Kikyo: The Beast of Ambition
[COUGH! COUGH! GULP!]
Keito dropped to one knee, coughing up blood onto the polished wooden floor. He managed a ragged smirk as he looked up. Standing over him was his brutal mentor, Kikyo—a stunning, lean figure whose arms were crossed over her rigid, hourglass frame.
"Keito-san," Kikyo said, her voice surprisingly soft. "You have definitely improved since the last time we met. You managed to block one punch. I congratulate you."
Keito gasped for breath. "It wasn't that easy, you know! Besides, even after dodging that one punch, you kicked me across the room!"
Kikyo tilted her head, her face a mask of innocent surprise. "I did? Oh well, it happens." She leaned down, pretending to brush dust off Keito's shoulder, and then, [CRACK!] she snapped her foot out, kicking him again before walking away. "Oh well, that's enough training for today." She giggled, a sound that held no warmth.
"Thank the Divine," Keito mumbled, collapsing completely, weak and barely able to move.
Kikyo walked off, her hips swaying with deliberate confidence. Keito grumbled in pain, but his suffering ended abruptly as Kai appeared, rushing to his side.
"Keito!" Kai exclaimed. "Come on, let's get you to the nurse."
Kai hauled his friend up, but immediately exaggerated his struggle, leaning heavily on the doorframe as he pretended Keito's weight was overwhelming.
"Damn, if only I wasn't so weak, I could have—"
"No, it's okay," Keito interrupted, managing to stand on his own legs despite the trembling. "I'm older than you. It was bound that my weight would be too much for you to bear. But I... no, I can make it to the nurse's office now."
"How are you standing?" Kai asked, eyes wide with feigned astonishment.
"Heh. Have you seen the nurse before? It's a miracle to even enter her room. Now then, let's goooo!"
They walked together, Keito leaning on Kai just enough to make his friend feel useful.
"How did you end up like this?" Kai asked, keeping his voice light.
Keito sighed, annoyed. "Kikyo. My teacher."
"Wait, the same Kikyo who is a month younger than you and is the—"
"Yep. The headgirl to the academy. She's a real pain."
"How is she your master?"
Keito paused, his voice dropping slightly. "Kai, listen. Kikyo's entire ambition in life, her absolute drive, is just to rival your sister, Hime Lyra."
Kai replied with a deadpan tone, "She does know that's impossible, right?"
"To her, it's a reality. She trained so hard she became a teacher at the age of seventeen!" Keito coughed weakly.
"But my sister voluntarily went through training hell since she was four. She's no regular human. She's she's—"
"Yep, your sister is a beast and an annihilator in one. But her flaw is her gauge. She keeps losing to Lord Umbra because she can't gauge him well. She wants to test the waters, but instead, she gets a tsunami."
The Nurse's Dangerous Touch
They arrived at the nurse's office. They entered to find Nurse Yukihana, a beautiful woman whose body looked sculpted by the gods. Her icy lips made Keito freeze instantly, but Kai just smiled and waved.
"Hi, Ma'am. Ummmm..."
"Yukihana, dear," she corrected sweetly. "So, what's the matter? Keito faking his injuries for another kiss?"
"No, actually, he got injured this time, I think."
Kai helped the star-struck Keito sit on the chair. Nurse Yukihana inspected his injuries with her gentle, yet strangely exciting, hands.
"Mmmm, yes, Keito did gain injuries," she hummed. "Looks like Kikyo forgot he's not a training dummy."
"Y-yeah," Keito stammered.
"He'll be fine," she said, wrapping bandages on him with meticulous care. "But no training for two days, that's it. And also..." [SHICK!] She swiftly injected Keito with a heavy sedative. "He won't be awake for two days."
"Why did you do that!?" Kai exclaimed.
Nurse Yukihana simply smiled. "Kai, Keito is a pervert, and I've caught him hundreds of times peeping in the girls' bathroom. I knew this was my only chance to keep him at bay. I just pray he gets a proper epiphany when he wakes up, or we're all doomed."
Kai chuckled. "Yeah, so do I. Do I leave him here?"
"I'll send Janitor Tanuki to take him to his dorm. Either way, you should be getting ready to rest. Now go on, shoo. I can't have you for long."
Kai nodded and walked out of the room. He met up with Renaria outside.
"Meeting time," Renaria stated, her expression flat.
"Got it."
They took a few steps, and then the world shifted. Instantly, they were walking on a still-water lake. In front of them was a Torii Gate. They walked past the two stone statues and continued up a staircase. As they climbed, the environment morphed into the secret Umbra meeting room—the Kage-jō.
Slythe, Ashelin, Nyari, Veyla, and Fenrix were already present. Zira and Kaelin were absent.
"Zira and Kaelin?" Kai asked.
Slythe looked up from reading a book while levitating. "Trading with one of our enemies."
"Figures. What's so important that we had to enter the Kage-jō?"
Renaria stepped forward. "We have suspicions to believe a fallen god has infiltrated the Hakuyō Academy and Pax Academy."
"I'll be sure to inform Zira," Ashelin volunteered instantly.
"Good. Kaelin, Slythe, Renaria, and I shall deal with the hubs for cults. So, here I have solved the issues, right?" Kai yawned openly, playing the role of the bored prince perfectly.
"Almost. You—" Fenrix cut Renaria off sharply.
"Yes, you have. Nyari?"
"Oh, yes." [SNAP!] Nyari snapped her fingers, and a shadow pool engulfed Kai, teleporting him away.
Renaria stared at Fenrix, her composure cracking. "You have five seconds to explain why you did that."
Fenrix looked sternly at the empty space where Kai stood. "He's not a seasoned warrior who can handle the full force of a war."
Nyari added, "He's just a child coexisting with this. And you, out of all people, should know he didn't want this."
Renaria looked away, a conflict in her eyes. "So then what?"
Slythe closed her book. "He gave us the key information. We are his pillars, too. I don't think we need him every day, do we, Renaria?"
"I guess... we don't."
Fenrix nodded approvingly. "Good. Let's let our sovereign rest. The last thing we want is for him to be overwhelmed after all. He does command over a hundred thousand women."
"One million, twenty-five thousand, five hundred and fifty-six women, to be exact," Slythe corrected, her eyes scanning another levitating text. "Ah, the number increased by five more females."
Everyone looked at her, dumbfounded. "Sorry," Slythe muttered.
"Maybe you're right," Renaria conceded.
"Don't sweat it," Fenrix said. "I'm always right. But for now, let's carry out Master's orders. Then we slowly lay more pressure on him later."
"The slower the amount of weights we add," Renaria realized, "the more endurance he'll build."
"Now then, let's go."
They all faded into shadow. The last panel showed Kai in his bed, smiling peacefully, feeling safe and secure, knowing his team had this handled.
END OF CHAPTER 6