wear today."

    He paid no mind to the fact that Julia didn''t react to his statement. Kazuya already knew that even if Julia was not in a state of shock, such compliments from him would not be able to faze her. Certainly to a noble, they would much rather prefer not to wear such common clothes and protective gear.

    What he didn''t know was that it wasn''t that Julia ignored him, it was that she didn''t know how to react to being complimented while wearing commoner garbs. If she still held the status which she just lost a few hours ago, she would have taken it as an insult.

    "She''ll keep on wearing the clothes we picked out." Kazuya signaled the shopkeeper to calculate their bill.

    "Add this too. I''ll pay for it myself." Julia grabbed a common hood that matched her outfit and paid for herself.

    Kazuya didn''t say anything since they were indeed pressed for time and exited the store after Julia put up the hood she bought. He was tempted to let her walk around meeting people she knew but there was a chance that he would miss his objective.

    Julia didn''t feel comfortable moving by Kazuya''s side, so she walked behind him. She did not know what he was up to but the fact that he was trying to blend in as a commoner rather than simply moving around in a carriage baffled her.

    Another thing that confused her was how familiar he appeared to be with navigating through the capital. Though she already heard that he went around some places in the capital yesterday, he moved as if he had not walked these streets more than just once or twice.

    "(Must be just me overthinking it¡­)" Julia sighed.

    "I''m here again uncle!" Kazuya stopped by the horse stables he visited the previous day.

    "I keep telling you that I''m not your damn uncle!" the man replied. This friendly kid who looked like he was from one of the eastern kingdoms got along with him after casually talking to him like they had met before.

    "What''cha want? Do you want a pair of horses to stroll around the city with again?" he glanced at the hooded girl behind him immediately locked Kazuya''s head under his arm.

    "Whaa-?" Kazuya quickly signaled Julia to stand down secretly and got dragged a little further away from the hesitant guard.

    "Hey kid, did you come to this country to fool around with women? You had two different ones with you yesterday and now¡­" he glanced at the hooded girl that obviously was acting awkward so suddenly.

    Julia was young but she was still one of the royal knights. She had no problem hearing what they were talking about if she wanted to. Of course, the listening girl shuddered when she was referred to as one of the hero''s women.

    "You got it all wrong uncle. This lady is someone who I hired to protect me." Kazuya pointed at the sword on Julia''s waist.

    Kazuya found the thought itself to be absurd as well. Though Julia was indeed a beauty, he would much rather dismember her than sleep with her.

    "Is that so?" remaining unconvinced, the man shrugged and decided not to press any further.

    "So, do you want to rent horses for strolling around the capital again?"

    "That is tempting but I want to go exploring outside a bit so do you have any fast horses?" Kazuya''s words startled the hooded Julia.

    "(Why does he want to do that?)" she stared at the hero''s back.

    "You happen to be in luck! There are exactly two horses for travelling left. A bunch of mercenary looking folks were in a hurry and just rented a bunch of them today. I wouldn''t have had enough left if you went with the two you were with yesterday!" he laughed. Though Kazuya already denied it, he still tried to help the boy score some points with the shy lady.

    "Great! I''ll take them." he quickly paid and took the horses that were taken from the stables before heading towards the capital''s western gates.

    "Where are we going?" Julia finally couldn''t take it and asked.

    "I want to see what''s outside the capital." Kazuya replied instantly.

    "Why?" she didn''t understand what he was thinking.

    "(Is he perhaps planning on escaping?)" Julia couldn''t help but wonder. After receiving money from the kingdom, it was more than enough for him to live by for a long time.

    "Looks like you''re the type to overthink. Heh." Kazuya looked at the confused expression and laughed.

    "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to." Her glare made Kazuya smile even more.

    "Why must I remain in this stuffy city? This is my first time in this world, this country even. I can always walk around the city since I have no intention of limiting myself within the confines of it. The duke''s people would be hard to get rid of and I assume they wouldn''t let me roam around on my own outside the capital. This is the perfect chance."

    "Aren''t you overlooking the fact that I''m here?" her eyebrow raised.

    "What about you? Unlike those two girls, you are my subordinate." He scoffed at Julia. "I''ll have you protect me if we encounter any dangers while I''m exploring."

    "At least that part about heroes is accurate¡­." She mumbled.

    "Why wouldn''t I want to see this world for myself? Shouldn''t I be encouraged to see what kind of world I would be protecting?" They passed through the gates where Kazuya made his horse go faster.

    "W-wait!"

    Breathing in the fresh air from the wilderness away from the capital, Kazuya finally felt that he was back. The familiar scent and feeling of the rich mana which he had almost forgotten. Kazuya ignored everything else and reveled in the world that he once picked over earth.

    "(What a weird person¡­)" Julia thought.

    She looked at him and couldn''t understand why he looked so happy. What was so fun about riding around? Was he seeing something that she couldn''t?

    Kazuya paid no attention to her as he was aware that she was staring at him. He had already decided to deal with this woman slowly so he didn''t bother caring about what Julia was curious about. He didn''t follow the normal roads and traversed places where even Julia was not very familiar with.

    "Hmm?" he sensed something and had the horse slow down.

    "What''s the matter?" Julia immediately noticed the return of the hero''s neutral expression.

    "There''s something ahead¡­" he pointed towards the place where the trees are packed densely.

    "GROAAA!!" the creature revealed itself after being pointed at.

    "Oh, what a scary looking creature. From the looks of it¡­ is that an orc?" Kazuya remained unfazed as he glanced towards Julia who couldn''t believe their luck.

    A grey skinned seven-foot-tall brute appeared before them. it had a bloody large axe on its hand and wore shabbily made leathers that looked to have been made from different types of scavenged equipment. Its snout made aggressive snorting noises as the creature''s bloodshot eyes glared at Julia.

    It was one thing for goblins to be found near the wilderness, but orcs were different. These creatures were very similar to both human and beast races. Possessing intelligence and a specific racial trait, even the lower variants of their race have been known to have the ability to build their own societies.

    Even earth had their own legends about orcs. These days, orcs were referred to as common monsters. That opinion would both be correct and wrong at the same time. A person who had encountered an orc before would immediately recognize if another person who tried to speak of orcs had encountered one.

    Kazuya immediately recognized that Julia was not unfamiliar with these creatures. In his previous life, Julia had always stood to defend Alicia no matter what danger came at them. This was one aspect of her that both annoyed him and made him admire her at the same time.

    Orcs were creatures that had a very high drive to reproduce. In Kazuya''s opinion, this was the scariest trait that this specific race had. This was the reason why they were classified as monsters. If one knew about the history of Orcs, they were considered one of the demi-human races who were extremely violent and battle driven.

    They had the ability to reproduce with other races. The mix of genetics with lesser creatures such as goblins soon led to the birth of the classification of the low intelligent defects as monsters and the original high orcs as a member of the beast races.

    Though, to humans, these classifications didn''t matter much. Because humans were also an intelligent race, the orcs would often kidnap females to produce more intelligent orcs. The two saw each other as mortal enemies most of the time.

    "Yes¡­ did it get lost¡­?" Julia gripped her sword tightly.

    Those who have come across an orc and survived would never consider them as mere common creatures. Even those who have been abandoned by the high orcs and considered rejects were fierce by themselves. They have scattered themselves all around the world and plagued many races.

    "(Looks like this woman doesn''t put that fearless face up if she''s not protecting the princess or her people¡­)" Kazuya thought. "(Should I¡­)"

    "GRRRAAAA!" The orc''s shout startled the horses. They were not warhorses, so they were affected by the battle cry and started to panic.

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    "Since it looks like it''s more interested in you more than myself, I want to see how capable my new bodyguard is." Kazuya smiled before having his horse back away to give Julia way.

    "Why not handle it yourself? Aren''t you the hero?" Julia frowned. She felt that she was being taken advantage of when this reckless guy didn''t even bat an eye against even the king of their kingdom.

    "Since you''re not allowed to tell anyone about my secrets, let me remind you that I came from a world with barely any mana. My soul weapon does not use it and I can only use it a few times." Kazuya grinned after seeing Julia''s shocked reaction.

    "Then why did you¡ª"

    "You should pay attention to the enemy in front of you." Kazuya reminded her.

    *SWISH*

    The orc took advantage of her distraction and immediately launched an attack.

    "Tch!" Julia clicked her tongue and dodged. She surveyed her surroundings and tried to sense if there were any other orcs hiding around.

    She knew that this specific orc was from a grey-skinned tribe that moved in packs. They were not very smart but they were very fierce and relied on their numbers to overwhelm enemies. These types of orcs usually avoided places that were near cities or big human settlements and preferred to stay close to mountains or deep forests.

    "Is this all a former royal knight can amount to?" Kazuya mocked her while looking disappointed.

    He knew that Julia was holding back. She was hesitant on using the swordsmanship she learned from her time as a royal guard.

    "Shut the hell up!" she tried to parry the axe but got thrown back a few steps instead.

    "There aren''t any other monsters lying in wait so you don''t have to look around so much." Kazuya crossed his arms to show her just how confident he was in this.

    If there was one thing that Julia learned about this hero, he was extremely protective over his own life. The confidence he was showing after informing her that he had no plans on using his soul weapon had convinced her that he was not lying.

    "I''ll tell you another fact; though I hold a high position in my world, I am a commander. Due to an accident I had when I was a child, I was barely fit to do any strenuous activities."

    She initially suspected that he wanted to get rid of her by using a borrowed knife but from what she just learned, the purpose she was brought along was because he really needed to be protected. Julia didn''t have much doubt and it made more sense because the records indicated that the heroes that were summoned had to undergo training in which they could progress at a pace that no one in their world could match.

    "HAAAA!" a thought came to mind and Julia enhanced herself with mana.

    The orc may have been one of the most ferocious of the demi-human races, but this specific one was currently alone. Julia had come to a realization which helped her make up her mind in using the skills she had learned up until now.

    The hero Kazuya was a person who was summoned for the sake of Zweifel kingdom. Alicia was the princess of the said kingdom so if she could do her part and protect the hero and have him do what he was summoned for, won''t she be free to serve the princess again when the hero returns to his world

    "UWOOOoooo" the orc groaned as the hand that was holding the bloody axe had been chopped off.

    Julia immediately followed through by dashing immediately beneath the large orc and slashing upwards the sword that had been clad with her mana. Dark blood sprouted from the orc''s body as Julia swiftly moved back to the orc''s side to avoid the mess.

    *plop*

    The head of the grey-skinned orc fell down as one last fatal blow mercilessly struck while it had been in a panic. Julia gripped her sword tightly before turning back to look at Kazuya who was still wearing an amused smile.

    "(I finally figured out how I can still serve her highness!)"

    .

 186 Scheme in the Woods

    .

    The grey-skinned orc dropped to the ground with a thud. Julia swung her blade to get rid of the blood and Kazuya dismounted to examine the remains.

    "(This person¡­)" Julia was a little shocked at how natural Kazuya was while curiously looking over the headless corpse.

    Though she was not unfamiliar with killing monsters, there was still a part of her that was disgusted with the remains of creatures that were human-like in shape. A royal knight was responsible for the protection of the royal family and the nobles. As someone who had just reached the age of two decades, as much as she didn''t like to admit it, she was still inexperienced.

    "How strange¡­" Kazuya muttered.

    "Is something wrong?" Julia sheathed her sword and approached.

    "Are orcs like this one supposed to be close to the capital?" he asked a leading question to make Julia think about the current situation.

    "Huh?" realizing that the hero''s question had meaning, she answered. "No. Though we are already a distance away from the capital, we have just reached the entrance to the western forest. Grey-skinned orcs should be located closer to the mountains that''s supposed to be a day away."

    "I see¡­" he examined the body and pointed at the wounds all over the orc. "It was wounded before you fought with it."

    "Come to think of it¡­ this orc was alone as well. Grey-skinned orcs are ferocious, but they are known to act like goblins and overwhelm their enemies with numbers. This is strange¡­" she looked at him strangely.

    She felt a little bitter towards Kazuya for pointing out the things that she herself should have realized. He shouldn''t have much knowledge of this world.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Kazuya rained his eyebrow at her.

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    "It''s nothing¡­ if I didn''t know any better, I would say that it seems that you know quite a lot for a person who has only been in this world for a few days."

    "sigh¡­" Kazuya shook his head. "For a person who''s supposed to protect people for a living, you are a bit slow."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Whether it is a simple job of escorting or rescuing, shouldn''t you always be aware of the dangers and risks that are involved? Though I don''t dare brag that I know everything, I have browsed through compendiums of monsters that can be found in this world."

    "Monster compendiums¡­ y-you decided to help the kingdom?" she tried to hold back her excitement.

    "Why do you seem happy about whether I help or not? If I decide to help, that means you, MY subordinate, will be put in danger along with me." He pretended not to notice what was on her mind.

    "Whoever''s subordinate I am doesn''t change the fact that I was born in this kingdom. Why wouldn''t I want to help in saving it?"

    "Hmm¡­ you have a point." He bent down to pick up the fallen orc''s weapon and pouch. "Though I''m sorry to burst your bubble, like I said earlier, I need more information before I decide. Though I''ve gotten you as a subordinate unexpectedly, like I''ve already said earlier, I am not a warrior nor am I strong."

    "But that''s normal." Julia finally got her chance and didn''t want to let go of the opportunity. "Like you say, you are from a world that has no mana. Records say that heroes that are summoned only realized how much affinity they have with mana after reaching our world. Don''t you feel it?" She recalled what had happened earlier.

    "You even sensed the orc before I did. Your senses are already sharper than a royal knight like me. You would only need to learn how to harness your potential though training and it should be fine." She encouraged.

    "Though I''ve already thought about that. I find it suspicious that you''re overly enthusiastic about all of this so suddenly." he looked at her suspiciously.

    "W-why are you looking at me like that? W-what''s wrong with being glad that I wont just be a regular servant and get to use the training I''ve had since I was a child to good use?"

    "You''re even stuttering¡­" he stared at her with half open eyes. "Oh! I see. I think I understand what you''re thinking about." he grinned.

    "W-what assumptions are you thinking about now?" she nervously looked at him. She wanted to curse herself for being too excited.

    "I''ve looked a little into the so-called heroes of the past. Although I wasn''t able to completely read everything because I was called to the castle, I know that there were times that the heroes were sent back with their friends or loved ones." he grinned.

    "You¡­ you don''t mean." Julia shivered.

    "Why would I leave such a loyal and talented subordinate alone in this world?" he smiled.

    Ignoring Julia''s state, Kazuya stored his spoils after cleaning the blood and entered the forest. He was able to successfully change what the knight had been thinking about. In Julia''s current state, there would be a low chance that she would be able to figure out that this orc had gone up against humans rather than monsters.

    "(There shouldn''t be any trouble with how this person thinks. Though I said the purpose of this trip was to sightsee, she hasn''t questioned why we''ve been running around at top speed.)"

    Entering the forest, they couldn''t keep making the horses run at top speed. While Julia had been lamenting over her situation, she was also able to discover just how much the hero had learned in such a short time.

    They would often stop whenever Kazuya caught sight of herbs, some of which she was not familiar with. At first, Kazuya did it out of habit. After seeing that Julia didn''t put much thought into it, he continued picking up anything that he could use while they made their way through the forest.

    "Strange¡­ are forests normally this peaceful?" Kazuya took the initiative and started a conversation.

    They have been going deeper into the forest, but they hardly encountered any monsters. Though they encountered a stray orc near the outskirts of the forest, there hasn''t been any sign of even goblins that were supposed to be common there.

    "That is¡­ strange..." Julia looked around.

    The western forest near the capital was dubbed the ''goblin forest'' by the adventurers since this was the place they went to whenever they took upon goblin subjugation quests.

    "(Is it because I came a few months too early? Or is it because I''ve changed?)" Kazuya was speechless at how different this Julia was compared to the one in his memories.

    "(Did I take the fight between the king''s faction and duke Eberbach lightly?)" he thought.

    Not much was written between the infighting between the fallen Eberbach household and the king''s faction when Kazuya learned about it in his previous life. It had yet to be written in the kingdom''s history, so the information was simplified when he was told about it.

    He didn''t know about Alicia who seemed to not have changed all that much with her schemes, but Julia Tisdale was still unable to hold her emotions as he had known her to. She was still undoubtedly loyal to the crown, yet, the startling difference between the two was staring at Kazuya so much that he wasn''t able to deny it even if he wanted to.

    "Hey, I have a question." Kazuya stored the herbs he extracted and turned to Julia. "Have you killed many humans before?"

    "What kind of question is that? Do I look like a soft kind of person to you?" Julia felt insulted and immediately glared at him.

    "It looks like there hasn''t been that many." He felt convinced that he had found a reason for the difference in the person he knew.

    Even with his past na?ve self, Kazuya was curious about the Zweifel kingdom. He learned a little about its history. Though there were skirmishes between some of the kingdoms, the Kingdom was free from any major wars for nearly five decades before he arrived.

    "Why did you suddenly ask such a¡­ Are you looking down on me?" her eyebrow twitched. "I may be young, but I am¡­ or used to be the princess'' Royal guard. I only go to the battlefield when she does. Even so, I''ve slain a fair share of humans that have tried to bring harm to her."

    "I see. So you haven''t participated in any major wars." He casually smiled.

    "What wars? I''ll have you know, our kingdom is one of the most powerful human kingdoms in Edea, if anyone wants to fight against us, there should be a¡ª"

    "So, this country has been in peace for a long time huh¡­" he grinned.

    "That''s not the point! Don''t change the top¡ª"

    "Shh!" Kazuya stopped walking and immediately gestured to be quiet. "Do you hear that?"

    *clang!*

    "Huh?" Julia frowned but extended her senses towards the direction he was looking at.

    "Looks like there''s a battle nearby." They secured the horses near a group of trees before shurrying towards the direction of the sound.

    "It could be the group where that orc got separated from." Julia commented and kept her guard up.

    She warned him because she didn''t like the fact that Kazuya was taking the initiative to seek trouble. Julia had no right to command him so she could only warn him. No matter what he did, she would have to keep him safe because her life had been bound to him the moment he was given authority over her soul.

    "Looks like there should be people near here¡­" Kazuya stopped as they arrived at a place where several grey-skinned orc corpses were scattered around.

    With the number of them, Julia immediately realized that the wounds they have suffered should not have been from any other monsters. These orcs were definitely killed by bladed weapons and the culprits seemed to be engaged in battle judging by the current sounds nearby.

    *CLANG!*

    The two hid their presence and made their way towards the clearing where the sounds came from. Kazuya secretly glanced over to watch Julia''s expression the moment they were able to see that the commotion wasn''t done by orcs but by two groups of humans.

    "Ojou-sama! Please step back!" one of the knights spoke to a girl pointing her sword at the group of masked people.

    "I will not. These people aren''t here by coincidence." The young girl replied with a resolute face.

    "Who are you people? Why are you attacking me?" She remained vigilant as they were currently outnumbered.

    Her group consisted of only two knights and a number of trainees that were yet to be assigned to any of her family''s units. They were currently outnumbered as they were slowly getting pushed back by more than ten assailants who seemed to have been highly trained.

    They had just finished the battle with a group of orcs that they stumbled upon. Their conditions were not optimal to go up against such a group and despite the courage the girl was showing in front of her enemies, they were currently in dire straits.

    "Dead people don''t need to know!" Half of the masked group attack while the others tried to surround the girl and her companions.

    The girl knew that their chances of survival would severely diminish if they let themselves be surrounded so she initiated an attack with the help of one knight. The other knight teamed up with the trainees and prevented themselves from being surrounded.

    "(This isn''t good. It''s only a matter of time before we fall apart.)" the girl jumped back after successfully disabling one of the attackers with a series of pierces.

    She couldn''t help but feel bitter. If they hadn''t dealt with the orcs before these men showed up, they might have stood a better chance against these mysterious people.

    "(This¡­)" A scary thought came to her mind. "(Did these people make us fight the orcs to wear us down?)"

    Before she could unleash her rage towards them, a sudden shout distracted her.

    "UGH!" one of the assailants'' sword pierced the trainee''s neck.

    "Jay!" the other trainee shouted in rage and immediately raised his blade towards the attacker.

    "Stop!" however, the knight''s pleas were too late. His subordinate had lost himself after seeing his friend suffer a critical wound and immediately tried to save him.

    Their formation had started to fall apart because of this as the trainee who had tried to help immediately got attacked by the group of men. He had been too focused on his friend and neglected to notice one of the attackers approach him from behind.

    The knight clicked his tongue and blocked the other three trainees with his blade. The small hope they had even diminished further. They now needed to make a choice. They all served one house and though they didn''t dare to vocalize their suspicions on who these men were, the skills these people were using betrayed them.

    "Milady!" signaling towards his partner, the girl was pulled back before she could launch another attack.

    "No!" she immediately replied.

    Of course, she knew what they intended to do. They had intended to sacrifice themselves in order to give her a chance to get away. She didn''t want to take such a chance because she already knew that the chances of her escaping from these skilled people were almost nonexistent.

    They meticulously planned to tire them out with monsters. With this being premeditated, how can they not have measures to prevent them from escaping. Even the place they were currently fighting in was advantageous towards the assailants.

    "Milady please understand. If you die here, all of our comrades will soon follow. You know how the duke will react if something happens to you¡­" the knight reasoned.

    He was right and she couldn''t deny it. Even though she hadn''t been aware of the identities of these people, with the current circumstances, even she had her own suspicions.

    The timing for this attack was too coincidental to have been planned by outside forces. Elrich''s friction against the king''s faction recently was only known to those attending meetings in the castle and their direct subordinates. If his only daughter died here, the duke would not rest until the culprit is found and slain.

    Their attackers didn''t plan on letting them plan anything and intensified their attacks. Though the knights and trainees carried shields, they were gradually suffering several wounds since they had started being on the defensive.

    "I will make whoever is responsible pay for this¡­" she gripped her weapon tightly and concentrated the mana she had been saving up.

    The attackers noticed the sudden increase in pressure and hesitated for a split second. That was enough for the two knights to initiate their desperate attack to secure a path for their liege.

    "For house Eberbach!!!" the knight roared as he raised his shield to take on the attacks.

    Using mana to enhance his body, the two knights took on several blades and abandoned defense. They let the blades pierce and slash their bodies but made sure that these weapons couldn''t be pulled out while they were still alive.

    The trainees themselves didn''t waste their superiors'' actions and attacked with all they had while defending the girl''s back. The assailants who had their weapons embedded in the knights'' bodies were the first victims of this suicide attack.

    "House Eberbach truly deserves the reputation of producing the kingdom''s most reliable of subordinates." The leader of the unknown attackers couldn''t help but speak.

    He had stayed back and watched the whole process along with two other subordinates. Taking pleasure in witnessing what the famed subordinates of the Eberbach house would do, he gestured the two standing behind him to go after the girl.

    "(I have to get through this and take revenge for the people who sacrificed themselves for me!)" she readied herself to break through the two who were trying to stop her.

    She could sense that skills and mana of these two attackers were definitely above hers, but there was no other choice left but for her to believe she could do it. These two were the only thing stopping her from the escape path that her escorts sacrificed their lives to give her.

    "Zephyr Rush!"

    Strong winds converged on the tip of her rapier that had been pointed in front of her path. Leaves from the trees scattered around violently as she knew that this was her moment between life and death.

    "STOP HE¡ª" the masked leader''s command was interrupted by loud sounds that he couldn''t identify.

    *THUD* *CRASH*

    The clash between the three people ended up not being within the masked leader''s expectations as he watched his two subordinates powerlessly got blown away by the girl''s skill. He clicked his tongue and immediately ran towards the direction the girl went.

    She had broken through. Though the girl didn''t understand how the two men who tried to stop her get blown away with little resistance, she had no time to consider this as there were still enemies coming to chase after her.

    "Everyone after her!" the leader turned towards the rest of his subordinates who were supposed to have been done with the remnants of the girl''s escorts but what he saw immediately made his mouth gape wide open in shock.

    All of his men were scattered on the ground. There was currently only one survivor and it was one of the trainees that had been on their knees with heavy wounds.

    "What the hell!?" after closely looking at one of his people, he found that a small hole could be seen on the mask that had been distributed to hide their identities.

    "Heya!" a call from behind him had startled the leader of the mysterious attackers.

    A boy walked out from the forest together with a person who had been wearing a hood to hide her face. It was a duo of a young man who had two unknown metallic objects in his hands and a woman who had a sword on her waist.

    "You did this!?" there had been no one else in the area so the frustration of losing his subordinates was immediately directed towards the two.

    The commander''s rage caused the atmosphere to turn heavy. He did not have any intentions to fight seriously because there hadn''t been a need to but he wanted to make the two who ruined his perfect trap to wish they had never been born before he found out who they were.

    "What a scary guy." The boy''s smile made him sense something that made him a little cautious.

    "I figured I should try out the role that was expected of me, but since it''s too troublesome to handle multiple things at the same time. I simply let the damsel in distress go so that i can put the assailant under duress."

    -

 187 She doesnst need to know

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    While the attack on the girl and her escorts were happening, Kazuya and Julia keenly observed from the shadows. Of course, it would appear to be that they had stumbled upon this scene so they did not know why these groups of people were fighting.

    "Looks like an assassination attempt," Kazuya whispered to Julia.

    "This¡­" Julia could only nod as there was no way that she could lie to him.

    Her slave status, as well as their soul contract, made her unable to lie. The moment Julia even considered moving her lips to lie to him caused her body to feel a bit of pain to warn her of the consequences if she had continued.

    "Looks like they''ve made quite the preparations for this. Whoever that girl is, she might be that important to have these kinds of preparations made for her." He extended his senses in the area and commented.

    It was obvious who the escorts were protecting and who the masked men were targeting. However, Kazuya wasn''t impressed. The impression that the girl left him was that she was brave but reckless. This made him reluctant on revealing himself because he wasn''t particularly good in dealing with this kind of person.

    "What do you intend to do?" Julia flinched the moment she saw the metallic weapon appear on his hand.

    "Those trainees are wearing uniforms that have the duke''s crest on them. I may not have decided to be your kingdom''s hero but I am not someone who will ungratefully not help after being taken in by the duke."

    Since Julia''s senses were not as strong as his, he told Julia the location of those concealing themselves.

    "What should I do with them?" she reluctantly asked.

    "Kill them. I only need one alive." He replied nonchalantly. "You take care of the ones on that side and I''ll take the ones on this side." He instructed.

    "Shouldn''t you¡ª"

    "Stop delaying and do it. I won''t ask you if you know who they are right now but, you better engrave the fact that you are my mine and no one else''s in your mind." Kazuya didn''t mince words as the situation on the other side escalated.

    "I¡­" she shuddered as her eyes met with Kazuya''s serious glare. "¡­Understood."

    Julia knew the girl''s identity. How could she not? That young girl was the only one who was ever compared to the former master Julia thought she would serve her whole life. The hero would have been much more enthusiastic at saving even the subordinates who were suffering if he knew that these people were protecting Duke Elrich Eberbach''s one and only daughter.

    Julia bit her lip and quietly dealt with the people who were concealing themselves. She didn''t forget to put up her hood so these people wouldn''t recognize her.

    Surely enough, the hidden assailants kept their eyes on the situation with the target. The fight had already come to the point where the group should be planning to break through and escape. Even though that was unlikely, their commander had assigned them to hide so that there wouldn''t be any mistakes.

    "Huh?" one of them that had been resting on a tree branch noticed a tremor behind him.

    "Hello~" the smiling boy immediately cast a sound-insulating spell.

    "Who the fu¡ª"

    *BANG!*

    "As your comrades'' said, dead men don''t need to know." He grinned and moved on to the next target.

    There shouldn''t have been a need to leave even the leader alive because Kazuya knew exactly who these people were. Since Julia was with him, if he wanted her to remain oblivious to his knowledge about Edea, he had to take necessary steps.

    "Heok!"

    "Guhhhgg!"

    The ambush team, to prevent any loose ends from escaping, died in the shadows while the battle in the open had intensified. With Kazuya observing, even he had to admit that even the trainees'' loyalty towards the duke was quite admirable.

    "It is¡­ done¡­" Julia quietly approached Kazuya with a pained expression.

    "You''ve done well. You were able to carry it out without being noticed even though you aren''t used to it." He feigned ignorance. "There may just be some hope for you yet." He smiled.

    "¡­" Julia opened and closed her mouth but was unable to say anything in response. She continued to stare at him as Kazuya raised his arm.

    He pointed his gun towards the ongoing battle. The girl had started breaking through the assailants. There were two capable men moving to intercept her desperate attempt to break away from their encirclement.

    "(Would he save the girl or would he save the people who were struggling to buy their master time with their own lives?)"

    "Seems like I have to put in some effort for this¡­" he sighed and raised his other arm.

    "Wha-!?" Julia covered her gaping mouth.

    This guy already had a weapon that ignored and even pierced through Alicia''s barriers but now he was taking out two? Julia felt the sound insulating barrier expanding as multiple shots were fired towards the masked assailants.

    Guns were lethal weapons to people on earth. Not only were the smaller ones easy to conceal unlike swords or bows, bullets traveled faster than arrows. To people on earth, that was the norm; to people in Edea however, due to mana, while weapons from earth like firearms were still a threat, it would only apply to capable people who have their guard down.

    "Looks like the girl got away safely." Kazuya grinned as he looked at the chaotic path that was left by the girl''s powerful rush. "Hopefully, she doesn''t kill the horses we left in that direction."

    Julia''s body trembled as she looked at Kazuya''s back that now looked bigger to her all of a sudden. She didn''t know if it had been on purpose, but the duke''s daughter had been forced to change her escape path after reacting to the two enemies who tried to block her path.

    The duke''s daughter was now going towards the path where they had left their two horses.

    "(Did he do that on purpose?)" Julia wanted to deny it but her instincts were telling her that her guess was correct. Kazuya was a person that is a lot more dangerous than he lets himself out to be.

    "I''ll leave checking the girl''s companions to you." He nonchalantly walked towards the battle''s aftermath.

    "Yes¡­" Julia fixed the hood she bought and walked behind him.

    "Heya!" Kazuya greeted the masked leader casually.

    He was met with hostility after admitting to the fact that he had silently taken out the subordinates who were supposed to have been more than enough to handle their task.

    "I''m not expecting an answer but I''ll ask just in case, who are you?"

    "You dared to kill my subordinates without even knowing who you were dealing with!?"

    "It doesn''t really matter to me who you are, what position you have or who you work for. I suspect that girl from earlier belongs to the household I hold some gratitude with so I wanted to confirm who their enemies were if I could." He smiled at the masked man whose bloodlust had been expanding with each word from Kazuya''s lips.

    "Count yourselves lucky. Your pain would have lasted for days if I didn''t have to chase that girl." The man quickly attacked.

    *BANG!*

    "!?" the masked man halted immediately shifted his momentum towards the side to dodge the bullet.

    "As expected, a capable person is able to dodge that." Kazuya smiled looking impressed.

    "Judging from that strange weapon, it seems the duke has been having deals with other places. I will have you spit out everything you know!" the man''s expression under the mask changed.

    He wouldn''t have thought that the Zweifel kingdom''s hero was standing in front of him right at this moment. The masked man and his subordinates secretly left the capital in preparation for intercepting the duke''s daughter so the recent news about the hero hasn''t reached them.

    "hmm?" Kazuya looked at the back that appeared in front of him. "What are you doing?

    Julia had no choice but to step in front of him. From that single exchange, she was able to judge that even with his soul weapon, Kazuya was currently at a disadvantage against this person.

    "I confirmed one survivor among the escorts. I don''t have any prowess in healing so I think it would be better if you took a look at them. Let me handle this person."

    "Is that so?" he hadn''t expected her to move without his order. "It''s fine if you end up killing him then." Kazuya walked towards the survivor.

    *CLANG!*

    Julia''s sword immediately met with the dagger that was struck towards Kazuya.

    "It would be in your best interest if you left your boyfriend girlie. I don''t like killing women but doesn''t mean I won''t." the masked man warned.

    "(It''s not like I have a choice!)" Julia wanted to angrily retort.

    "Then die!" not wanting to waste any more time, he attacked intending to end it in a single strike.

    "(He''s serious! This is ''Decapitating Shadow''!)" Julia braced herself.

    She didn''t have the large shield she carried around when she was on duty. She supported the sword by pacing her arm against the flat side of the blade and enhanced both her self and the blade to take on the blow.

    This was not her first time encountering this technique. This was an extremely fast strike that was used by those with enough agility and cunningness to pull it off. There had been a hidden blade under the sleeves of the masked man that would immediately spring out if the initial strike was blocked. These were one of the skills that most royal knights needed to train against before they were placed on duty to guard important people.

    "!?" The man was immediately startled at Julia''s stance. He wanted to back away the moment Julia''s concentrated mana started materializing itself into a shield through the sword that rested against her arm. Unfortunately, he didn''t think that she would come up with a way to stop him as he had moved with full confidence.

    *CLANG!*

    "You!!! You''re a Tisdale!? Are you bet¡ª" the man''s words were cut off after feeling something.

    Darkness slowly consumed his ability to see. Numbness and powerlessness spread across his whole body. He couldn''t think about anything else but the blood that he could feel flowing from his forehead.

    "(Ah¡­ the kid with the strange weapon¡­)" he felt the cold uneven ground before all life disappeared from his body.

    Kazuya shot his gun the moment he noticed the man put all his attention on Julia. He didn''t want the man to mention anything about their relations, so he didn''t hesitate to get rid of him. He had his own plan on dealing with Julia and he didn''t want anyone to mess with the way things were at the moment.

    "For an assassin, he had quite a loud mouth," Kazuya commented before holstering the gun.

    "¡­" Julia stared at the dead body in front of her and thought "(If you were going to kill him anyway, why didn''t you just shoot him when he didn''t know we were here!?)"

    Julia sighed. She was about to sheathe her blade when she heard a sound.

    *clink*

    It started from a crack. It spread throughout the blade until the weapon couldn''t hold itself anymore. She turned to Kazuya in shock for answers, but he was already ignoring her while treating the only survivor who had already fainted.

    Julia felt a bit embarrassed. She walked up to face this enemy on her own yet, she couldn''t get rid of him just by herself. She couldn''t make excuses that her equipment was insufficient because she already lost the privilege to use any of her previous ones ever since she had lost her status as one of the royal guards.

    What she wasn''t aware of was, Kazuya was currently not ignoring her because of her failure. The fact that he saved the life of one person who he thought about killing for years had bothered him. Though he had intended to assist her in the fight, actually doing it made him get mixed feelings about it.

    "(I did not expect the promise I had to make with Natsu-san would make things this complicated.)" he sighed.

    "Hero¡­" Julia approached called out.

    "Can you gather the bodies?" he prevented her from talking to him at the moment.

    Julia nodded and started gathering the dead bodies of the ones that they had taken out in the forest. Though the risk for these corpses to turn undead was small because of the beasts in the forest, it was better to get rid of the corpses for the sake of those who would come looking for these men. Julia was aware of this and didn''t object.

    "What are you doing?" When she came back, she found the hero holding another strange contraption on his hand.

    Kazuya had taken off the masks and held the device in front of the corpses which intrigued Julia. She approached him and saw that the small device was like transparent glass from the front. It showed what was in front of it despite appearing to be opaque from the backside.

    *pasha* *pasha*

    "I may not know who they are, but someone might." A clicking sound was heard whenever he pressed on the screen.

    "What is this contraption?" Julia couldn''t help but ask curiously. She knew that this must have been one of the devices that were from the hero''s world.

    "A device mainly used for communication. Well, the communication part doesn''t work in this world so I''m using another feature." He showed some of the photos he took and startled her. It was like memory projection magic. The only difference was that it looked much simpler because there was no mana involved.

    Kazuya grinned as he observed that Julia had yet to realize the most important part of what he was doing. He crouched down on the corpses and started checking their equipment and belongings. He was gathering evidence as well as taking his spoils of war.

    "Take whatever you think you can use. We will sell whatever we don''t need when we get back to the capital."

    Julia frowned. Though these men appeared to be mere bandits, underneath their disguises were equipment that was usually hard to get.

    "What? Do you think you''re still a royal knight? Do you think that collecting spoils of war is something dishonorable?" Kazuya gave a displeased expression. "I know it''s still your first day working for me. You probably still haven''t had the time to accept reality but, I''ll let you know." Kazuya stood directly in front of her with a serious look.

    "Your life is mine. Not even the King of your kingdom can make me dissolve our agreement."

 188 A Familiar Place

    .

    Once the collecting of reusable equipment had been done, Julia was asked to recover the horse they left a distance away from where the ambush took place. Kazuya already told her of the possibility that there was only a single horse left was high, but she didn''t believe it.

    "Didn''t I tell you so?" Kazuya grinned at her as soon as she came back with a single horse.

    "Did you make her go towards that direction because of our horses?" Julia''s lips twitched at Kazuya''s confident expression.

    "The girl''s initial escape route was close anyway. I won''t take all the credit." He smiled. "Did that girl leave something? Like a letter?"

    "How did you know? She didn''t leave a letter, but she did leave this¡­" she held up a token that had the mark of the Eberbach family engraved on it.

    "From the way she acted, I guessed that she wouldn''t simply steal our horses without leaving anything. I did know a person who acted very similarly to her after all."

    "A friend?" she looked at him with doubt. Julia didn''t think that he would have any friends with how he acted.

    "No. That person died¡­ because of his own foolishness." Kazuya started putting their spoils on the horse.

    Julia looked around, the corpses that were still scattered around when she left were nowhere to be found. What was left was scattered pieces of equipment that they judged couldn''t be brought with just a single horse.

    "Where did all the corpses go?"

    "All taken care of." He snapped his head back to the burnt area.

    "How did¡­" she couldn''t help but mutter.

    "I have my ways. More importantly, is there a nearby village or town? We only have one horse that would be carrying both our spoils and this injured guy."

    Taking care of the battle''s aftermath took longer than the actual battle. With the loss of a fast horse and the addition of an unconscious person, they would not be able to make it back to the capital today. Unless they wanted to camp without any equipment, they needed a place to go to.

    "Can I see the map that you got?" Julia immediately examined the map she was handed. she was unfamiliar with the Eberbach territory aside from the strongholds since she rarely ever had the chance to go to any of the territories under the Eberbach house.

    "I''ve looked at this world''s map. Since I didn''t have a specific location I wanted to visit, I currently don''t know which place we are in from this map." Kazuya hinted to be given an explanation.

    "We are currently in the goblin forest." She pointed at their current location on the map. "The people who made this map had taken the trouble to mark all the places where the people from earlier would go through which helps us with our current situation."Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "We have two options¡­ either we go through the forest to the village marked here or go back to where we entered and head for the closest town. It would take much longer to head for the town but the monsters we would encounter should be a lot less."

    "You should be more familiar with the places here. which direction do you think we should go towards?"

    "The people we killed should have other people waiting for them. I think that going to the town might attract unwanted attention because we have an injured person with us. We''re not sure if this person''s identity is known so it would be better to go to the village and claim that were attacked by orcs."

    "Fine¡­" he held back the urge to laugh.

    What Julia was trying to do was only delay the inevitable. The fact that they have taken out the assassins sent by the crown would be known as soon as they made their way back to the capital.

    -

    Meanwhile, riding the horse she found secured inside the forest, Sodina took advantage of the stolen steed''s speed to rush towards the capital.

    "(I hope the people who rented those horses don''t get attacked¡­)" she thought.

    Due to her situation, she was forced to take the horse without permission. Though she did leave one of her family''s tokens, she still felt uneasy about stealing one of the horses that were obviously hidden there by people.

    Sodina was in a race against time. Not only did she need to escape any pursuers, but she also needed to reach the capital quickly so that the identities of those who tried to take her life can be traced.

    "(This horse should have been rented from the capital¡­ I should be able to find out who they were once I tell father what happened.)" she glanced at the familiar engraving of the horse lending company.

    She hoped that the people who rented the horses were adventurers on a quest. That way, they wouldn''t have any problems surviving with a single mount missing, or so she hoped.

    It was almost nighttime when she arrived at the capital. When she passed by the gate, there was one person who had been waiting near the gates that looked at her not because of her identity but because of her mount.

    "(Why is a noble riding on the horse I rented out to the boy?)" the man frowned but could not stop Sodina as she blazed through the streets as soon as she was allowed passage.

    Acht and Neun were waiting on Kazuya''s return near the entrance when they heard the commotion. When they rushed over, they froze at what they saw.

    The duke''s daughter had arrived alone, and she was not in good shape. Her armor was badly damaged, and she suffered from injuries that would tell anyone that she had been through a tough battle.

    "Ojou-sama! What happened!?" they tried to see what kind of injuries she suffered but was stopped by Sodina instead.

    "We''ll talk later. For now, I want the two of you to return the horse I took back to the blue house company and inquire about the ones who rented this horse. I took it without permission so that I could escape my pursuers. I have to talk to father right away so I can only leave this task to the two of you."

    ""Understood!"" The two of them bowed and left. Though they were concerned, Elrich needed to be informed of what happened.

    One thing was for sure, if those who dared attack the only daughter of the Eberbach house was still out there, they would need to go beyond the reaches of Zweifel kingdom for them to be able to escape Elrich''s wrath.

    *BAM!!*

    Surely enough, no one''s guess was wrong. An expensive table was immediately disintegrated as soon as Elrich saw the state his daughter was currently in. Her injuries may not have been fatal but, after hearing about what happened to her and her escorts, how close to death she had been was apparent.

    "Send word to the fortress! I want to know who these people are and who they work for! Send whoever we can spare here to catch any traces they''ve left behind! I WANT THOSE PEOPLE FOUND!" Elrich ordered Zwei and the subordinates behind him.

    """Understood!!""" they pressed their fists against their chests and bowed.

    "Zwei, I want you to take the lead on this. From Sodina''s story, she wouldn''t have been able to escape if she hadn''t been lucky. The timing and circumstances have been too convenient to be a coincidence, so I suspect¡­" he clenched his fists in frustration and was unable to finish the sentence.

    He couldn''t bring himself to say that it had been the work of the same kingdom they have worked hard to protect. The power he had built over the years was meant to be pointed at the enemies outside their territory and not within. Though he had people he didn''t get along with amongst the nobles, he didn''t think that there would come a time where they would actually strike against him like this.

    "I will take care of it Elrich-sama." Zwei noded deeply as he understood the severity of their current situation.

    As angered as Elrich might have been, there was no conclusive evidence thus far. It still hadn''t been concluded that it was indeed someone from their own kingdom that plotted against him. What was clear, however, was that if it was someone from the nobles, or even worse, the king''s faction, it meant that they had made necessary precautions to meet the duke''s rage head-on.

    "(I don''t understand¡­ what makes them think that the kingdom can start a war after inciting me to use my forces?)" Elrich lamented. "(Even with the help of the hero, there would barely be enough forces to go against the demi-humans¡­)" He felt that he was missing an important piece of information.

    "Father, I''ve sent Acht and Neun to find out whose steed I¡­" noticing her father deep in thought and not hearing what she had to say, she turned towards Zwei who was about to leave the room.

    "Worry not Oujo-sama. We will keep an eye out for those people and inform them of the circumstances." Zwei excused himself.

    Though many of the personnel at the Eberbach residence in the capital were trainees, since the duke was here himself, his personal bodyguards were brought along with him. This was the unit that Zwei himself was in charge of.

    Having the responsibility to protect Elrich, they also serve as his eyes and ears. This unit was known as the ''Dire Wolves'' unit. They were the direct competition for the ''Royal Shadows'' that was under the crown.

    "I see you two are back." Zwei met with Acht and Neun who were hurrying back from their task. "Sodina-sama''s treatment should be finished by now so I can go to her directly."

    "Zwei-sama, are you going to personally act yourself?" Neun was a bit startled as Zwei was not wearing his usual butler attire but the uniform used by the Dire Wolves unit.

    "Yes. This matter is sensitive and has to be dealt with swiftly." He noticed the two were acting strangely. "Is there something you need to say?"

    The two maids looked at each other before Acht nervously stepped up.

    "We talked to the owner who lent the horses. The person who Sodina-sama stole the horses from¡­ was Kazuya-sama."

    "The hero?" Zwei frowned. "Why would he¡­"

    The first thing that came to mind was that Julia trying to lead the hero into a trap by bringing the hero to some dangerous place. He immediately dismissed the idea because of the slave and soul contract.

    "The man only told us what happened because we were recognized as his companions when we rented horses from him previously. He overheard them talking about going to places that were a distance away from the capital." Neun explained.

    "This might be a problem¡­"

    The hero being exposed to danger before he even decided to help was a serious matter. The crown would have an excuse to punish the Eberbach house if it turned out that the hero was injured because his mount was stolen by Sodina.

    "Please inform the duke about it as well. I must make haste." Zwei signaled his subordinates to follow as they rushed out.

    Now this task had just gotten more delicate. Sodina was asked to go back to the capital to get a chance to befriend the hero. While Elrich had gotten the luck of establishing good relations with him, this just might turn the tides for them in this sensitive situation.

    If the people who have met with Kazuya were asked what they thought the hero valued the most, most of them would answer that Kazuya prioritized his safety above all else. Some might answer ''his return'' but they wouldn''t be able to deny that the hero cared more about his own life than the kingdom''s so-called peril.

    While unaware that it was Kazuya himself who was responsible for his own situation, Zwei did not even think of it nor did it ever come to mind. His task now included finding out the status of the hero.

    He hoped that they would be able to come across the hero and the former royal guard riding together. From the forest, it should just take them less than two days since they were riding on one horse but, that is if the duo was able to get out of the forest without any problems.

    "This¡­" Elrich''s frown deepened after hearing Neun and Acht''s report.

    "The horse I took was the hero''s¡­? Wait! Why is that bi¡ªprincess'' do¡ªguard accompanying him!?" Sodina didn''t know where to start. There were too much information and too much she didn''t know about.

    "Zwei should understand how to handle this. For now, you two will take shifts at the western gates and wait for any news about Kazuya-san."

    ""Understood!!""

    "What''s going on, father?"

    "A lot has happened in the past few days¡­" Elrich began to speak about the eventful few days.

    -

    Waise Village, one of the new villages that had been built on the northwestern part of the goblin forest. Its population was mostly made up from people who moved from other territories because of the high taxes and adventurers who have retired but still made a living off of the goblin forest.

    "(I guess this place is different too¡­)" Kazuya entered the village looking surprised.

    "What''s wrong?" Julia asked. She found that Kazuya had acted strangely at strange times.

    He was calm and composed in the midst of battle or in front of monsters yet he looked surprised when it seemed like there was nothing to be surprised about. This baffled Julia as she couldn''t understand just what goes on inside Kazuya''s head.

    "Nothing¡­ It''s just that this place is different from what I imagined." He fixed his expression and replied.

    "Is that so? This village hasn''t been around that long so I guess it can''t compare to what you''ve seen at the capital." Julia relaxed. His demeanor seemed so natural at times that it was not hard to forget that he was someone from another world.

    "it''s already dark out here so I think we need to find a place to stay." Kazuya glanced at the banged and injured man in the horse. "This guy needs to be laid down and have his wounds treated with magic."

    "There should be an acolyte or an apprentice healer here from the former adventurers. I''ll go see if I can find them. You should ask around if there is a place or stable we can stay at." Julia suggested.

    "Alright. I will come back here if you still haven''t found us by the time I lay this guy down." Kazuya agreed and they went their separate ways.

    The village was currently half the size of what he was familiar with. Waise village was a place that holds both good and bad memories for Kazuya as this was one place he had already decided that he would go to at least once.

    "Excuse me, might you be adventurers that came from the forest?" a middle-aged man approached him. "I couldn''t help but notice that it seems to be your first time here."

    "Adventurers?" Kazuya tilted his head. This was a man that did not seem familiar even in his past memories.

    "Yes. Did you not come from the entrance near the forest?" the man smiled. "Please do not get me wrong, our village has yet to have that many places that have accommodations for visitors that are new here. The regular adventurers are already staying with most that have rooms to spare."

    "Did you come to me to offer a place to stay at?" Kazuya quickly understood what his intentions were.

    "Yes. Your companion is wounded and needs a place to rest. Though it may not be much but I am in charge of a place currently being built. There should be enough space for you and a few companions."

    "What''s the catch?" Kazuya raised his eyebrow.

    "I don''t need gold. My only request is that your able companions help with the construction while your companion is recovering."

    "Is it the village head''s house? You haven''t asked how many companions I had so I assume it would fit a large number of people."

    "Ah, clever young man." The man laughed. "Unfortunately, it is not my house that needs to be built. It is an orphanage. Many children have been abandoned here by parents who were being chased by officials asking for overdue taxes. Though their decisions were harsh for the children, I believe that it is much better than selling them off to be slaves. The pare¡­" The man failed to notice, but the latter half of his explanation fell on deaf ears.

    "Waise Orphanage¡­ She¡­ should be here¡­"

    .

 189 Gain and Gale

    .

    Kazuya was led to an incomplete structure that was mostly familiar to him. Indeed, it was unfinished, but it was already halfway done. Most of the exterior walls were left unbuilt but the west part of what would be an orphanage was enough to become temporary accommodations.

    "(It should be a month or so away from being complete¡­ now it really feels that I''ve been called a lot earlier than last time.)" Kazuya thought.

    Though he already knew he came early, the capital appeared the same from his memories. Only the people who he met had been slightly different. With the orphanage he had been familiar with in his last visit at this state, in a humorous way, he felt like he had taken a trip back to the past and had seen something he shouldn''t have.

    Initially, Kazuya had once thought that he had blamed himself for the differences that he observed when he first arrived in Edea. He was very well aware of the consequences of even the tiniest changes in what had once been the history he knew. It may not have manifested itself as naturally as it did on earth because of the difference in the passing of time, but Kazuya had crossed paths with Summer Breeze in the game and he did not know what impact it had when Natsu was summoned to Edea.

    As confident as he was to have memorized the details of his previous life due to the unknown number of times he was stuck in the dark void of his own memories, with the limited view, he was not able to accurately tell the exact second he had stumbled upon the summoning circle that first called him to this world.

    "Is something wrong young man?" the man held up the lamp and noticed Kazuya who was in a daze.

    "Oh, it''s nothing. I just think that building an orphanage in a small village like this is very noble. Are there many children who were abandoned?" he asked.

    "There are quite a few that were left here since this village is pretty close to the capital and the northern territories. They are currently staying at my place with my wife and daughter. Some of them are mere children while some have grown up to be able to help around in the village." He looked proud as he talked about them.

    Kazuya listened in as he took the injured trainee inside the completed parts of the orphanage. Apparently, some of the villagers and children who were old enough contributed to complete the structure. There was not much furniture yet, so Kazuya borrowed a few linens to put him on and make the trainee have a bit of comfort.

    "Are you perhaps in charge of this village?"

    "What makes you say so?" the middle-aged man smiled.

    "From your story, you''ve taken most of the children in. Only a village chief would have the capacity to do so without attracting much attention in a remote place like this. You even have the villagers helping out so it would be strange of me not to think so."

    "You''re quite the sharp lad. Haha! You''re correct, I am indeed in charge of this humble village. The name''s Gain Valentine" introduced himself with a proud look.

    "Thank you for letting strangers like us stay in this place. I only have one other companion, but we didn''t bring supplies for camping as we thought that we wouldn''t need them when we went out of the capital."

    "Did you encounter some bandits? Do excuse me for asking because I noticed that you were walking on your feet while your injured companion was riding on a single mount."

    "No. we encountered some grey orcs inside the goblin forest. We were able to get rid of them but, disposing of the remains took a bit of time. Since we had lost our other mount, we had no choice but to go to the nearest place to have this guy recover a bit before traveling back." Kazuya explained.

    "I see¡­ grey orcs usually don''t stray too far off from the mountainside part of the forest unless it''s hunting season. That is valuable information, I will make sure to warn the people who go to the forest to pick herbs and hunt. You have my thanks, young man."

    "It is what I should do. Please don''t thank me. I''m the one who is in your gratitude. I will help with building this place while this guy recovers."

    Kazuya didn''t want to explain much about what really happened because he knew that search parties to look for the assailants should have been sent out by now. Though it was earlier than he intended, he had made it to Weiss village and intended to meet one of the five people that had betrayed him.

    "Dad are you here!?" a voice that came from outside interrupted their conversation that startled both men.

    "Oh, you seem to be in luck young man. I was just about to mention my daughter. I''m not bragging but she''s young, pretty and has a lot of potential for healing magic!"

    "I¡­ see¡­" Kazuya didn''t know what to say and awkwardly scratched his cheek.

    From the moment he introduced himself, Kazuya had already deduced who this cheerful middle-aged man was from his family name. The only problem was, like Elrich, he had never met this person alive. His memories only recalled a grave with his name behind the completed orphanage.

    "I''m inside!" Gain moved to the window and waved his lamp.

    "I came because I met someone who is asking for help! There aren''t many places left to stay since they have an injured companion." The girl informed her father after entering with a guest.

    "Did they get attacked by orcs too?" Gain looked at the hooded person being his daughter.

    "How did you know?"

    "That''s why I''m here at this time. I found a young man with an injured companion looking for a place to stay. I was going to ask you to help after they got settled in, but you came before I could look for you. Come inside, take a look at this injured lad."

    Kazuya had just finished setting up lamps around the room when the two new people entered. He immediately recognized Gale Valentine, who was once the healer of his original party. Unlike the first time they''ve met her hair was only up to her shoulders and she had a much cheerier air.

    "Ah¡­" her eyes met with Kazuya and stopped in her tracks.

    Kazuya didn''t avert his gaze and stared directly into her eyes. He had heard from her that she had lost her parents when her parents sided with the former territory lord. She had not known much about politics back then, but she had inherited the orphanage from her parents who had once been in charge of their small village.

    "(You and the children¡­ will not have to suffer through what you did in this lifetime¡­ this will be my atonement for what happened¡­)" Kazuya thought as he stared at her.

    "Hey daughter¡­ what''s wrong? Did you perhaps fall for this young man at first sight?" Gain teased.

    "Wha¡ª! NO!" she immediately denied it and waved her hands in denial.

    "Huh? You''re here?" the hooded person behind Gale pulled down her hood and revealed herself.

    "I see you''ve found a healer. Good work." Kazuya didn''t pay attention to Gale''s reactions and turned his glance towards Julia.

    "Oh! She was the other companion you were talking about? That''s great!" the man patted Kazuya''s back.

    "Oh¡­ you were companions¡­" Gale said in a soft voice as she glanced at Kazuya who her father has already warmed up to.

    She couldn''t understand why, but there was some kind of feeling that was telling her that there was something about this person that made her feel a little uneasy. She was sure that she had never seen him before but he felt familiar to her for some reason. His gaze seemed to tell her that she might not be the only one who was imagining it.

    There wasn''t any explanation, but her instincts were usually right about the strangest things. There were times that she was able to improve her magic training by following her instincts. It felt more like it was something she had done before and felt like second nature. Her father often called her a genius when she told him about it and so did some of the adventurer healers that had mentored her in the past.

    This was the first time that she had felt this way towards a person. There had not been any person so far that had made her curious enough to act like this. There was certainly something about who this young man that for some reason, triggered her instincts. She stared at him secretly while trying to figure out just what it is that is making her feel unusual.

    "Excuse me miss, can you please take a look at our friend? He was injured pretty badly when he battled earlier." Kazuya stepped aside and showed her the trainee that had been laying on the floor.

    "Ah, yes¡­" she looked at the injured person and decided that she could satisfy her curiosity later. Taking one look at the injured person, he might not be able to travel for a while.

    "(Did this girl really fall for this boy at first sight?)" even Gain had started to be suspicious about his daughter''s strange behavior.

    Though he liked to brag about it, it was not an exaggeration that Gale had been the most popular young girl in the village. She was beautiful, kind and very talented. The boys who all grew up in their care would always propose to her, but she had handled every suitor she had and never showed interest in romance.

    "He''s injured pretty badly, I don''t qualify as a full fledged healer so it may take a few tries for him to recover from all of his injuries¡­" Trying to remain calm, Gale informed them.

    She had nothing but praise for how this person was given first aid. Not only was it the best she had ever seen, but it had also made her misjudge the patient''s real status. Herbs that were usually found in the forest were used correctly and were currently working to improve the patient''s condition. This was something that not even all the adventurers she had met had been able to do.

    "I see¡­ please do what you can for him. Our plans have already gone astray and we still need to repay you for your kindness." Kazuya then turned to Julia. "See if you can purchase some sleeping bags we can use for travel and other tools we may need."

    "If you don''t mind, we have a few sleeping bags that the kids made back at home. Since you''d be staying here and helping us, we won''t ask for any payment."

    "That would be imposing on you too much. Please let us purchase it." Kazuya''s actions confused Julia.

    "(This guy¡­ is he for real?)" she couldn''t understand as she was seeing a version of Kazuya she had not expected to see.

    To Julia, the hero was someone who was domineering, self-centered and devious. Seeing him interacting humbly and politely with mere villagers made her even more confused. She couldn''t figure out what Kazuya''s true face was.

    "I''ll tell you what, since the kids make those things to pay for meals, why don''t you just promise to feed the ones that help out here?" Gain smiled. He was quite satisfied with the young lad''s personality.

    "I guess that would suffice¡­" Kazuya nodded and compromised.

    "Great! Haha!" he turned to Julia who had been deep in thought. "Come with me young missy! Let''s go to my place and pick some stuff up!"

    Seeing that Julia seemed to follow Kazuya''s lead, he took Julia with him. He was a little uneasy about leaving Kazuya together with his daughter but since this was the first time his daughter had showed interest towards a boy, he decided to let her have a chance. They wouldn''t stay in the village for too long anyway.

    Thankfully, it was still summer. The nights weren''t cold so there would be no problems in letting guests stay in the incomplete structure. It would have been a problem if Kazuya''s group had come to the village during winter. There would have been a chance for them to freeze to death since the place still did not have a functional fireplace.

    ""¡­"" Silence filled the room after Julia and Gain had left.

    Though Gale was using healing magic on the trainee, it wasn''t like she couldn''t talk. Kazuya was silently watching her all this time so she couldn''t take the initiative to strike up a conversation.

    "Is this¡­ your first time in this village?" she finally mustered up the courage and broke the silence.

    "¡­" Kazuya didn''t know how to answer that question and fell into deep thought.

    "(Was it really that personal of a question?)" Gale panicked after seeing his reaction to her inquiry.

    "I... just arrived in this country a few days ago¡­" Kazuya didn''t notice her reaction as he avoided answering her question directly.

    "Oh¡­ you''re from another kingdom?" she was slightly shocked. She was even more confused about the strange feeling that had been growing stronger as they were left alone.

    "I am not from the Zweifel kingdom. I don''t think you would have heard of the place I''m from since it''s too far away." He replied.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Your companion was hurt very badly. Do you have any injuries that need treatment?"

    "I''m fine. I did not participate in the front lines. I provided support with a ranged weapon."

    "That''s good to hear. I was surprised when Julia-san told me that your group had encountered grey orcs. They usually don''t attack unless; you are interfering with their hunt or have a woman in your party. This is why the females in the village don''t go to the forest during their hunting season."

    "Your fath¡­ well¡­ Gain-san said the same thing. Thankfully you''re here to help with that guy''s injuries or he would have taken some time for him to be able to recover. Healing magic is really handy."

    "Oh¡­ it''s actually not that hard. The only prerequisite is that you have mana that can sustain the spells. Do you want to see if you have a talent being a healer?"

    .

 190 Knack

    .

    Julia Tisdale, a former royal guard. A person who never thought of herself as someone who would be in her current situation as she was currently carrying cheap-looking sleeping bags that she had brought from the village head''s home.

    She was born and trained as a noble. Julia had never thought that one day, she would be under the care of such commoners which was why she never really put them in her eyes. This situation was caused because of the new master she was forced to serve.

    She looked at the night sky as the village head and herself went back to the orphanage with the stuff they recovered. With the things that happened just on her first day of service, she had yet to really reflect on her current situation.

    The hero Kazuya was an enigma to her. He was clever and ruthless yet, he had surprised her with his demeanor ever since he had arrived in this village. Julia subconsciously thought about it but tried to immediately deny that he and the princess were kind of similar.

    "(Is this the real him¡­ or?)"

    A shooting star drew a line as she gazed towards the sky.

    "(May the princess remain in good health.)" she sighed. This was the only thing she could do for her former liege now.

    "Are you alright miss?" Gain saw the melancholic look Julia was showing as she gazed at the night sky.

    "My apologies, I am just feeling a bit anxious over the unknown future." She hastened her pace to catch up to the village chief.

    "You''re still too young to be agonizing over the future. From my own experience, life always has its ups and downs. I know that the events that happened to you and your companions had been quite hard on you, but you''ll never know when tragedies turn out to be blessings in disguise. I experienced that myself." He gave a meaningful laugh.

    Though Julia wanted to scoff at his remark, she couldn''t. If her intuition was correct, this man indeed had the right to say those things.

    "Are you really someone from the Valentine family?" she couldn''t help but ask.

    "Oho¡­ it isn''t every day that my last name gets recognized. Which Valentine family are you speaking of?" the village chief was intrigued.

    "The line of one of the great sages from the past. The family that established the lost kingdom of Bathara." Julia replied.

    "You''re quite knowledgeable. I haven''t heard someone ask me about that in years." Gain smiled. "What do you think?"

    "I think it is a guess that is farfetched. I don''t sense any strong mana that would make you related to the line which was once known for dominating over a nation that had been once comparable to the Zweifel kingdom." Julia honestly replied.

    "Your assumption would be the same as every person who had come to me after hearing of my name. This is why my family has been left alone in the midst of the era where the church of light is as powerful as it is." He smiled.

    "Then why keep this name?" Julia asked curiously.

    "For the same reason why you might not want to abandon yours." He immediately laughed after seeing Julia''s reaction.

    "Don''t look at me like that missy. An experienced eye could tell that you had been raised as a noble. I won''t ask for your circumstances or why you seem to serve the boy who doesn''t seem to be in your circle but I would appreciate it if you wouldn''t spread the name of my family lightly."

    "I¡­" she could only frown.

    "No need to think too deeply about it. I''m just merely an old village chief." He laughed. "We should hurry back. The injured lad needs these cushions to recover well."

    Julia silently followed Gain back to the orphanage. However, the scene they encountered as soon as they entered was something that both of them didn''t expect.

    "This¡­" Gain''s eyes immediately fell on the hands of his daughter whose hands were holding the boy whom he had just met this evening.

    Gale had been concentrating so she had yet to notice the return of both her father and Julia, smiled as she stared at Kazuya. Never in her wildest dreams would she have known that there could be a person who was swiftly learning what she took a few years to achieve.

    "You''re really a fast learner like you said! I wouldn''t have believed that you weren''t a healing magician if I hadn''t seen your improvements firsthand!" she grasped the hand that was healing the injured person and excitedly shook it.

    This was the first time she had met someone in her age group that did not give her a strange look and even shared the same interest in support arts. Though she had been suspicious of him at first, Kazuya''s reasons for learning healing magic from her was so that he could prevent his party members from suffering from the injured man''s current state.

    Initially, she had doubted she could teach this strange boy. Even though one had the desire, it didn''t mean that one necessarily had the talent. Healers were even more scarce than magicians because they have to meet specific requirements.

    Who would have thought that the boy who was asked to try out support arts would suddenly learn at a pace that could potentially, surpass Gale in a few weeks at most. How could she not show interest and surprise at such a talent?

    "Ehem¡­" Gain cleared his throat loudly and made sure that the two were aware that they had come back.

    "Dad!" she let go of Kazuya''s hand in a hurry. "Why are you sneaking around!?"

    "Sneaking around¡­" Gain couldn''t help but sigh. "Listen here, you were the one who didn''t notice our return. You were too busy holding hands to even¡­"

    "Holding hands? Wrong! Dad, you didn''t know this but this guy is actually even more talented than I am in healing magic! I didn''t believe it at first when he asked if he could learn some healing spells from me but with his help, their friend could recover in just a few days."

    "What!?" Gain looked at Kazuya in shock. "You know healing magic!?"

    "I learned a few things from your daughter just now. She told me that she would help me learn in the next few days so that I could heal my companions when they get injured next time." Kazuya explained.

    "Healing magic¡­" only Julia''s reaction was different.

    For her, it was the farthest role that would fit someone like Kazuya who didn''t even blink at the loss of life. Yet, it sounded like one of the things a person who cared for his own life more than anything else would take the initiative to learn.

    "Thank you for the equipment." Kazuya helped Gain organize the stuff and placed the injured trainee on one of the sleeping bags.

    "Think nothing of it. You can make use of this place for the time being. You should rest up because I''d be expecting your help tomorrow uh¡­" Gain felt embarrassed as he continuously forgot to ask for their names.

    "You can call me Kazu. This one here is Julie" Julia''s eyebrows twitched after hearing her nickname from Kazuya''s mouth.

    "We are grateful for your kindness." Julia followed up.

    "Think nothing of it. I will be counting on your assistance early tomorrow morning. We start gathering an hour after sunrise."

    The father and daughter duo excused themselves. Gale was a little reluctant to leave and hesitated but after seeing that Kazuya had put his attention back to their injured comrade and started to cast the healing spell he learned from her, she followed her father out.

    "Not bad." Kazuya turned to Julia as soon as he sensed that Gale and Gain had left. "I thought that you would have acted like a spoiled noble." He smiled.

    "What do you know about me? Do you really think that I''m in a position to be looking down on commoners?" she retorted.

    "At least, that was how you acted until you returned with the goods. Did something happen?"

    Kazuya felt a little confused, the Julia he knew had always looked down on commoners. The events that happened today should not have been able to change that part of her which he hated when they had interacted with commoners in the past.

    Though there was no way he could learn more about it now, Kazuya''s curiosity about the period of time which should have passed before he had arrived had increased more. Though Alicia''s nature seemed like it hadn''t changed, Julia, in contrast, was like an entirely different person in comparison. What had happened in just a few months that made this girl different from the person he once knew?

    "I asked if Gain-san was part of the lost Valentine family who had been lost in history." She answered truthfully.

    "And?" Kazuya''s interest was tugged.

    "He neither confirmed nor denied it. He did notice and was convinced that I was a noble though."

    "Well, that''s pretty obvious to anyone who has been around nobles long enough." Kazuya scoffed at her last remark. He was more interested in the fact that he had learned something that he hadn''t about Gale''s family in the past.

    "Is it really that obvious?" she talked as she took out the food she had bought from the town. They hadn''t had a single bite since they took a break in the afternoon, so she was quite hungry.

    "Yes. Take your choice of food for example¡­" Kazuya pointed at the meat Julia bought from the villagers.

    "What about it?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Do you think that regular adventurers could afford to buy so much meat just for a single meal? We may not lack any funds at the moment but, you probably didn''t even think about saving funds when you buy stuff. This is a common trait among young nobles. I don''t think I even need to mention the way you carry yourself." Kazuya barraged her with facts that made her frown as they continued to eat.

    "I got it already! Geez!" this was probably the first time she had ever felt embarrassed about being raised as a noble.

    "I don''t think I need to remind you, but if you have any thoughts about looking down on people based on their statuses, you should remember the crest that is ingrained in your body first and foremost. I may not have met beast races or demons yet, but I have no intention of looking down on them."

    "¡­" Julia remained silent.

    His reminder of her status as a slave made her a bit gloomy. Though he had yet to treat her as such, the fact remained that it was her status. No amount of sugar-coating can change that fact. She was under his beck and call and will always be under those around Kazuya who do not bear the same status as her.

    "It has been a long day so you should rest after the meal. As promised, we would be helping Gain starting tomorrow." He noticed her gloomy expression and changed the topic.

    "Help out? What are you planning?"

    "We currently lack information, so I want to wait for this guy to wake up." He pointed at the unconscious trainee.

    "Besides, I''ve taken an interest in learning about healing magic now that Gain-san''s daughter said that I had the talent. That should save us some time in case we end up with injuries." He replied.

    "We¡­?" she was a little surprised as he had included her.

    "What are you so surprised about? You''re my subordinate so of course, I would treat you if you were injured. Who would protect me if I overuse my soul weapon?" he grinned. Kazuya felt a little strange about unintentionally comforting her, so he immediately took it back.

    "I''m not your meat shield!" she was immediately annoyed.

    "Oh, but you are!" he laughed. "Don''t worry, after I learn what I can from the girl earlier, I''d be able to heal any injuries you may suffer while protecting me."

    "Annoying! Still, who would have thought, a hero like you would turn out to be interested in healing magic."

    "What about me? I think it suits me perfectly. I can provide ranged support with my weapon and with the help of this new skill, my support prowess would increase even more."

    "Whatever! I''m going to bed!" she buried herself inside her sleeping bag and turned her back towards Kazuya.

    "(Would this count as torment?)" Kazuya couldn''t help but wonder as he reexamined his current relationship with this woman. "(Whatever¡­ I''ll decide what to do with her when the time comes.)"

    -

 191 History Hidden Behind Bedtime Stories

    .

    Three nights have passed ever since Kazuya and Julia had arrived in Waise village. In the short span of time they''ve spent in the small village, their presence definitely had not been insignificant as most members of the villagers have been thankful towards ''Kazu'' and ''Julie'' for the help they provided so far.

    "Lunchtime!" Kazuya called out.

    He had built a small brick stove in front of the orphanage since he had promised to treat them with food. With simple yet fresh ingredients like flour, tomatoes, cheese, mushrooms and the like, he baked several pizzas that were an instant hit amongst all those who were able to taste it.

    "Ohhh! Finally! I thought I would die of starvation from that appetizing aroma!" Gain had been the first to rush towards Kazuya after his announcement.

    "Really father¡­" Gale couldn''t help but put her palm against her face in embarrassment.

    "Hey! Hey! As the kid said, the food is first come first serve! It''s not like I''m using my position as the village head to cut in line or something. I''m a bona fide worker helping with the construction as well!"

    Gale could only shake her head at her father''s antics. Not even she could have imagined that the troubled people carrying an injured comrade would win the hearts of the villagers'' in such a short duration.

    There was a saying that one of the best ways to win over people was through their stomachs. This was proven true by Kazuya who had shown them different kinds of cuisines that were delicious yet inexpensive to make. With how fresh the produce was, the village enjoyed their taste even more.

    "It''s alright Gale-san. I''ve taken your dad''s appetite into consideration." Kazuya smiled as he served everyone who had lined up.

    "You act like that now, daughter, but I know that you love those¡­ uhh¡­ I forgot what those steamed and fried things were called."

    "Dumplings?" Kazuya finished the sentence since he did observe that Gale enthusiastically consumed the dumplings he made last night. "I can teach you how to make them if you want."

    "Really!?" she reacted instantly but blushed when she noticed her father grinning at her.

    "Yeah. Many of the villagers who tried it have asked me for the recipe. It is no secret so I was happy to share it."

    "Though I gotta say, kid, you even got the villagers to help with this project in exchange for your cuisine. With the extra set of hands, this place will be finished in no time. No one would have believed that only one part of the orphanage has been built just two days ago!" Gain laughed.

    That wasn''t all he did, with the spoils from the orcs and the people that died, even the adventurers staying at the village offered their services in exchange for food and equipment.

    "It was nothing at all. I just found an efficient way where everyone would happily contribute. I am hardly any help in physical labor after all." he looked a bit regretful.

    "Nonsense! You''ve done more than I''ve ever expected. How can I not appreciate it!?" Gain slapped his back.

    "Ow¡­ please go easy on me." Kazuya gave a pained expression.

    "Haha! You should work out more! I wouldn''t have thought that Julie-chan had such strength. I guess that answers the question of why the other man on your party got injured that badly while she barely had a scratch." Gain laughed out loud.

    "Dad! That''s rude." Gale immediately scolded her father. "Kazu-kun has his own strengths. It''s only been two days and he''s almost surpassed me! Each person has things they are good at!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Oho?" Gain grinned. "I guess it really is true what they say about daughters."

    "What nonsense are you thinking about now?"

    "When they find a man they like, their fathers are the first to suffer¡­ I feel so sa¡ªooof!" a sudden blow to the stomach brought the playful village chief to his knees.

    "That''s what you get for saying such nonsense!" She then peeked a glance at Kazuya before breathing a sigh of relief. He had already started ignoring the two and continued with his duties.

    "Hey, Julie! Come and get your share before the villagers that will help for the afternoon arrives!" Kazuya called for Julie who had been busy transforming the wood with the blades she had picked from their spoils.

    "Coming!" she caught the towel that was thrown to her and wiped her sweat.

    Many of the men that observed this almost choked on their food. None of them initially paid any attention to the hooded figure when the new helpers were introduced. Julia couldn''t work well while wearing a hood, so she eventually took it off and instantly attracted the villagers who only had the young Gale to admire in the village.

    "(Julie-san is really pretty¡­)" Gale couldn''t help but say in her mind. She had been secretly thankful to Kazuya''s companion for the number of men who had disturbed her had decreased drastically ever since Julia had revealed her face.

    Though initially, Kazuya and Julia were thought of as a pair, when the people learned about the injured person in their party as well as what had happened to them before they arrived at the village, they were happy to learn that they had their chance to pursue this rare beauty.

    Kazuya had told them that he was not from the Zweifel Kingdom and had come from farther away. With his features, they had assumed that he was from one of the eastern kingdoms. When they asked if he was a noble, he shook his head and expressed a little satisfaction towards being thought of as one.

    There weren''t many people in Waise village that liked nobles, so they were relieved. Most of them had escaped from the corrupt places to live a more peaceful life and were thankful that there had been a place in the kingdom where they could survive. Though it hadn''t been long since the village was founded, they had already considered this their home.

    Of course, they had the Eberbach family to thank for that. Due to Elrich''s reasonable reign, taxes were not heavy and with his strict administration, there were not many that dared to be openly corrupt in his territory. Though it may not have been perfect, it was like a whole different world compared to the places many of the villagers have moved or run away from.

    Kazuya learned of these facts as he spent more time with the villagers that he had not been familiar with. Many of them most likely joined Elrich in his battle against the crown before Kazuya had arrived in his previous life. The gloominess of Waise Village in Kazuya''s memories was undoubtedly caused by the loss of the Eberbach family.

    "How long do you plan on staying here?" Julia inquired as soon as Kazuya joined her to eat his own lunch.

    "Why? Are you sick of living a commoner''s life?" he took a bite. "You should get used to it; this will be the kind of lifestyle we might lead after leaving the capital." The two were seated near the corner of where the others were having their meals. The only person who could ever eat with or even approach Julia was Kazuya so they were left alone.

    Gale wanted to talk to Kazuya about their lessons later that day so she tried to look for him after she was done scolding her father. She looked around and found him talking with Julia. Just as she was about to approach, before Kazuya could signal to Julia that someone was around, it had been too late.

    "I don''t understand. What is the meaning of all this? Are we staying here just so you can confuse me? Weren''t you in a position of power? How come you''re willing to help them and not the nobles from the capital?" Julia had spoken without care.

    Kazuya inwardly sighed. He knew Julia wasn''t aware that Gale had heard their conversation. His purpose for being here may be misunderstood because of Julia''s unclear statements. He breathed in deeply and looked at Julia in the eye.

    "Because I was once an orphan." His clear and deep voice startled the two women.

    "I know how it feels to not eat for a day or so. I know what it''s like to not be able to buy anything other than what I am in desperate need of. I''ve experienced the tyranny of those who messed with the poor just because they were rich. A spoiled brat like you who was born and raised as a noble can never understand what that feels like." He narrowed his eyes and looked down on Julia.

    "So what if I was in a position of power at my place? Was it not you people who kidnapped me to this strange land to fulfill your own purposes? Who are you to say who deserves my help and who doesn''t? I decide that. As a person serving under me, you have no right to question my actions. Know your place."

    "I¡­" Julia trembled. She hadn''t been treated like this since they had met.

    For the past few days, her confusion grew even more as Kazuya''s temperament had been like he didn''t have a cruel bone in his body. He learned dutifully and smiled happily with the commoners as they built the orphanage together. Julia wasn''t treated any differently as she was treated more like a comrade than a subordinate.

    "I treat most people fairly. My subordinates had been loyal to me because of that fact. I will not pull rank on you as long as you don''t cross the line. Engrave this into your soul; what I hate the most are traitors. I would prefer fighting for the honest people in this village rather than the filthy nobles in the capital."

    *tap*

    "!!" Gale almost fell over as someone had suddenly touched her shoulder.

    She was quickly caught before she fell to the ground. When she turned around, it was Gain gesturing her to be quiet. It turns out that she was not the only one who overheard the conversation between Kazu and Julie.

    Seeing that the conversation was nearly over, the village chief pulled his daughter away and led her away from Kazuya and Julia. He cast a small sound isolation barrier spell around Gale and himself before turning to look at his daughter.

    "Dad¡­" she looked a bit guilty for hearing something she shouldn''t have.

    "I''ve had my suspicions ever since the boy was able to make you look like an ordinary healing apprentice but¡­ who would have thought that my farfetched way of denying that someone could match up to my daughter was true¡­" Gain sighed as he sat down on the ground.

    "What are you talking about? Did you understand what they were talking about?"

    "Yeah¡­ for the most part. I don''t know what kind of strange winds are blowing but I would have never imagined that the chance to revive our family''s glory would arrive in my time¡­" he looked at the clear skies with melancholy.

    "Did eating too much cause you to hallucinate? I have no idea what you''ve been saying!" Gale was losing her patience.

    "Listen, I may have figured out why you feel as if you have known that boy when you first meet him." Gain looked her seriously.

    With his suspicions over his daughter falling in love with the boy she had just met, Gale had explained the strange feeling she experienced when she first laid her eyes on Kazuya. Up until a few moments ago, he had shrugged it off as his daughter making an innocent excuse to hide her embarrassment.

    "Why?" Gale looked at her father suspiciously. Though he looked at her seriously, she was expecting another joke from him to tease her about having her heart stolen once again.

    "It''s destiny. The blood of our ancestors may be reacting towards the chance of recovering what was once stolen from us. That kid¡­ no¡­ Kazu should be the key to it all."

    "What are you talking about? What ancestors? Are you talking about the fairytales you kept on telling me when I was little!?" She couldn''t believe it. Though her father had mentioned that their ancestors were once nobles, it was from a time where almost no one had recognized where their family names had come from.

    Though there was once a time where any person with a family name was a privilege only given to nobles, many kingdoms have come and gone over the passage of time. It came to the point where former nobles have moved from place to place keeping their names intact.

    "Yes. Believe it or not, most of those fairytales are true. They may have been romanticized by how I told them, but I was essentially giving you a history lesson of the Valentine house''s most glorious time." Gain explained with a bitter smile.

    "I don''t blame you for reacting that way. I was the same way when my father told me the truth. He told me that one day, there will be a chance for our family to take back our rightful place. I think¡­ that chance is upon us¡­"

    "What does Kazu-san have to do with all of this?"

    "From what I''ve heard, I''m almost a hundred percent sure that Kazu is¡­ the hero that was summoned at the capital a few days ago."

 192 Humble Traveler

    .

    The mood around Weiss village had improved over the past few days. Many of the people who were staying in the village had been helping out with building the orphanage in exchange for supplies and labor. Many housewives were happily sent by their husbands to learn the recipes Kazuya was sharing with them while the housewives themselves were happy to spend time with a handsome young man.

    With Autumn just around a few weeks away, it was the perfect time for a more spacious and comfortable home for the Orphans that have been growing in number. The house of the village elder was too small for them to be staying comfortably after all.

    "Chief! There is a suspicious group of people heading towards the village from the direction of the forest." One of the men serving as a lookout approached Gain.

    "Are they a large group of adventurers?" he asked. There weren''t any bandits harassing them because of the number of adventurers that come and go to their village.

    "They look like soldiers." He replied.

    This caught Julia and Kazuya''s attention. They looked at each other as they had talked about the possibility of pursuers. It was their 4th day in the village and with Sodina''s return to the capital, these people should have already scouted as much as they could around the forest.

    "Soldiers? Are you sure they aren''t knights?" he tried to clarify.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Yes! What should we do?"

    "We''ll come and greet them. There shouldn''t be any problem if they are the duke''s people." Gain patted the nervous watchman''s shoulder.

    "Gain-san, may I have a quick word?" Kazuya called out before they could leave.

    "Is there anything you need, Kid?" he raised his voice and caught the attention of the villagers that hadn''t been paying attention.

    "I have a confession and a small request to make. To be honest, the unconscious person that we brought to this village isn''t one of our companions. His true companions were being attacked by a mysterious group of people wearing strange masks. Unfortunately, he was the only survivor after we helped one other person escape." Kazuya''s sudden confession confused those who overheard it.

    "We didn''t deny that he was our companion because we were afraid that there would be pursuers after his life. If he had regained consciousness, we would have had a better understanding of his circumstances but, I think this would be better handled by officials since I think that this person may be one of those soldiers."

    "Is that all that you need?" Gain asked. If he didn''t overhear what he did yesterday, he wouldn''t have asked this question.

    Though he looked highly upon the Eberbach family, he heard that Kazuya looked down upon the nobles in the capital. Gain wasn''t currently aware that Kazuya and Elrich had an amicable relationship at the moment. To avoid any misunderstanding, he decided to keep silent about it until he was given a chance.

    "No¡­ my real request is that mine and Julie''s presence is not mentioned to them." Kazuya''s request confused them even further. If what he said was true, then he would be hailed as a hero and even rewarded.

    "Why?" Gain had to ask. He understood people so it wasn''t that hard to guess what the villagers might think if he didn''t ask this now.

    "To be completely honest, I''ve had bad experiences with nobles. Besides, I would much rather stay here for a few more days to help with the orphanage and finish teaching everyone how to make other kinds of food." He smiled.

    "That''s right chief! He still hasn''t finished teaching us making them look like small animals!"

    "I want my wife to be able to make it as delicious as he does!"

    "He''s a nice young man and would rather help us than get rewards! Isn''t that a good thing!?"

    The villagers offered their support. Kazuya felt relieved and ignored Julia''s disdainful stare.

    "(Tch! Silver tongue!)" she still felt bitter about being put in her place yesterday so she could only glare at him after he successfully won the people''s support.

    "Alright fine. Though I trust my judgment, I will ask them why in case they inquire about your whereabouts. Would that be fine?"

    "That''s no problem. Our conscience is clear. We just want to avoid trouble if necessary. There might be people bearing grudges after we decided to help after all." he confidently replied.

    "Great kid!"

    "You can stay in the village permanently if you want too!"

    "Don''t worry about them! You''re already considered one of us!"

    "Julie-chan, marry me!"

    Gain laughed out loud and headed off. He instructed the villagers to keep Kazuya''s horse hidden behind the orphanage and instructed them to say that Kazuya and Julia headed back to the forest to clean out the rest of the orcs he reported that have been roaming around the vicinity.

    "You two, Come with me." Gale led the two back to her family''s place. She rolled the big rug in front of the fireplace and revealed a secret hatch leading to a basement.

    "This is¡­?" Kazuya was surprised. He wasn''t aware of such a secret room.

    The former village elder''s house in his memories was nothing but a pile of burnt ruins that had been left untouched at the corner of Waise village. This place had been avoided since it brought back Gale''s memories of the family she had lost not too long before she had met Kazuya.

    "A storage space where we keep the stuff passed down from our family. This place should be able to hide you until those soldiers leave." She recovered a lamp near the fireplace and led them down the stairway.

    "Huh?" Kazuya couldn''t help but look confused after laying his eyes on the stuff that had been piled up in old crates. "These are¡­"

    "They are old books that grandfather entrusted to us before he died. We tried having them appraised in the neighboring city but they didn''t offer anything for them since none of them were able to read it."

    "These are Bathalan books!" Julia immediately approached the closest crate and browsed through a few of them.

    "You can read them?" Gale cast a surprised gaze at Julia.

    "I can''t but, those places where you showed some of these did not know what they missed. These can be sold for a lot to collectors or scholars. Why haven''t you tried to sell them at the capital? It isn''t too far away from here." Julia curiously asked.

    "Because we ended up not needing the money. The adventurers helped with the village''s survival since we were near the goblin forest."

    "That was the right decision. The capital would have been a dangerous place if you carried these books around." Kazuya flipped through the books. "Some of these books are far more precious than what you can imagine. Especially the spell books."

    ""You can read it!?"" the two girls looked at him with shock.

    It was one thing that this otherworlder could already speak their common tongue without the help of magic, or any of the traditional translating rings that heroes were known to wear but, how could he learn about one of the lost languages from another world?

    "Is it really that surprising?" He shrugged off their surprise. "More importantly¡­ These books are worth a lot to those who understood what they were. It would have made you walking targets if you had shown them off at the capital."

    Once again, this discovery greatly confused Kazuya. He was already aware that there might have been differences and inconsistencies to what he was familiar with because of the different actions he was bound to take, but this was something that would have had an enormous impact on his previous journey if he had known about it.

    "(Did Gale abandon these things after Gain had died?)" he thought.

    "How many spellbooks are there?" Julia excitedly glanced at the other crates that were also filled with books.

    "Spellbooks, skill books, history books, there are various types mixed together. Since we''re going to be here for a while. I might as well categorize them." he instructed the two to help him with the other crates.

    -

    Meanwhile, Gain and some of the villagers waited as the unit led by Zwei had entered their village.

    "It has been a while, Zwei-sama. To what does this humble village owe the presence of your company?" Gain politely welcomed Zwei and his men.

    "Unfortunately, we are quite pressed for time so I won''t be able to stay for long." He said as he got off his horse. "Sodina-sama was attacked while she was on her way back to the capital."

    Gain''s eyes opened wide in shock. This was not a simple matter. He immediately thought that if Kazuya had anything to do with it, Gain would have no choice but to surrender him.

    Who didn''t know how Elrich had treasured his daughter after losing his wife to childbirth?

    "And your reason for coming to our village is¡­?"

    "We tried to search for any remnants of the assailants in the forest. Though we were able to locate where the attacked happened, even the bodies of our people seemed to have already been cleared out. To top it off, we need to search for a pair who was last seen to have been roaming around in the forest. That''s the reason why I''m here." Zwei lightly explained.

    "A pair of people?" Gain immediately knew who they were.

    "A young man and a young woman. Though they were unrelated to the attack, Sodina-sama had expressed her concerns because she had taken one of the horses they were using to travel in her escape. They might have encountered the attackers while exploring and may lead us to those people''s trail."

    Gain immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn''t the only one, the villagers who heard Zwei''s explanation made them feel guilty about doubting Kazuya''s words. He was indeed a hero that should have been commended but he had not shown any hesitation in giving up any rewards that he might have received.

    Zwei noticed the people''s strange reaction and relief after hearing the story. Though he wanted to ask, he had remained silent and waited to hear what they wanted to say.

    "Well¡­ I don''t know about a young man and woman but¡­ there were three travelers that arrived at this village a few days ago. It was made up of a young man, a young woman, and an injured man." Gain replied.

    "An injured man?" This immediately caught Zwei''s attention. He had already given up hope of finding any survivors after seeing the place where Sodina was attacked, devoid of all traces.

    "Yes. They asked if there was any healer in this small village but all we could offer them was a place to stay and some assistance from the adventurers who were staying here. They reported the presence of gray orcs in the forest and said that they rescued the injured person that was with them."

    "Where are they now!?" He was surprised that there had actually been a survivor! This was a miracle! If the identities of the attackers were who he had assumed, they would have never left a survivor. What''s more was that from what they found, the forest was clear of any traces. Not many people would have been capable of doing that.

    "The young pair had left the injured man in our care together with the some of the spoils they had gotten from the orcs to use as tools for the village." Gain turned to the crowd behind him that dispersed to reveal a wooden cart that was carrying a bandaged man who had been unconscious.

    "Sir!" one of the members sent from their fortress immediately reacted. "He is one of the trainees that went with the young miss!"

    "Take a look at him immediately!" Zwei ordered.

    Under Gale and Kazuya''s care for the past few days, the trainee''s condition was no longer life-threatening. Though he had gained some scars, it wouldn''t be long until he regained consciousness. Unfortunately for those who had worked hard to heal him, they wouldn''t get the chance to get any information out of him since Zwei and his men had already recognized the trainee as one of their own.

    "I''m glad¡­ I would have brought my daughter shame if it turns out that I asked her to use her healing skills on someone who had tried to lay hands on the young lady Eberbach." Gian breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Your village has the duke''s gratitude. I may not be able to tell you much of the details but you were able to greatly help us by caring for this man." Zwei showed a smile at them for the first time.

    -

 193 News!

    .

    At the Eberbach training grounds in the capital. It had already gotten quite dark but the training grounds had been filled with illumination because of the relentless efforts of one girl who had been occupying it ever since she was cleared to do some strenuous activities.

    "HAAAaaa!"

    *crack* *crack*

    Another wooden dummy crumbled to the ground after the pierced parts formed and spread cracks around the pierced areas.

    "Not enough¡­" she mumbled.

    Imagining the situation Sodina had gotten away from, she was disappointed to find that her current self would still have not survived that assault. She bitterly bit her lip as the memories of the escorts that sacrificed themselves came to mind along with her imagination of the enemies she encountered.

    This hadn''t been the first time that she was attacked. However, it was the first time that she faced people that were way above her league. She couldn''t rid herself of the feeling of bitter helplessness as she had never considered the possibility of facing it because of her father''s power and influence.

    "I say, Ojou-sama, didn''t we already make it abundantly clear that overtraining tends to be counterproductive?" a familiar voice called to her from behind.

    "Laura-san? What are you doing here?" Sodina turned around to see that the vice-captain of the steel wolves brigade wearing a strict expression directed right at her.

    "Without Zwei-sama and most of his people at your father''s side, how can we take on missions? Though we do understand that this sensitive situation can only be handled by him, this place does not have enough people to defend against the full force of those who we suspect to be behind it." She promptly replied.

    "What about M¡ª"

    "We have received an update on the leader''s status, she won''t need any assistance as the only thing left is cleaning up. There isn''t any backup required for that so I immediately led the others to head towards the capital." Laura''s gaze moved towards the multiple remnants of the targets that Sodina had destroyed for the past few days.

    "Well, from the looks of things, the mansion wouldn''t be in much need for firewood throughout the cold season." She sighed.

    "I¡­" Sodina showed a guilt-ridden expression. She had been the one who insisted on taking only a few escorts with her despite Laura''s insistence that she couldn''t help but feel responsible.

    "Please do not continue to torture yourself over this matter Ojou-sama. The fault does not only lie with you. I had agreed with your proposal despite my personal judgment. I apologize for letting you experience such a situation." Laura gave a sincere bow that immediately made Sodina panic.

    "(Is she doing this to make me feel better?)" a thought came to her mind. She appreciated the thought and was thankful towards the usually cold Laura. "Please raise your head. Though I still think that I am at fault, I appreciate your efforts in trying to cheer me up."

    "Please stop blaming yourself for the death of your escorts. All of us, including myself, would have been more than happy to do the same if it was in exchange for your survival. Also, not all of them had died as we had received a report from Zwei-san earlier that one of your escorts has been found at Waise village." She informed.

    "A survivor!?" Sodina almost dropped the rapier that had been gripped tightly in her hand since the afternoon. Her nerves immediately loosened up after hearing that someone that accompanied her had survived.

    "Yes. The report came when I arrived at the estate. It seems that he was injured and currently unconscious, but he has been taken care of and will live."

    "But¡­ how?"

    "It seems to be like the person who you were coming to meet at your visit here had been exploring the forest. The details are still uncertain since the person who witnessed everything is still unconscious but¡ª" Laura stopped speaking as she noticed one of the messenger falcons of Zwei pass above them.

    "It looks like another report from Zwei-sama. It should be more information about what he was able to uncover."

    "Please tell me everything while we head toward father''s study. I haven''t heard anything about the situation ever since I was allowed to go back to training."

    "As you wish." Laura updated her about the current situation.

    Zwei''s initial investigation did not yield any fruit as there weren''t many useful traces left in the goblin forest. Aside from traces of the said orcs that have been proven to be lured from their usual hunting grounds, the assailants that attacked Sodina seemed to all have disappeared into thin air.

    "Dad!" Sodina entered the study with Laura and saw Elrich being accompanied by one of the transcribers that were trying to decode Zwei''s message.

    "It looks like Laura has helped you return to your senses." Elrich smiled.

    "Is it true? Was there really someone who survived?"

    "It''s true," Elrich confirmed as he was handed the decoded message. "It seems that he has regained consciousness as well." He continued to read the Zwei''s report.

    Zwei''s initial report containing the trail concerning both the hero and the mysterious attackers had arrived earlier in the day. After days of not being able to find anything worth mentioning, crucial information was finally obtained.

    "What''s wrong?" Sodina noticed the frown on her father''s face as he kept reading the report. "Did something bad happen?"

    "No¡­ but it seems like I ended up owing the hero an even greater debt" Elrich sighed. "I had hoped it would be the other way around but who would have thought¡­" he glanced at his daughter.

    "What is it? Why is it suddenly about the hero? What about the survivor?" Sodina turned to Laura for answers but without knowing what the report entailed, Laura was unable to provide an answer.

    "The hero was responsible for your successful escape. According to what Zwei learned from your escort, he was saved after the hero whose identity was still unknown at the time. From what he overheard before he had lost consciousness, those who had been hiding were taken out before he showed himself so that would explain why you didn''t encounter any pursuers." He explained.

    "That¡­ is that true!?" Sodina couldn''t believe it. The people from whom she had ungratefully stolen the horse and had ridden to escape turned out to be the savior she wouldn''t have known about if it weren''t for her surviving companion.

    "Zwei would not have made such a careless report so it should be."

    "The hero¡­" she couldn''t help but mutter.

    If Sodina were to be honest, her interest in the so-called hero of their generation was miniscule. Though there was some curiosity because of the history she had studied when she was growing up, it was mainly admiration towards the hero ''Raphael'' who was hailed as the ''Spear Emperor'' because it was largely due to his influence that the Eberbach family''s military structure had been one of the most feared forces in Edea.

    Though the fact that the peace that they were enjoying for the past few centuries was because of the heroic feats of the hero Uriel, the Eberbach family had always looked up to the hero Raphael more.

    "According to the villagers, the hero was headed towards back to the capital so he should be returning soon."

    -

    Meanwhile, at the palace. A girl sat on the wheeled chair that had been powered by her mana. With her current state. This was the only way she could move around on her own. No one could have imagined the illustrious princess of the powerful Zweifel kingdom would have no choice but to slowly recover as there had not been any kind of healing magic that could fix her limbs.

    "Princess, please allow me to bring my daughter back to your side!" a muscular man bowed before Alicia''s chair.

    This man was Julian Tisdale, the head of the King''s guard. This had been the only time he could get an audience with Alicia because the princess had rejected to meet with anyone ever since the hero had made her go through an experience that made her waver about picking death over life.

    "What''s the point? With the restrictions put on the royal guards, she had most likely already forgotten about the secrets that we have discussed. There is no harm in letting her follow the hero, she was supposed to have been a candidate to join his party in the first place anyways." Alicia coldly showed no concern over the loss of her confidant.

    Though she had agreed to meet with Julian, it didn''t mean that her mood had gotten any better. She was still frustrated because of the limitations of her own mobility. The hero had instructed her with a rigorous regimen of physical therapy but left her unsatisfied with the slow pace of her recovery.

    Julia''s failure to get back at the hero for what he had done to Alicia did nothing but sour her mood even more. She didn''t want to talk about anything that reminded her of the hero who they currently couldn''t offend.

    "(I swear¡­ once you''ve fulfilled your purpose¡­)" Alicia gripped her armrest tightly.

    Julian had misinterpreted this action as the princess trying to hold back her frustration because of the current situation. He felt gratified and silently scolded his daughter in his mind because of the stupidity of her actions. Though he knew that Julia had done it out of her own loyalty to Alicia, there had been more convenient ways of achieving what she had intended.

    One such was when the hero started his training. The hero might have that mysterious soul weapon of his, but it wouldn''t have been used in training exercises such as swordplay practice and the like.

    "I understand your frustration your highness, I only ask that Julia be once again be accepted to her former duties once the bind the hero has on her has been voided." Julian bowed his head and therefore couldn''t notice that his words had irked Alicia even more.

    "Do whatever you want!" she turned the wheelchair around and didn''t want to speak about the matter anymore.

    Worrying about someone who had already left her side after such a failure was the last thing on her mind currently. She needed to find a way to be able to recover for she couldn''t stand to be seen in such a miserable state. With what she had been informed about during that day, she would be forced to retreat from the limelight since she wasn''t in any condition to fulfill the duties that were planned for her.

    The king and his confidants had come to inform her that an official statement that she had gotten ill due to overworking herself for the sake of summoning the hero. It would soon be announced to the kingdom and she would be locked inside the palace until she had made more progress in her recovery.

    "(That hero¡­ he''s not a man!)"

    She was the proud princess who stood above all the young women in the Zweifel kingdom. She had countless number of suitors and admirers. How could someone bear to put her in such a state after they had just met? What baffled her even more was that the longest period the hero ever looked at her was when he had arrived in Edea. He had always acted like he never wanted to look or even see her after that.

    "(He didn''t even bat an eye as he was¡­)" Alicia thought back to the time when she was being treated.

    Though the pain had been unbearable. Alicia was initially able to forget about the pain when she had concentrated on observing Kazuya when he had touched her body. She was quite sensitive to how men perceived her because she had gotten used to all kinds of looks that the opposite sex would give her.

    The hero had been given an opportunity to touch what usually would have been untouchable yet, he had acted like he had been touching a disgusting object instead. Even though he tried to cover it up, Alicia was observant enough to catch this. Her disbelief after witnessing such an unbelievable sight acted like a numbing agent that made her forget everything aside from what she had just witnessed.

    Of course, unlike medicine and chemicals, it could not last for long. Alicia eventually felt the pain that she should have recognized when the hero had started his procedure. This was only their second time meeting each other yet, how could he act like that towards her?

    "Just you wait! I''ll have you wrapped around my finger before you even realize it!"

    .Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

 194 Did He Fall?

    .

    With the arrival of Zwei and his men at Waise village, Kazuya and Julia spent their time at the Valentine residence until the skies have already gone dark. Apparently, the duke Eberbach''s men had set up camp near the village so the healers they brought with them would be able to do for their injured comrade what Gale wasn''t able to with her current prowess.

    To Kazuya, it really didn''t matter much as he was both satisfied and currently occupied with the discovery that shocked him today. It had taken them a few hours of work, but they were finally able to categorize the books with the help of the innocent children who usually stayed at the house.

    "Kazu onii-chan, I helped the most!"

    "No! I carried more books!"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Wasn''t it me that helped more Kazu-nii?"

    The children gathered themselves around Kazuya who had promised to reward them with his personal cooking tonight. The kids grew relatively attached to Kazuya in the past few days because not only did he seem to be sought out a lot by Gain and their big sister Gale, he had also let them taste food that was not only delicious, but tickled their interests visually.

    "I want a bunny dumpling!"

    "I want one that looks like a boat!"

    "C-can I have a flower?"

    "Hey! Don''t bother Kazu-san too much. He''s already making you guys dinner so everyone should be satisfied with that!" Gale stepped in and tried to stop them from bothering Kazuya too much. She was worried that the children would annoy him.

    She had been more cautious about how she acted in front of Kazuya ever since she learned of her father''s suspicions. She only thought that he would have been a noble at best but who would have thought that he could actually be the hero that their whole kingdom had been anticipating.

    There were only a few exceptions, but in Edea, the stories of the summoned heroes were heard at least once by children as they were growing up. She didn''t want the kids to offend him since Kazuya was not like any hero she had heard of. He seemed to have held resentments over the people who summoned him to their world.

    "It''s alright, Gale-san. I''ve intruded at your home so making a simple meal is the least I could do. These kids have been helpful and I''m happy to grant their requests." He smiled at the children and crafted their requests."

    "Yay! Kazu-nii-san is the best!"

    "Whoooaa! A bunny!"

    "You should just stay here with us onii-san! That way we can eat delicious things every day!"

    "Hehe. Though I really don''t hate that thought. Unfortunately, I have a lot of things to do before I can consider staying in one place." He wiped his hands and patted their heads.

    """Hehehe~"""

    Seeing that there were no problems, Gale backed down and sat across Julia. Their help had been rejected as Kazuya had wanted the kids to help him make the food instead so they were left with the books that were taken from the basement.

    "Is there something you need?" Julia noticed the hesitating look that Gale had been giving her.

    "Does Kazu-san usually interact with a lot of children?" She curiously asked. He looked to have been used to dealing with kids that it would have been unusual if he had never had experience with them before.

    "I¡­ have no idea. This is the first time I''ve seen him interacting with them." She was a little surprised by the question and hesitated.

    Thinking about it, she knew nothing about this person''s personal life. From how she got to know him, it was too shocking for him to be seen kindly treating children to the point of spoiling them. Julia had never seen Kazuya in a positive light when it came to his personality because of what happened between them but, after suddenly being asked about him, she had a realization.

    "(We know nothing about each other¡­)" Julia pondered.

    She had no idea what made Kazuya do the things he did after he arrived in Edea nor why Julia had risked herself to be put in this state for the princess. The order of their relationship had been an absolute mess. Her absolute obedience came before knowing the person she was now serving.

    "Where do you plan to go after leaving the village?" Gale asked yet another question which Julia wanted to know herself.

    "No idea. Probably back to the capital. It would be faster to get there if we cut through the forest, but I don''t know what he plans on doing. Our trip wasn''t supposed to have lasted a day yet, due to the circumstances we are here now."

    "Did you two have a fight? It has been a little awkward between the two of you from my point of view¡­" Gale wanted to help the two in some way since it wasn''t just her that noticed this. A few adventurer parties have intensified their efforts to recruit her.

    "A fight? No. I don''t think we are close enough to even have one of those. What I am is just someone he needs to give orders to." She emotionlessly spoke. Though she admits that Kazuya was not wrong when he said that Julia hadn''t been treated like her current status, one will still find a bitter pill, bitter and hard to swallow.

    "That¡­" Gale flinched. She didn''t think that Julia would frankly admit it.

    "You don''t have to worry about me." Julia faintly smiled towards Gale. She found this girl to be quite likable even though she was a commoner. Unlike the uncouth people she had met, this girl was very mindful of others which satisfied Julia.

    "I think that the two of you will eventually be able to work it out. My grandfather always said that as long as is not fatal, time will heal most wounds." She encouraged.

    "Time heals wounds huh¡­" Julia murmured. "Thanks¡­ I guess." Though she didn''t hate this girl, there was no reason to dislike her. with her current situation, she was even lower than commoners after all.

    The two girls watched the harmonious interactions between Kazuya and the children. After what she had experienced in the past few days, Julia thought that this just might be the hero''s most natural state. Thinking about it, she was probably the person who has spent the most time with him ever since his arrival.

    "I''m back!" Gain triumphantly declared as he entered the house. "Huh?"

    He wanted to brag about completing his mission of not letting Zwei and his men know that Kazuya and Julia were still in the village but after seeing the books scattered around the house, he could only turn to look at his daughter for an explanation.

    "Oh! Welcome back Gain-san. Dinner would be ready soon so please wash up. We can talk about what happened with the soldiers later." Kazuya sent the children to drag Gain to wash himself as he finished up with the cooking.

    Though Gain was the head of the village, other than having a larger than normal residence to accommodate the orphans, he relatively lived like all the other villagers. There wasn''t anything extravagant as they had lived humbly so everything was relatively normal.

    Nobles like Julia might not think much about it but to Kazuya, he had respected this humble village leader. To him, most of the nobles lording over their territories were trash compared to the simple man in front of him.

    He lived humbly despite being in charge of the village and even gave out his own earnings to take care of abandoned children. He chose to give back instead to keep for the better of everyone. These were the kinds of humans that were, even on earth, looked down upon and preyed on. Which was sad.

    "Can someone tell me what''s going on?" Gain came back with the children and sat down as soon as everyone had finished setting up the table.

    "Well¡­" Gale glanced over at Kazuya who was currently serving the children with their requested dumplings. "Kazu-san can apparently read the books¡­"

    "Oh, so that''s¡ª wait what did you just say!? He can read these books!?"

    "I can. That is why I have a proposal I want to talk to you about, Gain-san." Kazuya confirmed it as he sat down to join them.

    "A proposal? Do you want to buy these books?"

    "If you want to sell them I''ll be honest and say that I can''t afford to pay for them right now but, I was thinking more like renting them out." He said with a smile.

    "Rent?" Gain grew confused. He turned to look at his daughter for answers but from the way she was tilting her head, he noticed that she was probably as confused as he was.

    "I categorized the books depending on what they are about and I thought about something¡­" Kazuya glanced at the kids. "What about letting these children learn about many things that would help them as they grow older?"

    "What do you mean?" Gain didn''t know what he meant.

    "The village is currently serving as a host to various adventurers, right? The way I see it, many adventurers help around town while some of the current members were former adventurers themselves. Why not let these experienced people help the children out by having them teach them various skills that they could use when they grow up?" Kazuya started discussing what he had in mind.

    There were currently 17 orphans in Gale and Gain''s care. Seven of them were already close to the age where they would be able to care for themselves while the rest were still growing up.

    Kazuya suggested that with the mutual relationship between the villagers and adventurers he was able to witness these past few days, asking them to teach the children when the orphanage was completed was not a farfetched idea.

    Of the orphans that were currently in their care, he was familiar with the youngest ones from his previous experience in Edea. With what happened to Gain, it wasn''t too hard to guess what had happened. Those who had been capable to help Gain support the duke had gone with him while Gale had been left in charge of the orphanage.

    Now that Kazuya had taken out the fuse that started the tragedy that was supposed to happen, he wanted to help the children who were once a victim of the blind trust he had given people. With what he had in mind; they would be able to protect themselves in the future.

    "The situation would be able to last a little while with the current people staying here regularly. Once these adventurers move on, if the same deal can''t be made with the future adventurers, you can hire them instead."

    "Hire?" Gain frowned. Though he liked the idea that Kazuya presented to him, he did not have much to be able to hire adventurers with.

    "No need to worry about the money. Like I''ve said. I am very much interested in renting the books out. I''ll work on translating them once I return to the capital so it might take some time, but I will give 300 gold as a deposit and give an additional 200 gold once I return them." Kazuya suggested.

    ""!!!"" the father and daughter looked at each other at the same time. A 300 gold deposit to rent a few books and an additional 200 after he returns it!? They would have been satisfied to sell a book for 1 gold or so a piece and the books that were taken out of the basement didn''t even exceed 50.

    "Also, I will be giving you a copy of the translated books that would be good for the children to learn. I just hope that you will keep these books to yourselves because it is both a gift and a curse." Kazuya gave them a serious look.

    What he had taken out were essentially skill and spell books that were supposedly from the lost kingdom of Bathara. This was the kingdom that had fallen and had been replaced by the Heilig Kingdom. This kingdom was where the headquarters of the church of light was and the country was governed by church officials or devout believers.

    Though Kazuya hadn''t studied much of Edea''s history, he was sure that the shady church had played a big part in the lost kingdom''s fall from grace. The fact that the Batharan skills and spells he found were shamelessly renamed as their church''s was enough to make him think that something was definitely fishy.

    "With these skills, the children would be able to protect themselves and the village from danger as well as earn a living for themselves if they choose to pursue a future outside the village." Kazuya smiled as he patted the children who had been oblivious to the topic while enjoying their meals.

    Gain was overwhelmed by Kazuya''s offer. He wasn''t the only one as Gain also noticed the shock that Julia had tried to hide. This was an offer that was more than generous so he couldn''t understand what Kazuya had to gain from all of this. Even more, he was even willing to share his discoveries with them.

    "(Why¡­? Is he¡­)" Gain suddenly came up with a thought. "(Could it be¡­?)" he secretly glanced at his daughter.

    "(Did he fall for my little girl?)"

    -

 195 Farewell to the short Normal Life

    .

    Two days later, the continuous and rapid construction of Waise village''s orphanage had taken a break as the villagers gathered to bid Kazuya, who was going to leave today, their farewells. Not only had he helped with the improvements to the village chief''s project, but he had also uplifted the villagers'' spirits by providing them with many new things that they could use to make the village grow.

    Not even Zwei and his men were able to get this kind of farewell when they left on the day after they arrived. They had camped near the village and didn''t bother with them much after they were able to recover their injured companion.

    "Everyone really doesn''t need to go this far." Kazuya scratched the back of his head feeling a little embarrassed. "It''s not like I don''t plan on coming back. I made a promise after all." he glanced at the Valentines. They gave him a nod as they understood what he meant.

    "Yay! We''ll remember those words Kazu-san!"

    "You''ll always be welcome in our village!"

    "Be careful around the forest, alright?"

    While the villagers flocked Kazuya, the males and adventurers went over to Julia who didn''t expect to be treated in the same way. She hadn''t really talked with people very much so it was a surprise that she was getting the same treatment as Kazuya who had connected with a lot of people.

    "Julie-san too! Make sure to bring back Kazu-san!"

    "That''s right! Do it even if you drag him back!"

    "NO! You don''t have to come back with him! Come alone!"

    The villagers offered to let them have one of the work horses at the village, but Kazuya politely declined their offer. Though it wouldn''t be as fast, the sturdy and horse they rented would be able to carry both of them.

    All the equipment from the orcs he had gathered from the forest was already given to Gain and his men to help improve the village''s security so there was room for two on the rented mount. Though he placed a few books around the horse for show, most of them were already kept inside his soul ring.

    "Take care, everyone! I''ll come to visit after I''m done with some personal business." Kazuya waved towards the villagers and mounted the horse behind Julia who had taken the reins.

    Feeling a bit embarrassed about being seen riding together, Julia didn''t look back and made the horse sprint towards the goblin forest.

    "There they go¡­" Gain smiled and took a glance towards his daughter whose eyes followed their departing figures.

    The father and daughter pair had not expected that the two troubled travelers would have such an impact in their village. Before they knew it, they were quite fond of the two who had hidden their identities quite well.

    Unfortunately, Kazuya and Julie didn''t disclose their identities to them before they left. Though Gain and Gale were already aware of it, the fact that they knew had made an invisible barrier. They hoped that when they return to fulfill their promise, there would be a chance for them to discuss it.

    "Do you really think that they will come back?" Gale asked her father as the rest of the villagers started returning to their work.

    "They will¡­ they definitely will." He looked confident as he looked back at his daughter. "At that time, I will be prepared." He felt a little lonely after saying it.

    "Prepared for what?" Her father had started to become incoherent once again.

    "Nothing¡­" he shook his head. "More importantly, we don''t know when they will return so you better work hard with the present the kid left you." He pointed at the book that had been enchanted with a lock in Gale''s hands.

    Kazuya, who already knew of Gale''s potential hesitated but still handed her a book he had written after browsing through the different books they found. He picked out specific skills and spells that he knew that would be able to help Gale and had written them inside the book that was given to her last night.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    Of course, Kazuya''s hesitations towards letting Gale learn these spells were due to his guilt and resentment towards her betrayal towards him. Though it was indeed true that she had suffered along with the children who remained at the orphanage in his first life, Kazuya had always thought that if she had told him, he would have at least tried to do something.

    Gale''s special situation was probably what caused Kazuya to let Sawada Mahiru off when he had betrayed him during this life''s childhood. Otherwise, even if Matsuri was her mother, she wouldn''t have been let off.

    Though he had been pondering on how to handle the matter, the children he recognized was what made a major impact on his final decision. The fact that the church murdered these innocent orphans, who already had their fair share of sufferings, made him want to tear it apart even more.

    "After he has done so much for us, it is a given that I also do my best. I still am technically his teacher on healing arts after all." Gale hugged the book tightly.

    They may have already discovered his identity, but she still had her own pride. She didn''t want to be left behind even though she already understood that she was competing with a hero. It may have been due to gratitude or generosity but she did not want to let Kazuya come back to see that she had not improved as much as he had expected.

    "(This girl¡­)" seeing the determined look on his daughter''s face, Gain could only inwardly sigh. Though she was only a 16-year-old girl, she was already considered an adult.

    The two turned back to their village after Kazuya and Julia''s figures had gone. If nothing unexpected happens, it would take them a little over two days to return back to the capital.

    Regardless of everyone else''s expectations, Kazuya was in no hurry to get back to the capital. Before they knew it, the Kazuya and Julia pair had spent two days inside the goblin forest.

    Of course, it''s because there was no reason to. Kazuya had shown an interest in getting used to battling monsters in the forest and began practicing the new spells that he was learning as time slowly passed by.

    "(This feels weird¡­)" Julia who had been observing by the sidelines felt awkward every time Kazuya had tried to fight a monster by himself.

    Contrary to her expectations, the hero''s soul weapon had not made an appearance during their extremely slow travel back to the capital. Kazuya had equipped himself with one of the short blades that the assassins used to own.

    One would expect that anyone who wielded such a blade would aggressively attack with a weapon that was used by assassins. However, contrary to how things should have been fundamentally, Kazuya had taken a more passive approach to his battles. He would let the monsters make the first move.

    At first, Julia was worried about it. Kazuya already told her that he was not suited for close range battles. This was evident when he showed that he was only able to barely avoid the attacks of the goblins and wolves who rushed towards him after confirming that Julia would not make a move.

    There were a lot of times where Julia almost jumped in to save him from danger but every single time, the monsters would suddenly end up being slain instead. This left Julia baffled and bothered so she paid more attention.

    "(What is happening!?)" she couldn''t help but question what was happening as she witnessed it happen again.

    It was a given that Kazuya would have little improvements over these kinds of practices because what Kazuya needed the most if he intended to learn to battle in close range was improving his own physical condition first. Julia didn''t mention anything and waited to be asked but from what was happening in front of her, she might not get that chance.

    "(This guy is definitely weird!)" totally forgetting about the time it was taking them to return to the capital, Julia''s attention was solely focused on solving this mystery.

    She thought that maybe this was the secret that made Kazuya special compared to the people of Edea. Heroes over the span of history had always had something that made them special once they had crossed over to their world. The last hero specifically was almost unmatched when it came to mana control and eventually became the only hero that had entered the ranks of the greatest mages in their history.

    The forest was full of resources, they didn''t have to worry about expending much of the rations they received at the village. With Kazuya fighting the monsters they encountered, Julia was responsible for making camp and other miscellaneous tasks except for cooking.

    "A woman who remotely doesn''t know how to make a simple meal¡­ Even in my world, I have never met someone like that." Kazuya shook his head sideways in disappointment at Julia''s first try at making a meal.

    "Shut up! I can save as many rations as I want. Though they don''t taste like much, one set can last me for as long as a month if I wanted to!"

    "I will teach you. You are my subordinate and it is my responsibility to make sure that you have the necessary skills. It would end up being my fault if you end up being poisoned or suffer from a disease because of starvation." Kazuya began to lecture her about simple cooking and seasoning as he made their meal for the night.

    "Since I''m already practicing while we''re taking our time, might as well have you learn new things as well." Kazuya handed over the spices and instructed her. "I will ask the kitchen staff at the duke''s place to instruct you once we get back."

    "Hey, tell me, how are you doing that thing with the monsters where they end up getting slain by you after they attack so intensely." She knew that she wouldn''t be able to reject that request even if she wanted to and just changed the subject.

    "Oh?" Kazuya looked at her with interest. "What do you think I''m doing?" as he was practicing, he had forgotten that Julia was an experienced knight so her input could be useful.

    "I don''t know¡­ If I were to guess, I think you are making use of your excellent sight to counter at unexpected moments to make the blows that hit fatally." She glanced at his expression to see if she had gotten something right.

    To her disappointment, Kazuya''s neutral expression didn''t show any signs of moving. She silently cursed him in her mind as this familiar face had taken over once they left the village. There was no longer any sign of the kind hero who played and spoiled children. What was in front of her was this cold young man who slaughtered random monsters for practice.

    "I see¡­ that is an interesting point of view." He crossed his arms. "Your analysis is not entirely wrong but, you are not right either.

    "What do you mean? Was it something that you learned from the book you have been reading intently whenever we take breaks?" she glanced at the book that was resting on Kazuya''s sleeping bag.

    "You mean this?" Kazuya picked it up. "This is a book about healing and support spells. Most of the spells I wrote down for Gale to learn was taken from this book." He explained.

    "Are you¡­ going to focus on support magics?" she reluctantly asked.

    "I''m not sure. I have never had the luxury of having so much mana under my control back on my world." Kazuya didn''t mind answering such a question. "Besides, this magic is convenient. I need to get used to attacks because if I were against another party, I would set my sights and target someone in my position to make sure that the enemies would be eradicated swiftly."

    Kazuya''s statement made Julia feel a cold chill. Her intuition about how Kazuya learning healing magic was right on the money. This was one of the scariest things for someone like him to learn. It both suited him and didn''t at the same time.

    "At least, with me learning these skills, the probability of my subordinates dying in my presence will greatly lower." He smiled.

    Natsu may have been an excellent magician but his skill set was mostly geared towards destruction magic. Though he knew healing magic, it was only a little better than Kazuya and Tsuna who learned the basics for self-recovery during their tenure as heroes.

    Lailah was the same. Though Elves were known as a magical race, the high elf''s magic was mostly classified as spirit magic that helped her with her archery and nature.

    Therefore, Kazuya had lacked experience in both healing and support arts. What he was taught and displayed at Waise village was something that he had already learned. His acting and lack of practice of using healing magic didn''t make the apprentice healer Gale doubt him but Kazuya knew himself that these skills were not as polished as the other ones in his arsenal.

    "Don''t worry, once I''ve learned all of these. It is a guarantee that you will not be allowed to die unless I say so."

    -

 196 Return to Maynira

    .

    It has been a week since Acht and Neun were tasked to watch over the western gates for any signs of the hero''s return. Unfortunately for them, they didn''t know that Kazuya decided to take his time as there were currently no pressing matters for him back at the capital.

    "Is it you this time Neun?" a voice called out to Neun who was standing near the edges of the tall walls of the western gates.

    For the past week, people were surprised and curious when they saw two maids hanging around the tall walls. Some of them even tried flirting with the pretty maids but they were harshly rejected without a care. Everyone started wondering which young master was actually lucky enough to have two beautiful maids like Acht and Neun to wait for him and even started cursing him a little.

    "Yes, vice-captain Laura. Acht was the one on duty yesterday so she is assigned to help out Sodina-sama today." She politely replied.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    Acht and Neun were trainees considered to join the Steel Wolves unit. The unit was currently only made up of 4 people, but it originally started out with just one person. That person was the current leader of the unit and the one who has the final say on who can join their elite unit.

    To outsiders, this was a famous unit who had not known failure. Every time their appearance was noted, there would be no stopping whatever it was that they had intended to do. This was how great and difficult the missions they were known to be involved in were.

    Of course, to those who were aware of some inside information, things were a little different from what the eyes of the public could see. This special unit was indeed very powerful and they were also very mysterious. An elite member of 4 people who did not often move together as a unit is something that many aspire to be part of.

    Neun had a different reason for wanting to join them though. As a person who didn''t have any family herself, she greatly admired the elite unit''s sense of independence.

    Each member of the elite unit was known to be lone wolves. Although this was true, they were given priority over taking command whenever it was needed for them to do so. This made them able to reject commands that they didn''t agree with as long as it did not come from people like Elrich, Zwei and Sodina.

    To the members of other elite units, the steel wolves were a band of misfits whose members did not fit in with any of the organized units. An invisible barrier existed between them as they never thought they would get along with such a unit who had been given so much freedom.

    While this remained true, one of the main reasons that they tolerated such a thing was because none of them could deny the steel wolves'' abilities in getting things done. Their skills spoke for themselves. They were the ones who always cleaned up for any missions that any of the other elite units couldn''t complete.

    "Is there something you need from me?" she was puzzled. Currently, Laura should be at the estate with Elrich and Sodina.

    "Currently, that annoying guy is having a meeting with Elrich-sama again." Laura sighed.

    "With Zwei-sama?"

    "He sure is persistent. Even the guards at these gates can attest that Julia Tisdale had left the capital with the hero." Neun frowned. Julia''s father had been coming to the Eberbach estate frequently to talk about his daughter''s status.

    "He is trying to persuade Elrich-sama into siding with him when he confronts the hero. Which brings me to why I have come here. I didn''t have much time to talk to you because of the things I had to do in Zwei-sama''s absence. I wanted to talk to you about the hero Kazuya." Laura stated her purpose.

    "What do you want to know? Have you asked Acht?"

    "I have asked Acht-san but¡­ though I am familiar with talking to people like her. I am more inclined to listen to what your opinions are."

    Though Acht was capable, she was more like a person who relied on basic instinct. Though Laura had taken note of what her opinions were, this was not the kind of words she was looking for. With Neun who she felt was similar to her, Laura wanted to know more about the hero so she would have a guess on what to expect once Kazuya returns.

    "Kazuya-sama is a person that is very difficult to describe with words. We haven''t spent much time with him for me to say things about him confidently but my opinion of him is that he is strange." Neun spoke.

    "Strange?" Laura''s interest was triggered. From what she heard from Acht, she described him as brave, funny and kind.

    "He is certainly not like anyone I have met before. I don''t dare say my description of him is a hundred percent accurate but he is unpredictable, a little reckless and in my own opinion, unfathomably deep."

    "Unfathomably deep you say? Why do you say so?" Laura was intrigued. Hearing about the current things that the hero had done ever since his arrival had indeed made her curious. Why? Why did the hero chose to do things like that?

    "Initially, I thought that he was like Acht in a way. I thought that he acted based upon his feelings without considering the consequences afterwards. That was until I met him." Neun thought back to her time observing the hero.

    "From an outsider''s perspective, it may seem like he''s reckless, but so far, everything has been moving as if it had been carefully planned. I don''t know why, but the hero treats the nobles like he knows exactly how they would act."

    "That is an interesting perspective." Laura''s showed an interested grin. Neun''s analysis was not too different from the one she heard from Elrich. From the looks of things, the hero was someone she might get along with.

    "In my opinion, Kazuya-sama is a little similar to you vice-captain." Neun added.

    "Me?" she felt a little puzzled. "How so?" Laura wondered if the expression she showed betrayed her.

    "To outsiders, Kazuya-sama may seem cold and ruthless, but to those who he considers as people he gets along with, he is not afraid to show kindness. Acht can also attest to this as we have seen him treat commoners more courteously than the nobles from the kings faction."

    "And that is similar to me?" Laura felt a little puzzled.

    "You may appear cold and strict vice-commander, but anyone who has seen any member of the steel wolves with Sodina-sama can attest that you have a kind side. Sodina-sama may be our young lady, but you treat her more like a younger sister as you are able to be strict with her at times."

    "That''s because¡­" she wanted to continue saying that it was obvious to be nice to Sodina because she was the duke''s daughter, but she would be lying if she said that it was the only reason.

    She had been like everyone when it came to how she treated the young lady at first. Even with her neutral cold personality, Sodina''s status had spoken for itself so initially, she tried to be as respectful towards the young lady as best as she could. Laura would be lying if she said that their leader''s soft nature towards Sodina hadn''t influenced her to change on how she interacted with the little lady.

    "Regardless of your reasons, I am only being honest. I apologize if I offended you, but I don''t think I should lie when I know that you are doing this for the sake of the duke and the young lady." Neun expressed.

    "One last question¡­ do you think he can be trusted?" Laura was a little grateful that Neun did not continue with the topic.

    "As long as we do not harbor any bad intentions towards Kazuya-sama. He will be at most, neutral if the forces of the king''s faction were to move against us. I''m sure I don''t need to tell the vice-captain about the people who showed hostility or acted shadily in front of the hero so far?"

    "Indeed. That was what Elrich-sama said as well."

    The more she heard about the hero, the more Laura was interested in meeting him. Not only had he gained the confidence of someone like Elrich, who was an extremely cautious and strict person, the hero was also able to stump the king''s faction into making concessions in his favor.

    This was not something as easy as saying it would do. The experienced politicians were hated by everyone in Elrich''s faction because of how sly and hard they were to handle. Even their leader was someone who tried to avoid it as much as she could. She would have already beaten up or killed a few of them if she had not tried hard to restrain herself.

    "Ah!" Neun''s reaction immediately snapped Laura out of her thoughts.

    She followed the maid girl''s gaze and saw two people heading for the gates while mounted. Since she was one of the people that stuck close to their young lady, there was no way that she could mistake Julia Tisdale for someone else. She was one of the princess'' most loyal followers and had often been rude towards Sodina because of the rivalry between their masters.

    "Julia Tisdale¡­" Laura couldn''t help but grow a grin on her face. "(If only the you who I saw last time could see this scene now¡­)" she tried hard to stop herself from giggling.

    "I should head down to meet with them. What about you, vice-captain?"

    "I guess I can go with you. I want to speak with the hero and his ''slave'' so I''ll leave it to you to introduce us."

    "Understood!"

    The two headed down and waited near the gates. When they were finally able to see the duo coming up, they got off their mount and Julia had once again put her hood up.

    Usually, the guards inspecting those who enter the capital would have forced her to take off her disguise. When the guards try to block her path, Julia immediately flashed a token that belonged to the Tisdale family, so the guards immediately made way.

    "Excuse me ma''am but we need to verify the identity of your companion. There has been strict orders to observe those who come in and out of the capital recently¡­" the guard hesitatingly said as he looked at Kazuya.

    To ordinary people, Kazuya looked to be one that came from the eastern continent. Though he didn''t hide himself like Julia did, because of the recent orders that were passed down, they had no choice but to say this to Julia. It was only this way that they could avoid taking responsibility in case this stranger caused trouble at the capital.

    "Will this be enough?" Kazuya held up a token that was similar to what Julia had taken out.

    ""(That''s¡­!!!)"" Neun and Laura who were observing nearby immediately looked at each other.

    There was no doubt that it was a token from the Eberbach family. What''s more, the token itself was a rather special one since it had come from none other than Sodina herself. This had disproved their doubts that there could have been another group who saved their young lady. The fact that the token was in Kazuya''s hands had proved it.

    "I do apologize for my rudeness!" the guard immediately backed down. There weren''t many people who could have possessed a token infused with such mana.

    The guard wasn''t stupid. He wouldn''t have survived at the capital for so long if he didn''t know how to take hints. There was only one unfamiliar person in the Eberbach household who could hold such a token; the mysterious hero who hadn''t made an appearance after his welcome parade.

    The guard shuddered as he understood why there had been no news about the hero. He probably went out of the capital to train himself like the other heroes in the past. With the princess'' most trusted guard, there would be no problem. It immediately made sense to him as he humbly bowed. This was a great thing for him!

    "It''s no trouble. I''m glad that there are people like you who take your job seriously even though there might be a chance to offend someone." Kazuya comforted. "I would much prefer to have someone like you as a subordinate rather than someone who only knows how to kiss ass."

    "T-thank you! It is an honor!" the guard was immediately touched. It was the hero of their generation praising him right now, so he was over the moon.

    "Just please, don''t spread the word around because I might have to continue moving in secret like this. I won''t ask for something unreasonable as not telling your superiors but please limit it to only those people that need to know." Kazuya leaned in and whispered.

    "Y-yes!" the guard immediately complied.

    Kazuya was satisfied with his reaction. He patted the soldier''s shoulder and moved towards the side of the gates where the gazes that stuck to him and Julia since they came close to the gates came from.

    "It''s been a while, Neun-san." He smiled at the maid who seemed to have been waiting for him as if he was expected.

    Beside her was a beautiful lady who was taller than Neun and wore glasses. Kazuya didn''t know who this person was, but he was definitely familiar with the unique uniform she was wearing. There was no way he would mistake it for something else. The only difference from the uniform he was familiar with was the difference in rank.

    "You sure have taken your time, Kazuya-sama. Do you know what kind of troubles have happened in your absence?" Neun didn''t hold back as she was also glad to see the hero safe and sound.

    "Trouble?" Kazuya feigned ignorance.

    "Allow me to explain." The lady beside Neun entered the conversation. "Your slave''s father has come to negotiate for her freedom. He has been relentlessly coming over to the duke''s place to ask for assistance in voiding the contract between you and your ''slave''"

    .

 197 Unwanted Attention

    .

    The cold woman who came with Neun didn''t waste time to put salt in Julia''s wounds. The last time they met, Julia who was part of the Tisdale family had insulted them and their leader so how can she not take advantage of this chance?

    "Tch, so you think you''ve won because of my situation Laura? Who do you think was responsible for the young lady of the house you served?" Julia immediately retorted. Though Laura was taking advantage of her situation, that didn''t mean that she had to take it lying down.

    "Knowing you, it was the hero who ordered you to do it. I doubt you even told him of her identity, right?" Laura grinned after seeing Julia flinch.

    She got it right. Julia never explained that she knew the people who they saved. In her defense, Kazuya neither showed interest nor questioned her about it.

    "Aren''t you quite rude? Suddenly picking a fight with my subordinate in front of me?" Though Kazuya didn''t really want to bother, the fact remained that he was currently being ignored. Though he already knew that the princess shared some kind of rivalry with the young miss of the Eberbach house, the fact remained that Julia was serving him and not Alicia.

    "Ah, pardon me hero. I couldn''t help it since this woman always acted high and mighty because of her and her former master''s status. I mean no offense." Laura quickly apologized.

    "I would have taken offense if I hadn''t known beforehand that the steel wolves unit were known for their talent in offending friend and foe alike. Though I do prefer honest and blunt people, do remember that this girl is my subordinate now no matter who she served before. That will not change as long as she breathes." Kazuya said without a care.

    "(He just¡­)" Laura turned towards the hero and gave him a serious look.

    How could she not? Though she only mentioned offhand what the current situation in the Eberbach house is, he had already given his stance on the matter. He didn''t even care to check the benefits that the other side would be offering in exchange for Julia''s freedom, which in her opinion, the hero could take great advantage of.

    Julia, on the other hand already had a feeling what the hero''s stance would be and remained quiet. Though she felt a little appreciative towards the fact that Kazuya defended her from being insulted any further, his solid stance on the matter had left her helpless. She would have been lying to herself if Julia said that she didn''t have hope that the princess or her father would try and save her from her current predicament.

    "Anyway, I still have to return this mount. I trust that the one that girl took was returned?" he looked at Neun whose reactions were proving that Laura had a better position than her.

    "Yes. The manager who lent you the horses was quite worried."

    "I see. I better pay him a visit then."

    "That¡­" Laura tried to stop them but stopped her attempt as she froze when her eyes met with Kazuya''s gaze.

    Laura was startled. The feeling the hero initially gave her was that he was like a normal person. Now, her instincts were screaming that she should watch her words. This was the same feeling she had gotten off their leader whenever she was in a bad mood.

    Though she was a subordinate of someone he knew, he was displeased on how rude Laura was being. She had yet to introduce herself, yet she wanted to order him around?

    "Listen here, girl whose name I am no longer interested in, I may be intruding on Elrich-san''s place but that doesn''t mean I must lower my head to him. He''s someone I found the least annoying when I arrived here. I am not on his side nor anyone else''s. I am only on ''my'' own side.

    I''ve already overlooked your arrogance because of what I know about your unit. Make no mistake, I will treat people as they treat me." Kazuya turned away and headed to return the horse.

    To be honest, Laura didn''t intend to be rude towards the hero. She had merely forgotten the fact that she hadn''t introduced herself because she investigated a lot about the hero ever since she arrived at the capital. She learned a lot about him that she had felt that this was not their first actual meeting.

    "Heh" Julia smirked and mocked Laura before following behind the hero.

    Laura frowned. A sudden thought made her a bit worried. What if Julia was someone the king''s faction had deliberately planted to sway the hero who had just proven that he was extremely hard to deal with. With her mistake, Julia might use the opportunity to cause a rift to form between the duke and the hero.

    "(I better let Elrich-sama and Zwei-sama know.)" Laura headed towards the Eberbach residence.

    Seeing that Laura did not follow them, Neun frowned. She didn''t do anything to help Laura who was in a commanding position in the unit she wanted to join. What if it affects her chances of getting accepted to the unit?

    "Kazuya-sama, please do not take the vice-commander''s offense to heart. She had been quite stressed ever since she had arrived at the capital because of what happened to the young miss. The situation is quite tense because¡­" she cast a small sound insulating barrier around them and proceeded to explain the duke''s suspicions.

    Surely enough, Julia was startled. The effect of the spell that the Zweifel kingdom''s family had cast on her had more or less taken full effect. Julia''s memories of any important information that was discussed with her were no longer existent but even so, it wasn''t perfect. She now recognized some of the people that were sent to assassinate Sodina Eberbach. If Kazuya asked her seriously, she would have no choice but to comply in the end.

    Though Julia was worried, with what Kazuya had done, there was really no need for her to be asked. Kazuya had gotten rid of the bodies to prevent them from turning into undead, thus unconsciously helping the king''s faction in ridding their traces despite the failure. Despite that, the mythical device that the hero brought from earth was the key to confirming the assailants'' identities.

    "(If I¡­)" sure enough, Julia''s loyalty toward her former master was still evident as thoughts entered her mind to help the princess gain an advantage.

    "Are you defending her because you want to join that unit?" Julia intruded on the conversation and instantly gained Neun''s ire.

    Julia''s claim was not without basis. They only ever saw Neun with Acht who was also not someone that could be considered a person suitable for military service. It wasn''t hard for Julia to guess that they were candidates who wanted to join the infamous steel wolves unit because of their strange personalities.

    The king''s faction was not all that ignorant about the duke''s organization. As a person who was once a close confidant of the princess, she was able to access such information if she wanted to. There probably wasn''t a unit not belonging to their faction that Julia was more knowledgeable about other than the steel wolves. It was the one that always stuck with Alicia''s rival after all.

    "Kid! You''re alright!" the manager immediately identified Kazuya''s group as they were attracting too much attention because of the two beautiful ladies glaring at each other.

    Some of the people recognized Neun because of her recent daily activities so they couldn''t help but stare at Kazuya who appeared to be the person she had been waiting for all week.

    "What? It''s that guy? Someone from the east?"

    "Looks like maid-chan is mad that he brought another girl back."

    "What a shitty guy! If I had a maid like that¡­"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "(These two¡­)" Kazuya couldn''t help but sigh as he approached the Blue House''s stables.

    Acht had taken the night shift when they waited for Kazuya so the crowd had been only familiar with seeing Neun. The two, who were currently at odds with each other, were oblivious to the crowd''s murmurs which made the crowd''s suspicions even more convincing.

    "Hehe. Looks like you got caught after all." the manager snickered.

    "Please spare me. I apologize if it took too long to bring this guy back. As you may have already known, we encountered some problems." Kazuya ignored the crowd and entered after handing the horse over to one of the workers from the stables.

    "I heard. If it were not for this maid-chan here who brought the other horseback, I would have given those nobles a piece of my mind!" he waved his fist. He was displeased at the fact that they had stolen a horse from his customers and returned it to him as if nothing was wrong about it.

    "It''s alright. That person taking the horse was intentional on my part. Though they weren''t aware of it, it turned out the way I intended. Your thoughts are appreciated though." Kazuya thanked the kind manager.

    "You''re a good kid. You should be careful around here, you know. There are a lot of people here at the capital that prey on that. I''ve seen too many people come here with smiles only to end up leaving broken." He warned.

    "Don''t worry, I''m kind to those who are kind to me but I am ten times as ruthless to those who mean to cause me harm." Kazuya smiled.

    "Haha! Then I shouldn''t be too worried!" of course, he didn''t take Kazuya''s words to heart. It was enough for him to hear that the kid understood what he meant.

    "I will be staying at the capital for a while so I might not rent the horses for fast travel but I will remember to come if I need to go around the capital. How much do I owe you for the days I failed to return the horse?" Kazuya tried to reach for his pocket but he was stopped.

    "No need. Those nobles already said that they would take care of everything." He glanced at Neun who gave him a nod.

    "Alright then, I won''t be polite and let them take care of it then." Kazuya accepted it without making a fuss. Though he had money, what he had was still not enough for what he had planned in the long run. He would not decline opportunities that would let him save every coin that he could.

    "I''ll be heading off since I still need to take care of some matters so I''ll see you later!" Kazuya excused himself and left the store. Wanting to get rid of the crowd that talked about them, Kazuya quickened his pace and headed towards the Eberbach residence.

    Upon arriving at the gates of the Eberbach estate, Kazuya immediately sensed a lot of people paying attention to him. A lot of them were hidden but they weren''t able to fool Kazuya''s detection abilities. It was evident that Elrich was indeed looking at this issue very carefully.

    "(I wonder if she was called here as well¡­)" he couldn''t help but wonder as the guards who recognized Kazuya immediately paid him a respectful salute before granting him passage.

    "Kazuya-sama, would you like to meet with the duke now?" since he was the one who Julian had been pestering Elrich for, it would be best if he were to meet him while he was here and rid the duke of the stubborn man who relentlessly visited them despite their current preparations.

    "No, not yet. We''ve traveled quite the distance so I would like to get myself changed and get a little rest before meeting with this guest. You may inform him of my intentions." He then turned to Julia. "You go to the kitchen and fetch food for us."

    Since he had declined the duke''s offer to provide his newly acquired servant a room, they would be staying together in Kazuya''s assigned space. He had intended to take a long bath so he sent Julia to procure food in the meantime. Julia also wanted to refresh herself before meeting with her father but she could only accept her current master''s orders.

    "Okay. Do you have any preference?" she already accepted her current situation so she more or less tried to act the part.

    "I''ll leave it up to you." Kazuya didn''t waste time and headed for his room. He didn''t need anyone to guide him in this place so he entered the residence without a care.

    Those observing the situation were already aware of Kazuya''s identity as soon as he entered with Julia and Neun. Laura already informed them that the hero had returned to the capital so they made sure to remember the face of the hero of their generation.

    To those who couldn''t believe that princess Alicia''s most loyal dog had fallen to such a state was convinced after seeing her acting submissively towards Kazuya. To think, this woman would someday be able to freely walk inside the Eberbach residence was something they only thought would have happened if the house had fallen.

    "Hey! Where the heck do you think you''re going!" someone angrily called out to Kazuya as soon as he tried to enter his room.

    "¡­" wearing a white attire that could only enhance the appeal of her long golden blonde hair. A familiar beautiful young girl threw a glare towards Kazuya.

    "This room isn''t something you can enter! Are you new? Don''t you know that this is the room that belongs to the leader of the steel wolves unit!?"

    .

 198 Servant? Hero?

    .

    Kazuya didn''t expect to encounter this person this soon. Even though he had his memories from his previous life, the difference between the two lives he led was affecting him subconsciously. Though he had not met this person before, her identity by itself was something that greatly affected him more than Elrich did.

    The hero calmed himself inside his mind and showed a neutral expression towards this girl who seems to have mistaken him for someone else.

    "(Calm down, me. She doesn''t know who you are yet.)" he breathed in before slowly turning towards her.

    The current him was vastly different from the hero that was summoned the first time. The him who was gullible because of all the sufferings he had to endure on Earth was almost nonexistent. From the boy who was barely making enough to get by, he had come to Edea as someone who was a scion of a two of the Kouzuki family.

    Of course, as a person from Earth, Kazuya also shared his fair share of habits. He was looking forward to soaking in a large bath. Though this was not something that all humans from earth could understand, this was a part of his daily routine. Even though he was basically clean with the help of his own magic, he still craved the feeling of a hot and warm bath after traveling through Edea''s wilderness. His mind went into overdrive trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation.

    "I apologize miss. It has not been long since I arrived here so I can be called new to this place. However, I was assigned by the duke himself to this room, so I believe I do have the right to enter." Kazuya tried to brush her off.

    "My father did?" Sodina was puzzled. Why was a man assigned to clean this room?

    She hadn''t paid attention to any of the changes in their household for the past few days. Sodina believed that Kazuya''s words were true because no one would have been able to sneak into their property with how tight the security currently was. Another observation she had was that he had yet to be given the proper attire so there was no doubt that he was a new employee.

    "(Could it be¡­?)" a thought immediately entered her mind. "(Is he supposed to be Zwei-san''s successor?)"

    This way, it would have made sense. He was given clearance to do his job on important people''s rooms so it was proof that he was someone that was trusted by her father. The occupant of this room was currently doing missions but that doesn''t mean that the room that she always stayed in should be left to gather dust.

    "Huh?" When she tried to look for him to confirm, he was no longer in front of her.

    Kazuya already slipped past her as soon as he noticed that Sodina had sunk into deep thought. He didn''t want to linger too long in front of a person he knew that he wouldn''t be able to get along with so he tactfully retreated.

    "Did he¡­" Sodina felt irritated as he had entered the room despite her being against it. Even though it was her father that assigned him to maintain this room, everyone would have hesitated as long as she was displeased with it.

    Giving it another thought, Neun or Acht could have been assigned instead. It wasn''t proper for a man to maintain a woman''s room, so she wanted to send this boy to another place while she talked to her father about it. Currently, Acht, who was supposed to be with her, was called to the kitchen for some reason so Sodina couldn''t send her to talk to Elrich on her behalf.

    "Hey!" Sodina barged into the room. She looked around but only found the spacious room without any sign of the boy she had found earlier.

    "Just where did he¡ª" her gaze stopped on top of the table. She was familiar with what kind of uniform it was but was unable to identify which unit it belonged to.

    "Is this a new kind of uniform for the steel wolves unit?" She examined the clothes which she found clearly superior to the fabrics that the soldiers were currently wearing.

    She unfolded the uniform and found it a bit small for the person it was supposed to be intended for. She also felt a strange sensation when her fingers touched the unique military uniform so she carefully looked at it.

    "This is¡­ amazing!" it didn''t take her too long to find the invisible formations that were all over the piece of clothing. This was unlike she had ever seen even the most elite members wear.

    *splash* a faint sound of water was heard inside the silent room.

    "Wha-!? Is that boy¡­." Sodina''s eyebrow twitched as she connected the dots. The boy couldn''t be doing anything but slacking off.

    Her temper flared because not only was the boy who had been entrusted with this room slacking off, he even dared to take a bath here. Even more unforgivable for her was that she had suspected him of taking the clothes of the owner out and had planned on doing who knows what with them.

    "Tch!" Kazuya who was relaxing in the bath immediately sensed Sodina approaching the bathroom. He quickly grabbed a towel and glared at the girl who had just entered with an angry expression.

    "(Shouldn''t I be the one mad at this situation?)" he clicked his tongue at Sodina and didn''t hide his displeasure.

    "You dare click your tongue at me after I''ve just caught you in the act?!" she shouted at him.

    "Why are you the one who''s mad? Aren''t you the one who just shamelessly intruded on a person who is taking a bath?" Kazuya tried to remain calm and relaxed his posture.

    "YOU!!!!" she pointed at him with a trembling hand. She had caught him doing something he shouldn''t have yet he was trying to make her the bad one? What a shameless guy!

    "What about me? Tell me, young miss, you should be aware that even if peeping is your hobby, you should at least try to not make me notice it." Kazuya shook his head sideways disappointingly. "Or is it that you think that you can look at anyone naked directly because of your status? I really can''t help but be surprised at the different unique hobbies that nobles have."

    Kazuya was already aware of why Sodina was acting this way. She had mistaken him for one of the servants. He only continued to feign ignorance because he was displeased at how this girl had been persistent enough to follow him all the way to the bath.

    "I don''t have such hobbies!!!!" she screamed at him in rage and grabbed things she could grab and threw it at him.

    "Once again, isn''t this supposed to be my part? Why am I treated like I''m the pervert when I''m the victim who is currently being peeped on." Kazuya gestured coming up with an idea and continued. "Oh! I see. You probably can''t see anything clearly because of the steam so you''re making me move from here." he grinned at her. "What a pervert¡­"

    *Sching!!!*

    Having had enough of his teasing, Sodina drew the rapier from her waist.

    Kazuya noticed another presence approaching from inside the room. Looking past Sodina, he saw that Julia had just arrived and checked to see what all the noise was about.

    "¡­" Julia was a bit surprised but chose to remain silent. this was a good chance for the relationship between the duke''s house and the hero to collapse or at least, have the young lady of the Eberbach house to suffer even a little bit of what princess Alicia did.

    "Are you sure about what you''re about to do, little pervert?" one of Kazuya''s arms that were spread finally moved. He pointed an arm towards her. "Remember, you''re the one who is in the wrong here. If you''re one of those types of people to cover up your mistakes by eliminating people, I wouldn''t mind teaching you a lesson."

    Sodina was immediately puzzled. What could the boy, that was currently naked and unarmed, possibly do to her? Was he some kind of magician?

    "(No¡­ he''s definitely bluffing!)" she made up her mind and pointed the rapier at the naked Kazuya.

    "Ah!" A familiar figure who was shocked to see what was happening showed up beside where Julia was silently standing. She glared at the Julia for not doing anything despite the seriousness of what was happening.

    "Please stop! Sodina ojou-sama, you must not engage this person!" Acht rushed to enter the bathroom.

    "Huh?" she turned back and saw the maid that was called away from her side earlier. "W-wait!" looking at Acht''s intentions, Sodina immediately panicked.

    *CRASH!!*

    The two girls fell on the ground after Acht successfully tackled Sodina.

    "Tsk!" Julia clicked her tongue and went back to the room since her presence would only alert Sodina of the identity of the person she just tried to attack. She didn''t want to help Alicia''s rival in any way since she had been saved from Kazuya''s retaliation.

    "Ow.. ow¡­ What the hell do you think you''re doing Acht!?" Sodina immediately glared at the girl who was clinging to her back.

    Her glare immediately subsided after seeing the look on Acht''s face. The maid''s eyes were shut tight but there was no doubt that what she was showing was an expression of fear.

    "(She''s scared? What was she so afraid of?)" Knowing Acht''s strength, there were hardly any candidates that the steel wolves considered that should be afraid of anyone. She immediately turned to look back at the boy taking a bath to look for answers but what she saw stunned her.

    *click* a metallic object which Sodina had not seen before could be seen on his hand. Looking at it made her realize that this person is the mysterious hero who everyone had been talking about recently.

    "(Is this really the person who saved me?)" she couldn''t help but have doubts.

    From Sodina''s perspective, other than the fact that he appeared to be from the eastern countries, there was nothing specifically redeeming about him. He had a pretty face, this was something that made her assume that he was a servant rather than a capable warrior who she everyone was already convinced had done great merits.

    "I see. From the way Acht treats you, you must be Elrich-san''s daughter."

    "Wha-!?" Sodina immediately flinched. He actually dared to call her father by name? Even if he was the hero, shouldn''t that be too rude?

    "Be thankful to Acht. I almost took away the life I saved back in that forest." He slowly pointed the gun towards the ceiling before it disappeared.

    Kazuya''s thoughts were simple, the best way to deal with this girl was to make her hate him. That way she would avoid him rather than himself doing it. This girl was prideful so it wouldn''t be that hard to have her hate him.

    "K-kazuya-sama is correct. This is Sodina Eberbach ojou-sama." Acht''s stuttering showed just how nervous she was at the situation. She knew from the way that Kazuya''s demeanor hadn''t changed that he had no problem with dealing with their little miss if she intended to attack.

    "Though I don''t recognize her from that time. I do find her hair color to be familiar." He leaned back again to relax. "Anyway, take her out. This is not the place for introductions. I won''t seek reparations for this event unless she wants to pursue it." He waved his hand to shoo them away.

    Sodina trembled in anger but held it in as Acht acted quickly to pull her out of the room. After they were out, her eyes immediately met with Julia''s condescending gaze.

    "Still as willful and dumb as ever I see," Julia commented as she put a few pieces of food in her mouth.

    "From a dog to a lowly slave. I don''t know which fits you better." Sodina immediately retorted. She may not know much about the hero but news about Julia''s fall was definitely something Sodina would not forget.

    "Better than being a pervert who walks into guests''Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    The two glared at each other. From Acht''s point of view, this was an unavoidable incident since these two were at odds with each other ever since Sodina had bested Julia in a practice match and had achieved a draw with Alicia afterward.

    It was not because Sodina had been superior, Julia lost due to the time restrictions. Her tactic was simple, it was to wear out this girl to make Alicia''s performance more dominating.

    Unfortunately, both Julia and Alicia had underestimated this girl. Sodina had more spirit and stamina than they expected and defended against Alicia''s strongest attacks at the time. It was just supposed to be an exhibition to uplift the morale of the people so, in the end, it had been judged as a draw. This was the time that Sodina Eberbach''s name had been known to be alongside Alicia as one of the talented youngsters of the next generation.

    "There you are Sodina ojou-sama!" Neun who had been looking for her was surprised to find her inside the hero''s room. "What are you doing here?" She looked at Acht for answers.

    "Neun? Can you tell me why this room is being occupied by the hero and his slave?" Sodina made sure to not call Julia by name but by her status to spite her.

    "I will inform you on the way. The duke has asked for your presence¡­" she noticed the grin on Julia''s face, so it wasn''t hard to guess that something had happened.

    Sodina''s attire was also partially drenched. They needed to stop over to her room where Neun planned to hear everything from Acht. They silently left without minding Julia who quietly ate her meal while waiting for the bath to be free.

    "You are free to go in now." Kazuya walked out after a while. He wore an expensive looking robe that looked to have been provided by their host as it had been stitched with the Eberbach insignia.

    "¡­" Julia looked at the robe and pondered about wearing something that bore the insignia of the princess'' enemy.

    In the end, she ended up taking a change of clothes that were already recovered from where she used to live. From here on out, this was the place she was going to stay so she had to get used to it. That would be unless her father can somehow convince Kazuya to set her free today.

    "(Hmm¡­ I don''t remember women in this world to be that forward¡­)" Kazuya contemplated on the stare that Julia just gave her as well as Sodina and Acht''s actions while he was in the bath.

    He shook his head and decided that it was unimportant before changing unto the clothes he had set aside. He figured that it was most likely Sodina who had intruded in the room who unfolded them. She was truly spoiled by the former resident of this room if she could do that. Even the Kazuya from his former life would have been beaten up if he had done something similar.

    "Now then, how to deal with this troublemaker who dares to discuss about taking something that is mine away from me¡­."

    .

 199 The Hero and the Royal Guard

    .

    Inside Elrich''s office, two men were seated across each other while having tea. This situation might have sounded to be a tranquil sight, but reality usually isn''t that simple. The atmosphere was more tense than usual because news had arrived that the hero had successfully made it back to the capital after a sudden departure.

    "Isn''t the hero making us wait for him a little too much?" Julian; Julia''s father and head of the king''s guard impatiently tapped on the table.

    He had been coming to the Eberbach residence for the past couple of days with the purpose of negotiating for Julia''s said contract to the hero be voided. Of course, that was not the only reason he was here. With Sodina''s arrival to the capital, it only meant that the people that were sent to take care of her had failed their mission.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    Julian also came to assess Elrich''s stand and current moves. With his daily visits, it would be harder for the duke to make preparations if in case he had already decided to point his blade at the kingdom.

    "Be patient, old friend. I''m sure the hero has his reasons. Don''t forget, it hasn''t been that long since he had arrived here. He might have been overwhelmed by the differences in our worlds when he went outside the capital to look around." Elrich calmly sipped his tea.

    Though Kazuya didn''t inform everyone of his sudden expedition, it wasn''t hard to understand why. Surely Elrich would have sent some people to serve as guards which Kazuya didn''t seem to like very much. Though Elrich didn''t agree with the hero venturing out on his own, there wasn''t much he could do since the hero was not a subordinate to anyone.

    "Did you properly inform him that I was waiting for him?" Julian impatiently turned to Laura who was the one that reported that the hero had safely made it back to the capital.

    "Yes. I also made sure to tell him of the purpose you have made clear for the past few days." Laura replied in a polite tone.

    "Hmph!" Julian snorted. He didn''t like Laura''s attitude.

    *knock* *knock* *knock*

    "Excuse me Elrich-sama." Zwei moved to meet with the servant that just entered and received a report. "Pardon me, there is a matter that needs your attention." He whispered to Elrich after hearing what the subordinate had to say.

    "Pardon me, old friend, it looks like my daughter has something to discuss with me in private. I will be back shortly." Elrich stood up.

    "Wasn''t she supposed to come here?" Julian was a little confused. Elrich indeed had someone summon Sodina earlier but why did he suddenly get called out?

    "It seems that my daughter has something to discuss with me in private. I believe it should not be a secret that she had encountered an unfortunate event while she was on her way to the capital. Due to that, she has developed a little bit of issues regarding trust." Elrich hinted before leaving the room.

    How could Julian not understand what was implied? He was worried that as time progresses, Elrich might have had some kind of evidence to use against the king''s faction. With him being in the right, there were a lot of people that could have been implicated in this matter.

    "(No¡­ he wouldn''t have hinted it in this way if he had undeniable proof¡­)" Julian calmed himself. He knew what kind of man the calm duke was. When it came to the battlefield there would not be any hesitation after the most feared ''war duke'' had decided to act. There would have only been a victor and a loser.

    After hearing Acht and Neun''s report at the nearby room, Elrich couldn''t help but look at Sodina sternly.

    "Really¡­ I don''t know what kind of ill fate that hero and you have. First, you stole his horse, now you barged inside his room and acted arrogantly! You even treated him like a servant who was neglecting his duties and walked into him bathing? What are you thinking!? Even if that were the case, did I raise a daughter that would nonchalantly walk into a man who was bathing!?!" Elrich tried hard to calm himself as he massaged the beating veins on his forehead.

    There weren''t many occurrences that he reprimanded Sodina but what had just happened couldn''t be overlooked. From Neun''s earlier report, Julia Tisdale was already trying to put some strain on the good relationship between him and the hero. Was Laura''s theory really correct? If so, Julian''s continuous visits here were no coincidence.

    "Father¡­" being scolded, she understood that she was wrong. Her father had never been wrong before and she knew just how much she was treasured. "I apologize¡­ I was mistaken¡­ I will try to not act rashly next time." She lowered her head.

    Elrich couldn''t stay mad on Sodina for long after seeing her sincere apology. It was good enough for him if his obedient daughter understood what she had done wrong. Of course, as her father, it was his responsibility to teach her what was right and help her if ever she needed it.

    "It is not me who you should be apologizing to." His tone softened as he massaged his temple. He knew that it wouldn''t be a simple matter to deal with this while Julian was here. The moment that old fox who had been hanging around the political circle around the king noticed something was wrong, he would do whatever he could to take advantage of it.

    The duke wondered if it was a mistake to ask his daughter to return to the capital to meet the hero. His daughter already did not have a favorable impression even before they met, and it had gotten worse the moment they did. What''s more, the steel wolves unit, which was the unit that that spoiled his daughter, was not on good terms with him because of Laura''s mistake either.

    "(What if he meets with ''her''¡­?)" he wondered if there was a possibility that the leader of the elite unit that treated Sodina like a little sister would make their relationship go to a point of no return. As unpredictable as she was, the commander of the steel wolves unit was wise yet, most of the time showed a very fierce personality. Even Elrich had some trouble with her whenever their opinions differed.

    "Should I go back and apologize before he meets with ''that slave''s'' father?" Sodina might not have been familiar with political affairs but she understood that her father did not get along with anyone from the king''s faction recently.

    "No. Kazuya-san is a very sharp individual. As long as you act like there is nothing wrong, I believe he will catch on and act tactfully." Elrich seemed confident in that statement as his daughter wondered just what that rude young man did to gain her father''s favor like this.

    Though Sodina wanted to ask about the hero through her father, she knew this wasn''t the right time. As soon as Elrich commanded Neun to stay by the hero''s side so that there wouldn''t be any more unexpected troubles, he took his daughter along back to where Julian had been waiting.

    "Good day to you Sir Julian." Sodina politely greeted Julian.

    "I heard you had experienced troubles, don''t think too much about it as the experience will only make you stronger in the future. You are one of the kingdom''s most talented young people after all." Julian said in a comforting tone.

    "Thank you for the advice, Sir Julian." She said with gratitude before joining the two for tea.

    It didn''t take a long time before Neun had made an appearance to announce Kazuya''s arrival. Julian was a little displeased because his daughter had been treated as air and wasn''t even introduced after he saw her enter with the young man who was supposed to be the hero that was called by their kingdom.

    "It has been a while Elrich-san. I ended up extending my stay outside the capital because of¡­ well, I''m sure you already know the reason why." Kazuya ignored Julian and exchanged greetings with the duke.

    "Ah, yes. How could I not be? Not only have you ended up saving one of my subordinates'' life, but you also saved my daughter''s life even without knowing who she was." Elrich praised whilst stealthily glancing towards Julian.

    Kazuya was the same. He also turned his attention towards Julian who could not prevent himself from not showing any reaction to the sudden bomb that was dropped in front of him. All of the people in the king''s faction couldn''t figure out what happened nor could they send people to investigate because of how much Elrich''s forces have been active around the scene of the crime. How could Julian not show any reaction to this shocking revelation?

    Was fate really playing a joke on their faction? Did the goddess favor the Eberbach family that much? Not only did the hero hit it off with the Eberbach house after he was summoned, but he also ended up saving the duke''s beloved daughter by chance?

    What about them? What had happened to their side? The princess was almost crippled by the hero to make them realize that they had done him wrong, he had lost his daughter who now had a status of a slave, and let us not forget the failed attempt on the life of Sodina Eberbach.

    "(Father¡­)" Julia glared at her dad because of the obvious surprise he was showing. From her point of view, Julia already saw that most of the people in the room had already noticed Julian''s strange reaction to the sudden news.

    "What kind of ''hero'' would I be if am selective with the people I save." Kazuya gave a light laugh. "Though I haven''t accepted the role officially, I just couldn''t ignore a person who I would have been able to help. It turns out that I did make the right decision as she turned out to be the only daughter you are famous for doting on."

    "Haha!" Elrich laughed out loud. He didn''t deny the hero''s words at all because he was proud of the fact that his love for his daughter was renowned. "Let me introduce you; this is Sodina, my daughter." He turned to introduce Sodina who slowly stood from her seat.

    "I apologize for the trouble I have given you. You have my deepest gratitude for saving a stranger like me and even caring for one of my escorts who tried to sacrifice himself." Sodina sincerely bowed.

    It turned out her father was correct. Not only did the hero not act any differently towards her, but he also seemed to have been paying attention to the reactions and behavior of Julian Tisdale.

    "Please don''t mention it. Your Father has been very accommodating. He was even generous enough to let me stay in such a luxurious room, so I am glad to have helped him in some way." Kazuya gently smiled at her despite the light jab in his words.

    Surely enough, despite Kazuya''s expectation, Sodina was indeed raised as a noble. Her face remained calm and did not show any reaction towards his leaded words. The only thing that she couldn''t hide was the look in her eyes that held some resentment towards Kazuya.

    Julian, of course, did not notice the fire in Sodina''s eyes as he was not very familiar with her character. Only those who knew what happened nervously looked at their young miss while wishing she could hold it in. Laura, who wasn''t aware of what happened, could only turn to Neun because she knew that something must have happened.

    "We should discuss that matter later as we have a guest that has been anxiously awaiting your arrival, Kazuya-san." Elrich gestured towards Julian who had waited long enough to be introduced. "This is Julian Tisdale, captain of the king''s guard. It is the position that the Tisdale family had held for several generations."

    "It is an honor to finally meet you, young hero. I wish we would have met under better circumstances." Julian saluted as a knight should.

    Kazuya wasn''t very familiar with this man. He had talked to the king numerous times in his first life but he hadn''t seen this man do much apart from standing by the side. Kazuya didn''t know what this man was capable of, so he was on guard around him. This guy was the one that raised and trained one of his former party members after all.

    "Ah yes, I did hear from the glasses girl over there that someone had been making a fuss over here." Kazuya used his thumb to point at Laura who was beside Neun and Acht.

    Though he was cautious with this person, that didn''t mean he was afraid. If this man wasn''t at least as strong as the demon lord, there wouldn''t be any problems for Kazuya to face him alone. This was the reason why Kazuya had acted less politely towards him.

    "I don''t know what you have been told but I am here to¡ª"

    "If you do not have any business other than trying to take back my new subordinate, you may go back to where you came from, Mr. royal guard."

    .

 200 Refusal and Reversal

    .

    The hero had a reputation for being unpredictable, but this sudden development even took Elrich by surprise. Though he already knew what Kazuya was thinking from Laura''s report, it was still a little too much to be rejecting Julian''s plea without even hearing him out.

    Elrich wasn''t the only one, even Julia Tisdale was unaware that her father would be rejected without being given the chance to speak.

    "(Just what did Kazuya see in me that made him not want anything in return for my freedom?) This was the perfect chance to take advantage of asking for whatever he wanted and even the Elrich Eberbach would have asked her father for something in exchange for me¡­)" Julia stared at the confusing hero''s back as she contemplated.

    "W-what do you mean by this?" Julian was a hardened man, but he couldn''t help but stutter after he forced himself to talk.

    He could feel some pressure from this young man. All new heroes were supposed to have been from a peaceful world, not to mention that they were very young, which made them na?ve. The only exception was the hero Raphael who was known to have already been a soldier before he was summoned.

    His occupation as a royal guard had made him have a habit of gauging people. Heroes were known to have an uncanny amount of mana emanating from their bodies but for some reason, the mana he could feel from this strange boy was something that does not make him stand out from the elites that he had under him. Julian couldn''t figure out just what it was that made him nervous around this boy so suddenly.

    "(Could it be¡­?)" He was reminded of a similar presence that his grandfather told him about when he was still a young boy.

    "I meant what I just said. I''m not interested in dissolving the agreement between me and my subordinate. I doubt you can offer me anything that could make me agree which is why I''m saving us a lot of time." Kazuya replied and nodded towards Zwei who had just served him tea.

    If Julian wasn''t already aware of the military attire that was similar to what the military personnel of the Eberbach house wore, he would have immediately judged him as a person who aligned himself with the duke. The military uniform that matched the black hair of the hero gave Julian a strange feeling. He may have already doubted the hero''s claims of not being interested in anything he had to offer if Julian''s mind was not already occupied with a lot of things so suddenly.

    "Are you serious? Are you really going to hold a person under your command against her will? Is that something a hero would do?" Julian saw the disappointed expression that Julia, who was standing behind the hero, was making and immediately straightened himself up.

    "Was it against her will when she decided to attack me and lose her freedom in the process? Don''t try to take the moral high ground with me, sir Tisdale. The fact remains that she was the one who went after me first." Kazuya shook his head sideways.

    "Besides, you people were the ones who gave me the title of hero when you kidnapped me from my world. You people are the last people who have any right on judging me for the actions I decided to take because not only did I confirm your own laws, I followed them. Otherwise, the floors of the castle will have been spilled with your daughter''s blood." Kazuya continued without batting an eye.

    The finance minister could attest to this. The two maids who were with him at the time stopped the hero from taking any action the moment he was attacked. Afterward, he decided not to kill Julia right on the spot and even inquired about the laws inside the castle.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Can''t you forgive her just once? No one got hurt and even though you are not from our world, aren''t you also human? Humans make a lot of mistakes, especially young ones." Julian tried to reason.

    "Please spare me from that kind of speech. Let me ask you this, would I be forgiven if I suddenly attacked the king?" Kazuya smiled at Julian.

    Who didn''t know the answer to this question? He would have been executed on the spot if he tried something like that.

    "Let''s take it from another perspective." Kazuya continued since he knew that Julian wasn''t going to answer his question. "If I hadn''t paid attention or if Acht and Neun weren''t present. Do you think I would have had the chance to seek justice?"

    Though Kazuya was aware that Julia didn''t intend to kill him when she attacked, he chose to go with this reasoning because he knew Alicia and Julia too well. This was probably an action that was done with the princess''s approval. Now that it failed, with the loss of Julia to Kazuya, there would be no way that she would admit that it was done with her permission.

    "You said that we are humans and we make mistakes. Though that is true, there is a line between mistakes that were intended and unintended. She, as a member of the castle guards, attacked me while being fully aware of the rules of the castle. If I forgive her for what she tried to do just because she wasn''t able to complete it, should we forgive assassins, murderers or rapists who weren''t able to do what they intended as well?"

    Elrich looked at Kazuya with admiration. Julian, like all other nobles who tried to move their silver tongues at Kazuya, had been crushed by his reasoning. There was little room for the captain of the king''s guard to speak and from the way things were going, a young man who wasn''t half his age had just talked him down to submission.

    "You called my daughter a subordinate. I''ve also heard that you are similar to a noble here in your world. Is the reason why you''re bent on keeping her is because you want people under your command?"

    "That is not wrong," Kazuya replied.

    "How about I exchange my daughter for a hundred people that would agree to the same terms you have with my daughter? You may even choose them." Julian offered.

    Slaves with battle experience could be bought. There were even former soldiers that were being sold as slaves so there wouldn''t be a shortage of personnel to offer to the hero as long as Julian was willing to pay for them. The hero wouldn''t even need to pay them and provide necessities. it would be a good deal but what Julian wasn''t aware of was that Kazuya already knew what he was thinking of.

    "I said that you were not wrong, but I didn''t say that you were completely correct. Please understand, I already said that there would be nothing that you could offer to make me consider dissolving my agreement with her. Not even if the king were here to negotiate with me himself." Kazuya put the final nail in the coffin.

    How could they know the significance of Julia''s life to Kazuya? This was the life that he was not willing to let go of now that he was in charge of it. If he could easily do the same to the others who betrayed him, he would use himself as bait anytime.

    To the hero, not even the death gods could collect their lives without his permission.

    *SLAM!!*

    "You''re being unreasonable!" Julian had finally lost his patience and hit the wooden table.

    "I''m being unreasonable?" Kazuya tilted his head acting confused. "Do I seem like I''m being unreasonable, Elrich-san?"

    "No. I believe that what you did was correct. From my perspective, you have even shown mercy by not taking her life. That is why you need to calm yourself Julian. Don''t only look from the perspective of a parent." Elrich gestured for Zwei to clean up the spilled tea on the table and serve them another batch.

    Julian couldn''t help but give a bitter expression. Elrich Eberbach of all people had just told him to not act like a parent! The most infamous when it came to being illogical when their child was involved was the last person to say those lines to him.

    "I just remembered, since you are in a high position, you should know about a lot of wanted criminals, right?" Kazuya suddenly changed the topic as he reached for his pocket

    "Will you release my daughter if I help?" Julian crossed his arms and scoffed at the hero.

    "What about you duke? Will you be able to recognize someone through their voice?"

    "If I have met them. I believe I would be able to." Not knowing what the hero was up to, Elrich still agreed. He hasn''t been disappointed in Kazuya''s performance and believed he wouldn''t be anytime soon.

    Kazuya took out his phone and placed it on the table after pressing the play button on a certain recording.

    "[Who sent you?]" the voice they immediately identified as the hero was heard from the strange device.

    "[We were sent by Marquis Keller! I''ve told you now let me die in peace!]" a deep voice that obviously belonged to a man suddenly came from the phone.

    "[Why? Who was that girl?]" ignoring the man''s pleas, he continued his questioning.

    "[She''s the only daughter of Duke Elrich Eberbach! The king''s faction wants to get rid of her! PLEASE! JUST KILL ME!!!!!]"

    *BANG*

    "That was the voice of the man leading the people who attacked me!" Sodina, who had been silent all this time finally spoke out.

    "[Are you sure?]" Elrich frowned.

    "I am a hundred percent sure! That voice is still ringing in my head whenever I remember those who died to save me!"

    Currently from the people in the room, only Acht and Neun were unable to recognize whose voice they just listened to was. The voice''s owner was none other than one of the captains of the royal shadow, a group tasked with missions that involved the secrets of the crown.

    "What is this device? How can it mimic a person''s?" Julian was the first to express doubt over the evidence suddenly presented in front of them.

    This was bad for him. He was part of the king''s faction and they were currently in the Eberbach residence. If he couldn''t stop Elrich''s temper from going off, he might die here.

    "This is a device used for communication in my world. Although that function does not work in Edea, the other features have no problems. I had recorded the ''little chat'' I had with the leader of those mysterious men. So I wanted to ask if both of you know which kingdom this Marquis Keller is if you happen to not be familiar with that guy''s voice." Kazuya calmly stated.

    "Preposterous! Voices can easily be imitated! This is not enough to prove the identity of the person nor his claims!" though Julian was speaking towards the hero, his sights were locked at Elrich who had turned silent.

    Julia shared the same opinion as her father. That ''little chat'' should not have existed because she was present when Kazuya and the mysterious men''s leader had encountered each other. It ended with the man''s death so such a conversation could not have possibly taken place.

    "What are you being so defensive for? It''s not like the voice belonged to you or something. As far as I believe, your name shouldn''t be Keller either." Kazuya shrugged and acted as if he didn''t know why Julian was reacting like that.

    "You¡­ Marquis Keller is a noble from our kingdom. He would never¡ª"

    "Enough!" Elrich glared at Julian as he cut him off. "Shut that mouth of yours and let Kazuya-san finish." From the presence suddenly emanating from Elrich alone, Julian could feel that it would be bad if he kept on running his mouth.

    "(This is bad. That bastard actually dared to talk!)" Knowing Elrich''s personality, now that he was given a specific target, the plan to have the whole faction fight against the Eberbach house for rebellion had just been turned against them!

    "Do you have anything else that would help us identify the culprits." Elrich turned towards Kazuya and asked if there were more recordings.

    "I do have something else but¡­ I don''t think that it is suitable to show them while we are having tea." Kazuya began to explain that the device had another feature. It was the camera function that was used to capture images.

    To prove the functions of the device, Kazuya had a conversation and then recorded it. He played it back and proved that he indeed had the ability to keep a record of their conversation. Kazuya took a few photos to prove the camera''s functions and even showed them the video function. He explained that he could not use that function and had to stick with recording because of requirements that had to be met in the situation.

    "So what you mean to show us is the images of those men?" Elrich was enlightened after the explanations.

    "Correct. Before I got rid of their bodies, I took off their masks and took pictures of their faces so that I could ask for their identities later. I helped a stranger and killed these men so I need to be careful of the people who might have been behind them." Kazuya explained.

    "They might not be able to even set their sights on you as long as I am able to confirm the identity of the man''s voice in your recording. Their hands will be full of dealing with what I have in store for them."

    .

 201 Elrichs Decision

    .

    With the serious assurance from none other than one of the most famous commanders in Edea at the moment, Kazuya smiled and showed the photos of the men who he had unmasked.

    Each of the faces was of course, already dead. The images shown showed a single bloody hole on their foreheads which they had already assumed had been from the hero''s soul weapon.

    "This¡­!" Julian''s expression immediately darkened. There was no doubt that Elrich could recognize some of them since there were times in the past where these people were sent to train with the subordinates under the duke.

    Since the Eberbach family had taken the stories from the hero Raphael seriously, they had based their military structure on the principles of the stories that he had shared. Though many thought that the ideas were preposterous since they are two different worlds, the success of the Eberbach family throughout the centuries had left nothing to dispute.

    Even when the kingdom had changed hands, the Eberbach family had played a major role because of their unique military structure. That is why the royal shadows unit was based on some of the successes of the Eberbach family. Specifically, their information network and their elite units.

    "Seems like I''m owing you a bigger debt as time goes by." Elrich had seen enough. There was no doubt that these men were indeed from the royal shadow unit. Even an elite one at that.

    "This is preposterous! Are you trying to sow discord in the kingdom!?" Julian immediately pointed his finger at Kazuya.

    Julia looked worriedly at her father and tried to gesture for him to stop. With Kazuya''s temperament, how could she not be worried?

    "I see¡­ I get it now. These people must be from a faction against Elrich-san." Kazuya nodded as if he had just understood the situation completely. "I don''t think I need to remind you that I have no idea of the political situation in this kingdom since I have not even settled myself in this world yet. Besides, I would not have kept you here to see the evidence if my purpose was indeed to stir up trouble between you nobles." Kazuya looked Julian in the eye.

    "Frankly, neither am I interested in it. So unless you involve me, in which I would assume what you are trying to do right now, I will not move for the benefit of each side since the main purpose of my summoning was to take care of the problem with the demons."

    "I''m not¡­" It would be a terrible mistake on his part if the hero ends up helping the Eberbach house despite the hero''s declaration of neutrality.

    "Then lower the finger pointing at me before I end up shooting it off your hand." Kazuya used a threatening tone which immediately startled everyone who was present.

    "You¡­" Julian bit his lip. A young man who wasn''t even half his age dared to command him.

    "If I had learned anything from my trip outside of this city is that this world is full of dangers. The current me will not be enough to deal with creatures who have lived with an abundant amount of mana since birth. With the abilities I am now able to do compared to when I was on earth, I have to slowly try to integrate it with my current self." Kazuya stealthily glanced at Julia who worriedly looked over her father.

    "Tell your king that I will consider his offer after I have trained myself to be capable of the expectations this world has of me." Kazuya ignored Julian''s dissatisfaction and continued.

    For now, he should give the king''s faction some kind of assurance now that he had caused the relationship between them and the duke to worsen up to this point. That would give them second thoughts about trying to deal with him along with Elrich.

    Of course, Kazuya didn''t want history to repeat itself. This was why he had disguised his voice to sound like the leader of Sodina''s attackers and recorded that conversation. A scapegoat was already provided so Elrich had a specific person to attack.

    The Keller family is one of the most loyal supporters of the king''s faction. In Kazuya''s previous life, they held the position that Elrich used to occupy and had been the biggest military power in the Zweifel kingdom. The Keller army was also one of the armies that marched towards the demon king''s castle to make sure that Kazuya and his loyal supporters would not be able to return from their final journey.

    With this move, not only will Kazuya be crippling the king''s faction from allying together to deal with the Eberbach house, he would be weakening their forces greatly once Elrich moves against the Keller family. With him as a witness, they wouldn''t dare paint Elrich to be that bad guy unless they wanted to include the hero in this fiasco.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.comfor visiting.

    "Elrich¡­" Julian turned to the duke. He wanted to dissuade him from doing anything irrational.

    "Save your breath, Julian. You know me well enough to know what comes next after this." Elrich waved his hand and prevented Julian from saying any more. "You should quickly inform those in the palace that anyone who dares lend a hand or side with the Keller family will share their fate. But those who come forward with any help or information will be rewarded with the Keller family''s territories that I have no use for."

    Elrich''s solid stance made Julian shiver. Every time Elrich had moved himself, there would be a bloodbath. Though the Keller family was one of the largest military families of the king''s faction, alone, it did not even have half of the power and number that the Eberbach forces had.

    What''s more, with his declaration, the greedy nobles in the kingdom''s faction will not hesitate to point their fangs towards the Keller family so they could benefit from the already guaranteed fall of the military family.

    "No!" Julian suddenly stood up. "I will not move an inch from this spot unless you swear to consider talking to the king about this matter!" he was desperate. There wasn''t anything else that he could do at this point.

    Elrich frowned. If he made a move against Julian, there was no doubt that they would have an excuse to persecute him. The king''s royal guard was indeed making a stance to protect the kingdom''s peace after all. The situation was now in a stalemate.

    "I say, aren''t you being a bit too bull-headed?" Kazuya broke the tension as he glanced over at Julian. He was annoyed at what this man doing in desperation.

    "Stay out of this. This matter concerns the kingdom." Julian didn''t want to give Kazuya the chance to interfere.

    "I was planning on discussing a cooperation between the duke and myself regarding my training. I believe that is a matter of the kingdom, is it not? In my opinion, since you did not even try to help with my earlier concern and the discussion about my subordinate has been made clear, you should have overstayed your welcome." He shook his head sideways and looked at the captain with contempt.

    "So what? Are you going to make a move on me?" he provoked Kazuya. It would work on his favor if the impulsive hero did such a thing, so he decided to focus on him instead of Elrich who seemed to have already realized his intention.

    "Why do I need to make a move against you when I can get you to scram on your own without lifting a finger?" Kazuya sipped his cup slowly before turning behind.

    "JULIA! If your father does not remove himself from the Eberbach residence within three minutes, I command you to disembowel yourself with this butter knife!" he took the knife from the table and tossed it for Julia to catch.

    "WHAT!!?" Julian looked towards his daughter who helplessly caught the knife.

    "Now, I believe you should be able to understand a little about what Elrich-san is thinking of. Will you stubbornly stay here and watch your daughter kill herself before your eyes hereby proving that you choose the kingdom over her life, or will you step back and inform your liege about the traitorous actions of one of your subjects and let the duke enact the justice he deserves?" Kazuya grinned.

    "If it were me, if this kingdom causes as much as a scratch on the skin of any member of my family, I would not rest until it has fallen. So, count yourselves lucky that I was the one called here instead of any of them."

    "YOUU!!!!" Julian''s temper reached its boiling point. He immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword as he glared murderously at the hero.

    *BANG!* a bullet immediately flew past his face.

    "That is not a wise choice for a seasoned person like you." Kazuya gestured to everyone around the room who had prepared themselves to engage Julian. "You won''t be the only one going to the afterlife if you decide to go on this path, I guarantee you that." He purposely glanced over to Julia whose begging look calmed the enraged Julian down a bit.

    "So, this is your soul weapon¡­" Julian was taken aback. He heard that it was able to penetrate personal barriers like it was nothing and was skeptical about it. Experiencing it himself, he understood it, the people around him would be able to easily handle him even if he were to reveal all his prowess.

    "A minute and a half left." Kazuya simply smiled and ignored his remark.

    He was already aware that a man who was as experienced as Julian had understood something. There was a little distance between them, so the gun''s weakness was easily seen through. Once they knew of its barrier nullifying abilities, one who was capable enough would only need to enhance both their sight and reflexes to dodge the small trajectory of the projectile it launched.

    "Fine, you''ve made your point." Julian raised both his hands as a sign of surrender. "I will inform the king of this matter." Knowing that he only had a little over a minute, he moved towards the exit.

    "Make sure to tell him everything truthfully." Kazuya smiled as he waved the cellphone on his other hand. He had secretly recorded their conversation to make sure that only the truth would be relayed.

    "Hmph!" Julian quickly made his way out followed by Zwei who was gestured by Elrich to make sure that he left.

    The two who shared the table with Kazuya had different opinions about the hero after what had just happened. Elrich, of course, had nothing but praise for how Kazuya had magnificently handled the matter. For his daughter, however, she felt that the young man was not only underhanded but devious as well. She did not like the fact that he used Julian''s daughter''s life to make him leave despite her relationship with Julia herself.

    "I wish to thank you for a lot of matters, Kazuya-san. With how things turned out, I believe there are too many to mention." He politely bowed with gratitude.

    "Please raise your head, Elrich-san. Like I said before, I will not hesitate to help someone in my vicinity as long as I deem it as the correct move. This aspect of my personality does not make me deserve to bear the title of ''hero''."

    "Please don''t belittle yourself like that." This was why he looked highly upon this person. He does not deny his shortcomings, nor does he change principles when it suits him. "I believe a true hero is not someone who seeks to please the people, it is someone who fights for what is truly right despite all difficulties."

    Kazuya smiled. He believed that this man was indeed worth saving. All the thoughts of hesitation over what he did for the Eberbach house had disappeared. It was better to have such a wise and honorable man amongst the rotten and greedy nobles cared about nothing but to fulfill their own greed and agendas.

    "What are your plans now?" Kazuya smiled as he asked.

    "I will need to go back to my territory before the king can get a chance to detain me to the capital." He glanced over to Zwei who had acknowledged his intentions and left the room quietly.

    "I see¡­ Though I won''t be able to offer any help, do note that I would have done the same, if not worse."

    "I am glad to hear that. This must be why I''ve felt that we will get along fairly well." Elrich gave a light laugh.

    Both of them valued sentiment a lot. If anyone dared to point their blades at them, they would retaliate in kind. But, if their enemies dared to point their blades at their loved ones, these two were the types who would throw everything at their disposal in retaliation.

    "I wish you a safe and swift victory." He smiled in return.

    "Thank you. I shall leave Sodina and Zwei to be your hosts while I am away. I believe that my daughter would be able to help you with getting used to what you need to in our world."

    .

 202 Stance on the Matter

    .

    Not long after Elrich had silently left the capital, his prediction was proven correct as a large convoy arrived at the Eberbach property in the capital. The King himself along with a few ministers had decided to pay him a visit so that they could stop him from moving against the Keller family.

    "I apologize, your majesty, Elrich-sama already left the capital." Zwei had received them together with Sodina and Kazuya.

    Benino couldn''t help but frown. Elrich''s successful departure meant that soon, the Keller Earldom was as good as doomed unless he decided to face the Eberbach family with the combined forces of their faction like they had planned. Unfortunately, many have already seen and heard about the event where Sodina had arrived at the capital alone and wounded. It wouldn''t take much to connect the dots after Elrich had made a personal appearance against the Keller family.

    "I heard about what happened to you, child." Benino looked at Sodina who was still on her knees beside Kazuya who didn''t bother to move. "Hearing that it may have been caused by a noble of this kingdom pains my heart."

    "Thank you for your concern, your Majesty. My father has already moved to make those responsible for what happened to me and my escorts know what it is like to mess with the Eberbach family." Sodina proudly replied. "I would have liked to join him but he has assigned Zwei-san and myself the task of being the hero''s host."

    "Is that so?" Benino moved his gaze towards the relaxed Kazuya who did not care to give him any respect as the kingdom''s king.

    He couldn''t help but feel awkward around this young man. Whenever they met, he would feel as if he was at a loss. Now, once again, this hero has foiled a plan that he was hatching even before they had called him here. He was contemplating about what he should do with the hero who was unexpectedly difficult to deal with unlike the legends of the past.

    If he decided to get rid of the hero, not only will the scheme he had planned with the church of light be wasted, the sacrifice of a large amount of mana in their kingdom would be for naught. This a loss that he was not considering on bearing because calling for another hero so soon would not only make their lands infertile, Zweifel kingdom would also be bearing most of the costs themselves.

    "I also heard that you were interested in improving your skills?" Benino asked Kazuya.

    This was a phase that all the heroes had to go through. Benino was glad to finally hear that this difficult person has now decided to follow the script. With this, his plans could finally proceed.

    "Yes. I have been discussing this with Zwei-san and the young miss here before you arrived. I would also need to come to the palace and make use of the information in your royal library so I will be intruding on the palace a lot." Kazuya didn''t bother hiding his intentions on making use of the palace''s resources.

    "Is that so? If you would like, I can have instructors and senior knights help you with your training. This was what the other heroes did in the past." He urged.

    "I appreciate the offer, but I would like to move at my own pace for the moment. Currently, I want to focus on the path I have chosen for myself. From there, I will try to do things that I was not able to do in my world." Kazuya explained his current plan.

    "If we talk about what I can do right now, my abilities are best suited not to be in the front lines. I am more of a commander than I am a fighter. So, for now, I will focus on my strengths before using them to fix my current weaknesses. The best way I can do that is first, by learning"

    Benino did not find this to be strange. He already had a feeling that this hero was someone who was vastly different from any other hero in history because of the high position he was said to have in his world. Like Alicia, who also possesses commanding qualities, Kazuya was the type who chose on concentrating on that path because of the mana limitations in the other world.

    "I believe that you have your own way of dealing with things so I will leave that to you. The kingdom will support you if you ever need anything so please do not hesitate to ask." Benino smiled as the faster he can have this hero under his command the better.

    "Your majesty¡­" Julian who was also present called out to the king as if pleading for mercy.

    Benino then glanced over at the familiar girl who had a reluctant look on her face as she remained standing behind the hero. She was given a strict order not to pay respects to anyone unless Kazuya had commanded her or he himself had paid respects to a person. Because of this, Julia couldn''t kneel before the king like she used to.

    "I believe that Julian has already expressed his desire to retrieve his daughter, correct? Is there no way for you to make a concession for me?" Benino asked curiously. He was genuinely curious whether this hero would really dare to reject a request from him, the king.

    "It''s not like there isn''t any way for me to grant that request of yours." Kazuya smiled at the king after hearing such a request.

    Zwei, Sodina, Julian, and Julia looked at Kazuya in disbelief. Was he really just going to release Julia after the king asked? To others, this was the natural response so none of them found this to be weird. Was this stubborn hero really going to give up Julia after rejecting all the benefits that Julian could have put on the table?

    "As long as you agree for Alicia-san to trade places with her, I will let her go back." Kazuya ignored all the shocked responses and continued. "A daughter for a daughter. That isn''t a bad deal isn''t it?"

    The king''s expression turned grim. He had just been played. This hero not only rejected his request but also played him for a fool. Not even Julian would agree to trade the princess for her guard. It was preposterous to even suggest so.

    "You rude bas¡ª" Benino stretched his arm to stop Julian from continuing. No good outcome would come if they clashed with the hero after he had just taken a step into their plans.

    "Is there really no other way?" Benino remained calm. He was not the king of a country with nothing to show for it. His ambitions were bigger than his predecessor so how can he let this affect his grand plans?

    "Unless you can offer me a way back to my world right now, I don''t see any other away." He made his stance clear.

    The people who were part of the king''s envoy were startled. The king himself had just made a request but not only was he rejected, but he was also played with. Those who have yet to meet the hero couldn''t tell if this stranger from another world was brave or ignorant. Nevertheless, the king himself had remained calm so there was no chance for them to back him up.

    The conversation went smoothly. It was like they were talking about daily matters. The hero was able to deal with the king while the king gracefully accepted the hero''s tomfoolery. If it were not for the hero''s young age, it would be like a verbal fight between two experienced political adversaries. They couldn''t help but give their respect towards the hero who was currently holding down the king of the biggest human kingdom.

    Of course, the peaceful negotiation was only because of Kazuya''s sensitive status and identity. There was no way someone like Benino would stand being made a fool out of so there were tense moments whenever these two exchanged words.

    "Since Elrich is not present, there is no more need for us to prolong our stay. I must quickly convene a meeting since this is a big matter for the kingdom. I bid you good tidings on your endeavors, young hero." The king excused himself.

    "I wish you good luck in dealing with the matters of your kingdom, old king. I may not have intended to paint the target, but the truth often reveals itself. I may not be supporting the duke in person but I support the action he is going to take. Snakes in your own country that conspire against one another instead of working with one another needs to be purged." Kazuya grinned as the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped.

    The hero had exuded a murderous atmosphere that shocked even the war veterans like Zwei and the king himself who were present. There was no doubt in their minds now that this young man was no stranger to slaughter. There was no way that he could have this kind of aura with taking just a few lives.

    "(This kid¡­ seems to be more dangerous than I initially thought¡­)" Zwei couldn''t help but think.

    The grey-haired butler glanced at the king''s envoys who started to have trouble breathing. This was not something that people who haven''t been on the battlefield were able to stand. With the aura getting stronger with each second that passed, even Sodina was starting to pant.

    "At least, that''s how I deal with my own territory back in my world." The murderous atmosphere immediately disappeared. It had been just at the moment when the majority of the king''s envoys were about to lose consciousness.

    Zwei couldn''t help but hide the smile on his face. This kid was really something. He knew his value and didn''t have any problems intimidating those who were trying to use him. It was something had suddenly changed with the hero. From his personality, he wouldn''t have involved himself with the affairs of the Eberbach family.

    Now, not only did he say that he had no problems with the actions Elrich was about to take, he had declared that he would have done even worse things had this place been his territory. Kazuya had made his stance since he was the one who had revealed the secret plot. If they had moved against Elrich with reasons that distorted the truth he found, he would be a more difficult person to deal with than he was now.

    "I will keep those words in mind." No longer bearing the smile he once painted on his face, Benino took one serious look at Kazuya before turning to leave. Despite the condition of the people the king had brought with him were in, he left after discovering yet another shocking thing about this hero.

    "(He might have killed even more people than me¡­)" the king clenched his fist as he tried to deny this impossible thought. Though the warrior in him who had experienced battles was telling him that what he was feeling was most likely the truth, the politician and noble side of himself was refuting it as it was an impossible feat considering his age.

    "Thank you for those words hero. I believe that those just tied their hands if they are still considering on sending help towards the Keller earldom." Zwei did not try to hide his gratitude and thanked Kazuya immediately after the Benino and his posse had left.

    Sodina was confused. She was unable to read past the words that were used on the surface and thought that the hero was trying to say that he was someone of importance in his world. She thought that he was bragging but from Zwei''s words, she understood that he had helped her family a great deal.

    "Thank you for your support." Sodina did the same and gave her gratitude. She figured that she could ask Zwei about what he meant later.

    "Oh? Tell me ojou-sama. Just what is it specifically that you are thankful for? I seem to not be aware of what kind of help I had just provided." Kazuya grinned towards the young lady.

    "I¡­" she gave a panicked expression before throwing a glare at him after realizing that he was messing with her. "You!!!"

    "Please refrain from giving me such empty formalities. They would only serve as a means of worsening any impressions I have on people. I care little for them and like things as they are." Kazuya smiled.

    "(This guy is seriously annoying!!!!)"

    .

 204 Earl Kellers Woes

    .

    Word spread around the Keller territory extremely fast. With the help of the forces Elrich had arranged for, behind the scenes, the news reached not just the borders but the people who had friends working at different areas around the territory. They were quickly informed by either family or friends who were able to hear about the bloody duke''s declaration near the borders of the Keller territory.

    With Elrich Eberbach''s reputation, people who heard about the information being spread around by the duke''s men inside the territory weren''t doubted. Rather, the Keller family was hated even more. Not only were they making their residents suffer from all the taxes spent for strengthening the Keller family''s forces, they even brought the bloody duke who could possibly raze their homes to the ground.

    To those in the Keller family''s service, they saw this as a chance to be part of the invincible army of the human forces. How can they not be tempted to join? Not only would they be able to march under the name of the historical army, but they would also be trained to be part of the company of the people who were most likely to survive on the battlefield.

    Now that Elrich had made his move openly, the current head of the Keller family, couldn''t help but burst out in anger as soon he heard how Elrich decided to enter his territory.

    *SLAM!!*

    The table in front of him grew cracks from the point of impact and split in half.

    "That arrogant bastard!! Does he think that I won''t be able to put up a fight!?" the commanders of his army remained silent after witnessing him vent his frustration.

    Paul Keller, the current head of the Keller family was prideful as he was ambitious. He was currently the best candidate in the king''s faction to have taken control of most of the Eberbach family''s forces if the king''s plan had succeeded as they had initially expected. This was why he was currently at his wit''s end with Elrich knocking at his doorstep.

    Paul may not have been able to take over everything because having too much power was what caused the discord between the king and Elrich but, it was still more than twice the power and influence he currently had. Now, what could have been his was out to destroy everything that he currently had.

    Unlike what they had planned secretly behind the bloody duke''s back, Elrich was openly poaching people from the forces he had been painstakingly building. They could either remain loyal to the Keller Earldom and fall with them when Elrich''s forces attacked, or they could be promoted in serving a more powerful employer whilst also surviving this ordeal. Paul was worried about the choices his own people would make.

    The choice Elrich gave to those working for the Keller family was extremely tempting. They would not be seen or branded as traitors by the people because it was the Keller family who had made a move against the Eberbach family in the first place. There were very few people who doubted the bloody general''s words after the hero''s name was thrown into the equation.

    To those who knew or had any idea of how politics worked, the two-day grace period given confidently by Elrich was also a sign that the duke was sure that reinforcements for the Keller family were not coming. It was either that or he welcomed anyone who would try to help the Keller family.

    "From the reports sent to us by the scouts, it looks like the forces that the bloody duke brought with him is not as large as we expected but¡­" one of the subordinates hesitated.

    "But what? Isn''t that good news? I heard that Elrich''s right-hand man and his unit were asked to stay at the capital with his daughter to take care of the hero." Paul impatiently looked at the hesitating commander.

    "Indeed. The butler Zwei stayed at the capital but¡­ the duke had brought his bloody legion. The elite unit that emerged victorious against the sabretooth tribe when they tried to invade the territories not too far from here." his reports caused the other commanders to shudder.

    Who could forget about the sabretooth tribe? It was one of the most ferocious and reclusive of the beast races. The only reason why they weren''t the ones who were tasked to defend against the savage tribe was because, when the tribesmen headed towards the Keller territory, they attacked villages that were located in the Eberbach dukedom.

    If it were not for the swift actions of Elrich''s forces, the Keller forces might not have their territories today. Almost all the forces that were sent to deal with the sabretooth tribe entering their territory had been wiped out so many of the soldiers that remember that incident were surprised that the Keller family had ungratefully made a move on the duke''s most beloved daughter.

    "So, what do you propose?" he may be prideful but Paul wasn''t stupid. The mere mention of the bloody legion that went up against the sabretooth tribe was enough to make him regain his calm.

    "I think we should try and negotiate. If the duke had come here and given us time to prepare or even escape, he might be open to negotiations." One of the commanders suggested.

    "I think so as well. The bloody Duke of old would have just slaughtered his way here. This is a sign that he has learned to be a little civil after his time at the capital." Another added.

    "Hmm¡­" Paul pondered. "We have to quickly gather our forces and march towards the territory borders." He made a quick decision.

    If he hadn''t made a move, the soldiers that were left on their own might have defected due to their anxiety. Since they were going for negotiations, if a battle broke out, there would be no chance for them to defect since the duke wasn''t careless enough to accept strangers that could turn on them in the midst of battle.

    ""Right away!!"" the commanders saluted and left the room.

    "I should send my son to a safe place in case this all turns south¡­" Paul muttered as he walked towards where his wife and children were gathered.

    Of course, the movements the Keller family took couldn''t be hidden. They had deployed their army so suddenly that the families of the soldiers that left were reluctant to see them march towards the borders.

    Elrich''s forces were also able to receive news of Paul Keller''s movement. The forces that he brought with him laughed out loud as they heard that their enemies were walking towards their own doom. They felt that it had been a pity that the Keller forces had moved after only a day since their forces had little time to dwindle because of Elrich''s declaration.

    "What of the soldiers that aren''t at Keller''s city?" Elrich asked for a report.

    "Our operatives have accepted their submission. They are to stay on their posts until this issue is dealt with and be transferred to one of our training facilities." One of the intelligence operatives covered in dark cloaks explained.

    "Did Paul bring his worthless sons to the battlefield?" Elrich wanted to know if his enemy dared to bring his own offspring to battle after Sodina was targeted by them.

    "No. From what we have gathered, the eldest daughter of the Keller family is currently enrolled in the Academy at the city of Vane. His eldest son, however, is in the Keller residence as we speak."

    "Vane¡­" Elrich muttered. If the eldest daughter was there, even he wouldn''t be able to lay a finger on her. "How come this was not mentioned in the reports about them beforehand?"

    "It is because her departure from the Keller house to become an adventurer was something that the Keller family wanted to hide. We only received the report of her location after we gathered any kind of information related to the Keller family."

    "I see¡­" Elrich nodded. They were already at the point of no return. It might be a long shot but he wished that the daughter would understand what was about to happen.

    Though Elrich was a well-known and famous noble, it was not too long ago that he started to mingle with the nobles at the capital. He had always been preoccupied with making peace for the Zweifel kingdom that he had been considered an outsider by the nobles who were fighting for influence and power at the capital.

    By the time he was confident enough to leave the work to his subordinates, the prominent factions of the capital had already been decided. As a man who looked down on political trifles, he did not care for such things and therefore had little knowledge and interaction towards the families of the nobles around the king''s faction.

    "Shall we make changes to the plan?" one of the intelligence operatives asked after sensing the duke''s hesitation.

    "No¡­ For the sake of my daughter''s safety and future, we should be swift and decisive." He closed his eyes and made up his mind. "Inform the hundred-man unit that they will be the ones opening the battle tomorrow. I''m sure they are already itching to get their hands on the people who planned to assassinate my daughter."

    "Right away!"

    The territory that the Keller family occupied was quite large but their main residence was only a few days away from the borders that were connected to the Eberbach territory. The main reason for this was the mountains located north of the region that protected the Keller region from the various wild tribes that have not affiliated themselves with any forces.

    Though the Kellers would rather not admit it themselves, they felt safer being near the Eberbach territory. They once looked up to the Eberbach family and that was why they also tried to take up the route of establishing themselves as a military family.

    With the deadline Elrich set, the Keller army had no choice but to hurry themselves towards the border. They had taken over the nearby village and used it as their main camp. The soldiers needed their rest for the possible battle so the villagers were chased out of their homes.

    Paul didn''t care about what they thought because he was willing to give the majority of his territory away to Elrich if he needed to. They weren''t going to be his people in the future so why would he care about them?

    They reached the village near the borders in a day instead of two. With the anxiety of being attacked by the Eberbach forces while they were exhausted, everyone was currently on edge. This was especially the case for Paul whose intentions for coming out here in the first place was to make contact with someone from the king''s faction.

    He was an important part of the king''s faction so he didn''t believe that the king himself wouldn''t send him aid. He believed that the fact that he hadn''t received word from them so far was because of the current tension between their faction and Elrich''s after the failed assassination attempt.

    "(I feel someone watching me from afar¡­ could it be the messengers trying to scout the area?)" Paul looked towards the cliffs towards the north of the village.

    "Oh?" the figure who had hidden himself behind the shadows noticed Paul senses in the vicinity. "Looks like the current king of the Zweifel kingdom has some decent people after all." he looked at the hand that was holding a snapped neck of a person he had found snooping around the area.

    *WOOSH!* he threw the corpse away and watched it turned into ashes before it hit the ground.

    "I hurried back to the human territories after I found out that they successfully completed the hero summoning ritual and here I stumbled upon an interesting event." He turned towards one of the scouts whose arms had been impaled to the nearby tree trunk. "Are you ready to tell me the truth about what caused that stubborn Eberbach man to turn his blade towards the king''s most trusted attack dog?"

    The scout shuddered at the grin of the handsome man before him. He would have thought that he was a human except for the pointed ears that were slowly transforming to reveal his true form.

    "D-demo¡ª!!" his mouth was immediately covered by hands that were slowly growing into claws.

    "Shhh! You better watch your mouth because my patience when it comes to humans nowadays is very thin." He put a finger against his lips. "Your kingdom even tried to summon a hero by using the scraps that were hidden by a greedy little cleric who is now calling himself the pope of all things." He shook his head in disappointment.

    "W-what do you want to know?" the scout shuddered in fear. There were very few demons who would dare to refer to the pope as ''greedy cleric'' so, from his attitude alone, the scout knew that this person was someone from the previous generation despite his young appearance.

    "Let''s start with how this little trouble suddenly occurred within the so-called most powerful human kingdom." He snorted and urged the scout to tell everything he knew.

    "It all started because¡­" the scout dared not to leave a single detail that he knew. This demon took the life of even the leader of their unit as if he were swatting a fly so he knew what awaited him if he dared displease him.

    He started the story with why Elrich had attacked the Keller territory and their task of delivering a message to Paul himself. Their unit was supposed to join the Keller army with the task of either assassinating or dealing a critical injury towards the bloody duke.

    Their plan was simple; enrage the duke by using the same outfits that had been described by his daughter and act like they were under the command of the Keller family. This way, the blame would indeed fall upon Paul alone even if his army does end up falling.

    "It never ceases to amaze me how humans can be a lot worse than us demons. Though I don''t regret granting that human friend of mine his request at the time¡­ thinking about it, I should have given him more conditions that would make my life easier. He sighed."

    "I''ve told you everything I know¡­ please let me live¡­" the scout begged for his life.

    "Oh, I don''t plan on killing you since you''ve been so cooperative. However¡­ we need to discuss how you will live out the rest of your days¡­" he smiled.

    "Now, tell me more about this hero you guys were able to summon. From what you''ve said so far, he seems to be an interesting fellow."

    -

 205 A Card for Everyone to See

    .

    The two forces were currently unaware that another hand was currently affecting the outcome of their battle from behind the scenes. While Paul thought that his faction may have already started to abandon him, Elrich was thinking that the king had listened to his warning.

    No one could blame the duke for not giving the king more doubt because, at the end of the day, he was still part of the Zweifel kingdom. Though he had his own suspicions, Elrich wanted nothing more than peace and prosperity for the kingdom.

    The sun had not yet risen when the bloody duke was woken up by one of the commanders serving under him. This was the day that their forces were going to start attacking so he had given them an order to wake him if anything worth mentioning occurred.

    "There is truly no hope for Paul Keller¡­" Elrich''s frowned after hearing the report of Paul''s activities after his arrival.

    Though military forces taking over villages and settlements were not unheard of when it was wartime, Paul had not only kicked out his own people from their homes, he sent them off while keeping all the food the village was saving up for the coming winter.

    He would have understood it if Paul''s forces were located in enemy territory and were currently in dire straits, but these were his own people. These were the people that paid taxes and allowed the Keller family to sit back and expand their army.

    "They have sent a messenger requesting for a negotiation table to be opened." One of the commanders reported.

    "Negotiations?" Elrich scoffed. "Tell him that there is no need for a private discussion. Whatever they want to say, they should say it in front of everyone when we meet at the battlefield."

    What more needed to be said between them? The only reason why Elrich hadn''t attacked at full force was because they were in the Zweifel kingdom. If it were not for the reason that they belonged to the same side, the bloody duke wouldn''t have cared and simply killed his way towards his enemy.

    It wasn''t because he had grown wiser and more patient like everyone who wasn''t on Elrich''s side had assumed. It was just that the bloody duke did not want to be covered by the blood of innocent people belonging to his own kingdom.

    *BAM!* *CRASH*

    "That bastard!" Paul couldn''t help but break whatever was near him at the shabby house he was currently resting at. "He wants to shame me in front of my subordinates!"

    Paul still believed that Elrich was out to make him as an example for those who were included in the plot against Sodina. He had gravely underestimated why Elrich had a reputation for doing anything and everything for the sake of his daughter. He still believed that the king and his faction would at least give Elrich Eberbach a line that he couldn''t cross.

    "Sir, there are only a few hours left until the deadline¡­" one of his men voiced out.

    They were worried. They had just arrived after rushing all the way from their base of operations. The soldiers haven''t had ample time to rest and though they currently outnumbered the enemy, their enemies were all but elites. All hope seems to have been lost.

    "Have the elites rest as much as they can. If worse comes to worst, we will have to accept the part of being the fuse that ignited the fall of the bloody duke." Paul spoke seriously.

    Though he was not willing to accept it, part of him had already thought about a decision that involved them being the sacrifices that the king needed to officially make a move on the Eberbach family. Since Elrich had gone out of his way to weaken their own country, the king''s faction would have many options to exploit this fact.

    Of course, with Paul being in his territory preparing for the battle with Elrich, later on, he was not aware of what had been happening in the capital after the hero was successfully summoned. Though he had received some reports about him, since Paul hadn''t been to the capital to meet the hero in person, he had no idea how much Kazuya had influenced his current predicament. Paul would have cursed Kazuya to death if he did.

    "(Your majesty¡­)" Paul steeled his resolve.

    He trusted the king as he knew just how ambitious Benino was. If his plan succeeded, there was no doubt that the Zweifel kingdom''s power in Edea would almost have no equal. If Benino had deemed him as a necessary sacrifice, then so be it.

    With their fatigue and anxiety about facing the forces of the bloody duke, the morale of Paul''s troops was very low. Some of the people who were unhappy with how they had handled the villagers had deserted after saying that they would just make sure that there were no people lurking around their camp.

    Not wanting to lower his chances, even more, Paul decided to move his forces towards the border and make use of whatever was in the incomplete outpost.

    Of course, when he arrived, he was surprised to see how little had been there. While Paul was aware that serious defenses weren''t built in this specific outpost because his territory didn''t find the need to defend against the duke''s territory because of what happened in the past, he regretted not investing in any kind of deterrence against someone he knew he would go up against in the future.

    "(Is this the price of overconfidence?)" Paul questioned himself as he thought deeply about the upcoming battle.

    *rumble* *rumble* *ruMBLE* *RUMBLE!*

    "(They''re here¡­)" Even Paul who was no stranger to the battlefield couldn''t help but be startled at the pressure caused by the Eberbach forces just from their arrival.

    He couldn''t help but clench his fists as he took a glance at his forces. They may still have outnumbered the enemies 3:1 but it still made him feel helpless.

    *BAM! BAM! BAMG BAM!*

    The Eberbach forces started banging their shields, armors in unison as Elrich walked towards the front of his forces.

    "The bloody duke¡­" Paul sensed it. This was not the gentleman-like man he met at the capital. This was someone who had gained infamy for all the fierce and bloody battles he won.

    He mounted his warhorse and moved in front of his men to issue commands. Wanting to boost the morale of his own troops, he had no choice but to stand in front of them and keep them on their toes instead of focusing on the intimidating forces that were in front of them.

    "Defense formations!" Paul shouted towards his troops. His commanders had already relayed their plan to make use of the border defenses as weak and shabby as it seemed.

    "I see you''re going to play the turtle eh?" Elrich''s voice projection that rattled Paul''s forces as soon as they heard his condescending tone. "So much for the general supposed to be called the second me."

    Paul was immediately agitated. There was no way that Elrich was aware of his army''s current situation but he still dared to look down on them for their defensive formation.

    "You dare spout such nonsense after bringing elites to lure us out here! Have you no shame!?" he shouted back in rage.

    "Shame? Who was the one who sent multiple elite assassins against my daughter who had two knights and three trainees with her? Did you not consider the states they would be in after the people you assigned lured grey orcs to wear them down? Did you even think I would have given you and your army some time if they were not people of the Zweifel kingdom?" he gave Paul a penetrating gaze.

    "I WOULD HAVE ALREADY SLAUGHTERED YOU ALL IF YOU HAD BEEN FROM A DIFFERENT KINGDOM!"

    A tremendous amount of bloodlust came with Elrich''s last declaration. Indeed, if Sodina had perished in that attack, he wouldn''t have cared whether the culprit had been from his own kingdom or not. Even if he perished in the process, the bloody duke would have marched to his death in order to get revenge for Sodina.

    Unfortunately for Paul and the faction he was loyal to, things were different this time around. Destiny had been altered unknowingly by the hero they had summoned to be a pawn for their ambitions.

    "(This is bad¡­)" Paul not only saw but also heard the trembling soldiers who had been intimidated by the bloody duke''s rage.

    The soldiers who had fear ingrained in them would only be detrimental to their defenses. The battle had already begun even if the two forces have yet to clash.

    "Since you say that, then let us settle this in a way where there will be fewer casualties! I propose we only battle with a small number of elites!" Paul boldly declared and ignored the sneering of Elrich''s troops. "Myself and a thousand of my soldiers against you and your thousand! Surely you won''t think of this as a bad deal since I''m giving up my numerical advantage to make things fair."

    How could they not know what he was up to? Though this method will indeed lessen the casualties, the reason as to why Paul suggested it in the first place made even his own soldiers think badly of him. Was this really the general who the king said was a better version of Elrich?

    "Very well. Let us do it your way." Even Paul was taken by surprise at Elrich''s nonchalant approval of his shameless proposal.

    To Elrich, it didn''t matter. He would have only complained if Paul himself hadn''t said that he would join the battle himself. This was much better than what he had hoped and was confident that there wouldn''t be any problems. Since Paul had offered to make things simpler for him, why wouldn''t Elrich accept?

    "(Is he really that confident?)" Paul couldn''t help but think after seeing no changes in the bloody duke''s attitude.

    Paul ordered his commanders and elites and brought them forward. These were men that had been responsible for most of the fame he has gotten over the years. They may not be as famous as the bloody duke''s legion but Paul believed that since they were younger than their adversaries, they had more potential.

    The bloody duke had spent more than a decade outside the battlefield. Paul''s tactic was to take advantage of the situation and challenge the duke to a duel himself. He believed that the duke was long past his prime and he had already surpassed this living legend.

    "Fang unit to the front!" Elrich commanded.

    "(Fang Unit?)" As this was a force he had never heard of, Paul couldn''t help but turn back to observe the bulky figures walking in front.

    They were wearing cloaks that covered their bodies but the shapes of their full armor couldn''t be hidden by the cloaks that reached near the ground. Unlike most of the elite units that Paul had brought out, these people were also without mounts.

    As large and bulky as these units were, they moved as if they were not as big and heavy as they seemed. It was like they barely weighed anything which made those who were able to notice this grow even more curious as to who these people were.

    "Huh?" When the enemy units finally had stepped up and completed their formation, Paul couldn''t help but notice the number of units that had stepped up was only half of his.

    "What is the meaning of this, Duke Eberbach? Are you really going to face us with an unknown unit that is only half of our number? Aren''t you looking down on us a little bit too much?" Paul intended to make sure that Elrich intended to go to battle with only this much but used the opportunity to agitate his own units against their enemy.

    "If you feel like I''m looking down on you, that is not my intention. Though the fang unit is a force that have yet to make their official debut, I intend to let them go all out in this battle. That is why I will give your men a chance. As long as they throw away their weapons and kneel down by the time my men have removed their armors, those people will survive." Elrich moved waved his hand and signaled them. "We will begin our assault as soon as they have unequipped their heavy armors."

    Paul and his units couldn''t believe what they were hearing. Had the bloody duke gone senile? They will begin their assault as soon as this newbie unit took off their armor?

    Some of the arrogant members of Paul''s unit laughed out loud at the declaration. Paul had remained quiet because he would take any advantage he could. If Elrich wanted to die that badly, he would welcome it and emerge as a hero of their faction.

    *CLANG* *THUD* the sounds of heavy armors falling to the ground cut off the laughter and made all eyes focus on the mysterious unit.

    "Wha-!?"

    "N-no.."

    "It can''t be¡­"

    Some of the veterans in Paul''s forces immediately reacted as soon as they noticed what had been under the bulky armor of the Fang unit. Many of them had served the Earl for a long time and even had nightmares of the figures that appeared before them.

    "Sabretooth tribe¡­" Paul''s lip immediately bled as he had bitten it in frustration.

    ""GRRR!!"" Angry growls came from the sabretooth tribe who couldn''t wait to get their hands on their enemies.

    "Fang unit! SLAUGHTER ALL THOSE WHO ARE LOYAL TO THE BASTARD WHO DARED TO PLOT AGAINST MY DAUGHTER!"

    -

 207 Light and Dark

    .

    Meanwhile, currently unaware of the events that are taking place at the battle between Elrich and Paul, the condition around the capital had stabilized.

    "HAAAaaaa!"

    *CLANG!*

    The duel between two combatants at the training area of the Eberbach residence had just concluded. A sword flew through the air and landed on the ground together with its wielder.

    *THUD!*

    "That concludes the match!" Zwei who was acting as a referee raised his arm to signal the end. "Sodina ojou-sama is the victor!"

    "I win again!" Sodina triumphantly grinned towards her competitor.

    She had won every single match they had ever since they started sparring against each other. Sodina couldn''t understand, were all heroes really this weak when they first arrived in Edea? If that were so, how could he speak so arrogantly like he had done whenever he talked to people like the king or nobles like Julian?

    "Hmm¡­" Kazuya got back on his feet and dusted his clothes while deep in thought.

    The way he acted whenever they would duel annoyed Sodina. His continued losses didn''t affect him at all and from the young miss'' perspective, he wasn''t getting any stronger either. Kazuya only continued to reflect on the match that occurred and didn''t share any of his thoughts so no one knew what he was thinking.

    "Hey! Are you even taking this training seriously!?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya curiously turned towards Sodina and smiled. "Of course I am. I can even confidently say that you are quite talented. You have been showing improvements despite how weak your opponent is." He complimented her.

    What Sodina was most annoyed about was ever since they started sparring against each other, the hero had never tried to launch an attack against her. He had taken a defensive stance and focused on taking whatever she threw at him. This of course, always ended up in Kazuya''s loss.

    "Then why have you been taking a passive stance all this while? You can''t win if you don''t attack!"

    "That is normally true but¡­ I''m afraid I wouldn''t be able to face your father if I decided to attack." Kazuya ignored her surprise and continued. "It should be about time for my next appointment so I shall see you later, Miss Eberbach."

    "This guy¡ª!" Sodina wanted to give him a piece of her mind but her shoulder was grabbed by Zwei before she could take a step forward.

    The butler shook his head sideways telling her that she shouldn''t do it. She just couldn''t understand, just what does her father and Zwei see in this weak hero?

    "Please try to understand young miss, Kazuya-sama does not mean anything bad by what he says. He does not like to mince words unless it is necessary." Zwei commented.

    "Then what did he mean by what he said? He hasn''t won a single spar against me and doesn''t even come close! How can he say such arrogant words?" she may have been a little agitated but Sodina was genuinely curious.

    "As far as I know, the only person who has lived after being attacked by Kazuya-sama is Alicia-sama. This was not because of her abilities or any other circumstance but the princess only survived because Kazuya-sama did not want to kill her but he did inflict injuries that turned her highness into a cripple." Zwei explained. "To my knowledge, every other person who has fought against him have all lost their lives."

    "¡­" Sodina shuddered as soon as she heard Zwei''s explanation.

    "I have seen and met many kinds of people in my time and I can confidently say that Kazuya-sama is one of the very few people I find quite unique and interesting. Though he has grown up in a world that is supposed to be almost devoid of mana, his battle senses are quite unfathomable." Zwei continued.

    "Is he really that great?" Sodina really didn''t pay much attention to Kazuya after the first few matches they had. She already knew that heroes initially were very weak so she didn''t mind his losses until today.

    "I believe so. From what my eyes can see, Kazuya-sama has already gotten a grasp of your swordsmanship, young miss. From an observer''s point of view, he is using you to incorporate a style he is creating that should be a combination of what he does in his world and what he is learning in ours."

    "Really?" she really couldn''t tell. From her point of view, all he was doing was struggling while defending against her rapier''s swift attacks.

    "Please don''t underestimate Kazuya-sama, young miss. He has already grown to the point that he can control the flow of your battle to make you commit mistakes and errors." Zwei reminded.

    "Come to think of it¡­" she thought back on her match just now. There were times where she would overstep and leave openings. Kazuya hadn''t taken advantage of them so she didn''t think much about it but she now understood that they would have been fatal mistakes that would have caused her harm.

    Sodina''s opinion of Kazuya had changed. She hadn''t had much experience like Zwei did so this left her curious. What she wasn''t aware of, however, was that even a man with Zwei''s experience had yet to completely grasp what the hero was doing.

    It was one thing to do this in a sparring match like earlier but if Kazuya really intended to do that in actual battle, it would be too risky in Zwei''s opinion. This was why he was baffled as to why the hero continued doing it. He was even using Sodina, a person brimming with talent as his test subject.

    "Looks like I need to mix things up next time." Sodina grinned as she thought about seeing the hero lose his cool after she surprises him with moves that she had yet to show.

    -

    After Elrich left Maynira, Kazuya had set a specific schedule for himself. His usual days consisted of sparring with the young miss of the Eberbach house, going to the castle library to study, and roaming around different parts of the capital.

    Initially, Julia had stuck to him whenever he left the Eberbach house. She was worried that he would attract all sorts of trouble. When Kazuya showed that he was seriously studying support arts and eventually found himself observing the clerics of the church, she had finally taken his advice and train herself back at the Eberbach residence.

    There weren''t many chances Julia could get to beat the young lady of the Eberbach house and Sodina had similar thoughts. It was rare for them to battle with each other, so the two were happy to fight with each other while Kazuya escaped their sights.

    He had a specific reason for roaming around the capital and that was to find a specific individual. Although he came back to Edea with the purpose of revenge, there were certain events from his first life that he had some lingering regrets on.

    One of them was the common district''s hidden necromancer who had turned many commoners into undead minions in an attempt to escape after he had been discovered by Kazuya and his party. He may not have been focusing on the role, but he was still a hero in name. There was no way that he would leave the innocent citizens to die if he could do something about it.

    When Kazuya told Natsu about the incident, he was given information that he had not expected. The necromancer he knew turned out to be an acquaintance of Natsu himself. This had opened a discussion between the two heroes as they tried to figure out what might have caused the boy who was talented with dark arts to turn into a villain in the future that Kazuya experienced.

    "It turned out to be the church of light again¡­" Kazuya felt sick to his stomach every time he had to think of maintaining a good relationship with them. Even though it was only temporary, Kazuya would have focused on that hypocritical church first if only he could have.

    Natsu''s time in Edea was one of the ages where magic had been in the limelight. Various magics were researched and revived by him and he didn''t discriminate against any sort of magic. Most of his discoveries and knowledge were even openly taught to those who had potential.

    His land and his home eventually turned into the land in which was referred to as the neutral land of knowledge known as Vane. This was also where the famous Vane Academy was located.

    Unfortunately, as talented as a magician he was, the hero Natsu eventually decided to return back to his world. Those who feared the retaliation of such a talented man had grown bolder over the passage of time.

    The church of light eventually expanded their influence and since human lives were usually short compared to other races, it was they who were most susceptible to the church of light''s brand of brainwashing.

    Humans, being the most numerous race in Edea, it didn''t take long for dark magic such as Necromancy to be labeled as evil and forbidden. Since they were the opposite of what the church decrees as ''light'', it wasn''t hard for them to convince people that such magics were only for heretics.

    ["If you can, please try and see if he can be saved."] Kazuya remembered the words of Natsu who barely asked anything of him after he had agreed to teach him everything Kazuya could learn until his departure.

    After thinking about it long and hard, Kazuya agreed to do his best. He couldn''t promise anything as all he knew about the person was his appearance and how he immediately reacted after Kazuya and his party discovered his presence. Would things have turned out differently if they did not show any aversion to his necromancy?

    Kazuya had to admit, Necromancy was indeed a branch of black magic that was easy to associate with evil. Just the thought of zombies or a caster controlling someone who used to be alive was easy to misunderstand. But, after Kazuya learned more about the dark magics from Natsu, it naturally fell into one of the categories of magics.

    "[Like any other power, it is the wielder who inevitably determines how to make use of what they are capable of. Dark magic itself is not evil, even light magic can be used by people who have evil hearts.]" Kazuya recalled Natsu''s words.

    It was then that Kazuya realized that he had been wrong about many things. Even as someone who had lived through one lifetime, albeit short, he realized that he needed to keep an open mind and not let preconceptions cloud his judgement.

    This had been the reason why Kazuya had yet to take action once he found his target. He chose to observe the man he knew to be the necromancer whose actions in his previous life made him doubt whether he was worthy of taking up the mantle of the hero.

    "Punctual as always I see." A cleric who was sweeping outside the church greeted Kazuya as soon as he arrived.

    "You were waiting for me?" Kazuya was a little puzzled by the cleric''s actions.

    "Yes! I heard about your deeds when I stopped by the slums last night. The children enthusiastically talked about you as they mentioned how you healed the people of the slums and even fed them with no remuneration." The cleric excitedly talked. "I knew I wasn''t wrong in permitting you to observe our activities in the church!"

    With Kazuya''s hatred of the church, there was only one reason why he kept coming back to this place. It was because the necromancer that he had been searching for was not hiding as he had expected. He was actively serving the church as a cleric!

    The necromancer that had caused the deaths of thousands was in front of him and using support magic off all magics! Even with all his experiences, there was no way Kazuya could have predicted such a thing!

    "I see¡­ so I guess that Jorelle-san was the cleric they talked about. I heard that you stopped by to do charity work in the slums at least once a month." Kazuya realized that there was indeed something about this person that he still hadn''t grasped.

    -

 208 Lesson 1

    .

    Kazuya had asked for Zwei''s assistance to look into the cleric''s past. He was confident in the resourcefulness of the Eberbach information network since it had been the foundation of the inescapable net that the human side possessed in his previous life.

    Zwei didn''t see anything suspicious about this request as he always saw the hero as a very cautious person. The old butler''s wariness of the church also made him think that looking into them before giving them any kind of trust was essential because of what the church of light had become today.

    Rather than being an organization that used to serve as a place of hope for people, the church of light of today was only an organization in name. In reality, the so-called organization was more similar to a kingdom that was highly protective of its interests.

    This was what some people already realize but turn a blind eye to. The church''s influence was so enormous that even powerful figures were afraid to speak badly of them in the presence of people that they didn''t trust. One declaration for them was all it took to put a stain on one''s reputation. Being branded as a heretic or someone connected to evil was the knife against the throats of anyone who was potentially scheming against them.

    "There doesn''t seem to be anything amiss, Kazuya-sama," Zwei mentioned after handing him a report. The old butler glanced towards Sodina who was having tea at the same table and hid a smile at the interest she tried to hide.

    This was one of the reasons why Sodina was specifically asked by her father to stay behind. Instead of gaining experience on the battlefield, what she needed the most was to be influenced by someone who acted the way Kazuya did. She needed to learn how to be cautious and calculative. This was not something that Elrich wanted her to experience the hard way so he wanted her daughter to realize it by observing other people.

    To Sodina, her father was someone that did no wrong. Everything he did was something that she did not think about much. This was why Elrich had trouble making her realize what she lacked.

    "Thank you, Zwei-san." Kazuya read through the detailed report and indeed did not find anything amiss.

    Jorelle was an orphan who was adopted by one of the merchants that had decided to settle down in the capital after his properties were damaged by monsters in another town. His talent in healing magic was discovered by one of the young trainees of the church and afterward, he was accepted as a trainee in the capital''s church.

    It was a relatively ordinary story in which no one would take a second glance at. His talent wasn''t anything extraordinary either. The only thing that stood out was that aside from providing charity to different parts of the capital, he had applied for the training regimen that aspiring paladins would take.

    "What''s so interesting about a common cleric? Aren''t you just prying into someone''s private life? Is that a hobby of yours?" Sodina who was being ignored suddenly spoke.

    "Ojou-sama¡­" Zwei looked at her with slight disapproval.

    "It''s fine, Zwei-san. This isn''t the first time I''ve met someone like her." Kazuya sighed. "(I hate to admit it but I''ve said similar words before.)" Though Kazuya understood why Elrich wanted his daughter to spend time with him, he still couldn''t help but feel a little bitter about it.

    The hero knew from the young lady''s actions that his methods were working. She clearly didn''t like him. The only reason why they spent time together like this was because of the arrangements that Elrich made before he left. As a guest in his house, it would have been inappropriate for him to refuse requests that were made to help with the intentions he mentioned.

    "It would be better for her to understand rather than explaining it to her. Experiencing it herself would probably not give any guarantee that she would be able to reflect on it after all." Kazuya placed the report on the table before turning towards the young miss of the Eberbach family.

    "Hey! What do you mean by that!?" she was annoyed at being looked at like she was dumb.

    "I mean is there is a high probability that you would have died before you had the chance to reflect on what happened to you." Kazuya gave her a cold smile. "Let''s make the recent events as an example¡­ Since you are the heir of the Eberbach family, Let''s say that there was an attempt on the duke''s life. It may or may not have been successful but aside from the fact that you are aware that it was an assassination, what would you do as the person who was left in command?"

    "Find out who was responsible!" she immediately answered. Just the thought about her father being assassinated was enough to make her look hostile towards Kazuya.

    "Alright, let''s say that the culprit you were able to find was the church of light. What would you do next?" Kazuya calmly looked back at the agitated young lady.

    "The church of light¡­" She was slightly taken aback at the emergence of an unlikely culprit. She thought that it had something to do with the report that he was reading but since Zwei said that there was nothing wrong earlier, she didn''t think much about it. "I would gather the forces and attack!"

    "Forces? What forces?"

    "Assassinating a duke of the Zweifel kingdom is a clear declaration of war. We would be able to gain the help of the kingdom and deploy forces that are not affiliated with the house." Sodina declared. She might have not been as knowledgeable as her father regarding military affairs but as she was a noble of a military family, she knew more about these things than the average noble.

    "(As expected¡­)" He had already expected this response and inwardly sighed. Kazuya really couldn''t help but dislike this person. She was a clear reminder of how he simply viewed things in the past.

    "What? Cat got your tongue?" She smugly looked at the hero after noticing him ponder about her reply.

    "What if the kingdom doesn''t support going to war with the church of light?" Kazuya remained calm and asked another question.

    "What? Run out of ideas?" She snorted at him. "It doesn''t matter, the holy capital may be big but it is nothing that the Eberbach forces in full force cannot take care of. Asking for the kingdom for assistance is our right and would have made things easier but if those bastards don''t want the reputation of going against the church of light, the Eberbach family does not care what people might think. We will not compromise with scheming bastards who hurt our own!" she confidently declared.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. This was the conclusion that the young lady of the Eberbach house had come up with.

    "[You strongly remind me of the master I used to serve.]" a voice resounded in Kazuya''s mind.

    "(I wonder if you were thinking the same thoughts as me as I look at this girl¡­)" Kazuya thought to himself.

    "[Bright, kind, talented, just and couldn''t stand evil. It was hard not to be attracted to her brilliance.]" the voice inside his memories described the girl who was in front of him right now.

    "(You forgot to mention extremely na?ve, gullible, and foolhardy. Was it because you didn''t think so? Or was it for my sake?)" Kazuya couldn''t help but wonder.

    Zwei, on the other hand, had a disappointed look on his face. He didn''t try to hide it and it didn''t take long before Sodina herself noticed that the two men had grown quiet after her answer.

    "What are you two being so quiet for?" the hero was one thing but she couldn''t help but doubt her confidence after seeing the reaction on Zwei''s face. He was a seasoned commander and one of the very few people that her father looked to for a second opinion.

    "You would have been dead before you even made it to the holy capital. That''s why we''ve remained silent." Kazuya opened his eyes and spoke coldly. "If you really did intend to do what you just said, not only would you be dead, the majority of your most trusted personnel would have suffered a foolish death with you."

    "What!? Why!?" Sodina was genuinely shocked. So far, she had done what her father did after what happened to her. She turned towards Zwei who only gave her a nod as he too agreed with Kazuya''s opinion.

    "Do you really think that going up against the church of light is as simple as that? Though it was indeed unexpected of you to consider the fact that unlike the present situation, the church of light is an outside force, if we take the present circumstances into consideration, your judgement in seeking the kingdom''s help as a whole is a foolish choice." Kazuya opened his eyes and stared at her.

    "My summoning is a joint effort between the Zweifel kingdom and the church of light. From what I''ve learned, your father was against this decision. Do you think that the kingdom will openly attack one of their main collaborators after getting rid of a thorn on their side?"

    "But, we''re¡­" she couldn''t continue saying that they were from the same kingdom. As the matter stood, it was one of the most influential people of the king''s faction that was found responsible for the attempt on her life.

    "Even if they agreed and sent their forces, it would only be on the surface. They would have gotten rid of you easier since you wouldn''t expect someone striking you from your own side."

    "!!"

    "That wasn''t your only mistake. Even if you didn''t seek outside help, taking the full force of the Eberbach household could also be considered a wrong move." Kazuya turned to Zwei who gave him a nod of confirmation.

    "The Eberbach family or any other house for that matter is not without spies. Whether they are aware of it or not, there are people that belong to other factions right under your noses. They may not be positioned very high but they are still aware of the movements of your forces. That will be enough information for the enemies to gain an advantage over you."

    "That¡­" she couldn''t deny that fact. She would often be told about specific people that she should avoid by her father.

    "Even if we don''t take those people into account, there are also the people who would most likely be betrayers in the future."

    "What do you mean by that!? That''s preposterous!" she didn''t believe that those who were loyal to their family would betray lightly. After experiencing what her escorts did for her not too long ago, she had faith in the people that served their house.

    "Is it really? How much do you really know about your people?" Kazuya smirked. "Can you definitely be sure that all of your people would pick your house over their beliefs of the goddess? Would everyone be willing to stay under the banner of the Eberbach household after everyone that would stay under your command are branded as heretics?"

    "I¡­" she shivered.

    "This is the importance of things such as information." Kazuya seriously gazed at her. "You may have taken things for granted because your father is quite good at handling these sorts of things but this is what you should eventually start thinking about. It may save your life some day or at the very least, give the duke some weight off his shoulders." Kazuya didn''t waste any more time and stood from his seat.

    His point seems to have already made it across to the other party. Sodina was left frozen while staring blankly at the table in front of her. The young miss of the Eberbach family would need to digest the facts that were thrown at her. Kazuya did not intend to do this for the duke but after being constantly reminded about how he used to be like, Kazuya couldn''t help but give her a piece of his mind.

    "Thank you, Kazuya-sama." Zwei bowed towards him with gratitude.

    "It will not be able to fix everything I find wrong about her but this would at least wisen her up a bit. You guys really do spoil her too much."

    "After the mistress'' loss, the duke couldn''t bear teaching her about the darkness of people. He only hoped that she would one day realize this and ask for guidance."

    "sigh¡­ why do I have to pick up the slack of doting fathers¡­" Kazuya complained. "Anyway, I''ll leave you to follow up with whatever this girl needs." Kazuya walked away.

    "Please do not hesitate to ask if you need further assistance." Zwei reminded.

    "I don''t think there would be a need to. I trust that your information is already very accurate." He left the room and thought about the report he just read.

    "(From all that information, it seems that there should be something should have happened to that guy before I found him. He isn''t the person I''ve met in the past.)"

    .

 209 Repulsion

    .

    While trying to figure out how he should deal with the situation with the cleric Kazuya had suspected would be the main culprit of one of the biggest tragedies in Maynira, he had suddenly encountered another unexpected development.

    "(What the hell is this chick up to?)" Kazuya glanced at the frail-looking beauty who was reading in front of him.

    The girl was none other than the proud princess of the Zweifel kingdom. She had suddenly started showing up in the library and appeared to be a few books. Though Kazuya was distracted by thinking about the various reasons on why she had appeared here, he knew that she must have arrived after he had started immersing himself in reading.

    Initially, she had started off reading in one of the parts of the library. With each day that passed, the position she would take would be closer to Kazuya. At first, Kazuya didn''t mind her presence but today, the princess rolled her magical wheelchair and positioned herself right in front of him.

    Unlike the previous images of the prideful princess in his memories, the Alicia in front of him appeared somewhat frail and peaceful. This was unlike the haughty princess that always tried to push him around. There were no signs of the energetic princess who would hit him, if he didn''t know any better, he would have assumed that the person in front of him had been more of the sickly type.

    "(I have to hand it to this girl. With her looks and these acting skills, she would have been a very popular actress back on Earth.)" he couldn''t help but praise her for that. As long as she didn''t speak, her demeanor would have been able to fool him.

    "Is there something on my face?" Alicia took her eyes off from the book she was reading and looked at Kazuya who was slightly startled by her sudden question.

    "(So, you''ve been paying attention to me as I thought.)" Kazuya didn''t try to hide his observation of her. He already assumed that she was up to something and seeing that she was in front of him at this moment, it would have something to do with him.

    "Kazuya-sama?" she tilted her head in a cute manner. Little did she know that this action only helped trigger the negative emotions that were bottled up inside the young man in front of her.

    "Is there something that you need from me?" he asked.

    "Why do you ask that?" she acted innocently.

    "You have been visiting the royal library for a few days straight now. The old librarian says that the number of people that come here would usually take books with them rather than spending time in this place. You''ve been staying here at the same time as me and now you are sitting in front of me despite how very few people are here. What would you think?"

    "(So, you have been paying attention to me after all.)" resisting the urge to smirk, Alicia smiled at him. "Does me being here necessarily mean that I need something from you? Aren''t you being a little too self-conscious?" she curiously asked.

    Kazuya held back the urge to spit after seeing her act this way. Even the old him would have goosebumps after seeing this girl act this way in front of him.

    "I would not have said anything if you hadn''t sat in front of me. It is not that is being self-conscious but you are obviously making your presence known." He replied coldly.

    "Are you worried that I may have a grudge against you for what you did to me? If so then you shouldn''t worry. I am not that small-minded and understand why you did such a thing. I would have probably done something similar if I were in your position."

    "You still haven''t mentioned why you are here." Kazuya didn''t comment on her declaration as he already knew that this woman would have held on to that grudge until she had revenge.

    "I really don''t need anything from you but¡­" she hesitated and tried to hide her expression with the book on her hand. "I just wanted to get to know you a little better." She continued in a soft voice.

    Kazuya almost dropped the book he was holding. He finally understood why this girl has been buzzing around him for the past couple of days.

    "(This bitch is trying to seduce me!?)" This was something that he didn''t expect.

    Though the old him had indeed fallen for this poisonous princess, it was not as if she had acted like she did right now. The Alicia that he knew acted very like the proud princess that he knew and had declared that her father wanted the two of them to be engaged. From there, the na?ve version of himself had slowly fallen for the beautiful princess that shared hardships with him as they went against the demon army.

    "You had been called by us so suddenly that we indeed did not think about the circumstances you were in before you were summoned. I feel regretful about this as we currently have no way to send you back to your world. We have been desperate and that caused us to be negligent and from your eyes, most likely selfish." She continued after noticing the shock the hero tried to hold back.

    Unaware of the things that are going through Kazuya''s mind, Alicia continued her sweet-sounding words. She narrated about how she entered the library in hopes to converse with him but ended up paying attention to what he had been focused on reading in the library.

    "That is why if you don''t mind, I would like to talk ab¡ª" she stopped as Kazuya abruptly stood up.

    "Please excuse me, I don''t think I can stop myself from vomiting." Kazuya covered his mouth and left the royal library with a pale face.

    "¡­" Alicia never expected this kind of reaction from him as she froze in place with her mind drawing nothing but blanks.

    Never had she been treated this way. Even if there were some people that had been able to resist her charm, none of them had ever looked at her in the same way the hero just did. His reaction towards her was disgust. It may not even be the full extent of it as he was clearly trying to hold back.

    "(Why!?)" with the people around, the princess could only scream in her mind.

    She was even able to break off engagements of couples who were engaged for years just by sharing a few conversations with males so what made this hero so different? Alicia questioned if the beauty in the hero''s world was vastly different from the beauty in Edea.

    "(That shouldn''t be it¡­ considering the former heroes had taken wives whose beauties were renowned¡­.)" Alicia shook her head and tried to think about things rationally. "(Maybe¡­ he''s just trying to avoid me?)" this thought came to mind as she fell into deep silence unaware that the people that saw what happened just now had begun talking about it without her knowledge.

    Unaware of what was going on in the princess'' mind, Kazuya hurried himself out of the castle and went towards the slums. He didn''t want anyone to notice his current state as no one knew how much he tried to hold back the urge to take Alicia''s life back in the royal library.

    "(That was utterly disgusting!)" he leaned on the wall in one of the alleyways and vomited after making sure that no one had followed him.

    He couldn''t figure out why Alicia was pulling such a stunt after what he did to her. He had assumed that Alicia would have stayed in the dark while planning her revenge against him. Contrary to his expectations, the princess not only showed herself in front of him, she even had the audacity to try and seduce him.

    "(Crazy bitch¡­)" he cursed the princess in his mind as he wiped his mouth. This had been the first time that someone had sickened him enough to induce a physical reaction.

    He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself. The alleyways that were usually filled with rats had gone away from the dirty slums completely because of the danger that they had felt from Kazuya who was barely able to hold back the urge from taking Alicia''s life.

    "Hey, isn''t that¡­" one of the children who were running by after seeing the familiar figure.

    "Ah! It''s the kind onii-san!"

    "Oh! you''re right!"

    "He looks like he''s sick!"

    The curious children gathered around him looking concerned.

    "Huh¡­?" Kazuya noticed the children surrounding him and slowly opened his eyes.

    "Onii-san, are you okay?" one of them asked.

    "Sorry for making you worry. It looks like fatigue has finally caught up with me." He smiled at them.

    This was not a lie, ever since he arrived in Edea, he had forgone most of his sleep time to train and think about his situation and preparation. His mental strength took a big hit after the earlier incident with Alicia and he suffered from a nauseating headache.

    "That''s not good! My mom overworked herself and got herself sick! Didn''t you tell her that always checking your own status is important?"

    "Yeah¡­" Kazuya felt a little embarrassed after being told his own words. He didn''t want to refute the concerned words of a child since they were indeed true. "What I was doing a while ago ended earlier so I guess I can take a break."

    "Do you want to come with us to the nearby park? We already finished helping out today so we were going to go play. You will be able to rest there better than sitting around in this dirty place."

    "Sure." Kazuya accepted their kind gesture as he activated his recovery magic. Though resting would let him recover faster, after the lesson he gave Sodina earlier, he would probably be able to skip their training once he returned to the Eberbach residence.

    He took a seat in one of the benches at the park and watched the children play. Since they were from the slums of the western district, they would be the first to fall victim to the wrath of the Necromancer that was unexpectedly discovered in that area.

    "Hmm?" he noticed a strange presence that was approaching.

    Turning towards the direction of the strange presence, the children also noticed a person who was heading their way. It was a man carrying luggage that was bigger than him on his back. It was relatively surprising to see some white-haired old man carry such a large thing but it wasn''t really a rare thing in Edea. From how he looked, he appeared to be a merchant.

    "Oh! It''s old man Gazardy!"

    "He came today!"

    "Candy! Candy!"

    "Did you kids finish your work early today?" the white-haired elderly man smiled at the children.

    The children gathered around him as Kazuya observed. They seemed to be familiar with him but unlike the children who weren''t able to feel the aura he had radiated earlier, Kazuya found the man''s presence very strange. It was as if his senses were telling him that this person was someone who he shouldn''t notice.

    "Old man Gazardy! Do you have any candy that can make people feel better?" one of the children asked.

    "Why? Is someone sick?" the old man smiled as he asked.

    "The kind onii-san that helped everyone back in our neighborhood looks like he has a big headache so I wanted to ask for some candy to make him feel better."

    "Oh? Was there such a person who appeared recently?"

    "Yeah!" she pointed towards Kazuya who was sitting on the bench. "He''s the kind onii-san who helped everyone who was feeling sick feel a lot better! The pats he gives also makes me feel energetic so I want to give him something that will make him feel better!"

    "Oh?" the old man was intrigued. He turned towards the bench and met the young man''s gaze. He was slightly startled as he didn''t expect that there was a young man really sitting at the bench looking directly at him.

    "(This old man¡­)" It was only for a split second but Kazuya was able to sense some hostility coming from him.

    "(This young man¡­ can perceive me?)" he turned back to the children and smiled. "I will give everyone some treats later, for now, I want to talk to this kind onii-san of yours and see if I can do anything to help with his ailment."

    He approached Kazuya after the children went back to playing and stood in front of him.

    "Hello young friend, are you someone from the eastern lands?" he smiled at Kazuya.

    "Old man," Kazuya looked into his eyes. "Are you the one that put dark energy inside those kids'' bodies?"

    .

 210 Old Man Gazardy

    .

    The old man was stunned at the sudden question that was asked by this mysterious boy. Not only was he able to detect him despite the inability of even some of the elite guards in the capital, but this strange boy was also even able to identify the speck of dark energy that was inside the bodies of the children.

    "Dark energy? What do you mean?" the old man played dumb as he steadied his mind. Though he hadn''t shown it in his actions, he was ready to attack this mysterious boy so that he could protect his identity.

    "Calm down old man." Kazuya obviously noticed the man''s vigilance as the strange energies around him had taken a sudden change. "I am not one of those hypocritical people from the church of light that condemn dark magic just because of such beliefs. I am just curious as to why the children had such energies in their bodies." He narrowed his eyes and gave the old man a serious gaze.

    The old man might have been ready to attack but Kazuya wasn''t just about to back down. Though this meeting was unexpected, just because he wanted to hide his capabilities doesn''t mean that he would allow himself to be killed without a fight.

    This was not the first time that he had encountered a necromancer. The biggest mistake that this old man made was that he showed hostility within close range. It would have been fine if he had been a lot stronger than his opponent but the old man could not make sense of the abilities of the boy in front of him.

    "(Should I go for it?)" he hesitated as the dark energy he emitted specifically towards Kazuya was showing no effects. "(It does not look like he''s lying but¡­)"

    "As much as you don''t want your abilities to be discovered, I am the same. I would much rather be treated as a random traveler passing by than to be bothered by those who seek power." Kazuya smiled. "I believe that you would have much more to lose as engaging me in battle right now will not only lead to your dark magic to be exposed, you have no guarantee of being able to subdue me either."

    Kazuya didn''t mention that the old man would also be making an enemy out of him if he did choose to attack. If Kazuya did survive whatever the old man was planning to do, he would be a living witness to point towards the necromancer who suddenly showed his face in the capital of the Zweifel kingdom of all places.

    He had chosen this place because it was better to hide in places where his presence was least expected. In a necromancer''s case, a capital city that has the majority of its people believing in the church of light was an unlikely place to have already hosted a necromancer for years.

    "sigh¡­ fine¡­" the old man retracted his energy and raised his hands in surrender. "I guess I''ll have to take your word for it. The kids call me old Gazardy but the name''s Gazardiel." He sat down on the bench. "What about you, young friend?"

    Kazuya gave a wry smile. This old man shamelessly went by such a name while being a necromancer. Gazardiel had been the name that the very first hero who had been summoned to Edea was given. The very same hero who had chosen to stay in Edea and founded the eastern countries with his descendants.

    With this name, one would see this old man as to have belonged to the family who was devout believers of the church of light. It was said that the hero Gazardiel was the only hero who has met the goddess of light after all.

    "You can call me Kazu." He relaxed but remained vigilant towards the old man.

    While Kazuya may have had an advantage against a necromancer in close combat, it would only be taken advantage of if he had the chance. Right now, if Gazardiel had any intention of assassinating him, he was in a very good position to do so.

    Both of them seemed to have been sitting together and having a friendly chat with outsiders, but these two were currently engaged in an invisible battle.

    Gazardiel had no guarantee that Kazuya will not attack and paid attention to Kazuya''s movements. He was worth much more to the church of light if he was caught alive so he really couldn''t relax despite this young man''s earlier claims of not being interested in whether he was a dark magic practitioner or not.

    "I''m curious, how were you able to identify me?" the old man wanted to know if there was a special method to detect him. If more people were aware of such methods, his identity might be discovered by people who use the same method.

    "You are not the first dark arts practitioner that I''ve encountered. As I travel to different places and explore random locations, there have been some practitioners that attacked me like bandits. They might have been afraid that I would reveal their locations but the fact that they tried to take my life is something that cost them theirs." He gave an indirect warning. "Why are you spreading dark energy around people?" he asked again.

    "To look for a successor." The old man scratched his head. "I do not know if you are aware of this but like any other magician, people tend to have certain inclinations to types of magic. People who have the potential to be magicians are rare and those who have talents that would bloom towards dark arts are even rarer." Gazardiel explained.

    Kazuya already knew about this even before he began his second life. These were the basics for anyone aspiring to become a magician. He remained silent and listened to Gazardiel''s explanation nonetheless. It wasn''t only the children who were infected by the dark magic, there were also adults who were suffering from them in the slums as they were incompatible with such magic.

    "As you can see, I''m already at this age of my life. I want to pass on what I''ve learned throughout the years to a successor that would have been shunned by his peers or denied any knowledge because he or she had shown talent towards the wrong element." He sighed. "If only Uriel had stayed¡­ those bastards of the church of light would not be so arrogant as to ignore the hero''s declaration that all magics were equal."

    "So, you put dark energy in their bodies to see if you could find someone that is compatible with dark magic?"

    "Precisely. I couldn''t go around telling people how I am looking for a successor now, can I? Not only would I get myself hunted down, but all those who potentially have talent in dark magic would also be shunned or killed because of me. I have to do this quietly so that those bastards from the church of light wouldn''t be able to notice a thing." he grumbled.

    "You are aware that those who are incompatible with dark energy have been slowly suffering without them knowing the cause right?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed as he questioned. The children who were nearby playing were also some of the victims that suffered because of this old man''s selfishness.

    "I am aware of this. This is why I have set up residence close to the slums. This way, I will be able to make some arrangements for those who have shown no talent towards the dark arts. Though the process has been slower than I had hoped, the fact that you were able to remove the dark energy from the people in the slums makes me both glad and troubled at the same time."

    "How so?"

    "I am a mere merchant here at the capital. Though I do have the ability to remove the dark energy in people''s bodies, I cannot openly do it. This is why your help in eliminating the energies from the people whose lives have been greatly affected because of their rejection towards it is greatly appreciated. However, for those who could have shown positive results after the incubation period, I would have no choice but to repeat the process." He looked as if he was at a loss.

    "Forcing dark energies towards people who are none the wiser? Don''t you think your actions are a tad too selfish?"

    "You are a capable young man so you would not understand. These people have been living their hardest in one of the harshest social environments in this world. They all stay here because this is the place where they would have the biggest chance to prosper. I guarantee you that anyone of them would take the chance to grab power if it was offered to them on a silver platter." He confidently declared.

    "¡­" Kazuya remained quiet and did not refute what Gazardiel assumed about him. What the old man didn''t know that Kazuya had been through such rough experiences. He was someone who understood what the people of the slums have been going through.

    "I too would have preferred to do this in a straightforward way. As this is a place that is full of danger for me, that is currently not an option. I''ve even made arrangements for a cleric to visit those who are rejecting the dark energies so you cannot say that I do not care about the fates of those who reject my magic."

    "You mean that Jorelle cleric? You have connections with the Church of light?" This came as a surprise. If this old man indeed had connections with the church of light while being able to hide his identity, it would seem that Kazuya had many things he had yet to understand.

    "You know him?" the old man was a little startled. He would have wanted this young man to go through the various different churches in the capital if he wanted to pry into his business more.

    "We met when I visited one of the churches. He''s a friendly cleric who was more than willing to show me around. I''m learning a lot about support magic from that cleric." He didn''t hesitate to reveal his connection with the cleric.

    This man was a necromancer hiding under the church''s nose so Kazuya had to mention this or this paranoid old man would have reasons to move against him. He understood one should be careful with secrets they wanted to hide so he had to pacify this old man before things started going out of hand.

    "Support magic? Is that the reason why you''re at the capital?" the old man tried to clarify. Since this young man had claimed he was just a traveler passing by, the faster he would leave the capital, the better it would be for him.

    "There were a few mishaps in my journey towards here. I figured I should pick up a trick or two to make my travels easier. I initially stopped by here to get a license to do business in this country. That way, I would have a way to sustain the costs of my journeys." Kazuya casually replied.

    "Where are you headed?" the old man continued to ask.

    "Awfully eager to send me away eh?" Kazuya grinned. "No matter, it''s not like I want trouble for being acquainted with a necromancer. My current destination at the moment is the neutral city of Vane."

    "Vane¡­" the old man''s eyes flickered after hearing the nostalgic place in his memory.

    "Why don''t you go there, old man? I believe that place would treat you much better than this kingdom ever could. Depending on your capability, you might even be able to apply for a position to teach." Kazuya mentioned.

    The neutral city of Vane was also known as the city of knowledge. It was a territory that did not belong to any kingdom as it was a combination of the lands that were given to the hero Natsu after his success in bringing peace back in the lands of Edea.

    This was also where the illustrious Vane academy was located. The school that was founded by Natsu himself. It was a place where the talents of various different races and kingdoms gathered to hone and improve their skills.

    "You don''t understand, young man. The city of Vane may welcome those who practice the dark arts but there are various forces that have been secretly targeting people like me who want to seek asylum towards that place." The old man shook his head sideways.

    "What do you mean by that?" Kazuya was slightly surprised by this. This was not something that he was aware of even in his previous life.

    "Do you think the church of light will just let the city of Vane gather and nurture people who are adept in the dark arts? They worked hard on their propaganda of ousting dark magic practitioners like us so they have set up various measures to prevent people like me from being able to reach the city of Vane safely."

    .

 211 Odd Jobs

    .

    Kazuya and the old man went their separate ways after a long discussion. He escorted the children back to their homes in the slums and told them that they could accept candy from people, but they had to show it to him first before they consume it.

    "Eh why!?" the children were surprised by his sudden warning.

    "Because recently, there were bandits that decided to take revenge on the caravans that carried ingredients. They put some poison on the unsuspecting carriages so some of the ingredients were poisoned. I need to make sure that the ones you eat are not contaminated so that everyone doesn''t get sick again." He explained.

    "Is that the reason why a lot of people in the slums have been sick?" one of the children asked with concern.

    "I did a little investigating and that is what I heard." He felt a little guilty about lying to them. Kazuya had little options hence unless he wanted them to choose between trusting him and the old man whose been in the city for a long time.

    "But what about after you leave the city?" the little girl asked hesitantly.

    "Don''t worry, I will not be leaving the capital anytime soon. I''ll also make sure to bring everyone treats that are safe so please tell the other children so that they will not get sick due to poisoning in the meantime."

    """Okay!!""" the children agreed.

    "There is also a job I want you kids to do for me. I don''t think it would disturb your daily lives and I think it would help you, children, as well."

    "What is it, onii-san?" the girl who was the eldest of the group stepped forward and asked.

    "I''d like you to pay attention to any information about the nobles and spread a certain rumor around. There might be some that will investigate the rumor so I hope that the ones who know that it was me who asked you kids to do so will be those of you who can keep secrets." Kazuya smiled.

    Most of these children were born and raised in the slums. In Kazuya''s previous life, he spent a lot of time helping these children because of his previous circumstances. This resulted in them helping him a lot of times when he was troubled and needed information when it was about the people at the capital.

    They were very clever despite their young ages. They were capable of blending in because of their ages and did odd jobs that many people wouldn''t take. Because of this, some of them were connected to various people who worked in noble houses.

    "Really? You''ll pay us just for doing that?" It was relatively simple for them to achieve this so they were surprised to know that they were going to get paid for doing such easy work.

    "Yup. As long as you kids keep it a secret and not do it for someone else. I will not lie to you and tell you that if people find you doing these things, there might be trouble." He warned them of the risks that this involved.

    From his previous life, it was the kids who offered him the information he needed. Because of the fact that he helped them out a lot, they wanted to do what they could to help the hero. In this life, however, he was nothing more than a traveler who happened to pass by the capital. There was no saying that they would trust him after meeting for a few days.

    "How much are you going to pay us?" the children were eager to hear about how much Kazuya was going to pay them. With their income, they were barely able to buy anything for themselves as their parents would take their earnings because they knew how much their children made.

    "It would depend on the work. For example, if I ask you to spread around a rumor, I would give you children a silver coin to split amongst yourselves. If I hear the rumor from someone else, that would mean that the rumor has circulated enough to the point that even the place I am staying at is talking about it. I will give you additional silver coins depending on your performance." He explained.

    The kids were ecstatic to hear about making a silver coin for such an easy task. It would usually take them a few weeks of work to save up a silver coin. Not only would they be able to have money to spend for themselves, but they could also even help out their families with this additional income.

    "As for the information you would provide, it depends on what type of information and how important it is. We can talk about it once you have gathered the information and the same rule will apply. I will pay you for the information and after I confirm whether it''s true or not, I will give you kids a bonus."

    The children were all smiles and listened intently to his instructions. They thought that Kazuya was doing this to bring mischief towards the arrogant nobles. Many of the names that they heard from him were those nobles who would have people pay them less so they were a little excited about getting back at those people who would look down on them.

    He gave them a lecture about what kinds of information they needed to pay attention to. These children were used to hearing all kinds of things from the people that consider them invisible so they had Kazuya evaluate the information that they already overheard.

    Kazuya, who had suggested this information network was shocked by just how much these children overheard. He couldn''t help but curse the adults of the capital for letting these young children hear topics about scandals, fetishes, and the like.

    "Just remember, this deal of ours revolves around trust. I will trust you children to help me with things like this and help you out if ever you need it but, I want you to know that once that trust is broken, I will most likely never help you with anything again. This is an opportunity that may turn into something bigger between us someday so I hope you children won''t take things for granted." He carefully reminded them.

    "You can count on us!" declared their nominal leader.

    "Good, now, here is a coin for each of you for the information you shared and as commemoration for our cooperation." Kazuya presented them with a silver coin each and told them about the rumor he wanted to spread around before sending them on their way.

    "(That should put a lid on one of the problems that popped up today¡­)" Kazuya sighed as he headed towards his next destination. He had already spent the time that was intended towards the library so he headed for the capital''s western church.

    What met him was the face of the cleric who was sweeping in front of the church as usual. Jorelle ran up to him like he was surprised to see Kazuya''s arrival.

    "This is quite unusual indeed. I thought you wouldn''t come by today." Kazuya was a little surprised by this cleric''s attention to detail.

    Clocks in Edea were usually a luxury to normal people since instead of batteries, they would be equipped with small mana stones that needed the user to be recharged by the those who could imbue mana into the small stones without breaking them. This was the reason why there weren''t many options to accurately tell the time.

    "I guess you weren''t lying when you said that you could tell." Kazuya laughed. He didn''t think much about it since he had already set-up his own devices to be able to tell the time. "I was with the children and lost track of time so I apologize for making you wait." Kazuya was more comfortable around this cleric now.

    After meeting with the necromancer from earlier and finding out that he was somehow connected to this cleric, Kazuya had been more or less convinced of what might have happened in the span of time that he hadn''t arrived in his previous time in Edea.

    There had been reasons why people were accepting of the church of light''s deception towards dark magic being aligned towards evil. Not mentioning the negative views on necromancers having the ability to control those who had been once alive, many of the uncovered research of such dark magic practitioners once created a stir in Edea.

    As controllers of the undead, there had been many necromancers who sought to be like their controlled creatures and pass through the barrier of life and death safely with their minds intact. These kinds of research led to the creation of beings such as liches to come into the world.

    Whether on Earth or in Edea, people have strived to gain eternal life. Science, Magic, or any other form of means, mortals would always seek to pursue extending their lives rather than accepting the inevitable. A rare few would even cross the line that people would consider sane in order for them to be able to attain what was known as ''immortality''.

    This was not limited to dark magic practitioners. Even other magicians or even normal people also sought to seek this path. The only reason why these taboos were only branded towards people like necromancers was because it was easier to pin the blame on them because of their abilities to control the dead and the known existences such as liches who did exist in Edea.

    "There weren''t many people that came today so even if you arrived on time, there wasn''t much to learn from. Rather, would you like to discuss things with me over tea?" Jorelle offered.

    Not knowing what Kazuya''s opinion of him was, Jorelle found this young traveler very easy to get along with. He also liked hearing about the various places this young man had already visited and wondered if he would one day be able to visit such amazing or faraway locations.

    "Sure, I don''t mind. I have a few questions about the spells I''ve learned these past few days anyway." Kazuya readily agreed as the two of them stepped inside the church.

    An old man walked out of a dark corner a distance away from the church. He was stealthily following Kazuya from a distance as the boy''s senses were sharp enough to give him a bit of trouble.

    "(So¡­ he really does know my son¡­)" he crossed his arms in thought as he stared at the building they disappeared into.

    .

 212 Jorelle and Gazardiel

    .

    Inside the church, Kazuya indulged in the cleric Jorelle''s curiosity and told them about the places that he had visited before. Though it was from his previous life, Kazuya mainly talked about the places that were outside the Zweifel kingdom so he was confident that the battle with the Eberbach forces that he had already prevented did not have any changes to the places he talked about.

    After sensing the presence of the old man who most likely got tired of waiting for him had disappeared, he smiled at the cleric whose current demeanor was the opposite of the version he was supposed to have met a few years later in the capital.

    "(I apologize, Natsu-san. I hadn''t been aware of it before but your acquaintance should have used a forbidden spell to take over this cleric''s body.)" Kazuya inwardly sighed.

    He was no longer a complete newbie regarding magic and magical theories. Kazuya was well informed about different types of magic since he had studied under the tutelage of his predecessor; the hero of magic.

    Though it might have been a hypothesis, from what Kazuya had learned today, he was sure of his conclusion. The young man in front of him who was dreaming of adventures, according to the children from the slums, was the adopted son of the merchant who always gave them candy. This cleric''s fate must have been decided the moment the old man posing as a merchant had adopted him from a rural place.

    "Did you not visit a lot of places with your father when you were young? I heard from the children that he was a merchant who often travelled around." Kazuya connected the topic.

    "Not really. My adoptive father took me to the capital after he took me away from one of the orphanages from the southern town of Horbo. Not long after I settled down, I was taken to the church because he had discovered that I had an affinity towards light magic." He explained.

    "Oh? He doesn''t want you to inherit the family business?" Kazuya inquired.

    "I also wanted to follow in his footsteps but he said that I would be able to help more people if I learn healing arts from the church as a cleric. My father is too kind for his own good, I don''t know why he chose to be a merchant." Jorelle gave a bitter expression.

    A wandering merchant had seemingly adopted a child from his travels and brought him to the capital. Since this child had an affinity with light magic, he was immediately taken in by the church to learn healing arts. This status would instantly label him as ''good'' in the eyes of the people.

    Kazuya had to admit, the old man''s plan was something that he hadn''t considered. Never would he have imagined that the old man had the luck to find an orphan who had been compatible with the opposing elements; light and darkness. If Kazuya had never met the two of them, even with his current knowledge, the chances of him being able to find the truth was close to zero.

    Once Jorelle''s body had been taken over, not only will the old man have a body that was capable of both light and dark magic, he would also have the status of a cleric that had developed a reputation since childhood. He was really lucky to have encountered Jorelle when he was just a child.

    "Is that why you go around the slums to heal them in your spare time?" Kazuya continued his inquiries.

    Jorelle didn''t find this strange, he was glad that Kazuya had finally inquired about something other than magic or skills. He was glad to answer them because this meant that their friendship was moving forward.

    "Yeah. Though it was my adoptive father''s idea, I don''t really mind it since it gives me a lot of practice and I am able to share the kindness that was given to me. I think I would have been like the children in the slums if I hadn''t been adopted." Jorelle solemnly spoke.

    "(What a foxy old coot!)" Kazuya had to hand it to the old man Gazardiel. He was quite devious.

    Had it not been for his knowledge, Kazuya would have been touched by this scheme. The young cleric did not doubt the old man and had complete faith in him. This way, there was no way Gazardiel would encounter any mishap when he used the spell to take over Jorelle''s body.

    Things would have gone according to his schemes if Kazuya had not learned from Natsu. This was one of the moments that he felt thankful for the knowledge that had been drilled into him by his predecessor.

    The thought of transferring bodies may have been easy and convenient for those without knowledge. Taboo magics were taboo for a reason. Not only were they harmful to others, but they were also filled with risks towards the caster.

    The concept of immortality may sound wonderful, but the reality is very different from theories or concepts. To those who cannot use magic, it may seem useful and wonderful. As they are unable to perform such spells, they do not understand the concept of casting such advanced spells.

    Casting even the simplest spell requires the minimum amount of control. Even the simplest spell can become stronger depending on the degree of control and power imbued into the spell itself. The more advanced the spell, the more power, and control is required.

    This is why magicians often take an interest in the field of alchemy. What is known as ''equivalent exchange'' is the basis of all alchemy. The same basis can be said to be applied towards magic. For a specific spell to be cast, a required cost needs to be paid or met.

    "(Taboo magic¡­ Soul Transference¡­)" Kazuya thought of the spell''s name as he listened to the cleric.

    It was a dark magic attribute that a necromancer from Natsu''s time had discovered. The closest thing to immortality as one could get. A caster using a necromancer''s control over souls to move their own soul into another container.

    From what Kazuya was taught, this spell would not only transfer the soul of the caster over to a container that needed to have an affinity towards dark magic, the soul of the person who the caster was transferring to would be ''devoured'' by the caster''s soul.

    It was said to be a very risky procedure because if the person who was supposed to be devoured were to fight against the caster, the spell would have severe repercussions towards the caster. It was a process that not only needed time to complete but also cooperation.

    In that sense, Kazuya was worried about how Jorelle viewed the old man. He wondered just how many times an old acquaintance of Natsu had done this procedure as the man who was supposed to be from Natsu''s generation, as a human, was supposed to have died long ago.

    "(This guy will hate me if I tell him about the old man''s plans¡­)" he inwardly sighed.

    Human relations were complicated. This guy had been carefully raised by Gazardiel. There was no way that he would believe Kazuya over the adoptive father that had been kind to him all this time.

    "Is something wrong?" Jorelle had noticed the frown that appeared on Kazuya''s face all of a sudden.

    "It''s nothing¡­ I was just thinking about something that I noticed with the people of the slums¡­" he decided that he needed to approach this issue in another way.

    "Noticed?" the cleric was concerned after hearing about the people of the slums.

    "Yeah¡­ some of their ailments seem to have been due to some malevolent energies that somehow made it into their bodies. I don''t know what caused it but, even if I removed it, if by chance that this was not an isolated event, their health will deteriorate once more if the source isn''t found." Kazuya explained.

    "Malevolent energy¡­" Jorelle muttered. As a person who was sensitive towards dark attributes, he couldn''t deny Kazuya''s words.

    "I doubt that there would be any dark magic practitioners stupid enough to practice their dark magics in the capital but¡­ since there were many people, I sensed this from, I think that there should be a specific source for those energies that have been slowly building up in their bodies. Do you have any ideas?" Kazuya turned the question towards the cleric and made Jorelle come up with a solution himself.

    "Could it be¡­ no¡­ but¡­ contamination?" he muttered loud enough for Kazuya to hear after mulling over for a few moments.

    Jorelle didn''t want to think about it but there weren''t many he could think of as the cause. His hesitation was mainly caused by the fact that many of the food that the people from the slums bought was from what his father sold them for a discounted price.

    "That is one possibility." Kazuya surmised that Jorelle had thought about the possibility of his adoptive father being connected to the matter from the expressions that continued to change.

    He didn''t feel good about breaking this person''s faith towards the parent that raised him but it had to be done. The Gazardiel he knew in the future would not only take over the body of this cleric, but he would also use the dark energies that had been planted over the people of the slums and turn them into his own minions after his identity as a necromancer was revealed.

    The children, their parents, and all the other residents of the slums that had been filled with dark energy over the years could not help but lose their lives and turn undead after the necromancer activated the spell he cast to ensure his own escape.

    "I apologize, but I think you should know more about this than me so I decided to mention it." Kazuya gave him an apologetic look.

    The old man may have grown clever over the centuries but he had also grown complacent and arrogant. Gazardiel may have been cautious and suspicious towards Kazuya but never could he have imagined that this kid was well versed with his profession''s skills and arts.

    "No¡­ I should be grateful. It seems that I have grown used to continuously treating various people that I have neglected to notice that their recurring symptoms may have been caused by this." Jorelle felt a little guilty after realizing that his reaction gave away his thoughts.

    "Who knows? I may just be overthinking about this matter." Kazuya lighted up the mood a little. "As a traveler moving around different places, it became my habit to consider every danger that I may encounter. I originally mentioned this matter to see if you have any opinions about it since I tend to always think pessimistically."

    Jorelle appreciated these words. Even though he thought that there could be no way that his adoptive father may have caused this intentionally, the possibility that this matter had been overlooked by him was still possible.

    "My father often sells supplies to the people of the slums at a lower price secretly. I will try to look into this matter and ask him where the supplies came from if it is indeed the source."

    It was now up to the adoptive father and son to figure out how their relationship would proceed from here. This was the only chance he would, or could give Natsu''s old acquaintance.

    The taboo spell of transference was not without consequences. As one would transfer over to a completely different body, one would be immobilized and weakened for a certain amount of time. This was only one of the few consequences known for invoking the spell as even a child would need to learn to control their own body before they are adept in functioning properly.

    "(Though I can already assume what your decision will be¡­ it will be your move now, Old fox.)" Kazuya turned to Jorelle and thought of something.

    "Hey, do you trust me?"

    .

 213 Considerations

    Note: Support Original Authors! If you''re reading this outside Webnovel.com or its app, it was most likely stolen!

    .

    As the days passed by, various rumors sprung out of nowhere inside the capital. No one was really clear as to where some of the rumors originated, but people were interested in hearing about them as they were interesting enough to catch their attention.

    "There have been rumors that have been circulating around the capital lately," Zwei spoke as he served Sodina and Kazuya their breakfast.

    In one of the more popular rumors, apparently there have been discussions with the southern kingdoms to have Princess Alicia and the Prince of the desert kingdoms betrothed to each other. There were many people that agreed to this as both kingdoms were once one and the two were also mainly governed by humans.

    This kind of rumor is something that would usually delight the citizens but, because of recent events, many of them had differing opinions about the matter. Because of the fact that there was a hero successfully summoned in their generation, the citizens'' opinions were split between supporting the rumored betrothal or hoping that the princess and the hero would end up together in the end.

    The Zweifel kingdom was a large country that was ruled by humans, therefore, since the other races tend to mind themselves, the country had grown a superiority complex towards other races. To the citizens of the capital, though they respected the hero Uriel, they did not like the fact that he had taken an elf as his one and only bride before returning to his own world.

    Kazuya did not expect such a response from the citizens. He felt disgusted at the fact that they were trying to pair him up with Alicia. That is why he acted on impulse and had the children influence these rumors before they got out of hand.

    Humans had a default nature of being greedy or selfish. That is why he knew that if he circulated a certain solution to the debate that people have been passionately discussion, then they would stop trying to pair him up with the princess whose plan on making him gain her affection ended up in the hero throwing up in an alleyway.

    *SLAM!*

    "What the hell is this!?" the young miss of the Eberbach household couldn''t hold back her temper after she heard about the rumors that suddenly involved her.

    "It is as you''ve heard, young miss. Currently, the people have been talking about the rumor that the princess Alicia had been betrothed to the prince of the desert kingdom. When some of them argued that the hero was a better candidate to be her husband instead, someone had argued that since Kazuya-sama is with us, there would be no better candidate than someone who is as well known as the princess to be married to him instead." Zwei reported with a smile.

    These rumors were somewhat entertaining even for him to hear. Elrich had also heard about the strange contact between the king''s faction and the southern kingdoms so he wasn''t quick to dismiss this rumor but, with the citizens at the capital as evidence, the hero''s presence is proving to have a great influence over the usually advantageous position that the king''s faction should have gained through this news.

    Frankly, for Zwei, this rumor was a delightful one to hear. He had observed the two young people who spend time with each other daily. They may not be getting along in the surface but, in his eyes, these two complimented each other really well.

    He looked warmly at the two of them even though he knew that this was a thought that was more ideal than real. The strictness of the duke aside, the hero himself is the biggest problem. He had never shown any interest towards their world aside from the skills and arts he could learn. He was someone that did not put much importance in his connections towards people as he was dead set on getting back to his world as soon as he could.

    "Zwei-san¡­ you couldn''t really be thinking about such a preposterous thing as me being engaged to this girl, right?" Kazuya was the first to notice the look on the old butler''s face.

    "Hey!!! That should be my line!" Sodina immediately reacted with a glare. "How could I ever accept being paired up with someone like you!?"

    "Though you might be better than that vomit inducing fake princess, the fact that you have a justice fetish sends you down the same line as idiots." Kazuya didn''t plan on giving her any face as he was in a bad mood. The rumor he thought of to counter him being paired up with Alicia had been too effective!

    "Justice fetish!? Is that what you call someone who adheres to the principles of justice!? Are you making fun of my beliefs!?"

    "I''m not really making fun of it. Rather, I am scoffing at your na?ve understanding of ''justice''. Would you serve it to anyone you encounter suffering from the world''s injustice?" Kazuya asked with a grin.

    "Of course!" Sodina replied without hesitation.

    "Then why haven''t you done anything about my predicament? I was kidnapped here to this world and am being blackmailed into waging war against another race I have not met before. The perpetrator is your Zweifel kingdom''s royalty and the heads of the church of light." Kazuya turned towards Zwei and asked him to continue with his report as the young miss of the household had been frozen on the spot.

    "(You can''t win against him like that young miss¡­)" Zwei looked at Sodina with a little pity. Though she might have been winning against the hero at physical sparring, the hero did not show much mercy when it came to their verbal arguments.

    The second rumor came along with the news of the bloody duke''s victory against the Keller family and their military. It was said that many of the nobles had targeted Sodina Eberbach in a conspiracy to trigger the bloody duke''s temper. The only reason why the Keller family was singled out was because the plot had been uncovered by several various pieces of evidence that justified the duke''s actions.

    The people were, of course, enraged at the thought of the conspiracy because it had targeted the duke''s proclaimed weakness. Kazuya was not merciful either and let the kids strictly spread around several names from the king''s faction who the public hated for their arrogance.

    What''s more, the people were happy when they heard about what the duke had shouted on the battlefield. The line ''I will slaughter everyone who dared to harm my daughter'' was something that many parents had approved of. There were many other versions that parents told their children like, ''I will bathe in the blood of the people who hurt my child'' or ''even if I go up against the world, I would make sure to take down everyone who dared target my daughter''.

    "Pfft!" Kazuya couldn''t help but laugh after hearing those lines.

    "Uuu¡­" Sodina was extremely embarrassed when she heard Zwei''s report as well. She glared at Kazuya but said nothing as these were words that she couldn''t deny that her father would say.

    -

    Meanwhile, inside one of the meeting rooms in the palace, King Benino and some of the ministers were gathered around as two sealed letters lay on the table. These letters arrived early in the morning and had caused quite a stir as the emblem that sealed these letters were of the famous Academy of Vane.

    One was addressed towards the king of the Zweifel kingdom while the other was addressed to the hero who they were able to summon not too long ago. The letter that was addressed to the king had been shown to his trusted ministers and they had assumed that the contents of the letter towards the hero were more or less the same.

    It was an invitation, an invitation towards the hero to learn the skills he needed to survive in Edea as well as the skills that he would need to be worthy of the title that had been put on his shoulders.

    "I gathered everyone here to discuss this matter." The king turned to his subjects and was satisfied to see them already thinking about the current situation.

    Though it would usually be surprising to receive a letter from such a faraway place in just a short amount of time, none of them really thought about it much as the capabilities of the people from Vane. Even the speed at which they caught onto the news while being so far away was a feat in itself so they were not as surprised at the fast actions compared to seeing the magic imbued telegrams that even court magicians would admire.

    "Was it not part of the plan to send the hero to the Academy in Vane so that he may grow stronger so that he could fight against the demons?" one of the nobles asked.

    "While it is indeed true that this was not an unexpected development, my concern and hesitation about sending the hero to Vane stems from how uncooperative he has been so far," Benino replied.

    "That is true. We had been hoping to have the hero attached to our country before sending him off to learn from the Vane, but right now¡­ I believe that we should hold off on that decision." The minister of finance added.

    "That is what I was thinking as well. Currently, we have no hold on the hero other than the promise that we would look into the methods in sending him back to his world. If he learns that Vane''s magicians are better equipped for this task, even though we might already know the method to send him back, he might defect to their side and leave our kingdom to have summoned him for nothing." The king shared his thoughts with them.

    He gathered them here so they could think of ideas to have the hero attached or affiliated to their county. No one had expected the hero would be someone like Kazuya who threw almost all of their plans in disarray.

    None of them thought of the possibility of him knowing about their schemes and viewed him as someone who was extremely wary towards other people so they did not even think that Kazuya was hindering their plans on purpose. The thought was too preposterous especially towards a person who had come from another world.

    "Since the Vane Academy accepts new students every spring, I think we should send them a response saying that we will let the hero decide whether he would go attend their academy. This would be able to buy us some time to deal with him." One of the nobles suggested.

    "That is not a bad idea but, do you have any clue on how we should be able to handle him?" Benino asked. As a person who had interacted with the hero, he of all people should know how hard it was to deal with him.

    "I think that we may have been a little hasty in imposing what we expect of the hero." The finance minister suddenly spoke. "I believe that he would need time to adjust to his current situation and accept that he has no way to return to his world soon. We can only deal with him slowly as we are the only entities in this world that currently give him value as he does not know about Vane''s invitation just yet."

    "Hmm¡­ That is true¡­" The king nodded. "The duke and the people from the Eberbach house already have an advantage over their current relations with the hero. For now, we will cease all hostilities towards the Eberbach house and focus on the current issue. We must not lose the hero to other forces, especially the city of Vane. Not only would we have sacrificed a great deal for nothing, but we might also even be giving one of our potential enemies a power that rightfully belongs to us if we allow for such a thing to happen."

    .

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 214 Father and Son

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    .

    Old man Gazardy or the merchant Gazardiel was not convinced that the stranger Kazu was not tempted by the rewards and recognition he would get if he revealed the identity of a necromancer living in the capital to the church of light.

    "I''ve lived for a long time and there are very few people, especially humans who are as selfless as that person¡­" he whispered to himself as he remained vigilant on the movements of the people that came in and out of the church.

    If his experience has taught him one thing; it is that most people always put themselves first. No matter how much one person says he or she loves the other when it counts, one might even push their partner towards the jaws of danger just so they could have a better chance of survival. This was an instinct that many creatures, especially humans had.

    Only in the presence of real adversity will one be able to find out who are the real people you can trust. This was why no matter how much of a good conversationalist Kazuya was, Gazardiel had never trusted him completely.

    "I''ve let that kid enter the church because he was telling the truth about knowing my son but¡­" he felt a little nervous as the young lad had the perfect chance to tattle in who he was.

    The old man did not linger too long and left the vicinity as soon as he was sure that there weren''t any movements from the people who could be seen from where he was observing. From the looks of it, there hadn''t been any signs of movements that indicated his identity being revealed.

    But of course, Gazardiel wasn''t willing to risk it. He immediately went back to his home and prepared for the worst. He had always prepared himself for the slight chance that someone would discover him. The church of light was the most devious and hypocritical organizations he had come across with so of course he had several plans to secure his own safety.

    "That lad eliminated my best contingency plan¡­" he gave a bitter laugh as he looked towards the slums from the window.

    It might be the last time he would enjoy the view of the home he had spent the longest time in his current body so he felt a little nostalgic. He thought back on how he arrived in his current predicament and felt somewhat calm even though his life may already be in danger.

    So that the church of light wouldn''t notice, he had spent years taking advantage of the common people and sold products for cheap. These items would contain a seed of dark energy that would attach themselves to people.

    These seeds would slowly grow inside the bodies of the people. If they die, they would immediately fall under the control of Gazardiel. This was why he had targeted elderly people in the capital at first. They would serve as a distraction while he made his escape.

    It was only when the common selfishness of humans showed itself in front of him once again did his plans change into something that people would label him a villain for.

    He had been known by the common people as a person who was unfit to be a merchant because of his kindness. The nickname ''Old Man Gazardy'' was a warm nickname that was given to him because there have been many people that have been helped by him on numerous occasions.

    Unfortunately, several people decided to take advantage of this old merchant. Many of them took advantage of his kindness towards the elderly and bought his wares at lower prices in the name of people that were not even aware of it.

    These people were the first ones who had the dark seeds planted inside their bodies without Gazardiel''s intention. When he had noticed this, it was already too late, the opportunists that had taken advantage of him had sold off their gains to other people who were not intended to have the seeds to be planted on them in the first place.

    "(These people¡­)" he shook his head in disappointment. "(You brought this upon yourselves!)"

    Though his intentions really weren''t that noble, to begin with, being reminded of how some of the good intentions in his own plot had still been taken advantage of by those he tried to help, Gazardiel scoffed at their foolishness. He would not feel remorse towards the living people who would be turned into the undead if he had no choice but to put this specific contingency plan into action.

    The actions these people took reminded him of how many times he had been fooled, betrayed and taken advantage of over the centuries. Though he had a little concern left for humans, this was only because he had sentimental feelings towards the race. He started out as one of them after all.

    When he was still in his original body, he was part of one of the merchant families who established the city of Vane together with the hero Uriel. It was there that he was discovered by Natsu to have a rare affinity towards dark magics.

    From there, the young merchant apprentice; [Ajin Inking] turned into one of the very first dark magic researchers under the hero Uriel. He had dedicated his life in the pursuit of improving his own craft so that he would be able to repay the new life that the hero who saved their world from strife had granted him.

    Of course, as one of many who had been recognized by Natsu, the competition to gain his attention was very fierce. Before he knew it, he had locked himself up inside one of the remote mountains and failed to get the news that the hero Uriel had decided to go back to his own world together with his wife.

    Not very long after Uriel had left, a certain organization called ''the church of light'' had taken advantage of the loss of one of Edea''s beacons of hope. They quickly rose into power as they labeled dark magic practitioners as heretics and went on to publicly condemn them so that the people would have someone to recognize as villains.

    Of course, there were those who knew the truth and condemned the church for their actions but unfortunately, these people were mostly those who had knowledge about magic or the truth.

    With a limited amount of people to stop them, the church had taken advantage of the common people and formed an invisible rift between the territories and races once again. Being the ones who were responsible for summoning the heroes of the past, humans had started to become arrogant and think that they were the race that was above all.

    "I''m home!" a voice that Gazardiel was very familiar with had come from the entrance of their house.

    The old man did not sense anyone else coming back with Jorelle but still kept his guard up in case something would go wrong. He didn''t believe that the son he carefully raised through all these years would simply agree to betray him in just a short while so at least this cleric was not plotting against him.

    "What''s wrong? Why are you all gloomy?"

    "Dad, did you get the food you sell cheaply from a specific supplier?" Jorelle breathed in deeply before he asked.

    "Not really. They are mostly from the farmers I''ve met through my travels. They sell the extra harvests they have cheaply because they know that I help out people from their villages who moved to the capital." He explained. "Why do you ask?"

    "Well¡­" Jorelle started to tell his father about what he and Kazuya discussed together. It included the theory they had that there might be a specific source that made people ill.

    The old man was a little relieved. The kid he met really did keep his word. This shifted his curiosity towards what Kazuya''s purpose really was. He didn''t believe that there was no reason why Kazuya would do such a thing.

    Even the hero Uriel''s achievements were because he had continued to study the mysteries of magic to feed his own curiosity. Though it may not all be the focus, everything one person does would initially have something to do with themselves.

    Even when he sent his own son to clean up some of the scattered seeds, he had done so with the purpose of making Jorelle a significant person in the capital. It would be for the time that he was ready to transfer into a new body. He would be protected by the identity of one of the church''s people.

    "That''s terrible! Can you come with me to the store tomorrow so you can check?" he reassured Jorelle and volunteered to be the first one to have his wares checked.

    He did not fail to notice the relief on his son''s face when he said those words. The anxiety on his son''s face reminded him of the person that his son had never met before, his mother.

    Throughout the generations that he lived through, Gazardiel had never stopped trying to improve his dark arts. He even had a breakthrough in the taboo spell that no one ever dared to delve deeper into.

    He had discovered a way to lessen the repercussions of the soul transmission spell. It was through transferring one''s own soul into a container that was made from the caster''s own flesh. In other words, Gazardiel had discovered that he would not only be suffering much less every time he transferred bodies, he would also be in a better state. All this required was for him to transfer into a relative or even better, an offspring.

    Yes, Jorelle was not really Gazardiel''s adopted son but his real son. The old man had already spent two generations transferring himself into the bodies of real seeds that he had scattered all around the human kingdoms.

    This was all due to his continuous pursuit to improve his necromancy so that he may one day prove that it is a magic that should not be looked down upon. His pursuit of power was because he strove to protect the ideals that Natsu wanted everyone to follow.

    "I feel like a fool. I''ve been going around the capital trying to help the less fortunate and focused on improving my skills that I didn''t notice such a thing." Jorelle sighed.

    The feeling of self-ridicule was something he never shared with Kazuya. He didn''t want to admit it but he took pride in being recognized by the people even though he was not doing it for that purpose. He felt ashamed about this and this incident reminded him that he was still a long way from his goal.

    "Don''t blame yourself for this. If anyone needs to be blamed, it should be us merchants or if there are people behind this incident. This would not have been discovered if you and your friend did not go around helping people so do not ever feel bad about helping others." Gazardiel gave a stern reminder.

    Though Gazardiel did not understand what Kazuya''s purpose was, he knew that this was an opportunity for Jorelle''s name to even be more well known. If they played their cards right, his name might even reach the ears of the newly summoned hero who was currently training in the royal castle.

    "But¡­"

    "Do not focus on what you were not able to do and focus on what you can do." He cut Jorelle off before he could speak.

    He felt a little irritated at the boy''s naivete. As he already looked at Jorelle as his future self, he did not want him to show weakness in front of such a great opportunity. There was only one matter that he needed to figure out.

    It was how Kazuya would affect the opportunity that just appeared in front of them.

    "(If I don''t find out what you want from this city, don''t blame me for chasing you out, kid.)"

    -

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 215 The Young Miss Strikes Back

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    .

    The days went by relatively fast as Kazuya continued his daily routine without much disruption.

    Though the princess would still sometimes show herself in the library, she would refrain from disturbing Kazuya from his studies. Alicia opted to observe him and slowly garner his attention through time. Since the hero would go to the library almost daily, she had a lot of time to try out various methods to catch his attention.

    Kazuya didn''t mind Alicia''s actions as he would rather have her continue her farce silently rather than her previous attempt. He was more concerned about how old man Gazardy would often follow him around stealthily. It would take him a lot of time to make the old man give up and it caused him to be late in returning to the Eberbach house at times.

    "(Looks like Jorelle is doing a pretty good job making the old man feel pressured.)" Kazuya laughed as he passed by the guards that stood by the gates of the Eberbach residence.

    Due to Jorelle''s efforts, not only the slums of the western district, the other common districts were warned to make sure to be careful of the food they bought as well. Though the exact cause of the traces of dark energy hadn''t been found, the church of light had sent many clerics to rid the citizens of any traces that might have come into contact with them.

    When the old man confronted Kazuya about it, he said that he only hastened the procedure of ridding the rejected apprentice candidates. The old man''s identity was still safe while the church had been arrogant enough to not search the capital for any dark magic practitioners.

    Not wanting Kazuya to know the extent of his plans, Gazardiel could only swallow the bitterness he felt. He claimed to have cared for the people''s wellbeing, so he couldn''t really complain when Kazuya and Jorelle worked together to expel the seeds that he planted over the years.

    "You''re late again!" Sodina tapped her foot impatiently as if she was waiting for Kazuya to enter the estate.

    She had already gotten used to Kazuya''s daily routine so she was a bit concerned as to why he suddenly started going back at inconsistent times. Even Julia had no idea as to why her master had started breaking his consistency. Unfortunately for her, when she showed concern by trying to join Kazuya as he stepped out, she was ordered to stay behind the residence instead.

    With the rumors the king''s faction spread that she had joined his party, there was no way that Julia could be seen walking around with him. Especially now that a paranoid necromancer had been secretly tailing him at random, one wrong move could prompt the old man to initiate his other contingency plans.

    Kazuya did not want such an outcome after being able to catch a lucky break and figure out what the old man had been meticulously planning. He didn''t care about what Julia thought about the matter as well, so the former royal guard could only give him a deathly glare as she complied with his orders.

    "I was looking into a few matters and forgot the time." Kazuya didn''t bother thinking up of a better excuse as he walked past her.

    "Lies! I know what you have secretly been doing!" she looked at him with a hint of disdain.

    "Hmm?" Kazuya halted his steps and was slightly intrigued. He had not felt any observers aside from the usual information gatherers and Gazardiel. "What have I been up to then?"

    "Don''t pretend. I visited the Blue house''s manager to clear up some matters about the horse I took from you. He warned me to be careful because you have been witnessed by him and several people flirting around the capital!"

    "Wha¡ª!?" his mouth gaped as her response was something that he had not expected at all. Kazuya couldn''t help but curse the manager in his mind as he picked the worst person to say such words to.

    "Looks like you did not expect to be exposed!" she grinned at him with confidence.

    "Look here, the women that guy was talking about were Acht and Neun who showed me around town when I first came here." he sighed. "The only reason I didn''t refute his claim was because letting him or anyone else know who I am will only hinder me from going around this place as I see fit."

    He didn''t want to say anymore and he tried to walk away from the young miss who looked like she had not listened to a word he said. She followed him to the dining room as Zwei politely bowed towards them before signaling the servants to prepare their meals.

    "Kazuya-sama, these have arrived for you today." the old butler handed him a few envelopes that had been sealed with various noble crests.

    "Again?" Kazuya didn''t even bother looking at them as he could already tell what they were.

    They were various invitations to banquets hosted by the different nobles of the capital. With the hero''s confirmation of accepting the burden that was forced upon him at his summoning, various nobles have started making contact with him to get on his good graces. These nobles have begun moving after Elrich''s victory against the Keller family was confirmed.

    At first, there were invitations by the nobles who have yet to meet the hero as they were not present during his summoning. Kazuya had accepted a few of these invitations as he wanted to know the stances of the nobles that he had not been familiar with.

    Soon, these invitations turned into tea parties, birthday celebration invitations, and the like. The nobles used various different excuses to get the chance to get close enough to build a connection with the hero.

    "Aren''t you going to answer their invitations? There are various noble ladies there that someone like you should enjoy meeting." Sodina sarcastically said from the other side of the table.

    "You¡­" Kazuya''s eyebrows twitched as he knew that Sodina was enjoying this.

    This had been the first time that she had the upper hand against Kazuya so why wouldn''t she take advantage of it. He did not hold back whenever he lectured her so Sodina wanted to do this for as long as she could.

    "What response should I give to the senders?" Zwei cut into the conversation before Kazuya''s frustration build up any further.

    Though the veteran butler understood why their young miss had been doing this, Now was not the time to make the young hero have repulsive feelings towards the Eberbach house. Many other houses have been desperately vying for his favor so they should show the superiority of their house in supporting his cause.

    "Reject all of them. Tell them that I have no intention of making a debut before I have some skills to show for it." Kazuya said without hesitation.

    "I will make sure to relay your intentions properly." Zwei bowed and hid the smile on his face. He truly could not help but admire this young man.

    He did not seek fame or glory. Though he had a rough personality, the young man understood the weight he needed to carry and focused on the things that needed to be done instead of taking advantage of his current status. Even Zwei himself was not confident that the younger version of himself would be able to resist such temptations.

    Of course, he was not all praises for this young hero. The fact that he clearly did not trust anyone was clear for everyone to see. In his opinion, if it were not for Kazuya''s status as a hero, he would have long been taken down by the pride that made him refuse to compromise with even the slightest things.

    "Hmph! At least you are aware of your own shortcomings." Sodina scoffed.

    "Yeah¡­ It''s a lot better than being made aware of it after finding out that those shortcomings would have led to the destruction of every privilege that you have taken advantage of." Kazuya replied with a disdainful look.

    Sodina clenched her fists as she remembered how she had been embarrassed by him. She held back her temper as she knew that this was one of the things he would comment on.

    "Womanizer! Philanderer! Hedonist! Pervert!"

    "Are those the words that should be coming out of the mouth of an unmarried young lady?" Kazuya grinned whilst thinking that this young miss really had a sharp tongue.

    "Those are the exact kind of people that this young miss should avoid." She replied confidently.

    "Really? I heard there had not been a single marriage proposal towards you. I bet the people who are talking about the rumors are happy that there is finally someone who might be paired up to such an uncouth brat." Kazuya mocked.

    "Brat!?"

    "What twin beauties of the Zweifel kingdom? All of those who admire you and that stupid princess are people who have not met you both. The only advantage that you have over the princess is your personality and the only advantage Alicia has over you is having looks that go well with her acting skills." He continued.

    Zwei and the servants who were standing by couldn''t help but sigh at the current situation. Sodina was not aware of what Kazuya had been doing in the capital but they were. They may have not specifically sent people to observe him but the various establishments that secretly belonged to the Eberbach family at the capital had paid attention to the hero''s activities.

    They might have not have had people inside the church, but it was easy to connect Kazuya to the current investigation about the contaminated food being sold around in the commoners'' district. The young hero may not have shown it, but he was very concerned about the wellbeing of the people that he had discovered to have suffered.

    Zwei had regretted not informing Sodina about what the hero had been up to sooner. Now she had set herself up to be the person that Kazuya had released his built-up stress on. Their young miss had no way of knowing that she had been digging her own grave.

    Things would have been much simpler if the young hero was like a normal boy his age who could have been tempted by Sodina''s beauty. Even though it would have been impossible because of Elrich, it was still a big advantage for the family if Kazuya had been attracted to the family''s young miss.

    From what Zwei had heard from Elrich, the only female that Kazuya had even shown the slightest interest in was when he first encountered Alicia. Everyone had thought that he had been mesmerized by her beauty when he first arrived but it ended up with Alicia now sitting in a magic wheelchair and going through physical therapy.

    "You¡­ could it be that you like¡­ guys?" Sodina involuntarily moved back as she made such an assumption that spurned Kazuya''s temper even more.

    "(Is this girl a fujoshi?)" the veins on his forehead throbbed as he wondered what could have this girl been thinking to have come to such an absurd conclusion.

    "Are you that conceited that me not being attracted to a brat like you can only come up with that conclusion? Listen here, you and that hypocritical princess are just not enough to catch my attention." Kazuya shook his head. "If you had a more mature elder sister, I would have been interested to meet her. Especially if unlike you, she speaks more with action and not words." He scoffed.

    Sodina and Zwei couldn''t help but look at each other after hearing those words. Sodina was indeed the only daughter of Elrich Eberbach but, unlike the hero who was not familiar with their house, there was indeed someone who was seen as somewhat of an elder sister to the young miss.

    "So, if I had an elder sister, you would have rather met her than myself, you say?" the temper Sodina had been holding back had all but dispersed almost instantly.

    "What are you suddenly so smug about?" Kazuya''s eyes narrowed as he looked at Sodina.

    "Albeit unofficially, I have one. An elder sister that is very much different from me." Sodina smiled. "You said that you would be interested in meeting her so I assume that I can hold you to those words?"

    "Zwei-san, is this true?"

    "Yes. There is indeed such a person." Zwei confirmed.

    "Not only is she different from me, but she is also much stronger than me who keeps beating you in our daily exercises." Sodina couldn''t help but grin after imagining what would happen if she tattled on how she was bullied by the hero towards the elder sister who was very overprotective of her.

    "I will not take back my words. If she is indeed unlike you as you claim, then I would be more than welcome to befriend such a person."

    .

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 217 To The Merchant Association

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    .

    Kazuya was not the only person who found the recent developments tiring. Gazardiel, who had been cooperating with his Jorelle with recently did not have much time to stalk Kazuya whenever he wished. Adding the fact that he would sometimes lose track of the slippery young man because he had to maintain quite a distance away, the old necromancer couldn''t figure out much about the mysterious identity of the young man that stumbled onto his identity.

    "(There you are! I''ll find out something today if it''s the last thing I do!)" Gazardiel swore as he was finally able to catch Kazuya walking around town early in the afternoon.

    Though he was able to follow Kazuya all the way to one of the inns in town at night, he was never actually able to catch him during the morning. This was why he had a good feeling today. It was rare for him to have caught a glimpse of the boy this early.

    "(Huh? Why is he¡­)" After following for a while, the familiar place caught him off guard.

    He had followed Kazuya all the way to a place he visits often. A large sign that said ''Merchant Association'' was placed above the entrance of the structure that the boy just entered.

    Gazardiel pondered for a bit before shaking his head and entering the building. He thought that the boy was finally gathering information about him. There hadn''t been any signs despite him reaching out to some of the contacts he made in the capital so he thought that either the boy was really not interested or he was being extra careful since he was dealing with a dark magic practitioner whose reputations were usually very sinister.

    "(There wouldn''t be any problem if he were able to find me in this place since he knows that I am a merchant¡­)" he thought to himself as he followed shortly after Kazuya had entered the building.

    He didn''t have any problems finding Kazuya as the boy appeared to have been reading different listings in the various boards in the hall as he queued in one of the lines towards one of the receptionists.

    With the numerous people inside the building, Gazardiel blended right in as he started a conversation with a person he noticed while paying attention to the boy.

    "Hello! Welcome to the Merchant Association! How may I be of service?" A young receptionist greeted Kazuya with a smile.

    The association was always full of stingy merchants who weren''t easy to talk to so she was happy to see someone young come up to her.

    "I would like to obtain a permit to peddle some wares around this country. I''m a traveler from a different country and have encountered a few unexpected turns during my travels so I need to procure a way to make money to continue and reach my destination." Kazuya explained and made sure that he was heard by Gazardiel who was nearby.

    "Ah, that does indeed sound like a problem." She took another look at Kazuya and judged that he was not a person that would be fit to be an adventurer. Though he was on the good-looking side, he looked rather frail and did not carry any weapons with him other than a short sword that looked to be the ones that trainees use.

    "I thought of various other means to make some money but I think peddling would be much easier for someone like me." Kazuya continued and was glad that he had found someone who was not suspicious of him.

    The receptionist''s reaction was the complete opposite of the expression that Gazardiel currently had on his face.

    "(For someone like you? That''s nothing but a big fat lie you stinky kid! You immediately threatened me when I was thinking of making a move on you when we first met!)" Gazardiel retorted in his head as he continued to converse with another merchant.

    "What are you planning on peddling in your travels?" though she was concerned, the association still had their rules. "I would also need you to take a short test to see if you are capable of being one of the association''s merchants."

    She handed him a sheet of paper along with some ink and a quill. They were simple arithmetic questions to gauge the minimum requirements of becoming a merchant. Before she could ask Kazuya to move to the side so she could entertain the next person while he answered the question, Kazuya picked up the quill and answered the questions on the parchment without any hesitation.

    "I plan on selling some figurines like these." Kazuya took out two items and put it on the table.

    The receptionist, as well as the others who saw the items, couldn''t help but stare at the figurines that were placed on the counter. It was a carved figure of Elrich Eberbach riding his warhorse wearing the same armor that he had equipped when he left the capital recently. The second figure was, of course, Sodina Eberbach holding her rapier.

    The sheer amount of detail that went into these had surprised all those who were looking at the two items on the table. Many of them looked at the innocent-looking boy who presented them without hesitation and greed instantly filled their eyes.

    "Hey kid, I have a proposition for you!"

    "Get in line old man! You''re lacking money right, young man?"

    "Don''t believe anything you hear from these people kid. How about I take those figures off your hands for 50 silvers right now?"

    Kazuya was rather surprised at the merchants who suddenly approached him. He did not expect such a reaction from them since he only thought that these carvings would be sold cheaply because they were made from normal wood.

    "(I made a mistake¡­)" he criticized himself as he failed to predict such an outcome.

    As a person who did not pay much attention to things such as the art level of arts in this world in his first life, Kazuya had neglected to consider that his casual creations were too detailed to be labeled as normal sculptures. He merely thought that if he made sculptures of famous people in the capital, he would immediately pass the qualifications since he had wares that were quite unique.

    Fortunately for Kazuya, his mistake was seen as a weakness and the suspicions that Gazardiel had were lessened. Though he was not able to notice this because of the numerous merchants greedily approaching him, he still had something that he had not revealed yet and turned towards the receptionist who was also shocked at the shameless merchants who tried to take advantage of Kazuya.

    "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" a loud voice instantly startled the merchants in the hall.

    Any merchant in the capital should recognize this voice as it was from the manager of the association in Maynira. Anyone who wanted to make it as a merchant in the capital had to be approved by this person so if they got on his bad side, they could forget about making suitable profits in the Zweifel territory.

    "(This guy¡­)" Kazuya didn''t expect to meet this person here but he was glad that his mistake had given him a chance to appear in front of him.

    Raiser Kerr, the manager of the Zweifel kingdom''s merchant association. He was a respected branch head to the public but to other merchants, he was known as the [Soul Seller]. The reason was simple, he was someone who would do anything to make money.

    One example would be how he reached his current position. After standing in the sidelines as one of the Kerr family''s trustees, he had decisively stabbed them in the back after gaining control of a large number of their profits and threw them aside. This was even after he was rescued multiple times by the family despite his gambling addiction.

    "Boss¡­" the receptionist timidly approached Raiser and explained what had just happened.

    Kazuya listened observed and did not miss the slight look of greed that flickered in the eyes of the middle-aged man after looking at the figurines on the table that he had only noticed after hearing about the situation.

    This was the man that introduced him to one of his former companions; Dwayne Mybber. The two got along quite well as they both were money-grubbing heathens who had no qualms about selling their own kin for the sake of profit.

    "I see. Now I understand the situation." Raizer turned his gaze towards the merchants who immediately tried to avoid making eye contact with him.

    "(This guy isn''t still satisfied with his position and wants to take away such an opportunity from us!)"

    "(What a greedy bastard!)"

    "(Now I feel bad for that young man.)"

    Many of the merchants thought of the same thing as they waited to see what kind of method this greedy manager would use to have the young man under his palm. Though many of them hated Raizer, none of them had the courage to stand up to him as they were too afraid of what might happen to themselves.

    "I understand your current situation but¡­ unlike the adventurer''s guild, the merchant association has to have some kind of record of your identity. This is to prevent just anyone from joining our association to make fools out of innocent customers. Do you have any proof of your identity?" Raizer''s words made Gazardiel want to give him a pat on the back.

    This is what exactly what the old necromancer was looking for. Though Kazuya had introduced himself in the same manner as he did towards Gazardiel, there was still no guarantee that he was actually telling the truth.

    "I guess it really came down to this huh¡­" Kazuya gave a hesitant look as he put his right inside his bag ones more and rummaged through the pockets.

    "Is there something the matter with your identity? Id so, why did you not go to the artist''s guild instead. They are better suited to cater to creations such as these magnificently carved figures." Raizer was, of course, able to notice the hesitation Kazuya showed and asked him about it.

    He was by no means close to Gazardiel''s paranoia but he was still a careful person. As someone who used and betrayed others to get to where he was, he needed to be cautious especially when he dealt with people that he was not familiar with.

    "I know a lot of these artistic types back home. I don''t want to deal with such temperamental people and would rather deal with merchants since they are more convenient and easier to talk to." Kazuya explained as his arm continued to search inside his bag.

    "Convenience?"

    "I am a traveler. The merchant guild can also be a source of information as merchants are even far more widespread than adventurers. They are also more knowledgeable when it comes to which routes should be safer or more dangerous." He casually replied as his arm finally seems to have found what it was looking for.

    When Kazuya placed the item, he was looking for on the counter, Raizer had planned on ignoring it. He had already thought of various reasons on how to reject Kazuya''s application to be a merchant so that he could earn his favor later on but, as soon as his eyes saw what was in front of him, Raizer could not look away.

    "This¡­" His face paled after he saw the small token that was placed on the table.

    "(That kid is a member of the Scarlet Mansion!?)" Gazardiel couldn''t hide the shock he felt after seeing the familiar token that belonged to one of the most influential groups in the eastern countries.

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 218 The Eastern Noble

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    The Scarlet Mansion, one of the most powerful groups in the eastern countries. A group that has powerful and influential, but also had a history that was even older than most kingdoms that existed in Edea.

    It was founded by none other than the first-ever hero that was summoned to Edea; Micheal, who did not return to his world and had chosen to develop the eastern lands that were once uncharted territory. The followers that went with him as well as the family Michael formed were the founding members of what is now presently known as the eastern kingdoms.

    "Can I inspect this token?" Raizer spoke in a politer tone this time as he was afraid of offending someone who had an unfathomable background.

    Kazuya nodded without hesitation and watched as Raizer cautiously inspected the token. Though he had no real connections with the Scarlet Mansion or even the eastern countries in his previous life, Kazuya was not worried about what the sly manager would see as this token was given to him by none other than Natsu himself.

    "This mark¡­ belongs the hero of magic¡­" Raizer couldn''t believe his eyes.

    Kazuya''s predecessor was not only one of the members that had been able to join the eastern countries'' most powerful groups, but he had also been given the privilege to establish his own branch. This was due to the fact that not only was he a hero, but he was also a hero that had feats that could be compared to the group''s founder.

    "(A member of Natsu-san''s group in the scarlet mansion¡­)" Gazardiel could not help but reassess his opinions about Kazuya.

    If the boy was really from that group, it could explain the reason why he was not concerned by his identity as a necromancer. The Scarlet Mansion was a group that did not care about the power struggles of any kingdom and would only move if either their members were involved or their interests were threatened. Belonging in the branch of the hero did not discriminate against dark magic gave some credibility to Kazuya''s claim that he really did not care whether Gazardiel practiced magic or not.

    "Have you confirmed its authenticity?" Kazuya smiled as he looked at Raizer who already lost any shred of arrogance.

    "Yes, this is indeed the real thing." He respectfully placed the token back on the counter.

    These tokens were very special not only because of the materials and craftsmanship. The fact that they were tokens that were connected to the lives of those they were bestowed upon made it a ward against those who might harbor bad intentions towards those who wielded these tokens.

    The mysterious group itself wasn''t easy to be part of so the Scarlet Mansion was very protective over its members that many noble houses or even kingdoms have suffered because they had messed with whoever had the tokens.

    "I was instructed to only show this token in special circumstances so I would appreciate it if the fact that it showed up here would remain a secret." Despite the warm smile on Kazuya''s face, the atmosphere had suddenly turned cold.

    Killing intent was directed towards Raizer. Now that Kazuya''s affiliation was revealed, very few people saw him as an innocent young man anymore. Most people who were paying attention were merchants, they would have no right in being one if they did not know anything about a big entity such as the Scarlet Mansion.

    "I understand. I promise you, if word of this gets out, not only will I resign from my post, I will also make sure that I will find out who opened their mouths and regret that they ever did so!" Raizer glanced around the room and made himself clear.

    He might be a person who would sell out anyone for profit, but Raizer knew that there was no way he could spend any of the money he made if he was dead. This was not the first time that a member of the scarlet mansion had been identified travelling around different territories. Those who were aware of this were always wary around their treatment of anyone from the eastern countries.

    "I''m glad I was able to find someone easy to talk to." Kazuya maintained his smile as the cold atmosphere dissipated as if everyone who felt it only imagined it.

    "I will get the staff working on your permit and credentials quickly." He turned to the receptionist and gestured for her to do it quickly. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

    "Hmm¡­" Kazuya pondered for a moment. "From the reaction of many of the people, my carvings seem to be a lucrative product?"

    Though Kazuya initially had something else planned to say if ever he met this person, he thought that the unexpected realization he had about his carvings would make his next move a little less suspicious.

    "Honestly speaking, these are works that many people would consider masterpieces. I would have believed it if you said that you were an artist rather than a traveler. These two carvings, in particular, would demand a high price to the people who greatly admire the Eberbach family." Raizer estimated.

    "I see¡­ Since you offered, will you be able to distribute them and help me gather what I need before I continue with my travels?" Raizer''s eyes lit up as soon as he heard Kazuya''s words. He never expected the young man to strike up a deal with him.

    "I would be more than happy to assist you if I can. It may sound like bragging but there are very few people who can get what I cannot here in Maynira." He confidently declared.

    "Well aside from money, I need to procure quite a number of personnel to replace the ones that have been lost or I regrettably hired during my journey. I would still need to pass through a not so recommended terrain in the south to get close to my destination after all." Kazuya smiled as he hinted where he had been planning to go.

    Raizer, as well as Gazardiel tensed up as soon as they heard this. Though not everyone was able to understand what the mysterious young man meant, some of them were informed about the shady businesses that Raizer was involved in.

    "(So¡­ this is why this kid was talking about the city of Vane¡­)" Gazardiel thought. There were many things that started going on through his mind as a connection towards someone he had respected a very long time ago had appeared before him out of the blue.

    He couldn''t help but wonder if fate was playing a cruel joke on him. Gazardiel was currently planning on accelerating his plans due to the opportunity that was presented when Jorelle met with Kazuya.

    Since Gazardiel had finally been able to find out the young man''s identity, he felt that he no longer needed to stalk Kazuya. He intended on leaving silently as he also needed to process the surprising information as well as the emotions that have surfaced on him because of what he had just learned.

    "(Looks like that did the trick...)" Kazuya sensed that old man Gazardy had started to retreat from the scene.

    Kazuya finally ran into some good luck. As the past few days have stressed him out, he did not expect that his visit to the association today would allow him to clear multiple objectives. Not only was he able to fool old man Gazardy, but he was also able to establish a connection with Raizer who Kazuya assumed would have taken a few visits to catch the attention of.

    "Shall we continue our discussion elsewhere?" Raizer was all smiles as this sudden business opportunity was something that he had never expected to land onto his lap.

    "Sure, lead the way." Kazuya nodded and followed the manager towards the association''s stables where they boarded Raizer''s personal carriage.

    Many of the merchants who were left behind in the association quietly discussed what had just happened. This was the only time they would be able to do so as they were afraid of the threat that Raizer had announced towards them.

    However, these merchants in the capital were not stupid. Though Raizer''s threat indeed scared them, they were much more afraid of the consequences of offending someone that was part of the mysterious force that had remained immovable ever since their founding.

    A young person who looked like he was from the east who they never took a second look at turned out to be someone they could never offend. The merchants who stepped up to take advantage of him could only pray to themselves that Kazuya did not take their offence to heart or they would never be able to sleep soundly at night.

    "Come to think of it, was anyone able to get a good look at him?" one of the merchants who tried hard to remember Kazuya''s features suddenly asked out loud.

    This caused the other merchants to be startled. Not only did they realize that they had not embedded how the young man from the east looked in their minds, they also doubted if the young man had cast some sort of trick so that they wouldn''t be able to use their trusted memories to remember what he looked like.

    -

    Inside the carriage, the merchant Raizer had realized one of the most important things he had neglected.

    "What is it?" Kazuya of course noticed the hesitation that Raizer was showing while repeatedly glancing towards him.

    "I do apologize for forgetting such an important thing but how should I address you, young master?" he nervously spoke.

    Raizer solely focused on his own greediness that he did not even glance at the application paper Kazuya had submitted to the association. He felt awkward as he did not know how to address Kazuya properly as he wanted to further his connections towards this young noble.

    "Kouzuki." He replied without even taking a glance at Raizer.

    "Very well young master Kouzuki. May I inquire as to what type of individuals are you specifically looking for? Are they to be of service to you when you attend the Vane Academy?" Raizer inquired.

    Though Vane Academy was known to be an institution that did not distinguish between nobles and commoners, it did not stop many people who had the capability of bringing in subordinates to the city. Nobles in particular brought servants so that they would be able to maintain their lavish lifestyles while most of the others were used towards various other means.

    "Race or age does not matter. All I require is that they do not have any sort of serious crimes and the odds of betrayal are low." Kazuya finally took his eyes of the carriage''s window to look Raizer in the eye.

    "(Does this young man not know how slavery works?)" The merchant couldn''t help but give a wry smile.

    This seemingly cunning young man had an innocent side of him which made Raizer a little bit relieved. Though he was wise, from what he could tell, this must be the farthest he has been from his homeland.

    Betrayal meant death for the slaves. He couldn''t help but think that the cause for this eastern young nobles''s journey to go awry was because of the betrayal of the companions that they had chosen.

    "Rest assured young master Kouzuki, I will only offer to you the most prized personnel that should be worthy of your companionship! I do not like to brag but the sealing arts here in Maynira do not have a blemish on them! Betrayal or disloyalty to them would equal to death and suffering!"

    "That is good to hear. Now we should discuss the matter about what I can earn from my carvings. This way, I will have an estimate of how much I would need to make in order for me to be able to pay for the personnel I get from you as well as have an amount to be able to continue my journey." Kazuya initiated the business talks.

    Though he did not think that Raizer would dare to scam him because of the identity he presented, Kazuya wanted to show that he was not one to be taken advantage of. Though he only implied that he was in need of money, with his unrestricted access to the royal castle''s vault, how can he be short of cash?

    What he needed was time. The time to be able to make ample preparations before he finally leaves the royal capital of the Zweifel kingdom.

    Although Kazuya had already made plans on what he needed to do before he even went over to Edea, those plans were based on the fact that he would arrive at the same time that he had arrived previously.

    Now that he had arrived, many months before he was originally supposed to arrive, with all the changes he had been responsible for already, he had many considerations to think about.

    The talk continued until Kazuya was promised to be shown different portraits of important people who he could make the most money out of. These were the personages like the Benino, Alicia, and many other nobles that belonged to the king''s faction.

    Though Kazuya was not happy with what he heard, there was no doubt that he could carve figures of most of these people even with his eyes closed. Since they were the ones partly responsible for his fate in his first life, how could Kazuya possibly forget them?

    "We have arrived, young master Kouzuki. I welcome you to my very own sl... *cough* servant market."

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 220 Not the World He Expected

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    "(This was not how it was supposed to be¡­)" Kazuya couldn''t help but think as he stared at the face of the person inside the cage.

    How could he not be surprised? Ever since Kazuya had realized that he had been given a second chance in life had been hoping to get another chance to once again be summoned to Edea.

    Though he had focused on fixing his life on Earth, a part of him was very anxious as there was no guarantee that he would once again be eligible to be summoned as a pawn when the Zweifel kingdom had used the hero summoning ritual.

    His preparations, planning, knowledge, and advantages had been diminishing because of the fact that he had arrived earlier than his previous life. Though Kazuya had been taking it in stride, it was at this point that the fact that things were already out of his initial predictions had finally hit him.

    "What''s wrong? Cat got your tongue?" a sly grin appeared on the caged person''s face as she thought that the young man in front of her was afraid.

    Hearing a familiar line from her woke Kazuya up from his daze. He had little doubt that he was mistaking his eyesight after what he heard. He could only sigh inside his thoughts as he was reminded that a little bit of himself at present was still the na?ve boy who met a tragic end.

    "I apologize for the rudeness. I initially had given up hope in thinking that I would find someone in this section that would fit my requirements." Kazuya looked at the other cages with a disappointed gaze before looking back at her.

    "Oh?" the girl sounded intrigued. Though Kazuya looked younger than herself, she was impressed that a young master that would visit this place could turn a blind eye to the dolled-up merchandise that Etha had personally selected to entrap lustful people.

    "That is until the little one led me to you." Kazuya looked directly at her to show her that he was serious.

    "And what do I have to do with your requirements?" The girl was, of course, suspicious of Kazuya''s intentions.

    If it were not for Lucia, she wouldn''t even be considering him as a person worth conversing with. No one could blame her, considering the place they were currently in, one could only be stupid to think that anyone who is here came with good intentions.

    "Your eyes are enough to tell me that you at least meet the minimum requirements." Kazuya confidently smiled.

    "They are not devoid of life, which means that you do not have the mentality of a slave despite your presence here. What I require are not slaves that only follow orders; what I want are ''people'' that at least have their pride as individuals intact." Kazuya ignored that shaken reaction of the other slaves that have been eavesdropping on them and kept his gaze on the young woman inside the cage.

    "¡­ (pride as a person¡­)" these words resounded deep inside her as she had sworn to herself that she would rather die than succumb to becoming just another one of the nobles'' playthings ever since she had been caught.

    She was unaware however of the thoughts that the young man in front of her was thinking.

    "(This damn girl lied to me! She never said anything about being a slave before!)" he stared at the slave crest on her left arm.

    Comparing her to the version he was familiar with, she looked much softer because not only was her left arm where the slave crest was burnt, the scar on her lower right cheek was nowhere to be found either.

    "So, you want to buy me? What is your purpose? What would you make me do?" she had finally treated Kazuya seriously whilst ignoring the glaring girl who was on his side.

    "If you agree to it then I would indeed like to purchase you. We can talk about what I need you for later. For now, if you agree, I will let one of the guards escort you to help Raizer out by picking individuals out to come along with us." Kazuya looked over to a guard who nervously nodded and stepped forward to unlock the cage.

    "Come along? Where?" She was genuinely curious about this young man who looked to be only a little younger than her. Her instincts were telling her that though indeed he had not lied about why he bought her, the main reason for his interest in her did not lie in his claims nor her appearance.

    "To a journey. Probably a long, hard, journey." He paused. "You may choose to stay in your cage for a chance to meet a kind person with money or come with me to experience hardship."

    "Hey! Do you really want me to go with you or not?" she felt refreshingly annoyed at him. At one point he''s telling her that he was interested in buying her, now it was like he was dissuading her from accepting his proposal.

    "I''m just telling you what to expect. My original companions¡­ at least the ones that did not have hidden agendas have all died because of my mistakes." Kazuya could not look her in the eye as he said those words.

    "You were betrayed?" she understood what happened after hearing his words but still asked.

    "Yes." Kazuya did not hide it from her.

    "So, you''re gathering people to take revenge?"

    "No." he shook his head sideways. "Revenge is for me alone to take. I will not let anyone take that away from me." Kazuya said as a gaze full of killing intent made her shudder for a moment.

    She knew that he was not lying. Kazuya''s gaze told her that while he may have his reasons for not taking his revenge right away, there was no way that he would let others take away the right to punish those who had betrayed him.

    They were the same in that aspect and that was why she could understand him. She had been placed in her current predicament because she too had put her trust in the wrong person. Though it might have not involved the deaths of people close to her, if it were not for the person in front of her, the possibility of her having a fate worse than death was extremely high.

    "¡­ but you''ve learned from your mistakes¡­ right?" Kazuya''s eyes widened as he heard her question.

    Though it was a question out of curiosity, the innocent query was very significant to Kazuya and his current situation.

    "Yeah¡­ I guess you could say that." Kazuya could not help but give a soft chuckle.

    The caged girl may not have known it but she had given Kazuya''s slowly diminishing confidence a boost in the right direction.

    Things may have already been out of his expectations the moment he arrived in Edea, but, he was still someone who had prepared himself for many of the worst possibilities that could have happened had he arrived at the same time that he had arrived in his previous life.

    The only difference now was that he had been given more time to make his preparations as well as additional choices that came with the people that he had already chosen to help.

    "(At least the oblivious encouragement you give me still hasn''t changed.)" he thought as he turned back towards the girl whose cage had just been unlocked.

    "I see¡­ but¡­ before I let you purchase me; I want to let you know that even if means my own death, if you¡ª"

    "I apologize but¡­ You are not my type." Kazuya interrupted her with a confident smile.

    "Wha-!?"

    "Pfft!" the girl beside Kazuya gave an exaggerated laugh which made her even more embarrassed.

    "Like I mentioned earlier. I plan on going on a very dangerous journey. Though I will be buying you today, if you or every other person I buy today do not meet my standards by the time I have to leave Maynira, I will not hesitate to return each and every one of the purchases I''ve made." Kazuya said in a stern tone.

    Kazuya took a stern attitude because his memories of her were somewhat of a mixed bag. The grin and the arrogant look she had from the moment they met in this life reminded him of how he was teased and treated as an innocent boy by this person who was barely a year older than him.

    Despite being the leader of their group, as well as the hero who was summoned to supposedly save the world, the moment she found out that Kazuya was younger than her. His innocence and soft personality made him the perfect target of being taken advantage of by his mischievous party members.

    He was not about to make the same mistake in this life. Like she had mentioned, this was not the first time he had dealt with her so he wanted to change the way their relationship worked as well.

    "Sir¡­ I will not be able to take the restraints off because the madame has them." The guard who unlocked the cage spoke hesitantly.

    There were chains restraining her arms and legs so it would be difficult for her to assault anyone like she had done in the past. These bindings caused some marks to appear on her wrists and ankles which showed that she still did the same thing even though they had them on.

    "No matter. Take her to Raizer and tell him what I sent her there to do." Kazuya did not remove it himself even though he could as the possibility of her escaping was high when he considered how he knew her.

    "Looks like you don''t trust me?" She looked at Kazuya with a mischievous grin. She did not want someone who was younger than her to look down on her even though this person was going to be her master once the rights to command her had been transferred to him.

    "You make it sound like you do not distrust me? Trust is earned. The fact that I asked them to let you out of the cage and given you a task means I''m giving you a chance to gain some. Remember, it is extremely easier to lose trust than it is to gain it. Especially mine."

    "You should take the little girl with you then. She is the first one I would like to recommend." They turned towards Lucia who blankly stared back at them.

    "I already considered her before she introduced you. You could say that the little one was the one that recommended you." Kazuya grinned.

    "I see¡­ That''s good then." She turned to give a smug grin towards the girl near Kazuya whose shock and disappointment had been ignored by everyone.

    "Y-young mast¡ª"

    "My name is Nell, Nell Cypher. I hope that you can call me by name later on, future master." She interrupted the girl and introduced herself to Kazuya officially.

    "(Looks like some things never change.)" Kazuya observed the mischievous look on her and remembered how he had always been on the receiving end of this look in the past.

    Though he had been continuously annoyed by her continuous teasing and mischief, it was only until she was gone that Kazuya realized how he had wished that at some point during the journey that he once continued that she would once again loudly burst through the door and appear before him like her death had been all a prank.

    Kazuya turned to the guard who was going to lead her and gave him a serious look.

    "Do not forget to tell Raizer that I have already decided to purchase this one so any harm that befalls her after this moment¡­ will be considered as actions against a person I consider a companion." Kazuya emanated a slight pressure that took everyone near them by surprise.

    "(What a strange guy¡­)" Nell couldn''t help but think.

    Nell could see that Kazuya was not making any jokes. Although she was still young, her tough lifestyle had made her encounter several different types of people. She already noticed that he had taken an interest in her the moment he had laid eyes on her.

    What was strange was that his interest was something she could not figure out. It was not the look of a lustful young man and that was already proven by the manner in which she had been rejected even before she could make it clear.

    She could not figure it out but Nell knew that there was something in his look that made her think that this may not be their first encounter with each other.

    Needless to say, he could not find out more about this young man right now and it would probably be Raizer who could shed some light into what kind of person she was going to be bound to. Since Kazuya already mentioned that she should be treated as one of his companions already, aside from her restraints, she would be able to ask the black-hearted merchant on why Kazuya was treated even more special than the usual nobles that came there.

    "(I hope I¡­ won''t regret the decision to let this strange person purchase me this peacefully¡­)"

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 221 Their Picks

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    The underground of Raizer''s property was remodeled to be more like a dungeon than a basement. Many of the people that were kept here were the ones that had committed crimes and had their commoner status revoked.

    Raizer was currently coordinating with his wardens as they had sloppily arranged most of the slaves that were put in here since there were hardly any people that would want them aside from those who participated in the fighter coliseum.

    "Seriously, why do you not make use of this opportunity to give that child the troublesome slaves you''ve been keeping in here?" Etha frowned as she noticed her husband was being overly cautious in picking the personnel that would be presented to Kazuya as candidates to be purchased.

    As Kazuya''s visit to their establishment was out of the blue, Raizer could only tell his wife that the young man he brought with him was a customer that was considered a person of influence in the eastern lands. He couldn''t tell her the whole story as it would delay his responsibility of picking good candidates so that he could build a good relationship with someone that belonged to the Crimson Mansion.

    "Don''t be stupid. That young man is not like most of the nobles in the capital." He admonished his wife and began to tell her a bit about what he had found out just earlier.

    "That¡­" Etha was flabbergasted.

    She had assumed that Kazuya was one of the nobles who have yet to purchase their first slave. She had judged him to be pretending to act nonchalant while having the ulterior motive to purchase some women for himself in the guise of finding some slaves for guards or menial work.

    "That look¡­ don''t tell me¡­" Raizer immediately picked up on the awkward and worried look that Etha showed after hearing about Kazuya''s identity as a member of the Crimson Mansion.

    "I didn''t know! I sent him to the usual hall and thought that he would have no problems showing his true colors once I''ve left him there¡­" She nervously explained.

    "Oh? Looks like there is something special about that strange guy after all!" A voice interrupted the two before Raizer could scold his wife.

    They turned around to see that it was Nell. She mischievously grinned at them while still having her restraints on. Her unchanged confident and prideful demeanor still had not changed after the continuous punishment Etha had given her and this immediately ticked the already frustrated woman off.

    "You bitch!" Etha immediately raised her hand in anger and swung it towards Nell.

    *SLAP!*

    ""What!?"" The husband and wife duo were immediately shocked as the guard who they did not notice with Nell immediately took the slap in her stead.

    "Please calm yourself, madam! You cannot hurt this person!" the guard immediately knelt and ignored the hit he just took to his face.

    "You don''t have to touch me yourself, you old bag. Why don''t you just use the slave crest bound to you to make me feel some pain? That is if you have a death wish~" Nell mocked.

    "YOU¡ª!!"

    "Etha, stop!" Raizer grabbed his wife''s shoulder before she could even activate the crest in her mind.

    The guard breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Raizer had stepped in to stop her. He feared that he would not be given a chance to explain what had happened. It would not be good for him, his job or his employers if what he and Nell had heard about Kazuya''s identity was true.

    "Tsk!" Nell clicked her tongue as her plan did not work.

    She was thinking of using Kazuya''s previous warning earlier to have a little bit of revenge towards this vain and shameless wench.

    "Explain what is going on here! Why have you brought this slave here?" Raizer was able to identify her restraints immediately so he had judged that she was not trying to escape.

    He was aware of who Nell was since it was him that sent her off for Etha to take care of. Since she had features that did not match her status, he thought that if his wife had been able to domesticate this bandit, she would fetch quite the sum once she was auctioned off to the beauty-loving nobles.

    "What happened was¡­" the guard nervously told what had happened and repeated Kazuya''s words of warning.

    This caused Etha to tremble nervously as she turned towards the frowning Nell. If the guard had not stepped in to receive her slap, she would have to face the wrath of Kazuya after they had returned to him. From the fear that the guard had been showing, her life would have been on the line.

    "I see¡­ I understand." Raizer nodded after hearing the details and sternly looked at his wife before turning towards Nell.

    "Husband¡­ I¡­" Etha was at the end of her wits thinking about what to do. She may not have hit Nell but, if the fact that she attempted to was reported back¡­

    "You have caused me an unnecessary headache, Etha. If you had just done what I asked and entertained him while I gathered the candidates¡­ this would not have happened." He reprimanded.

    "The next thing you ought to be doing should be clear, right?" Nell grinned confidently at Raizer.

    "Change her restraints to the ordinary ones," Raizer commanded. "I hope you understand that there is still the risk of you trying to escape so I cannot allow the restraints to be completely taken off until ownership has been transferred to your new master."

    The calm and serious look on the Raizer''s face made Nell realize that her plans of making mischief will not work while this man was around. Both of them thought that Kazuya''s need for personnel would not allow him to have a falling out with this slave merchant just for a single slave.

    What they did not know was that they were both wrong. Though the fact that Kazuya had discovered Nell being sold as a slave was a mere coincidence, he had already made up his mind to take her out of here even if it meant using his identity as a hero to justify eradicating every person that Raizer and Etha had on their payroll.

    "(Tch! This is why I hate dealing with merchants!)" Nell clicked her tongue and proceeded to enter the dungeons to complete her task.

    Still, knowing a little about the mysterious young man who had caught her curiosity made her feel a little better. While she would still have the identity of a slave, being with someone with such influence was an opportunity that she might not have gotten even as a commoner. All that was left for her to do now was to appeal to the young man on how useful she was.

    -

    What was supposed to be a simple task, turned out to be a small competition for both Nell and Raizer. It took them a little while but after selecting the candidates they would present in front of the mysterious young master, they silently headed for the courtyard to present them.

    "This¡­" Kazuya''s eyebrow twitched as he glanced at the people that Nell had brought with her.

    "(Looks like he''s trying hard not to lose it. Hehe~ how cute.)" Nell smiled after seeing Kazuya''s reaction to the selection of people she brought.

    They were mostly comprised of women. Nell had not only gathered the ones she had been familiar with from the dungeon, she also asked Raizer to gather the ones that have been sent to Etha''s place for ''re-education.''

    "Young master Kouzuki, I''m sure you were not aware that this woman was sent here because she was a bandit who loved to steal from other people. I sincerely hope that you would rethink your decision about having such a person under your employ." Etha, who also noticed Kazuya''s complex reaction to the people that Nell brought with her did not miss this opportunity to speak up.

    "She had been part of a group of robbers that were mostly made up of these women she brought with her. I am afraid that something might befall the young master if you carelessly let this woman trick you into buying her." Etha continued.

    "Enough." Kazuya turned his sharp gaze towards Etha.

    He was well aware of what he had just heard. That was the past of the woman named Nell that he knew of. Kazuya was more concerned about finding out how his actions had affected the history that would have eventually brought him in front of her in the end.

    This was the reason why Kazuya was alone with the quiet little girl Lucia and a guard in the courtyard. He had sent away the noisy girl who kept appealing for him to purchase her so that he could think about what was it that he ended up meeting with Nell a few months later if she had been a slave in this place.

    "As the buyer, it is not uncommon to use the suggestions of people more familiar with what can be offered by this place, am I right?"

    "That is correct, but¡ª"

    "I am currently not in a position to be so picky. As long as they are not rapists or have committed any crimes heavy enough, they would be eligible for me to evaluate them. Time does not permit me to raise new people under my command and the people here are less likely to betray me since they will be bound to me via their crests." Kazuya did not want to hear any more words of dissuasion as there will be no one that can stop him from taking Nell out of this place.

    "I understand¡­ I was just worried that¡ª"

    "I know what you are worried about. Despite what you or your husband may have treated these slaves, I assure you that I have no intention of listening to their pleas regarding that matter. Raizer and I still have a deal in place after all." Kazuya reassured her.

    It was already clear from how Nell had been treated in this place. If it had not been for her looks, she would have suffered more because of her attitude. Etha was afraid that Nell had plans of getting back at her for how she had treated the latter.

    Kazuya was someone who did not plan to use her to warm his bed, rather it was already clear that he was going to use everyone who he purchased today as subordinates. If that were the case, then if Nell had played her cards right, she might influence the young master to strike back at Etha for revenge.

    Kazuya felt a little gratitude towards Raizer though. He would not have seen or met Nell today if it had not been for them. His thoughts were more focused on the fact that the notable scars he had been familiar with were not present in the current Nell, compared to the mischievous version of her that he had been familiar with, she was also a lot thinner.

    While Kazuya had been prepared to eradicate Raizer and everyone who worked for him, for the time being, he was more useful alive at the moment.

    Aside from his hero identity that was connected to the powerful Eberbach family, Kazuya still needed to gather people that would be loyal to him and him alone.

    This was the primary reason for him making a commotion in the merchant guild. Raizer was the most useful person in the capital if he wanted his actions and current identity to not gather as much attention as it normally would have.

    Merchants could be said to be the people perfect to gather information around places like the capital. Many nobles may not have realized it but merchants they are involved with would take note of what kind of purchases they make.

    It is not only so that they always have it available for whenever they purchase it, but this also serves as indications on whether or not a specific noble is going to make a move.

    The ones that provide commodities are well aware of their uses. That is why merchants and people working for them have far more potential to gather information compared to those who are tasked to gather information by themselves.

    This is also one of the reasons why Kazuya had opted to get himself an identity of a merchant. While the occupation itself would let him freely be able to wander around without arousing much suspicion, he was also not bound to be called to arms in emergencies compared to the pact that had to be agreed on when one becomes an adventurer.

    "Now then¡­ before I start evaluating the people you''ve brought with you¡­" Kazuya turned back towards the group of people that Nell brought with her.

    He actively tried to stop his eyebrows and cheek from twitching at such a sight. While he had his share of surprises from the events that have transpired, it seems that he was once again shown a sight that he never even expected or considered.

    "Why are the women wearing maid uniforms?"

    -

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 222 Temporary Aquisition

    .

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    .

    Kazuya''s twitching brow scared Raizer and Etha. They thought that he might have been angered because he had assumed that they thought of him as a lascivious person.

    Nell, on the other hand, was holding herself back from laughing. She found Kazuya''s reaction to be amusing and somewhat cute. She knew that the couple was afraid of him which was the reason why he had been trying hard not to show any weaknesses in his demeanor.

    To the couple, Kazuya might be a person with an unfathomable background but for Nell, what she saw was a young man who was close to her age that was trying very hard to fulfill his purpose.

    She had already considered herself to be affiliated with him so she was heavily paying attention to this mysterious young master of hers. They were going to be bound together in the future and from what she has seen so far, she was not against the idea of following him.

    "This was my idea," Nell spoke up.

    "Please do not misunderstand, young master. Nell brought up an issue that I did not take into account before so I decided to go with her suggestion after hearing her concern." Raizer quickly followed up.

    "Explain." Kazuya inwardly sighed and felt a headache was coming on after hearing that it was Nell''s idea.

    "You see... since you are not from this place, you probably don''t know much about the capital. In here, most people have their specific affiliations. These affiliations more or less have a noble or an influential person at the top. Any major, or suspicious movements that these people observe are immediately reported to the people who might be interested." Nell began to speak.

    "Yes, one of these organizations is our merchant association who are connected to almost every merchant group that passes by the capital. We offer rewards and benefits to merchants who offer us information." Raizer supported Nell''s statement.

    "Raizer here told me that you were interested in purchasing a bunch of personnel because of your journey.

    While that may not be strange in itself. There are many people in the capital who may not believe it to be as simple as that. The capital may appear peaceful but the undercurrents in this place is like a never-ending war.

    This is why as much as you don''t want people to pay attention to you, the fact that you will be leaving here with personnel that is comparable to a small force will attract the people who have been keeping their eyes and ears open to such matters."

    Kazuya was a little surprised. He did not think that Nell had been thinking about this as soon as he showed the intention of purchasing her. He did not think that she would be actively solving the problems they would encounter while their connection was not yet finalized.

    "(It seems like the difference in our previous relationship is already starting to show.)" Kazuya held back an urge to smile.

    He usually could not read much of Nell''s thoughts back when they were travelling together because she always hid them behind the mischievous smile that she always showed.

    She might be a troublemaker but it was more of a facade. As a person who grew up in harsh conditions, this had become her defense mechanism. She did not want people, especially those who plotted against her to be able to read what she was feeling, thinking or planning.

    "I apologize. I was not able to realize this problem as I was too concerned about being able to meet your demands as quickly as I could, young master." Raizer nervously apologized and let Nell have the glory.

    That was all that he could do. He did not want to displease this troublesome woman after her purchase had already been decided. It was more beneficial for him right now to let things play out honestly for he did not know what it was exactly that let Kazuya decide on taking such a stance when it concerned Nell.

    "So, you''re saying that rather than having the personnel I will be leaving with today act like guards, you suggest they act like servants?" Kazuya more or less understood their intentions but was rather interested in how they would make this come to life.

    He was already aware of such a thing but he remained quiet because it would be a lot more beneficial to let Raizer think it was his oversight. While he may have no problems when it came to expenditures, it was better for the black-hearted merchant himself to bear the burden rather than the funds that Kazuya had procured for himself.

    "Precisely, young master! Many of the merchants that were present in the association were already aware of what kind of partnership we are going to have. It would not be a problem to assign them to be the ones to provide information should outsiders decide to pry about your identity." Raizer began to explain what type of identity he will have amongst the knowledge of the people who were not privy to the truth.

    An eastern young man who was a victim of having untrustworthy companions arrived in the Maynira and went to the merchant''s guild to be discovered by Raizer. With his talents in craftsmanship, he was given preferential treatment and also people to serve him so that he could focus on his work as well as repaying Raizer for all his expenditures.

    To the eyes of the public, it was as if he was a poor young man who was a victim of the black-hearted merchant. This was the cover that both Raizer and Nell had agreed upon as this was one of the situations where most people will only lose interest in such a person.

    While he may be in a pitiful situation, there were not many who would offend Raizer in the capital. Many of them will assume that the personnel that Kazuya was provided with were people under Raizer''s employ to appease and keep an eye on the young man so that the black-hearted merchant will not lose his newfound goose that lay golden eggs.

    Raizer did not bother to create a pretense that he was some kind of saint. He was already known as a person that had a hand in slave trading so he could only make himself more useful in Kazuya''s eyes rather than being a good person.

    He knew that the eastern young master was inexperienced but not innocent. Young people like these were very dangerous as they seldom thought of the consequences of their actions and would often act based on their emotions.

    Raizer wanted to have a good relationship with Kazuya for benefits in the future as the opportunity to be connected to someone with his standing was even rarer than having connections with high ranked nobles in the human kingdoms where he only needed to have enough wealth.

    "While the plan is noteworthy, I believe that I already mentioned that I am currently staying at one of the inns in Maynira. While it was already my intention to indeed procure sufficient enough personnel for me to able to continue my journey, your plan would require me to gather the people in one place." Kazuya gestured that he had begun to think about this matter while in reality, this was hinting for Raizer to do something about it.

    "Since it was my oversight, I will help the young master by lending you one of the properties under my name while you are within the capital." Raizer held back the urge to scold the young man as his impression of him being a clever man deepened further.

    He had initially wanted to make an additional profit out of Kazuya''s accommodations. Now that Raizer had decided to take the blame for not realizing the problems that his purchases would ensue; he had no other choice but to offer it for free. The black-hearted merchant could only swear to take full advantage of their relationship in the future since he will be eating this loss for the sake of future benefits.

    "Hmm¡­ is that so? I do not mind the expenses to be added to my debt since I intend to remain here for the time being in order to get familiar with the people I will be choosing as well as training them with their respective duties." Kazuya nonchalantly declared.

    "(This kid¡­)" Raizer flinched as he understood the underlying message.

    Kazuya did not want just a regular place. He wanted a place where the slaves he bought would be able to train. This required at least a property that was comparable to a noble.

    "I do not mind at all young master. In fact, I do have one property in mind." He quickly whispered into one of his assistants'' ears and watched as the man left in a rush.

    "I do not expect that those people who are already aware of my identity would keep their mouths shut forever, nor am I stupid enough to think that a merchant who is deeply rooted in here in the capital arrogant enough to proclaim themselves as the only rightful human kingdom to take my secret to the grave but¡­ it would be ideal for such leaks to come out once I have peacefully left to continue my quest." Kazuya looked Raizer in the eye.

    This was a man who lived for profits. So, the only thing that could be trusted with Raizer was that whoever brought him the most benefits would have his support.

    Right now, the only reason why he was being submissive to Kazuya was because he was not aware that he was currently being fooled into thinking that he had the mysterious Crimson Mansion behind him.

    "I will take those words to heart young master. I will try to ensure that your stay in Maynira would be a peaceful one." He bowed.

    "Now then, I guess the matter at hand has been delayed enough already." Kazuya stood from his seat and took a look at both the people that Raizer brought and the people that Nell had chosen to nominate.

    Those who were able to hear their discussions were a little confused. Although they talked cryptically, what they could understand from the situation was that the young man who they were presented to did not have a normal identity.

    This has been one of the few times that they have seen Razer so careful and respectful so many of them were puzzled as to why they were chosen as potential candidates and not those who were usually given attention to by their slave masters.

    "I am sure many of you may be wondering why there are so many of you called here. I have asked to meet people with many different talents in order to build a group to accompany me on my journey towards different places in the land." Kazuya addressed the slaves that were brought to him.

    "I will not lie to you by saying that my travels will not be without any danger. As most of you are well aware, the world is not a kind place."

    "Before I even begin to evaluate if any of you are worthy of joining me, I want to ask if you have the courage to put your lives on the line to escape your current standing as slaves."

    "Those who are interested in joining me must always remember to choose to follow my words over any other ruler, relative, or deity. To give a specific example; none of you are allowed to kneel before any ruler if I do not allow you to do so. If none of you at least have the determination to do that then the difficulty of joining me in my travels will only be much harsher for you."

    Kazuya disregarded their reactions as he continued to give a speech that seemed like he was discouraging them from wanting to be picked to be purchased.

    However, he was not lying. His journey was indeed not going to be an easy one. He was just but one man who had voluntarily returned to this world and was now in the center of the conspiracy of both the Zweifel kingdom and the Church of Light to go up against the demon race.

    "I am indeed in a need for people to accompany me on this journey but I do not want a repeat of what I had previously experienced. My former companions not only betrayed me... but they also tried to take my life along with those who they knew would be on my side. That being said, it should also be the farthest thing from your minds because no matter where you go, I will spare no effort to find and let you experience what it means to stab someone like me in the back."

    "So now I will give each of you a choice; Would you rather go back to your cages and continue on being a person who is not a person, or would you risk your life and come with me to hopefully achieve something greater?"

    -

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 223 The Pioneers

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    .

    "Hmm¡­ So, twenty-three remain." Kazuya smiled and looked at the people who had stayed to undergo evaluation after listening to his words.

    He had expected only a handful of people to stay but surprisingly, only two people that Nell brought with her had decided to go back with the ones that had decided that they did not want to take the risks that Kazuya mentioned.

    "(I will teach those pieces of trash a lesson¡­)" Raizer cursed in his mind.

    Majority of the people he had chosen had turned out to be cowards who did not think twice about turning their backs on such an opportunity. He felt ashamed since his Nell had obviously done a better job than him.

    The black-hearted merchant felt nervous as he did not know if the young man would blame him for such an occurrence. Kazuya looked him in the eye as he gave the slaves a choice to make sure that he did not interfere with whatever the slaves chose to do.

    "I apologize, young master. It seems like I had brought you a bunch of cowards. They are certainly not a match for the people who work with the young lady that you had already chosen to join your entourage." Raizer turned to look at the ladies that gave him displeased looks.

    He did not want to lose to a mere slave so Raizer had hinter that Nell''s victory was not at all due to her superiority when it came to having an eye for people.

    "They are your subordinates?" Kazuya turned to Nell and gave her a curious look.

    He was unfamiliar with the faces of the people that stood behind her. Kazuya had an idea of who they were so he wanted to confirm with the person herself.

    "No. They are people like me, whose principles are an eyesore to those who only live for themselves." Nell gave a rare serious reply.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya decided not to ask any further and just nodded.

    "I did not influence their decision in any way as there were also those who chose to leave after hearing the perils in joining you on your quest. I only brought them here because I knew that the majority of them are very similar to me when it comes to how we see things." She explained.

    "There is no need to say anything. If you had influenced their decision, I would have sent them away myself." Kazuya smiled confidently.

    Nell had successfully retained 18 people while Raizer had 5 remaining. 15 of which were female while 8 were male.

    Kazuya felt a little troubled that there was almost twice the number of women compared to men but since this was a world where mana affinity transcended the capabilities of each gender, there would only be minor compromises made for what he had planned for them.

    "I''m curious. You say that you are in dire need of people. Why did it seem like you were discouraging us from staying behind just to be evaluated?" Nell asked.

    "Because there will not be an evaluation¡­ or you can say that all of you who had stayed behind had passed the evaluation."

    "What!?" Nell was the only person who voiced out her surprise but it was clear to the faces of those who were brought to the room that they had not expected such a thing.

    Raizer and Nell never forgot to mention that the people they brought with them needed to give a good impression towards Kazuya when they evaluated them. They had anxiously been wondering just how this young man would evaluate them after the warning he had given earlier but nonchalantly saying that there was not going to be any evaluation left them speechless.

    "The path to greatness requires the person to take a step forward no matter how perilous the road may be. If none of you have the courage to even take a step out of your predicament and choose to remain in your cages, I will not force you to do so."

    All of them looked at each other and thought that the young man before them looked to be unlike any of the people that usually pass through this goddess forsaken place.

    Many of them sighed in relief as the Kazuya''s cold demeanor had calmed many of their reservations towards him.

    Kazuya was a little puzzled. The way that these people looked at him had changed. He had yet to explain any of the benefits that were included in joining him and had reserved that conversation after they had left this place, but it seems as though he had gained some of their respect.

    "Is there something on my face?" Kazuya turned to ask the quiet little girl who was sitting beside him.

    *shake* *shake*

    Lucia shook her head sideways after examining the curious look on his face. It looked like her eyes were saying something but Kazuya was unable to discern what it was.

    "Do not misunderstand. Just because I said that there was no evaluation does not mean that I will be lenient on those people who are unable to do the work they are assigned to or to even dare laze around." Kazuya followed up while misunderstanding why they were looking at him strangely.

    "No that''s not what everyone is thinking." Nell stepped forward.

    "Why are you looking at me strangely then?"

    "Anyone else would have just asked and brought people to do whatever they wanted and if they weren''t able to, the slaves would either be returned or turn up dead," Nell mentioned in a serious tone.

    "You have clearly given us something that any regular rich person or noble coming in here would rarely do, a choice. I believe everyone who stayed behind was able to notice this." Nell turned to the other slaves who were nodding after hearing her explanation.

    "A choice¡­ huh¡­" Kazuya pondered as he gave a nod towards Razer signaling for him to begin the next process which was to transfer the slaves'' control over.

    Even Kazuya did not take into consideration how sensitive the people were when it came to how they are treated before they were officially bought. They may not have had a choice if they were selected to be bought by individuals, but, every single one of them would prefer to choose their own owners if they could.

    This was why many of them saw Kazuya as a different kind of person who had been wanting to purchase slaves. He had given them a choice after warning them of the dangers of serving under him. It was the complete opposite of what a normal slave seeker would have done.

    Though the young man in front of them looked like he had a heart as cold as ice, his words had actually brought them a bit of warmth. Kazuya had unintentionally given them a sign that working for him may not be as bad compared to serving some noble who would see them as commodities.

    None of them could afford to act as Nell did. The only reason why she was still alive after defying Raizer and Etha for this long was because Raizer had been hoping for an eccentric noble to pay good coin for her untamed allure.

    .

    "This¡­" Etha wiped the sweat on her husband''s forehead after Raizer had finished transferring the control of the last slave to Kazuya.

    Raizer quickly gave his wife a stern look before she could say anything that could have given them trouble.

    Kazuya noticed this but knew exactly why they were reacting in such a way and ignored them while masking a grin.

    "(Did you really think I wouldn''t know that you were still testing me?)" he scoffed in his mind.

    While mostly anyone who can afford to buy a slave can control them via the transfer of control over to another person, the minimum requirement for an owner was to be, of course, be able to use a small amount of mana.

    One might have overlooked the process that involves commanding a slave due to the minuscule amount of mana used to issue a command but this is also one of the reasons why slave traders do not recommend people from buying too many slaves.

    Having too many of them may lead to the owner having a deficient amount of mana if he or she continued to issue them orders using the power of the crests.

    Raizer and Etha had expected the whole process of transferring the slave crests'' control over to Kazuya to take a few hours. They purposely did not inform him the process involved Kazuya branding his own mana over the slave crests for him to be able to take complete control.

    They were, of course, shocked that the young man in front of them continuously used his mana to gain control over the slaves that even Raizer himself had to call on others to assist him because he started to have problems with his own mana reserves.

    The merchant had earned a reputation amongst his patrons that he had given them special treatment for assisting them with the contracting process himself. This was the first time that a customer who was supposed to have been using twice the mana he was had been able to exhaust him like this.

    "(This young man has enough mana to even rival officers at the castle!)" Raizer shuddered after noticing that Kazuya had not shown any sign of fatigue.

    He was now more certain than ever that Kazuya was heading towards the city of Vane. There was no other place where the potential of someone like him could be nurtured.

    "(I must not fail in taking advantage of this chance!)" he clenched his fist with determination.

    If it were any other potential student of Vane, Raizer would have put in some effort to gain a connection but he wouldn''t care much about the result. If it were any other time, he wouldn''t bat an eye over losing a little profit over the matter.

    But the present had been different. Not only was the young man a member of the Crimson Manor, but he would also be joining the Vane Academy''s recruitment that includes not only Sodina Eberbach and Princess Alicia, it would also most likely the batch that the hero that was recently summoned would be joining.

    A golden age of recruits was headed right towards the most prominent of all academies in the continent. The Zweifel kingdom who would be sending most likely to be the strongest candidates had been those people limiting their interactions so meeting someone like Kazuya was like a pie that fell from heaven in Raizer''s eyes.

    "Now then, shall we talk about the compensation?" Kazuya watched the slaves go and follow Etha out of the room before turning towards Raizer.

    "About that¡­" Raizer was having hesitations about their previous arrangement.

    "Don''t tell me you won''t be accepting any recompense. If so, I will transfer all of them back to you." Kazuya looked at him sternly.

    "N-no! I was just thinking that we should discuss this another time since the young master must have expended a bit of mana in the process just now¡­" Raizer tried to buy himself some time.

    "Nonsense. I am fine. I really do not like owing people anything which is why I accepted your initial proposal in the first place. I am only interested in hearing what ideas you might have to capitalize on using this peculiar talent of mine. This way, not only will you be gaining a bit of profit but I will also be able to clear my debt and focus on developing these people so that I could continue on with my journey."

    "Ah, yes¡­" having realized that the young man did not want to stay for too long in Maynira, Raizer felt that he only had a limited amount of time to build a good relationship.

    Disagreeing with Kazuya now would only make him lose his favor. That is why he quickly thought of several proposals that would not only benefit himself but also benefit the young man as well.

    They had a discussion about Kazuya''s carving ability as well as various other materials he was able to use them on. The more valuable or rare the material he could carve on, the more they would be able to charge for it so Raizer already had a few ideas he had in mind even before he knew of the young man''s peculiar background.

    As much as Kazuya did not want to admit it, Raizer was actually a talented merchant. He had a quick wit and knew how to make the most profit out of his customers. If it weren''t for the fact that he was afraid of the Crimson Manor''s influence, Raizer would have probably worked him like a slave for little pay.

    "With this, everything should be settled. I will start making them after you send the materials as well as the portraits of the people whose carvings you think will sell well." Kazuya gave a satisfied smile.

    Despite Raizer''s relief after seeing his smile, the black-hearted merchant was not aware that it was not because Kazuya was satisfied because of Raizer''s decision to take fewer profits. In fact, that was the least of Kazuya''s concerns.

    With the acquisition of his very own personnel, together with his unexpected discovery of Nell, Kazuya finally felt that he had taken the first few steps that he had planned to do after his initial arrival.

    The unexpected events had kept piling up made Kazuya feel like he would have more than just a bumpy ride in this trip back to this fantasy-like world. He had finally done something that he initially planned out to do after he got back to Edea.

    "(An odd dozen or so people is definitely better than one person against a kingdom. I wonder how I should start training them¡­)"

    .

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 224 First Response

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    .

    Despite his honorable title as being a summoned hero, Kazuya was well aware that this was just a title that held no particular weight around the real rulers of the kingdom. Though he would have a way with the public, there was nothing he could do if the kingdom had announced him to be evil or deemed a criminal.

    This was why he had refrained from taking the king or Alicia''s life after he had finally seen the treacherous father and daughter pair that he so desperately wanted to lay his hands on.

    Even though he was a summoned hero who was given a second chance, Kazuya did not dare to face the Zweifel kingdom alone. This was why he had planned to gather a group of people that would be loyal to him and him alone.

    With his distrustful nature, there were only two ways for Kazuya to be able to put a semblance of trust in a person from Edea. One was if he had known the person to be as trustworthy as his fallen comrades in his previous life. The second was that if their words or actions were guaranteed by life and death.

    \"This should be the place, young master.\" Kazuya was led out of the carriage by one of Raizer''s assistants that had been tasked to escort him to the mansion where he would be staying.

    \"Hmm¡­ Not bad.\" He commented after entering the gates that had led to a mansion that would have passed if it had been built in the noble district.

    There were various areas in the common districts of Maynira that had been controlled by merchants throughout the years. These were usually inhabited by the merchants whose wealth and connections were well known in the capital city.

    They were not allowed to reside in the noble district as they were indeed not nobles but the individuals that usually lived in such places were either those who were rich enough to be well connected or visitors from other places that would rent out these mansions so that they would be able to avoid the less than desirable places in the capital city.

    \"I''m sure that the boss would be happy to hear that, young master.\" The assistant sucked up.

    Though Kazuya was indeed impressed with a mansion that had not been built in the noble district, he had no intention of staying here. Rather, he couldn''t. It would arouse too much commotion if he did not return to the Eberbach household.

    Though he was not directly being monitored, Kazuya was well aware that everyone had been sensitive to his daily schedule. Luckily for him, there weren''t many people who had memorized his features so he could waltz around the city freely be minor alterations to his appearance.

    The assistant opened the door and watched Kazuya go inside the mansion. There, two figures awaited him.

    Their sizes were in contrast with each other where one had been about Kazuya''s height and the other one was tiny. These two were, of course, Lucia and Nell who, despite looked mismatched while standing together, were wearing maid clothing that had showed much more skin than the ones he saw the servants in the Eberbach mansion wear.

    \"Welcome back, young master.\" Nell gave a mischievous grin as the two girls bowed to acknowledge his arrival.

    \"This¡­\" Kazuya glanced towards Raizer''s assistant looking confused.

    \"Ah¡­ the rest of the people had been asked to remain because they had to be given a crash course in how to be able to fit their roles. There was also an issue with the clothes they would be wearing so¡­\" oblivious to Kazuya''s reason for looking at him strangely, the assistant tried to reason out.

    \"I don''t mean that.\" Kazuya was well aware of the situation of the others as he had given them a command to learn from Etha and her assistants.

    \"?\" it was the assistant''s turn to be confused as he watched Kazuya awkwardly turn back to the two girls.

    \"Don''t you find their uniforms to be too revealing?\" Kazuya sighed and ignored the giggling Nell after hearing what he had to say.

    \"Ah!\" the assistant took another look at the girls and although he had been used to such clothing, he remembered that he had once heard the eastern countries had a more reserved culture.

    Though the uniform fit Nell perfectly with her well-shaped body, since the two girls were wearing the same uniform, the empty part of Lucia''s uniform had been folding due to the absence of any mass. Their skirts were also too short as a slight tilt of their bodies would allow the view of what they were wearing underneath.

    \"Do you girls have anything else to wear?\" Kazuya asked.

    \"No.\" Nell grinned as she found his reaction to be quite amusing.

    Lucia shook her head sideways as well as the dress she had been wearing earlier had been reclaimed by Etha.

    Kazuya frowned and once again turned towards the assistant.

    \"I w-will make preparations for their clothing right away!\" he hastily bid farewell to get what Kazuya needed and inform his masters of Kazuya''s complaints about the clothing they had chosen for the slaves.

    \"What a pain¡­ do these people really think that such clothes would be good for not attracting attention?\" Kazuya sighed.

    \"Are easterners really that reserved? Does this clothing not fit your taste?\" Nell approached wearing an amused smile.

    She was initially bothered when Etha had provided them with such uniforms to wear but now Nell felt more comfortable wearing it around him after seeing Kazuya''s reaction.

    \"My purpose for putting myself in contact with such loathsome individuals like Raizer does not have anything to do with things such as carnal pleasures. All of you should put it into your heads that the moment I decided to take you away from that place, you were no longer slaves.\" Kazuya said in a serious tone as he walked towards Nell and placed his hand over the slave crest that was on Nell''s shoulder.

    \"What are you¡ª\" her words were cut off by a painful sensation on her shoulder and thought that Kazuya had been activating the crest because of her cheekiness.

    \"Annul!\" Kazuya declared.

    The activated slave crest that had been illuminating on Nell''s shoulder had slowly started to fade.

    Nell herself was currently unaware of what was happening because of the pain she was experiencing but the little girl standing close to the two of them had been witnessing everything that has been happening on the side.

    \"¡­!!\" the girl''s usually emotionless sight had a flicker of emotion that Kazuya failed to notice as she observed what was happening.

    The process did not take long and Kazuya took a step back after he finished what he had intended to do. While he was still unsure of what his action would entail, with his knowledge of how much the previous Nell disliked the crest on her arm that she nearly mutilated her arm just to get rid of the mark, he opted to remove it right away.

    \"You¡­\" finally noticing that the crest that had tied her to servitude had disappeared. She looked at Kazuya with both confusion and astonishment.

    He chose to ignore her for now and stepped in front of Lucia before placing a hand on the slave crest that was drawn on the back of the little girl''s neck.

    \"I''ll be leaving the two of you here to think about what you want to do next.\" Kazuya raised a hand to prevent Nell from talking as he spoke.

    He handed the two of them a magical parchment each. They were soul contracts that he had prepared beforehand.

    \"Read through them and decide if you want to work for me or not. This is a requirement and it is non-negotiable. You may continue staying here while you figure it out.\" He declared before turning around and heading back to the door.

    Dealing with Raizer and getting the old necromancer off his back had already taken too much of his time today so Kazuya left without hesitation. Though he might have come back with the two of them already missing, he did not mind.

    Though he wanted Nell to come with him, he wanted her to do so out of her own volition. This was the conundrum that he had thought about even before coming back to Edea.

    Without joining his party, all his fallen comrades may have had a better chance of survival. Since the church and the Zweifel kingdom had been conspiring against him, it would have been better for them to not get involved in his matters at all.

    Despite that, Kazuya still missed their company a lot. Something in him also believed that he would be able to protect them better this time around. This is why he decided to leave it to Nell to decide for herself.

    Though it may have not been to his advantage with her just meeting him, Kazuya was satisfied with leaving it completely to her.

    -

    Meanwhile, in the capital city of the sandy southern lands of Filodoxos, Buce.

    \"Zeig, have you finished your preparations for going to the Zweifel kingdom?\" The king of Filodoxos greeted his eldest son as soon as he entered the room.

    \"Yes, father. I will be leaving Buce and set out for Maynira tomorrow. The unexpected success of their hero summoning may affect our plans.\" Zeig Hazard, the crown prince replied filled with determination.

    Folodoxos, as one of Zweifel kingdom''s allies, had been able to receive the news of the success of the hero summoning early. This actually surprised the father and son as they had made arrangements to have some of the people involved in it to delay the process as much as they could.

    Considering the reported difficulty of the hero summoning process, they initially thought that their contacts had betrayed them. The news they received about the events that transpired after this new supposed hero had arrived, however, had alleviated those thoughts.

    \"Do you think the plan you proposed will still be do-able?\" The king asked his son seriously.

    \"I believe there is still a high chance that it will succeed. I have invested a lot of time when I thought of this plan and have studied and learned everything I could about the current royal family.\" Zeig said with confidence but the king felt something was off.

    \"But¡­?\" the king asked.

    \"I will not be sure until I arrive there. The hero''s arrival, as well as his actions, may have affected my initial plans in enticing the Zweifel kingdom''s royal family. I pushed forwards this trip as soon as we received the information we currently have.\"

    \"Are there any changes from what you explained to me?\"

    \"Nothing worth mentioning. I will be heading there with only a few guards and offer our support by leaving Robert behind to join the hero''s entourage. I believe that they would feel our sincerity since Robert''s talents and reputation have already reached their ears.\" Zeig explained to placate his worried father.

    While they may have been well informed about the success of the hero summoning, due to the efforts of Benino and those who were present at the summoning, what actually happened at the site had been kept under a strict level of secrecy.

    Alicia''s injuries were covered up to be a miscalculation in the influx of energy when their summons was answered. This would be so that no other nation would even think about trying to get the hero they so painstakingly summoned to be stolen from them by other nations.

    Despite that, the shaky relationship between the hero and the Royal family was not something that could not be covered up. Because Kazuya had played a key role that ignited the skirmish between the Eberbach family and the Keller family, there had been rumors coming out that the hero was not completely confident in the Zweifel kingdom''s royal family.

    \"Robert''s reputation is second only to yours though¡­ what if you are asked to join the hero''s party?\" The king asked in a worried tone.

    While he had many children, none of them even came close to having the qualifications close to his eldest son. He was afraid that they would not be able to refuse it if the more powerful Zweifel kingdom demanded Seig to join such a dangerous journey.

    \"That should not be a possibility.\" Seig showed confidence in his statement that superseded the confidence he had when they were discussing their plans earlier.

    \"Are you really about what you said that the Zweifel kingdom is the one stirring up the troubles themselves?\"

    \"Not the Zweifel kingdom alone. It should be the church of light that is supporting their claims that are not making many people doubt their claims. I believe that those two will definitely let us in on their real plans as soon as we show them that we are giving them our support.\"

    \"Then the hero¡­\"

    \"What hero? That person is nothing more than a tool that will be used to make us humans the unprecedented ruler of Edea. This is why my trip cannot be delayed. We need to be early to get a bigger piece of the cake.\"

    -

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 225 Secret Meeting Place

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    .

    Two days later after Kazuya had purchased the slaves from Raizer, he got word that half of the slaves that he had purchased were sent to the mansion that was provided for him.

    He had yet to return to the mansion as he did not want his presence to affect Nell''s decision and gave them free reign over their stay at the place.

    Due to his successful subterfuge, the necromancer''s curiosity about his identity had been calmed as he was no longer stalked by the paranoid old man. Though all of the dark magic practitioner''s wariness when it came to Kazuya could not be completely alleviated, it was still a large burden that was off of Kazuya''s shoulders.

    Now, he did not have to waste time in losing the old man''s pursuit and was able to get back to most of his activities without any trouble.

    Though, while Kazuya was finally able to lose some of the stress he had been suffering from, the same could not be said after Zwei had given his report to both Benino and Alicia who had summoned him to hear it personally.

    "So, you say that the hero''s combat abilities are below that of Elrich''s daughter?" Benino rested his chin on one hand after discerning that Zwei was not trying to hide anything from him.

    "That is correct, your majesty. Kazuya-sama has yet to best Sodina-sama when it comes to a duel against blades. They have done this exercise almost every day and the result has not changed ever since it started¡­ but¡­"

    "but what?"

    "It is as Kazuya-sama had stated before. He is not the type to fight in the front lines. His interest in support magic supports that and I believe he has been learning from the clerics of the churches in the city." Zwei continued.

    "What do you think about his talent as a healer then?"

    "From my observations, Kazuya-sama has excellent observation abilities and battle sense. His claim to have been in a commanding position in his world does not seem to be a lie because even though he has lost to Sodina-sama in every sparring session, the same could not be said when it was a battle against wits or tactics."

    "That does not prove anything. Sodina has always been the type of person to not think and just fight." This time it was Alicia who spoke.

    There was no way that she would not know about the single person that she was being compared to. She believed herself to be superior to Sodina in every way which was why she was a little frustrated that her current condition wouldn''t let her test her skills against the hero. She believed that Kazuya would treat her differently if she showed her talent to him.

    "Kazuya-sama, at his age is able to observe, discern, and make critical choices in the midst of battle without many problems. Although he eventually loses to Sodina-sama, his losses were all with little to no damage to himself. That is a trait that is very hard to possess even amongst the best commanders in our kingdom." Zwei ignored the princess'' remark and continued.

    He did not want to give away too much about Kazuya. Zwei believed that there would be danger if he exposed Kazuya''s opinion and suspicions about the kingdom and its nobles.

    "A healer and a commander type¡­" Benino muttered with a frown.

    This was not what he had expected from the hero at all. Although there was once a hero that was once called the hero of life, most of the other heroes'' abilities had been specialized for battle.

    "Are you positive that the hero does not have much potential in learning battle arts?" Benino refused to give up on the possibility of sending Kazuya to the front lines. That was where they had the best chance of eliminating him if he became a problem or has already outlived his usefulness.

    "While I cannot guarantee it because it has been almost three centuries since the last hero, I believe that Kazuya-sama himself may not be open to being forced to learn skills he does not want to learn." Zwei reminded them that despite their opinions, Kazuya was not the type of person to simply agree to their suggestions.

    This made the frown in Benino''s face grow deeper. Everything they have prepared for seemed to have been going awry ever since they succeeded in the hero summoning ritual. Even Alicia, who was supposed to have been an irreplaceable part of the plan was in a state that they did not know whether she could join in on the plan or not.

    -

    Meanwhile, while Zwei was having a private audience with the king and princess, Kazuya had just arrived in the castle and was unaware of what was currently happening.

    "(Looks like that girl is not here today.)" he breathed a sigh of relief after checking the surroundings of the royal library.

    There were very few people there since the princess had yet to show up. From the looks of the people who had all turned when he entered, the people who were there were hoping to catch a glimpse of the princess who had been religiously visiting the library recently.

    "(Hopefully she isn''t coming back here again¡­)" Kazuya shook his head after that thought as he knew Alicia too well to expect such a thing from an individual as stubborn and prideful as that princess.

    "You''re quite early today young man." The old librarian greeted him when he went to greet his old acquaintance.

    "I actually came to see you since the atmosphere here is kind of awkward. Can I borrow some of the books and read somewhere more appropriate?" Kazuya asked.

    "As long as it does not leave the vicinity of the royal palace, I don''t see any reason why I should reject that request." The old man smiled.

    He had no problem giving Kazuya that much since he was one of the main reasons why the library has so many visitors lately. The old librarian did not question many of the visitors'' initial intentions since he had observed many of them get interested in some of the books that were offered by the library.

    "Thank you." Kazuya took a few selections with him and showed it to the old man. He didn''t take very long to gather some material as he did not know if the princess he wanted to avoid was going to show up.

    Being a resident of the royal palace in his previous visit to Edea, Kazuya of course had taken note of places where he could have some time alone. Though he may have been almost an entirely different person compared to how he was back then, that did not mean that he had no attachment to certain things just because they belonged to or had been under the rule of one of his enemies.

    One such place was the gardens in the eastern part of the royal palace. It was a beautiful place that one could easily get lost in if one was not familiar with.

    Due to that fact, not many people ventured into the gardens that had been like a maze made up of beautiful plants and flowers that had been meticulously been taken care of by the gardeners the royal palace had employed.

    Of course, such a big garden was cared for not only for the guests and gatherings that were hosted in the palace. Many places inside the gardens had hidden secrets in them that not many people were aware of.

    One such place was a hidden area where not many people would have ventured into. The private space was used for secret meetings that had been hidden behind thick walls of vines. An exquisite looking gazebo was inside this place and Kazuya had once spent much of his time in here when he wanted some time alone or had been skipping his intense training sessions from his previous life.

    "Looks like this place had been undiscovered as it was back then." Kazuya smiled as he activated his mana to clean off the dust and dirt that have accumulated on the antiquities that were uncared for.

    "Hmm?" In one of the corners of the gazebo, Kazuya noticed something he did not expect to see.

    Several practice swords that looked to be for the size of children were hiding behind it.

    "I don''t remember something like this being here¡­" he picked up the short swords which revealed a toy that seemed to have been crafted for a noble.

    Kazuya pondered about it for a moment before putting it at the back of his mind. There was little point to be worrying about it much because he had grown used to seeing things that he was not expecting any more. Pondering too much about such things was unproductive and there was no point about worrying about every little thing that did not match up with his memories at the moment.

    "(I should start reinforcing the seal¡­)" closing the book that he had finished reading, Kazuya placed a palm over his chest and started concentrating his mana on forming a seal that slowly illuminated from his body.

    This was a seal that he had been slowly reinforcing after he had arrived in this world. This seal prevented most of the mana he had gained from the hero summoning ritual from leaking out of his body or being felt by those with high perception.

    His time with Tsuna, Lailah, and Natsu back on Earth made him get reminded numerous times about his habit of letting his mana affected by his temper. This was something that he could not help but lose control of especially when it came to things that involved people that he cared about.

    This was a measure that was suggested by Natsu who had given up on trying to fix Kazuya''s uncontrollable temper when it came to his triggers. He figured that Kazuya valued his former companions like family since his previous experiences made him treat them like the relatives he had in this life.

    "Phew¡­" feeling his body get a bit heavier because of the restraints he had yet to remove, Kazuya felt that his current capabilities were just about the level of an elite soldier if he pushed the limits of the current level of his seal.

    "This should be enough for now¡­ hmm?" he noticed the lower part of the thick wall of shrubbery shake and felt a small presence coming inside slowly.

    When he focused his sight on the small opening that separated the path outside from where he was, he noticed a golden head of hair slowly emerging from the small gap on the ground.

    A child wearing a blue dress emerged from the opening and started tidying her clothes as soon as she got through. Her looks reminded Kazuya of one of the people he least wanted to see. He chose to act like he did not notice her arrival and started reading the next book that he borrowed from the royal library.

    "!!!" The girl walked towards the gazebo and was surprised to find that someone was sitting inside the new looking structure.

    Not expecting to see a person in the place that was supposed to have been inaccessible to adults, the little girl panicked and quickly jumped behind the bushes nearby.

    She scanned the area and was shocked to find out that the stuff she had left in this place was not in the corner she left them at. The little girl was shocked to see that the toy was meticulously placed on the table where the young man who appeared to have been reading was.

    Pondering about how she would recover her toy without Kazuya noticing her, she was unaware that she was completely visible to Kazuya who had been pretending to read.

    "(How careless¡­)" he had already locked his senses towards the strange girl and assumed from her clothing and demeanor that she was someone who was not unfamiliar with the castle.

    From her actions, she didn''t seem to be a person who possessed a threat to him. Even though he had just finished an additional layer to his seal, his current mana reserves would be able to handle this little girl even with the potential he felt this little girl had.

    "(He''s¡­)" the little girl''s mood lifted when she noticed that the young man who was reading appeared to be dozing off.

    This was her chance. She waited for his drowsiness to take over and silently wished that he would fall asleep without any problems.

    She looked at the sky and confirmed that there weren''t going to be any problems before she quietly sneaked closed towards the gazebo.

    Carefully looking at the sleeping young man and prepared to retreat at any sign of him waking up, she carefully made her way towards the table to retrieve her toy.

    "(How amusing¡­)" Kazuya stopped himself from laughing at the nervous but careful movements of the girl that was slowly getting closer.

    She looked like an overly cautious cat who would glance at Kazuya''s face after every step.

    When she finally reached her stuffed animal, a clean and flowery scent instantly filled her nostrils. She immediately examined the supposed to be worn out toy she had left here in a hurry in the past to see it in a condition that was like when she had first gotten it.

    She couldn''t help but turn her attention towards the sleeping young man who she was surprised to see in the secret space she found in the castle gardens. Just how was he able to enter this place without even a speck of dust on his clothes.

    "(This big brother doesn''t seem to be from our kingdom¡­)" the clever little girl observed Kazuya''s physical appearance from head to toe.

    He was wearing an attire that was very unlikely for a noble to wear. Garbed in clothing that was very similar to the clothing that people would wear whenever she passed through commoner areas, she immediately assumed that he was not someone from the castle when she first entered this place.

    "(Do you want to burn a hole through me with that stare little girl?)" Kazuya couldn''t help but think as he clearly felt her gaze.

    "(Could this big brother be¡­)" A thought entered her mind after remembering some of the topics the adults kept talking about non-stop recently.

    Lowering her arms that were used to hold the stuffed animal. She sincerely bowed towards the sleeping young man in front of her with gratitude.

    "Thank you¡­ for taking care of my friend¡­" she said in a shy and low voice to avoid waking him up.

    She turned around and silently walked back to where she came from. This area was now a place that was occupied by another person so she did not intend to intrude upon someone who was resting here.

    "You''re welcome." a voice came from behind her after she had taken a few steps away.

    "!!" she jumped towards the nearest place she could hide behind in panic.

    Kazuya held back the urge to laugh at the cute antics of this little noble. He hadn''t expected to be thanked for something that he had done randomly. He felt that this child had been sincere and this was a very rare thing that could be found in the place they were currently in.

    "Are you planning on getting your friend dirty again by going out the same way you came in?"

    .

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 226 The Look Was Only Meant For ME!

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    .

    At the Royal Library, the situation was just as Kazuya had predicted.

    A cold chill made the formerly enthusiastic knights nervous after the old librarian had just finished informing the beautiful princess about her tardiness when she looked for the hero.

    "(A change of pace? Preposterous! He''s clearly avoiding me!!)" She resisted the urge to grit her teeth as she was still in the presence of a lot of people.

    "Do you need anything from the hero-sama, princess?" the old librarian ignored her bad mood and asked the princess sitting on a wheelchair.

    If he could, he wanted her to wait in the library so that many of the people here would be willing to dust off the books that have been on the shelves for a long time.

    "I will be borrowing a book as well. I need to speak to him about a matter¡­" Alicia chose a book from the pile that had been separated to have been read and returned by Kazuya before leaving the royal library.

    "sigh¡­ While I am glad that you are being proactive in trying to get along with someone, assuming that everyone is supposed to respect and like you is wrong." The old man could only mutter as he watched the large doors she breezed through once again shut.

    The meeting with Zwei had taken a bit of her time because of the questions Alicia and her father had posed to Zwei which were not up to their expectations compared to all of the legends of the previous summoned heroes of the past.

    Alicia had her doubts about Zwei''s words but her father seemed to have believed him more than she would have liked. This had been because although Zwei was under the banner of the Eberbach family, he had once been very close to Benino himself and had been one of the mentors Alicia had as a child.

    Benino had said that if Zwei''s life had not been saved countless times by Elrich, the old butler would have accepted a position of general that had been saved up for him or the position of being the head of the royal guards.

    Of course, with the time that Zwei had spent being under the Eberbach family, Benino was not na?ve enough to trust Zwei wholeheartedly. After the meeting, the father and daughter had a discussion about how they should go about and confirm the reports they had just received.

    From Zwei''s observations, the newly summoned hero had great potential. This potential however, was not towards the direction they had desired.

    Although everything had yet to be determined with a hundred percent assurance, the hero himself had taken an interest in the route that they did not want him to be interested in.

    The records of each hero had been made up of glorious battles and victories. This is what the Zweifel kingdom had been expecting when they decided to summon a hero for themselves.

    Who would have thought that instead of getting the kind of hero that they hoped for, they would get a supportive type who made up a small percentage of the records.

    Of course, that hadn''t been the only problem. Heroes and their summoners would usually build their relationships with each other because of the language barrier that would impede them when they first met. The current situation however, was unlike the records that had happened throughout history.

    The hero arrived and not only was he able to speak in their native tongue, he had initially been highly aggressive towards his summoners. All the pans they have made on their initial approach had crumbled and they now shared a very fragile and shaky relationship with the unsociable hero who might even refuse to cooperate with their plans.

    These worries however, were the problems that were in the back of Alicia''s mind.

    As one of the people who had been most crucial to the conspiracy of making good use of the hero as their personal and disposable weapon, her importance of the plot had been worsening ever since the first encounter with the hero.

    Not only had the hero been unfazed by her beauty. He had been extremely cold towards her compared to everyone else he had been interacting with ever since his arrival.

    "(I refuse to believe his act!)" were Alicia''s thoughts about the hero''s cold demeanor towards him.

    This belief was backed up by the expression he made when he first caught a glimpse of her. She had been the first person to see him and vice versa so only the two of them knew what happened before the situation turned to what it had been.

    She was the very first person who encountered this hero but after a time of consideration, many of the people that tried to analyze the hero''s behavior and reasons for acting like he did had an understanding of his actions. They were quite familiar with such individuals and compared his actions to be the actions very similar to the nobles in the capital.

    While this may pose somewhat of a problem, many people did not find this to be much of a problem. The most important thing they had to do now was to gain his cooperation and trust. Things from then on will proceed as planned.

    Alicia had similar thoughts which was why she had been receiving more pressure as time passed by. The longer the hero stays in their world, the more likely it is that he will need to find a person to confide in.

    While the Eberbach family seems to be the most likely to receive this grace, the failure of Sodina''s assassination turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Elrich himself had been taken out of the picture as he needed to settle things in the territory he had just taken under his wing.

    There was now an invisible race within Maynira. With Sodina being stupid enough to antagonize the hero despite her goddess given advantage, the others were slowly crawling their way to become the one that will be able to potentially control the fate of the newly summoned hero.

    "Hmm?" the wheelchair that Alicia had been magically controlling slowly stopped as her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a head of hair that reminded her of her own.

    "That''s¡­!" a sight she had never expected to see immediately caught her attention.

    She had been a distance from the gardens but her sight had been sharp enough to spot the unnatural combination of a jet-black haired young man and the golden-haired little girl interacting happily in the royal garden.

    The scene was like a beautiful portrait. The handsome black-haired young man was of course the hero who had put her in the wheelchair she was currently on while the little girl who shared the same golden hair was her younger sister that had been scheduled to arrive at the capital today.

    *CRACK*

    Alicia''s hands gripped the armrest of her wheelchair tightly after noticing the expression on the young man''s face.

    He was smiling towards the young girl. It was unlike all of the expressions he had ever given the people he had met, much more, the current look on his face was something that she should have received on the very first day that he had arrived in this world.

    The two were no longer in the secret area where they had discovered. Kazuya had been sitting on the fountain with a stuffed animal sitting on his lap. He was observing the little girl who had a practice sword that was just right for her size as she gave out some practice swings in front of him enthusiastically.

    This was not the only thing that bothered Alicia. Her sister had been a known headache amongst the sword instructors of the royal palace as she was known to run away from sessions and disappear. Seeing her enthusiastically doing one of the things she hated in front of a complete stranger irked Alicia.

    The magical wheelchair moved swiftly from where it stood and passed by numerous servants who could not help but nervously stand aside after noticing the chilly aura surrounding the supposed frail looking princess who was injured at the moment.

    "Felicia!!"

    -

    Note: Support Original Authors! If you''re reading this outside Webnovel.com or its app, it was most likely stolen!

 227 Stirring it Up

    .

    Felicia von Lichtenstein; a name that was only known as the younger sister of the famous first princess of the Zweifel Kingdom.

    Unlike her talented sister, Felicia did not show as much talent compared to her overly popular sister, Alicia. Instead, the instructors that overenthusiastically trained her hard for the benefits of raising a genius that could be comparable to Alicia had suffered multiple headaches.

    "Felicia!!" a familiar voice immediately startled the young princess.

    She immediately hid the sword in her hands behind her back and faced the direction the voice came from.

    Kazuya found the reflexive action of this little girl cute but held back the urge to laugh. Instead, the smile he had once worn turned into a neutral expression as he had already noticed the agitated mana of the person who approached.

    "Big sister¡­" a bit of fear as well as surprise was felt by the little girl as she saw Alicia arrive.

    She had heard that her sister had suffered an injury. Felicia never expected to see the big sister she never dreamed of ever coming close to being reduced to sit in a wheelchair.

    "What are you doing here? I thought you said that you had no interest in learning swordsmanship?" Alicia questioned her little sister in a stern tone while stealing a glance towards Kazuya.

    "(What is this girl looking at me for?)" Kazuya kept a straight face and ignored Alicia''s arrival by opening one of the books he brought from the library.

    "(This guy!!!!)" Alicia''s temper flared up as there were no longer signs of the expression he had been showing earlier.

    "Father was in a meeting so Felicia went there to recover what I left behind the last time Felicia was here¡­" the little girl that referred to herself by name did not know why her sister''s mood was worsening by the second so she answered her as best as she could.

    "When Felicia found it, Felicia also found a person who cleaned Felicia''s friend! It turned out to be that this person is the hero-sama!" she excitedly told the story of how she met Kazuya.

    "It''s not that Felicia does not like learning about the sword like sister did but¡­ the teachers are bad! They are not like Uncle Zwei and Uncle Elrich! Those bad teachers only care about Felicia being like big sister!" she found the courage to say something she had shared with Kazuya not too long ago.

    "Felicia knows almost all the stories of the heroes that were called to Edea so Felicia asked this new hero-sama to see what Felicia needs to do to improve!"

    She finished her story under the strict gaze of Alicia whose mood was continuing to worsen because of the unchanging attitude of Kazuya.

    "(If this is how you want to continue treating me¡­)" an idea appeared in Alicia''s mind after seeing the genuine admiration this na?ve little sister of hers seemed to have been holding towards Kazuya.

    "?" Kazuya noticed a sharp glint in the Alicia''s eye which reminded him that she had been up to no good.

    How can he not be familiar with this look? This was the look she gave him whenever she caused him problems.

    "Did you also know that the hero-sama over there is also the person who put your elder sister in this wheelchair?"

    "!!" The little girl was shocked to hear this as she turned to look at Kazuya who had been silently reading a book behind her.

    "The first princess is not lying. It was indeed me that caused her to be attached to that chair." Kazuya raised his face to look at the little girl.

    "(You want to fool my sister? Not on my watch!)" Alicia grinned.

    "Yet, it was also me who treated the injury I caused and provided a method of recovery that none of the healers in this city had been able to provide." Kazuya followed up.

    "Uncle Zwei also said so himself in our meeting earlier; this person is not very talented when it comes to fighting. This hero-sama has chosen the path of supporting from behind rather than fighting in the frontline." Alicia ignored Kazuya''s words and tried to use it to make her sister look down on him.

    "(This girl is trying to stir up some trouble¡­)" Kazuya glanced at the grinning princess for the first time since she arrived.

    The mention of Zwei talking about him in a meeting with Alicia and the king was one way of making him doubt the old butler''s intentions. It was too bad for this princess that he had no intentions of hiding his current intentions in the first place as he had not shared any information to the Eberbach camp that he did not want to be known.

    "This is also true. I indeed have taken an interest in pursuing a role that is more supportive than combat focused." Kazuya turned back to Felicia.

    "Although being summoned here has improved the overall condition of my body, I strongly believe that I should focus on what I have always been good at rather than switching to an unfamiliar role."

    "Before I came to this world, my condition had been bad enough that slight strenuous activities would cause me to be out of breath. Though that is no longer the case after I came here, I have gauged my physical condition to have been improved to the level of a normal soldier in this world."

    "That upgrade is not even close compared to the responsibility that this world is trying to place on my shoulders. This is why I have decided to focus on my own specialties. I believe that my talents would be of better used this way."

    While Alicia took this chance to stir up some trouble in her favor, Kazuya also made use of this chance to make his stance clear.

    "This is why you have chosen the wrong person to help you with improving your swordsmanship, Felicia." Alicia showed a triumphant look towards Kazuya.

    "That statement is somewhat incorrect." Kazuya turned back to Alicia with the same expression.

    "Oh? How am I wrong?" Alicia''s eyebrows twitched at his claim.

    "A person who stands behind combatants does not simply stand there doing nothing." Kazuya closed the book he was reading and placed it aside.

    "I use both my impeccable eyesight and¡­" he used his forefinger to point towards his brain.

    "In my case, my improved eyesight has observed several of the people training both at the duke''s place as well as here in the palace. Their forms, maneuvers, capabilities are all inside here." He tapped his head confidently.

    "While I may not be gifted physically, when it comes to combat techniques, all I need is to see it in the most ideal form. This may not be of much help towards myself since I am not capable enough to face a combat type head to head but, the same could not be said if I have someone on my side who has, at minimum, close to or equal capabilities as the opponent."

    "Though I indeed may not be qualified to teach the little princess here swordsmanship, she did not ask to be taught. She merely sought some advice on how to improve."

    Kazuya did not plan to accept such a request at first. It was only after he took a good look at this little girl that he decided to see what she had been capable of.

    Felicia may not have been comparable to the current Alicia but, what Kazuya had observed was that this little girl''s potential was very similar, if not better than his former princess party member.

    "What a bold claim!" sneered.

    "Don''t take my word for it. You can ask the old butler. Ask him, how many times the slave you have graciously given me was able to beat the opponent that was reputable enough to be your rival in their numerous spars after following my advice." Kazuya gave Alicia a mischievous grin.

    Both sisters were surprised by Kazuya''s words. Even though Felicia did not understand who Kazuya had been referring to when he said ''slave'', both of them understood that he meant Sodina Eberbach when mentioning someone who had been reputed to be equal to Alicia when it came to talent.

    "Slave?" asked with a curious glance.

    "Some knight named Julia Dis¡­ taste¡­ or something like that." Kazuya intentionally acted to not remember Julia''s name.

    "Big sister Julia!?" Felicia was shocked.

    She wondered where the knight who had always stood near her elder sister was after seeing the current state Alicia was in. It would seem that something major indeed happened that she was not informed about.

    "You should ask your elder sister about that. It will be up to you if you follow the advice I gave you to improve yourself, little princess." Kazuya stood up and handed her the stuffed animal before giving her a head pat.

    "You can take advantage of this time and ask Zwei-san for his help as he is currently assigned to the capital to look after me. I believe he has been instructing Sodina personally so adding you to the list should not be too much of a bother." Kazuya turned and walked towards the direction of the library.

    He passed by Alicia and treated her as if she was air.

    ???You¡­"

    "Oh, right. I will give you an important piece of advice as well as prove it with actual evidence." Kazuya smiled towards Felicia.

    "Do not look down on people who play roles that are not combat related. Do not forget that I am an one of the people who despite me being from a world that lacked mana¡­ Even if I decided to go take a more supportive role¡­" Kazuya then acknowledged Alicia''s presence by turning towards the beautiful girl sitting on the wheelchair.

    He slowly walked behind her wheelchair and grinned before whispering to her ear in a soft voice..

    "Made one of the most talented young people in this kingdom into a cripple."

    .

 228 Foundation

    .

    After doing what he needed to do in the palace, Kazuya left the castle with a smile.

    Remembering the face Alicia made after hearing his parting words almost made him laugh out loud on the spot.

    "Soooooo satisfying! Hahaha!"

    Letting out the words he had been holding onto while inside the palace made him feel so much better. The pressure of all the unexpected events that transpired has recently stressed him out so Alicia setting herself up to be ridiculed was something that improved his mood a great deal.

    Familiarizing himself with the situations of his early arrival to Edea had taken some time but even with the effects of the events that he had changed historically. Kazuya had finally begun to see a few paths that he could currently take.

    "I wonder if she made her decision yet¡­" Kazuya thought about Nell.

    The unexpected encounter with her at Raizer''s shop had solved one of the things that he had been worrying about.

    "(Did she think I would look down on her just because she was formerly a slave?)" Kazuya thought about it and remembered that although she was playful and mischievous, the Nell that he knew had pride in being a free spirit.

    Her attitude made Kazuya not even consider the truth he found out a few days ago to be the truth. This is also the reason why he had opted to give her a choice.

    Even though he would have liked to continue this journey with her, he did not use something like a slave crest to force her into joining his cause.

    "From what I know about her¡­ I guess this really would be a gamble for me¡­" Kazuya shook his head and continued heading for the residence that had been provided by him.

    Personally, the choice that he left for Nell to decide was something that left Kazuya a bit indecisive. While he wanted her to be protected from the chaos that would engulf Edea, joining him would also put her in the same danger that made her lose her life in Kazuya''s previous life.

    While Kazuya had the confidence of dealing with the dangers that would face them in the future, it would be by no means an easy journey. Nell had done well for herself before they met in his previous life so with her capabilities, Kazuya was confident that she would be able to keep herself out of danger if she had kept herself out of it.

    The Zweifel kingdom and the church of light would certainly remove any factors that would affect their intentions in a negative way. That was what happened last time and they would not think twice about doing it again. The only reason why they were tolerating the current uncooperative hero was because Kazuya had still given them hopes of cooperation while showing no signs of catching on to their devious plans.

    This was why maintaining another identity was crucial for him. An identity that even the most powerful human kingdom and the most influential religion would think twice before offending. The Crimson Mansion was one such entity.

    Gathering a number of people that would follow him, and him alone was one of the most essential parts of his plan after coming back to this fantasy-like world. Afterall, this was not like the mangas or comics on earth where one hero could take down armies of enemies by himself.

    While holding the title of ''hero from another world'', Kazuya was unlike any other person. He got hungry, grew tired, and while he had trained himself even before he had come to Edea, he did not have an unlimited amount of mana.

    A creation of his own personal force, a force that would be loyal to him and would follow his orders was something that he deemed to be essential. Although the current people under him at the moment would not even be comparable to the elite guards at the palace, the Kazuya now was not the type of who would recklessly charge into a battle that he knew would have a low or no chance of victory.

    "I guess it should be about time to take a few precautions¡­" Kazuya concentrated his mana.

    His hair started growing a bit and a dark cloth that grew from under his clothes covered the lower half of his face.

    He touched his face and glanced at his own body to make sure that there were no mistakes before he resumed walking towards the abode that should have contained all of the slaves he had purchased.

    While Raizer may have been a very influential merchant in Maynira, he was not as powerful as many of the nobles that held high positions. Therefore, many of them would eventually find out that Raizer was hiding a certain craftsman''s identity.

    "This may be unneeded caution but¡­ I can never be too careful." He stealthily moved through the streets until he eventually made it to the gates of the mansion he had been presented.

    "Halt!" Kazuya immediately got stopped at the gates by two guards that he recognized.

    Both of them were two of the eight men he had purchased from Raizer. They wore clothes that were very similar to the regular attire that private guards wore so Kazuya silently gave some praise towards the black hearted merchant in his mind.

    "I''m glad to see that even you do not recognize me." Kazuya grinned under the cloth covering his face and activated the owner''s crest that gave him the right to command the two of the guards.

    The two guards who looked at him suspiciously trembled and immediately changed their attitudes. There had been many people who tried to gather information from them as to who it was that had started to live inside the mansion so they have been very careful.

    "M-master¡­" the two of them tried to kneel but Kazuya controlled the crest to make them unable to do so.

    "No need for such formalities. Remember, you are supposed to be merely guards who were hired. Be sure to let the others know so that they may not make the same mistake under public eyes."

    "Y-yes!" the younger guard answered enthusiastically and led Kazuya through the gates.

    As soon as the others noticed Kazuya''s arrival, the slaves gathered inside the mansion''s hall to greet him.

    Apart from four who had been chosen to be posted on guard duty, the servants gathered inside the mansion''s hall and bowed down to welcome the arrival of the person who they would be serving until they died or were set free.

    "What are you two doing?" Kazuya did not pay everyone any attention and walked up to both Nell and Lucia who were at the front of those who had been paying their respects.

    *stare* the velvet haired little girl who was now wearing a maid uniform that actually fit her perfectly met with his gaze.

    "I already gave the two of you back your freedom. Why are you bowing down like the rest?" Kazuya already knew that he wasn''t going to get a straight answer from Lucia so he gave Nell a stern gaze instead.

    "Before I answer, I wanted to ask why you removed your hold on us. I believe that bitch Etha did not charge you lightly for the both of us." Nell returned his gaze.

    Kazuya looked around and none of the others were surprised by what he just said. It seemed like Nell had already informed them of what he had done.

    While he was slightly happy to see that she hadn''t left, he could not help but worry since unlike their previous time together, they had not built up a relationship that could have been built on trust.

    "Because both of you have done meritorious deeds that deserve it. What I intend on doing is something that is extremely difficult or even impossible for me to accomplish alone. You, Nell and Lucia have just built the foundation of will hopefully let me accomplish the task that I came here to do."

    "What is it exactly that you want to do?" This was what bothered Nell the most.

    All Kazuya ever said about it was that it was extremely difficult. From how he refers to it, it seemed more than likely that they would be killed before they even came close to achieving it.

    "None of you are strong enough nor have gained my trust enough for me to share it with you." Kazuya shook his head sideways.

    This time there had been a reaction from them. Even Nell looked at him strangely after hearing what he had to say. Many of them did not believe what they had just heard but did not have the courage to speak what they were thinking.

    "Not convinced?" Kazuya grinned.

    "Let''s go to the training grounds. I will give you a taste of what kind of strength you would need to possess before even thinking about asking me that question again.

    .

 229 Odd one Ou

    .

    Kazuya crossed his arms and looked at the current scene with amusement.

    All 19 of the servants who joined the exercise were currently laying on the ground without any energy to get back up.

    Only Nell, who was not even required to join the skirmish, was left barely standing as Kazuya purposely held back when hitting her because unlike how they first met, her current self was a lot weaker and had experienced far less compared to the Nell Kazuya was most familiar with.

    "So, is everyone convinced?" Kazuya glanced at each of the slaves who were struggling to get back up.

    "It''s not over yet!" Nell shouted back at him and started concentrating her remaining mana towards her legs.

    Proving a point was not the only reason Kazuya started this exercise. He also wanted to assess the combat capabilities of each of the servants he had purchased.

    While the majority of them were once kept by Raizer to be later thrown into the slave coliseum, none of them even came close to putting a scratch on the new master that eliminated any restraints from their slave crests when they launched their attacks against him.

    Kazuya had even given them the incentive of giving them back their freedom if they were able to defeat him in this exercise.

    "I should be saying that there isn''t even a point for you to be joining in on this exercise but¡­ from the way you''re looking at me, I guess you won''t be heeding my advice." Kazuya shook his head and gave her an opening to exploit.

    *SWISH!*

    Nell had taken the bait perfectly and appeared on Kazuya''s side almost immediately.

    "Not bad!" Kazuya took a light step to the side.

    Nell missed the kick she tried to deliver and immediately used the leg that had stayed on the ground to launch herself after the light-footed young man.

    *TZZT!*

    She felt a sharp pain on the leg that had been used to launch herself in another direction all of a sudden. Gritting her teeth to withstand the pain, Nell glanced at Kazuya''s carefree expression and launched another attack.

    "Though I admire your persistence¡­"

    Kazuya immediately disappeared from her sight.

    "Where!?"

    "Behind you."

    "Wha-!?"

    *GRAB!*

    To the onlookers, Kazuya simply placed a hand on her shoulder. For Nell on the other hand, it felt as if an unstoppable force was pushing down on her.

    The momentum she had gained was immediately halted. Nell could not even fight back as she fell to her knees due to the force that Kazuya made her experience.

    "I admire your determination. You are probably the best combatant amongst¡ª" Kazuya immediately stopped speaking and turned around.

    A little girl with long velvet hair stopped her silent steps after Kazuya had noticed her approach.

    *stare*

    She met his gaze without fear. This action was not what surprised Kazuya the most. What baffled him was the quality of mana that was being gathered around Lucia.

    "(This girl''s mana¡­)"

    "Icicle¡­ Orb¡­" the little girl whispered in a tone that was barely audible as she raised both hands towards Nell and Kazuya''s direction.

    A white orb floated and left Lucia''s hands. It slowly approached Kazuya who was not far from where Lucia had stopped approaching.

    "Magic!?"

    "The little girl knows how to cast magic spells!?"

    "But that thing is moving so slowly¡­"

    None of them had any expectations of the sudden entrance of the youngest slave that had been bought along with them. What was in their minds right now was if Kazuya had been aware of this talent of hers when she was purchased along with them.

    "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Kazuya immediately activated his right to command.

    He lowered his stance and covered the kneeling Nell from the orb of ice that had begun showing signs of change.

    "You¡­" Nell was both surprised by Kazuya''s action and curious about why he was showing such a serious expression.

    It did not take long for her to get her answer.

    The concentrated mana that had formed the ice ball expanded at a rapid pace as soon as it started spinning at an increasing rate.

    "Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue after seeing that due to their injuries, the slaves had yet to follow his command.

    *SLAM!*

    "Gaian Barricade!" Kazuya thrust his palm down on the ground.

    As Icicles started getting released from the spinning ball of ice, a wall of earth swiftly sprung from the ground to block the ones that were going to hit the defenseless servants that were scattered on the field.

    "Wha¡ª!?" Nell was not the only one who was stunned.

    It looked like not only was the little girl capable of casting such a spell, their new master was even able to counter it in such a quick and decisive manner!

    Those who were confused as to what just happened, turned to see that Kazuya had just used his own body to protect Nell whilst casting a protective spell towards many of their fallen companions.

    The slow, yet devastating spell that had activated did not last for very long. The moment it was about to end, Kazuya had risen to his feet and faced towards the little spell caster who had caused all of this.

    *drip*

    Nell noticed red liquid dropping on the earth in front of her and quickly turned towards Kazuya.

    Before she could say anything, his image blurred and appeared on Lucia''s side.

    *CHOP!*

    Without even giving a chance for the little girl to react, his palm had already hit the back of her neck and caused the velvet haired young magician to lose consciousness.

    "Clever, but reckless." He caught her small and petite body before she fell to the ground and was placed beside the kneeling Nell.

    "You''re hurt¡­" looking at the icicle embedded on his shoulder.

    Kazuya ignored what she said and used his arm to dispel the hard earth that shielded the other servants. The earthen barrier slowly returned back to the ground and Kazuya made sure that none of them were hit with that unexpected ice spell.

    "(I did not expect to get my very first unexpected injury this early¡­)" Kazuya thought about his current state.

    He had released 2 levels of the multiple layers of seals that he had placed on himself to be able to handle the first batch of recruits. At his current level, if he had wanted to perfectly defend himself and everyone, he would have needed to release another level of the seal or push his current self to a dangerous limit.

    "(Looks like there is a need for further adjustment. I''ve gotten too used to the limited potential of my body back on earth that I seem to have overdone it with the limitations I''ve been setting after the effects of the summoning ritual¡­)" he pondered.

    He pulled out the cold icicle that had been numbing his wound and applied healing magic to it immediately.

    "(He knows healing magic too!?)" Nell didn''t think that she would even be more surprised than she currently was.

    Unfortunately for her, it still was not over. As Kazuya''s decision to not push himself and take the injury was for the action that he was about to do next.

    "Sanctuary!" A soothing light began expanding from Kazuya''s vicinity and soon covered all those who had been laying on the ground.

    These had been one of the skills that he learned recently. While he already had a grasp of basic spells and techniques for healing, there was not anyone back in his world who could teach him advanced support and healing spells such as this wide area healing spell.

    "My injuries¡­" the pain Nell had been feeling was fading away at a rapid pace.

    The fallen slaves rose back to their feet and gathered in front of Kazuya before respectfully kneeling in front of him.

    None of them had any doubts about his words earlier and majority of them felt reverence towards this young master of theirs.

    They already heard that he had been a victim of betrayal so many of them could only imagine the kind of people who would have the ability to push this young man''s former companions to death.

    Their confidence in themselves as well as their own capabilities were shaken. It was only at this moment that the warnings about a perilous journey with this young man had hit them. He truly was not lying when he said that the chances were them losing their lives were to be expected.

    Nell was hesitating whether to join the kneeling slaves or not. She had already been given back her freedom so she could only remain seated beside Lucia, who slowly began showing signs of regaining consciousness.

    "I have seen what you all are currently capable of and have experienced your pride and courage first hand," Kazuya looked at each of them seriously.

    "All of you will soon sign a soul contract in addition to retaining your slave crests. This will be until the time that you have either, done deeds to potentially have me consider giving you back your freedom, or showed enough potential to be shared secrets with."

    "While many of you might think that I may be being paranoid, by signing the soul contract, once you have done enough to get your freedom back, you will be given a choice."

    "(A choice?)" Nell, who had helped Lucia sit up, wondered what Kazuya meant by those words.

    "A choice to continue serving me as a free person¡­ or go off on your own at the cost of losing all of the memories that you have under my service. This is non-negotiable and many of you shall understand why it is so, soon enough."

    "Losing your memories..." Nell had a serious look.

    This was not anything unheard of as such similar spells were required to be cast onto those who would be promoted to sensitive positions in various organizations. The only concern that many of them thought about was that there had been very few who had been capable of such complex spells.

    Nell stared at the confident back of Kazuya who had been informing his slaves about the contents of the soul contract that they would be signing. It had been very similar to the one she had received but there was one thing that she could not get out of her mind.

    She read through the magical contract in her hands once more to make sure that she was not seeing what she should have been seeing.

    Nell glanced at Kazuya with a puzzled expression and wondered what was going on as soon as she finished reading everything thoroughly.

    "(Why does my contract not mention anything about losing my memories?)

    -

 Chapter 230 - Determined

    .

    Kazuya had handed out soul contracts he had prepared to every slave that he had brought. While the ones on guard duty were to be briefed after a few of them had successfully completed the process, there weren''t many that hesitated to come under Kazuya''s banner.

    Why would they? All of them had basically given up any hope of ever getting out of their predicament. It was either they would win the favor of some noble while participating in the coliseum or dying in the hands of other participants. All of their other choices had been almost the same. In the end of it all, they were nothing else but slaves.

    This young man had offered them an opportunity amidst the risk of death they would have faced in the coliseum anyway. They would not be bound up by chains but rather treated as real subordinates as long as they did not break any of Kazuya''s rules or orders.

    "(This is¡­)" Nell had three copies of soul contracts in front of her.

    One of them were hers, Lucia''s and the other one was borrowed from the others that had just received it from Kazuya.

    Kazuya was dealing with the others who had already signed the soul contract one by one. He each gave them an assignment after asking a few questions so he was currently ignoring the looks Nell had been giving him.

    "(Why?)" The three contracts baffled her as hers was the only one that was different.

    While they were indeed similar to the aspect of their souls being bound to Kazuya, hers was a lot less strict compared to even the one that had been prepared for the little girl who was quietly sitting beside her.

    "Are you done looking it over, Nell-san? My turn is coming up so¡­" one of her recruits asked for her contract back.

    "Ah, sorry Levin. Here you go." She fell back into her thoughts after giving the girl''s soul contract.

    While it had been intentional for Kazuya to have a different contract prepared for her, his reasons for doing so was because of their previous relationship. There was no way for Nell to know about such events so she would never have been able to guess his intentions.

    Whatever her decision was, Kazuya would have accepted. Even if it had not been intentional, his bias towards this former close companion of his left him with not being able to predict her finding about the difference between her contracts and the others.

    For Kazuya, even if she did choose to bind herself with the soul contract, Nell would have ended up under his command like all of the others.

    "Have you come to a decision?" Kazuya walked in front of Nell after he had completed the process with the rest of the slaves.

    "Can I ask you a question?"

    "No. I have already given you enough time to consider. If you haven''t come to a decision by now, there would be no need to think about it anymore." Kazuya shook his head and rejected her coldly.

    "I¡ª" before Nell could say anything, the little girl beside her stood from her seat and walked in front of Kazuya while holding her contract.

    "You want to stay?" Kazuya looked at the little girl who met his gaze with a look of determination.

    *nod*

    "Lucia¡­" Nell looked at the determined girl who was younger than her and sighed.

    She felt a little bad for hesitating too much. The two of them had already talked about the matter and have come to a decision even before Kazuya had arrived. The contents of her own contract had been favorable compared to theirs but aside from losing all her memories of Kazuya and their group, everything had pretty much been the same.

    Using a soul contract as a back-up for the imperfect slave system. That could say a lot about the young man that they would be serving.

    "I''m in too!" Nell stood beside the little girl and did not miss the split-second change in Kazuya''s expression.

    "It may take a long time until you get another chance of freedom. Are you sure?"

    "Our fates would not have been much better if we chose out freedom right now. Besides, after what you just made us experience, I think that you would let us remain as we currently are, right?"

    -

    While Kazuya had officially accepted the people who would be the pioneers of his own force, an incident was currently taking place that had been caused by his recent actions.

    *CRASH!!*

    A noble threw the cup he had been served towards the wall.

    "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" he stared at Etha with eyes full of rage.

    "Please do not blame Etha, it was me who sold the products without considering her opinions on the matter." Raizer remained calm and faced the angry noble as well as another who had come with the same complaint.

    The fuming noble appeared to be a middle-aged man who had been a regular customer who often purchased young and attractive girls who were sold to their shop. The one who remained silent was a relatively young man who had set his eyes on the rebellious Nell because of her seemingly untamable nature.

    "Is this how you do business? We have clearly shown our interest in the two people in question." The calm noble broke the silence with a slightly threatening tone.

    "I was not aware of such arrangements. Besides, while those products may have been in Etha''s care, I am the person who ultimately decides who to sell to." Raizer did not back down.

    *SLAM!*

    "Bullshit! Do you really think that we don''t know what kind of merchant you are!?" the angry noble slammed his fists on the table.

    "Very well, if this is how you would like to act¡­ Jessie-sama are we all here not aware of what kind of person you are? If it were not for us, would you think that the capital would not investigate the numerous increasing number of young girls missing in the commoner''s districts?" Raizer grinned.

    "You¡­" he felt like a fly had flown into his mouth.

    "Bryan-sama, the women soldiers that were increasingly missing under your family''s care had stopped when you came here, right??? Raizer turned to the younger noble and looked him directly in the eye.

    As a merchant who dealt mostly dealt with the dark desires of nobles and their descendants, how could Raizer not know about these matters? The things he had done for these two and the products he had procured for them were not limited to just a few.

    "I''m curious. Just what is the identity of the person that decided to take people a person from both the Vera and Castro family have their eyes on? They must have some extraordinary background or have something on you that would make you defend them so stubbornly." Bryan showed a smile that had not appeared to be a smile.

    He knew what kind of merchant Raizer was. Even if he had been forced to sell the slaves that they had their eyes on, he would have placated them by providing a method to contact the person who got them. This way, he would wash his hands off the incident and it would be between the people themselves who shared the same interest.

    "For the sake of the Castro family, I strongly recommend that your curiosity be abandoned. Even if you drag the Vera family with you¡­ I can only say that I have done my best in trying to dissuade you about pursuing the matter."

    "Refusing to give me any crucial information about this only makes me more curious. Do you know how much work I''ve put into making that woman into a criminal slave? My father has barely gotten over the damages I allowed so that her group would infiltrate deep enough into the trap I set for her."

    "I apologize, my hands are truly tied. I can only dissuade you from trying to bring a calamity onto your houses or yourselves just because of pieces of flesh that can easily be replaced." Raizer refused to budge.

    "I see¡­ we have nothing left to discuss then." He stood up and gestured his angry companion to leave with him.

    Jessie, glared at Raizer one more time before reluctantly leaving with his friend. There weren''t many who tried to offend them in the capital so he was furious that someone had gotten something that he had his eyes on.

    "Are we really going to leave things like this!?" Jessie who was still not convinced asked his younger, yet wiser companion.

    The two of them met in Raizer''s shop and got to know each other after confirming that their interests did not collide. They often shared methods on how to deal with the ''products'' they had bought from Razer''s shop and exchanged opinions about them.

    "What do you think about Raizer''s warning?" Bryan was curious about his companion''s opinion on the matter.

    "Someone who can bring a calamity towards a Marquis and a Duke''s houses? Does he think we''re stupid? Only the royal family can be so bold!"

    "Indeed. The Eberbach family is out of the question either since there is only Sodina-sama in that family. That greedy merchant most likely has been paid a handsome amount to act as a deterrent," Bryan came to a conclusion.

    "Then our actions¡­"

    "Of course, investigate and we shall take back what is ours!"

    -

 Chapter 231 - Subordinate Talks

    .

    Later that day, Kazuya had gathered every one of his new subordinates to the spacious basement of the residence. After a detection formation was cast on their temporary base, he gave Nell authority over it as well as some of the detection features to those that were chosen as guards.

    "Does everyone have their bracer devices equipped?" Kazuya asked as he stood in front of the 25 who had their souls bound to him.

    Everyone felt puzzled after being given a pair of soft, cloth-like bracers that strangely fit onto their arms. They had not felt or heard of such material before. These included those of them who were former adventurers and mercenaries.

    That was not the only thing that they were curious about. Their new master started leaving several strange and small devices around the property that they had never seen before.

    One of the largest had been mounted on the basement ceiling where they were currently seated.

    "We already have them on. Can you tell us what these and the other stuff you''ve placed around the mansion are for?" Nell had answered in favor of everyone.

    Very few found it as a surprise but Nell had been assigned to be in charge whenever Kazuya was not present. They were all instructed to follow her commands as long as they did not coincide with the unbreakable rules that Kazuya had set.

    "They are devices that you will find very helpful as well as one of the means of identifying anyone that is on our side. Now, I advise you all to calm yourselves and answer all of the questions in the registration process." Kazuya grinned as he raised his arm in front of his chest and pulled up his own sleeve to reveal a similar device.

    "Rucy, activate nearby devices, and begin registration procedures."

    A holographic image that appeared to be a small human appeared on Kazuya''s arm.

    "[Yosh! Finally, it''s Rucy-chan''s turn! What about the authorization settings, master?]" the small holographic girl cheerfully made a guts pose.

    "A fairy!"

    "I''ve never seen one before!"

    "I thought they were extinct!"

    "[Wrong! I am not a fairy! Rucy-chan is Rucy-chan! I am the master''s very own creation and master''s most reliable helper!]" the small hologram faced them as her voice got transmitted from each of their devices.

    All of them were startled to hear the voice coming from the devices on their arms and immediately froze. Though they wanted to take them off by reflex, they were more fearful of what Kazuya might do if they broke the strange devices they were just given.

    "For now, set their privileges to ''new recruits''. I will leave them in your care whenever I am not around so make sure that they do not slack off and learn what they need to." Kazuya ignored their reactions and gave his holographic assistant his orders.

    "[Understood! Leave it to Rucy!]" the holographic assistant disappeared in front of Kazuya.

    Not a second later, multiple Rucy-chans appeared on the devices that everyone had. She wasted no time and immediately hurled questions towards the new recruits as well as informing them of the basic functions that they were able to access on the devices.

    "(This is amazing¡­)" Nell couldn''t help but think as she got an orientation of Rucy''s basic functions.

    Just a simple wristwatch or even a pocket watch for them was a luxury they never even considered they needed. Yet, Kazuya had given them something that had what they could do as a minor function. They could even send each other messages or contact one another as long as they were within the range of each other.

    Nell glanced at Kazuya who had begun working on carving the items he had promised Raizer while waiting for the process to finish. She couldn''t help but wonder just what Kazuya had in store for them and if they would be deserving of the favor Kazuya was giving them.

    "[I''m done master~ I''ve completed making a profile for each of the new recruits!]" Rucy had projected herself on top of the table where Kazuya worked on his carving.

    "Good. I''ll leave you to assess each of them when I''m not present. You may separate them into groups and have them learn via the priorities of what they need to learn." He instructed.

    Edea was a world that had an abundance of mana, due to that convenience, there were very few and limited advances in their civilization. Such convenient devices that were found on earth would have been redundant or a luxury in the eyes of those who were capable of magic or feats that a normal person on Earth may not have been capable of.

    The new recruits that Kazuya had obtained were people who had suffered under the unfairness of the capital. While the differences between social or even capital standings on earth may have been negligible regulated by laws, the same could not be said in Edea. Even the heroes who strived to change that were only able to scratch the surface.

    "Listen up!" Kazuya stood up and faced them again.

    "Starting tomorrow, all of you will follow the schedule that will be given to you strictly. Aside from a little private time and sleeping, all of you should learn and train as much as you can as our stay here in Maynira will not be longer than just a few months!" he announced.

    "Each of you should make good use of this time to learn everything you need to know and have the minimum required strength to be able to survive the journey that will come after we leave the capital! Remember, while you might think I am strong and can take of you, it should be me that should rely on you as your employer. Prove to me that I did not make a mistake by taking you out of that black-hearted merchant''s grasp!"

    "We will not let you down, master!" the stocky guard got down on his knees to pay his respects.

    Many of them felt the same and followed the action.

    "Ronald, right?" Kazuya approached the guard.

    "Yes!"

    "From now on, you will be the leader of the guards. Make sure to train well to be worthy of the position." Kazuya patted his shoulder.

    "I will not let you down!"

    He was truly happy for being recognized. From the start, Kazuya had not called referred or even treated them like slaves. Though he would order them, all of them did not hold it against him as they knew their own standings.

    They were people who were extremely sensitive about how people treated them as they were not in their current predicament by choice. For them, they have already considered themselves lucky to have been purchased by such a unique individual. What made them more touched was that Kazuya had given them orders to better themselves rather than to serve him better.

    "Nell, Lucia, come with me. The rest of you will stay here and listen to what Rucy has to say. Remember, I may use her to speak on behalf of me when I am not present so make sure to listen to her words and lectures as they were my own." Kazuya gave a quick reminder before taking what he had been carving and left the room with the two girls.

    They went to the large living space where the two girls sat across Kazuya. The girls did not know what he wanted from them and nervously waited for him to speak.

    "The two of you do not need to follow the same schedule as the rest. Rather, I will have you two focus on harder tasks." Kazuya felt a bit hesitant but he took out two thin rectangular objects that many people on Earth would recognize as a product of Kazuno Technologies.

    Kazuya demonstrated how to use the item and shocked the two. They assumed that it was some magical device that turned into a magical window that would show them various images. They were dumbfounded to see that some of the images even moved.

    "Use these to access information about techniques that will help you get stronger. I have made it so that you would need to master the skills that you would need to access. You can think of these as something similar to a book."

    "A book¡­" Nell''s cheek twitched.

    She had never heard of a book that was capable of such things. Even magical tomes would never be able to do the miraculous things that Kazuya had just demonstrated with the expandable magical window in his hand.

    "Once you think you have mastered the techniques that you have access to, show it to me I will then remove the restrictions and let you see the next set that comes after. If I am not present, Rucy can judge in my stead. Just make sure to follow her instructions so that she will be able to test you." Kazuya explained and then turned to the silent Lucia.

    "In your case, it is a bit complicated. Though I did sense potential in you for magic, Rucy does not have the capability to assess magical spells without the proper facilities. You will need to wait for me to personally assess you before I can grant you access to advanced knowledge in your device."

    "¡­un" Lucia nodded and accepted the device.

    "I did not expect you to be able to cast intermediate level magic. Though it may not have been perfect, I believe that with your potential, it may not be long until you can call yourself a real magician. Did you have a teacher?"

    "¡­ mother¡­" she spoke in a sad tone and lowered her head.

    "I see¡­" Kazuya didn''t pursue it any further as he had already heard a little about her past.

    Kazuya said no more and told them to do their best. He went up to his room and told them that he was going to work on the products he had promised Raizer.

    "Lucia¡­" Nell moved closer to her.

    "I''m alright, Nell-san." The little girl who had remained quiet spoke in a clear tone.

    "You may not think it is any of my business but I think you should tell him¡­ we are already bound to him after all."

    "I have a feeling he already suspects it. He may just be avoiding it like me." Nell sighed and took another look at the devices on her arms that now seemed invisible.

    "What makes you think so?"

    "Because¡­ I felt it. Our master may be the same as me."

    -

 Chapter 232 - A Sudden Move

    .

    2 weeks have passed ever since Kazuya had tasked his new employees to follow the training regimen that was tailored for them with the help of the artificial intelligence named Rucy.

    During this period, a trend quickly got the attention of many nobles.

    While sculptures and statues were known to be part of the Zweifel Kingdom, many nobles were fascinated when they laid their eyes on the intricate details that were found on the figures that appeared on the figures that the merchant Raizer had shown them.

    King Benino, Elrich Eberbach, Alicia von Lichtenstein, Sodina Eberbach, and multiple other well-known personages from the Zweifel kingdom were made into small figures that gave justice to what these people were known for.

    May it be a beautiful princess wearing an enchanting dress or the bloody general riding a horse in battle, many nobles instantly fell in love with the figures that were said to be made by a mysterious craftsman that was said to have chosen to remain anonymous.

    The craftsman guilds were the first ones to lodge their complaints against Razer and his company and wanted information about this mysterious craftsman. Unfortunately for them, Razer had already made preparations and declared that the mysterious craftsman was only working with him for a short amount of time and announced that the craftsman wanted to craft in peace before he moved on to find the next inspiration for his work.

    The nobles who wanted figures for themselves or of themselves immediately used whatever they could to suppress the craftsman guild not too long after this announcement was made. Kazuya already mentioned that he would only be staying in Maynira for a short time so, despite the now growing demand for his works, the things that were made by him would eventually have to stop.

    Razer''s influence and connections in the capital grew exponentially due to the recent events. Unexpectedly, there were two individuals who were affected in the process.

    "Damn it! That shitty merchant!" Jessie cursed as he sat across his friend Bryan.

    Due to the two''s relationship with Razer going sour, many of the nobles that were joining this new trend had caused the duo some problems when the black-hearted merchant mentioned his staff being harassed by the two.

    "Calm down Jessie. We didn''t expect that guy to suddenly transfer those he didn''t trust outside of the city. Although it was indeed clever of him to do so, it will only delay the inevitable." Bryan gave a confident grin.

    He was annoyed at how much effort he had to put in just to find out to who the slaves they had their eyes on were sold. The two of them swore to express their accumulated stress on not only the slaves that have eluded them but to the person who bought them as well.

    "Have you finally gotten word from the people you sent out to get information?" Jessie poured himself some wine.

    "It should be about time. We were lucky that these people were sent to different cities rather than being eliminated. I just hope that they are still in the capital. Otherwise, they would already have gained a substantial distance from here." Bryan traced the rim of his cup and grinned.

    "Are you sure that they are still in the capital?" Jessie asked.

    He was skeptical when Bryan told him about this speculation.

    "Of course. That one spunky slave was not the only person who I had my eye on after all. There were a lot of slaves that I wanted to buy along with her. Those slaves would have had to pick to be bought by me or risk themselves in the coliseum. According to the reports from the gates, there were none who matched their descriptions or any groups of women traveling together."

    "I hope your people come soon. The last doll I bought from that guy finally broke and since I can''t buy any more from him, I''ve been too bored."

    "Patience my friend. You need to learn how to enjoy the hunt or you would¡ª"

    *tap* *tap*

    "Ah, speak of the devil¡­ Come in!" Bryan smiled and welcomed the man who had just entered.

    "Sir! We have successfully gathered some information on the people you have been looking for." The man reported.

    "Excellent! Where did the slaves that were bought that day go to?"

    "There were multiple different testimonies from the people that worked in Raizer''s slave store that day but¡­ according to them, there was a man that been brought in respectfully by Raizer himself and¡­"

    .

    Meanwhile, due to the recent changes in the past couple of days, Kazuya finally had time to return to pay Jorelle a visit.

    He had informed the friendly cleric about practicing the skills he had learned from them alone and used the time he spent on the royal library and the church towards the mansion and his plans.

    "I apologize, Jorelle has asked for some time off and is currently not in the church," one of the clerics who knew Kazuya informed him.

    "He asked for some time off? Did he say why?" Kazuya was a bit puzzled as Jorelle had never mentioned anything about needing to take some time off from his duties.

    "Well¡­ I''m only telling you this because you are somewhat involved in the case¡­"

    "Case¡­" Kazuya suddenly had a bad feeling.

    "Jorelle''s father told us that he might have found a possible source of the dark energy that has circulated. The two of them left the capital to confirm this."

    "How long ago was this?" his face turned serious.

    Kazuya did not expect such a sudden occurrence. He was distracted with finally starting to get his plans on the right track that he had neglected the ongoing issue with the eccentric necromancer.

    "They left the capital two nights ago. We offered to have some people accompany them but we were declined. Gazardiel-san said that there would be no danger since they were only heading for the farmland near a newly established village called Waise."

    "I see¡­ Thank you for informing me." Kazuya turned around and failed to notice the cleric shiver at the sudden atmosphere surrounding them.

    "Is there something wrong?" the cleric couldn''t help but ask.

    "I feel a little responsible since I was the person who brought up this incident to Jorelle. If they fall into danger because of me, I would be unable to rest peacefully at night." Kazuya bid the cleric farewell before leaving the church.

    "(This is bad¡­ That guy might have decided to make his move¡­)" Kazuya walked through the streets and thought about the current situation.

    He underestimated how paranoid the necromancer Gazardiel had been. In his previous life, the necromancer had activated the dark magic that he had accumulated for years when Kazuya had unintentionally detected his dark magic.

    This time, Kazuya had invested his time to placate the old necromancer''s paranoia. He even went as far as to make the old man feel like he was not interested in him after their initial meeting. He had no idea just what triggered the old man to act so suddenly.

    "(Damn it! I swear old man, if something happens to the people in Waise village!)" Kazuya clenched his fists as he decided on what action to take.

    In the past, he had failed to protect Waise village and the orphanage that was built and founded by Gale''s father. This caused the inevitable betrayal that he suffered under the hands of Gale at the demon lord''s castle.

    Initially, Kazuya was angry at the former saintess''s betrayal. It was only after experiencing what he did at the dark void that he was able to accept and understand that Gale''s betrayal was mostly his fault.

    This was what separated Gale from Alicia and the other party members who attacked him at the final battle of his previous life. It had been the church of light that had twisted her from the kind girl that he knew to the one who had taken the first strike in ending his life.

    The good mood that Kazuya was in for finally having achieved something that he had intended to had plummeted after finding out that the old necromancer may have been planning to involve Waise village in his sinister scheme.

    "Long time no see, kid. What can I do for you today?" the old manager of the horse rental place greeted him.

    "Sorry but catching up will have to be for later. I need your fastest horse." Kazuya did not want to waste any time.

    "Did you get in trouble with the nobles in town?" The old man immediately assumed as the attractive ladies he was with last time were not present.

    "No. A friend of mine may have gotten himself into some trouble outside the capital. I want to go and see what happened." He quickly handed the old man some money to rent the horse for a few days.

    "I see¡­" the old man nodded and immediately gestured one of his subordinates to do as Kazuya asked.

    It did not take long before Kazuya was standing before the gates riding atop the horse that Sodina had once stolen from him. He stopped by one of the normal looking stands near the gate and gave the vendor a sealed letter.

    "Take this to Zwei-san and tell him that his guest needs to take care of some personal business for a few days."

    .

 Chapter 233 - Troubled Waters

    .

    Fortunately for Kazuya, the father and son duo took the main route towards the village of Waise. Gazardiel did not want anything unexpected to hinder his plans and avoided the more direct yet dangerous route through the goblin forest.

    "What''s wrong, son?" Gazardiel controlled his horse and slowed down.

    "We need to take a break and let the horses rest, father. They are workhorses and we have travelled almost non stop for two days now. They might die even before we get to the village you spoke of." Jorelle patted his horse and moved towards the side of the road.

    The old man frowned. While he cared little for the horses'' well-being, it was indeed true that their mounts were only able to hold on because his son was a cleric.

    "I understand. Let''s take a break then." He could only sigh as his son had already dismounted on the side.

    "Father, I know that you''re concerned about the culprits catching wind of our suspicions but if we run into any problems, we would still need our horses to escape. We are already close to the village so it would be better for us to let them rest for a bit." Jorelle patted his horse and used his recovery spell to ease some of their fatigue.

    "I guess you''re right¡­" the old man decided to let Jorelle do as he wanted and sat on a nearby rock.

    "Are you sure that they wouldn''t suspect anything if I showed up there? I am a cleric after all." Jorelle sat close to his father after leaving the horses to rest.

    "There shouldn''t be a problem since you''re not wearing your clerical robes. The villagers already know that I have a son so it wouldn''t be strange if I let you see the farmlands and introduce you to them. I doubt that even the person behind this incident can tell that you are from the church since your holy powers are not strong enough to leak out of your body." Gazardiel reassured his son.

    "sigh¡­ I do still have a long way to go¡­" Jorelle smiled bitterly.

    While his growth has accelerated after following the tips from his exchanges with his new friend, he was still far from being as capable as his seniors in the church. What the two friends did not know, was that this sudden growth was the reason that Gazardiel made such a sudden decision.

    "Is being a paladin still your goal?"

    "Yes. Meeting Kazu has made me want to chase this dream of mine more than ever. I want to be able to travel around the world and see the sights he has seen. To do that, I have to at least be capable of protecting myself." Jorelle replied solemnly.

    "So, it was indeed that person who made you improve a lot¡­" Gazardiel looked at his son and nodded silently.

    "Yes. Hopefully, he is not upset that I have left the capital without informing him. I do not know when he will leave the capital but I hope to be there when he does."

    They left the capital in a hurry because of Gazardiel''s insistence after claiming that time was of the essence. Jorelle had accepted the task because they would only be confirming the lead to the incident and not engaging the culprits themselves.

    "(It was a good decision to bring you here without letting that young man know.)" Gazardiel felt a little thankful towards Kazuya.

    -

    Meanwhile, with Kazuya''s abrupt departure from Maynira, an entourage that garnered people''s attentions had entered from the southern gates.

    "This¡­" one of the operatives stationed at the gates immediately frowned after noticing the emblem on one of the carriages.

    He wasted no time and assigned his subordinates to keep their eyes on the group that had just arrived as he made his way to the Eberbach residence.

    "Huh?" Just as he arrived, he noticed someone he knew.

    An acquaintance of him that had been assigned to lead another batch of operatives assigned to the western gates had just left the room where Zwei was.

    "(Did something happen at the western gates as well?)" he wondered before knocking on the door to Zwei''s office.

    "Come in." Zwei recognized the operative from the southern gates.

    "Sir! There is a matter I need to inform you with! A carriage bearing the symbol of the southern kingdom''s royalty had just entered from the southern gates." He reported.

    "Filodoxos¡­" Zwei frowned.

    There hadn''t been any announcements from the royal palace nor did anyone say anything about it so either this had been kept a secret or Filodoxos purposely did not inform the Zweifel kingdom about it. Zwei tried to think about what their purpose could have been for coming here without notice.

    Whatever the case may have been, with the report he had received just moments ago, the Eberbach house may soon be experiencing some pressure.

    Surely, the arrival of Filodoxos royalty had something to do with the recent success of the hero summoning ritual. One would be a fool to not connect the dots almost immediately as they had deliberately kept their movements hidden from the other kingdoms that have been paying attention to Zweifel after the news of Kazuya''s arrival had spread.

    "I have instructed my team to keep an eye on the carriage carefully and will report immediately after we find out who exactly is inside it." The operative continued.

    "From the way you described their entourage, I already have an idea on who it would likely be." Zwei sighed.

    The timing of Kazuya''s abrupt departure could not have come at a more inappropriate timing. Though Zwei thought that something might have happened for the hero to have made such a move so suddenly, the old butler couldn''t help but want to scold Kazuya a little.

    "There are a lot of princes from the southern kingdoms¡­" the operative began to think of the answer as well.

    "If I''m not mistaken, they should have sent their most talented candidate, prince Castro." He stated.

    "Castro¡­ the young man who was able to take down one of the southern kingdoms in his first campaign?" the operative was shocked.

    "There is no need to think about it much. I will be called to the palace sooner or later and confirm it. The possibility of someone like him arriving in the capital will certainly involve the hero who is currently a guest in this residence." Zwei dismissed the operative and pondered on how he should handle this matter.

    Kazuya had sent him a note telling him that he had something that he needed to do outside of the capital. It did not mention exactly how long he would be gone but, from the direction he was said to have been heading, it was almost certain that he was headed towards the goblin forest once more.

    "(Did he want to fight against monsters to temper himself?)" Zwei wondered.

    From his observations of Kazuya, he was certain that the young man was definitely serious about improving his own skills. His spars against Sodina would always end up in the hero''s loss but Zwei could not help but think that sense that the hero had more to him that he was showing everyone aside from not using his soul weapon.

    "Uncle Zwei, did you call for me?" Sodina entered the room and saw the frown on her usually level-headed uncle wore.

    "I need to inform you so that you can prepare yourself. A troublesome person had just arrived in the capital and without your father, you would be representing the Eberbach family in his stead." Zwei looked at her seriously.

    "A troublesome person? I don''t think anyone would mind it if you represented my father like usual, uncle Zwei." Sodina was a little bit confused.

    "No, it is a member of Filodoxos'' royalty so if I attend a formal occasion without you, it would be inappropriate. Also, we might be encountering some problems because their arrival happened to have come after Kazuya-sama''s sudden departure." Zwei showed her the letter he had gotten from the young man.

    "That guy¡­" Sodina got angry after reading the casual letter Kazuya had sent seemingly without a care.

    "We currently have no choice but to say that he is currently under seclusion and has informed us to refuse any invitations like usual. I will send a few people to go after him if we truly cannot resolve this without him so for now, it will be up to you and me to stall for time."

    From Kazuya''s first departure from the capital, Zwei had already assumed that he would be gone for a few days. While they had indeed let him do as he wanted, Zwei had already decided to give him a stern talking to once he had returned.

    He felt that if he didn''t, Kazuya''s willful nature would get out of hand and possibly land them in more serious problems. While he admired the young man, in the end, Zwei could not help but find traces of youth that were present in the hero''s character.

    "I hope that he won''t be gone for too long or we would be in deep trouble¡­"

    -

 Chapter 234 - Comparison

    .

    Inside the basement of the mansion, Kazuya was given¡­

    "Have you finished for the day, Nell-san?" Levin greeted her after she got out of one of the numerous devices that filled the area.

    "Ugh¡­ I still can''t get used to this feeling¡­" she tried getting a feel of her own body.

    "I know how you feel. While it may sound absurd when we heard about it, the amount of time we spend inside the machine learning with Rucy is indeed a lot more compared to the actual time that passes outside of it." Levin sympathized.

    "That strange feeling is caused by the mental fatigue you are experiencing." A small holographic figure appeared between the two of them.

    "Nell-san should be one of the toughest amongst us but how come she seems more worn out than us?" Levin curiously asked.

    "It''s because the time she spends inside there is double compared to most of you." Rucy answered nonchalantly.

    "Huh?! Why?" Levin didn''t expect such an answer.

    "She requested it herself and despite my concerns, the expectations master has of her made me consider the risks involved." Rucy crossed her arms and positioned herself to sit on Nell''s shoulder.

    "What?! How come I never heard of that!? What kind of expectations does Kazu have of me!?" Nell turned to the fairy-like hologram in surprise.

    "That is not for me to tell. What you need to know is that all of you need to engrave what you''ve learned from inside and quickly integrate it into your actual capabilities. Not only is our time here very limited, but Maynira is also a place that master says may endanger us at any point in time."

    Nell nodded. She looked at everyone else who had been spending time inside the strange devices that she called barrel-like beds. If such things were available in the eastern continents, she looked forward to visiting the place where Kazuya was born.

    "Say Rucy¡­ how do we compare to the people that used to accompany Kazu?" Nell asked hesitantly and Levin perked up her ears to listen to the little fairy''s response.

    "I have no records of the individuals that had betrayed the master¡­ However, I do have records of the companions that master trusts and treats as his own family." Rucy gave them a proud look as she was the only one that came with him to cross worlds.

    "Is there a difference? The ones that did not come with him should be weaker, right?" Levin inquired with curiosity.

    "Though I have not observed those scum that betrayed my master to my full capacity, I have heard about them. Comparing you people, the betrayers, and the people that used to be around the master, I would say that you are either overestimating yourselves or underestimating just what kind of people that are worthy enough to be around my master." Rucy huffed as she did not like their assumption.

    "Listen here! If it were up to me, none of you would even be qualified to be label yourselves affiliated to master! Though you may be stronger than the lowest grunts that serve around the master, that is only due to the fact that many of them grow up and are trained in a place that barely has any mana!"

    ""Huh!?"" the two girls were puzzled. They did not expect people to train in such a way.

    No one could blame them, they were not aware that Kazuya was from another world, nor did they know the circumstances of how Earth had almost no mana and could not sustain magical creatures like elves normally...

    "Many of the master''s friends and servants had wanted to accompany him on this journey but they were all rejected because he knew that this trip would be a dangerous one. It is no use talking about it now, if you survive long enough, all of you will eventually know that you were warned and reminded several times for a reason. All you need to do now is to prove yourselves worthy enough to serve him." Rucy gave them a serious look to show that she was not kidding.

    The little holographic assistant was aware of the difference between the two worlds. However, she was confident that if the security firm handled by the three old men were to cross over to Edea, they would be more capable than the bunch of slaves that Kazuya had just purchased.

    Unfortunately, the chances of that happening was close to impossible.

    "C-can the rest of us also have the same intense training as Nell-san?" Levin nervously asked as she steeled her resolve.

    "I don''t know about the others but like you have observed with her, the mental strain is not easy to handle even for her." The fairy pointed at Nell whose complexion seemed to has just stabilized.

    "I am willing to try. I will also tell the others about it to see what they think." Levin turned around and headed out of the basement.

    "Levin¡­" Nell couldn''t help but smile as she felt her friend''s determination rubbing off on her.

    She wanted to jump right back into the device but knowing that Rucy would be against it, she shrugged and left the basement.

    Rucy, turned towards the device that had been beside Nell''s and smirked.

    "You are no exception to the comparison even with your talent with magic, little girl." Rucy looked at the small figure that emerged from her own device with a pale face.

    "Are the spells and practices made by the people you mentioned? Just how much of a difference is there between us?" Lucy leaned on the machine after getting out.

    "Yes and No. Everything you and everyone is learning may be different but they are mostly through the combined efforts of three people that are close to the master." Rucy paused before continuing.

    "Compared to them, the difference between you is like heaven and earth. Those two alone, share the same prestige as master even though he might not admit it. That is a clear difference between the people that surround him now and surrounded him not too long ago."

    Lucia clenched her fists and headed back inside the device despite Rucy''s warnings.

    -

    Unaware of the changes that have been happening at Maynira, Kazuya had just exited the goblin forest.

    "HALT!" the villagers on watch duty shouted at the shadow that was approaching their village at a fast pace.

    "Hold your arrows! I''m not a monster!" Kazuya slowed down his mount and raised his hands before approaching them.

    "Ah! Kazu-san! You came back to visit?" the guards immediately recognized him.

    "I borrowed something from the village chief''s daughter and I have returned to give it back to her. I also wanted to see if an acquaintance of mine had passed by the village." Kazuya tried to ask for information.

    "An acquaintance? I''ve been on duty here for the whole day so I would need to ask the others if someone arrived from the other side of the village. Miss Gale on the other hand is at the orphanage with the children," they let him enter the village without a fuss.

    "In case a young man with chestnut colored hair along with an old merchant really did arrive in the village, please do not let them know I am currently in the village. I don''t want to cause them any panic because of me passing through the forest. I just need to know if they are staying here or just passed by." Kazuya reminded the friendly watchman as he nodded and went on his way.

    After making small talk with the other watchmen, he headed to the orphanage which now appeared to be bigger and more sturdy compared to the one he was used to. in the front yard, Gain Valentine was demonstrating to the children on how to chop firewood.

    "Huh? You came back already?" Gain instructed the children to keep the chopped wood as he approached the newly arrived guest.

    "Just stopping by to return something I promised your daughter." Kazuya pulled out two books from his satchel.

    "You can give it to her yourself. Come in and see what you helped build!" he pushed KLazuya from behind and forced him into the orphanage.

    The children who recognized him immediately surrounded him and with Gain''s insinuation, they cheerfully pulled him towards Gale''s office.

    "What is with all the noise?" Gale came out from the office before the children could come inside.

    She immediately noticed Kazuya standing in the middle of the cheerful children and froze. Gale had not expected to see him back so soon. Considering if their guesses were true about his identity, the possibility of them meeting again would have been near impossible.

    "I had some business around the area and stopped by to fulfill the promise I made." Kazuya gave her two books that he had written on himself.

    Gale hesitated. If she took them, this would end the current connection they had. Though she was not sure of the reason on why she was hesitating, she hesitantly took them and browsed through the book that had been labeled as the first.

    "This¡­" her eyes widened immediately after seeing the handwritten table of contents.

    She separated Kazuya from the children immediately and had him enter her office. Ignoring the grinning faces of the children who got left behind, Gale was more concerned about what she had just read and browsed through the pages as Kazuya smiled at her reaction.

    "I may have not completed compiling every one of the books that I got from you, but I figured these would be helpful for you in the meantime," Kazuya commented as he had just given her two books full of spells from an era that had been consumed by the church of light.

    "Are these spells really from those dusty books we kept in our basement?" Gale couldn''t believe it.

    Many of the descriptions of the spells present in the book were very similar if not the same as the ones only known to the higher ranked priests the church of light was known for.

    "All the content I wrote in those books are compilations of what I''ve understood from the books I received from you. They are merely written to be more concise as I did not include mundane explanations about theory as many of them were written along with some ramblings." He explained.

    "Then they are¡­" Gale glanced at the books in her hand.

    "They are the most useful parts of a dozen or so books. With that being said, I have a proposition I would like to discuss with you." He walked closer to her.

    "Would you be interested in visiting the city of Vane?"

    -