Chapter 27: You Choose Art, Not Me!
"They're so rich, yet they won't give the Hidden Hot Water Village a single extra Ryo. The Feudal Lord... what a 'great' lord he is," Kael muttered, his eyes narrowed to a slit.
Looking at the harmonious, family-like atmosphere between Inoshita and the others, a flicker of indignation sparked in Kael's heart. A village this united and friendly shouldn't be in a constant state of crisis!
He thought of the Jashinists swarming the Land of Hot Water and sighed, pushing the unrealistic thoughts from his mind. He was just an academy student who hadn't even graduated yet. Matters concerning the Feudal Lord were far beyond his reach for now.
Maintaining constant vigilance from the sky was mentally taxing. After a quick dinner, the group found an open clearing to rest and recover. The sky was darkening as night approached. Even with the Wind Eagle's chakra shielding them from the wind, the constant draft had left everyone feeling chilled.
"Kael-nii-san, let's go find some firewood!" Rei said, coming over to him and rubbing her small, red hands together.
Kael glanced at his elderly teammates and resigned himself to the task.
"Let's go," he said, nodding at the dopey-looking Earth Dragon nearby. Then, he pulled Rei down to sit with him. He had discovered a new use for his summons.
The Wind Eagle raised its head, looking disdainfully at the smaller creatures vying for attention. As the noble Eagle King, it didn't need to stoop to the level of these simple-minded summons to curry favor with Kael. Kael would never ask it to perform such menial tasks.
"Little Wind, go catch some rabbits or wild boars or something," Kael called out, leaning back with his legs crossed.
Wind Eagle: "...Right."
WHOOSH!
It reluctantly shot into the sky.
A few minutes later, the Earth Dragon returned, dropping a mountain of damp branches in front of them. The Ironclad Hedgehog strutted over proudly, carrying a few branches of its own. Even the Earthen Beetle refused to be outdone. Its tiny body scurried across the ground, its camouflage ability active, so all the others could see was a thumb-sized branch moving toward them on its own.
"Ah! A ghost!" Rei shrieked, throwing herself into Kael's arms.
"Hahaha! That little Rei is such a scaredy-cat!" the first-year instructor, Izumi, laughed heartily.
"You don't get it, do you? That's called 'throwing yourself into his arms.' The girl isn't usually this timid..." Inoshita Rino said, wiggling his eyebrows at Izumi like a sly fox.
"Ohohoho..."
The other old-timers chuckled lewdly. Even Watanabe Musashi couldn't help but smile.
"Hey, hey, that's enough! Rei's still a young girl!" Kael scolded, feeling it had gone too far. He looked down at Rei, who was now blushing furiously in his arms, and felt a wave of helplessness. First, she was scared by Little Shell, and now she was being teased mercilessly by Inoshita. The poor girl was too embarrassed to even look up.
"Those disrespectful old geezers are just joking. It's okay, Rei," Kael whispered in her ear.
Rei quickly scrambled out of his arms and turned her beet-red face away.
Seeing that someone was about to use hand seals to start the fire, Kael quickly shouted, "Don't move, let me do it!" He took every opportunity to practice his Fire Style.
"Hah!" A few seconds later, he spat a series of hot fireballs onto the branches. To everyone's surprise, the damp wood immediately caught fire. As the high heat evaporated the moisture, the flames grew stronger and brighter, chasing away the darkness and bringing a gentle warmth to the group.
Even Kael's motley crew of summons curiously gathered around. Inoshita and the others, who were already huddled around the fire, laughed and made room for them. The Earth Dragon coiled its body up, its skin glowing red in the firelight. The Ironclad Hedgehog stood on the Earth Dragon's back with its hind legs and held out its two chubby front paws to the fire, just like Kael, its small eyes filled with glee.
Waves of excitement were transmitted to Kael's mind. The little guys liked the fire, too.
Suddenly, Kael noticed something. He looked at the Earthen Beetle, which was lying motionless on the Earth Dragon's back. The beetle was almost the same color as the dragon, and Kael had nearly missed it. It was less than a foot from the flames, and its brown carapace was already starting to glow with embers. A distinct burning smell wafted from its back.
"You idiot!" Kael cursed in alarm and kicked the beetle away. "How did I end up with such a stupid summon? Even the flies know not to get too close to the fire..."
BZZZ!
Before he could finish his complaint, one of the Explosive Flies that had been circling the fire from a safe distance suddenly broke from the swarm and dove straight into the flames.
Art is an explosion!
Like a moth to a flame, its small body was filled with a heroic resolve.
POP!
The orange flames flickered for a moment, then returned to normal, licking at the night sky. A small spark burst within the fire. A tiny, burning fly fell from the flames, quickly turning to ash. In the darkness of the night, the Explosive Fly had finally bloomed in its own, unique, splendid way.
Kael: "..."
"Right, right! You choose art, not me," he said, deadpan.
"Heeheehee..." Rei giggled, covering her mouth. Inoshita and the others also watched with amusement, finding Kael's summons quite interesting.
"All of you, get back! No more self-destructing! You hear me?!" Kael shouted at the hundred or so remaining Explosive Flies hovering above them.
"Bzz, bzz, bzz..."
"Buzz my ass! Don't you dare go extinct on me..." Kael grumbled. He was actually quite fond of this infinitely reproducible summon. If the flies would just focus on breeding, he could soon have a massive suicide squad. In a few years, he might even be able to rival Konan's six hundred billion exploding tags. But these things were as reckless as Deidara, obsessed with their "art." They were giving him a serious headache.
"Kael, can your summons understand you?" Watanabe Musashi asked, curious.
"Uh... I guess because of the contract, I can understand what they're trying to say, and they can understand my commands," Kael said vaguely. He had no intention of telling anyone about the System. And in truth, he had never signed a contract with any of them.