ementary school graduation took place yesterday. In about ten more days, I'd officially become a middle schooler.
"Shittsu!!"
At dawn, I practiced sword techniques in my usual forest, summoning my Sacred Gear and striking at tree trunks, slashing, kicking, and throwing from a distance.
By the way, I wasn't cloaked in battle aura right now. When I woke up in Mil-tan's room after the fallen angel incident, I had experienced something like a spiritual fusion with the world itself. That brief brush with truth apparently improved my senjutsu mastery…
Much to my dismay.
If I were to unleash an attack now while clad in battle aura, I could probably cut down a tree even without any real technique.
…That'd just be wanton destruction of nature. Still, the fact that my basic physical abilities have improved is a good thing. With enough of a power gap, even poor compatibility can be overcome.
I stop my sword practice and instead begin practicing hand-to-hand movements, drawing inspiration from karate forms while still channeling my aura.
…The next moment, I'm suddenly pinned from behind.
"Gah!"
What!? I've been using senjutsu to constantly scan the area! How did she sneak up on me!?
"Don't move."
As she says that, I feel something sharp pressed against my neck. The voice belongs to a woman.
"Seriously… They said they'd be coming here soon, so I came ahead to scout things out. Who would've thought I'd find someone like you lurking around? Now answer me, where did you learn that senjutsu? What faction are you with?"
Wait, what!? This is one massive misunderstanding!
"I'm not affiliated with any faction, really."
"Liar. There's no way an ordinary human could master senjutsu on their own. You'd better start talking unless you want things to get ugly."
Makes sense… In this world, senjutsu is an unusual and rare power. Naturally, anyone capable of using it would likely have trained under someone and be part of some faction, big or small.
"I understand your suspicion, but I really did learn this power on my own. I don't have any proof, and I can't give you a better answer than that. So… what would it take for you to believe me?"
Still, what do I do now? I'd prefer to talk my way out of this, but I'm not exactly silver-tongued. And with the way I'm pinned, my only way out would be to use Ittou Shura. …As for Self-Destruct? Sorry, never learned that move.
About ten seconds pass before I hear her exhale.
"…Fine. I don't sense any malice or deception from your aura. I'll trust you, for now."
She steps away from my back.
She mentioned sensing aura, so she's likely a senjutsu user herself, probably way more skilled than me. That explains how she bypassed my detection and got the drop on me so easily.
I'd been riding high, thinking I'd improved in senjutsu… and just like that, I get knocked down a peg.
Thinking that, I stand up and turn around.
"…Ah."
The person standing there is someone I recognize all too well.
A loosely worn black kimono, long black hair tied up, cat ears, golden eyes, and drop-dead gorgeous looks, this is none other than Kuroka, an upper-class nekomata Youkai and an SS-rank Stray devil.
"Nya? You're staring, something wrong, nya?"
Maybe my brain still hadn't fully rebooted, but the words just slipped out.
"Ah… no, I just thought… you're really cute. And beautiful…"
"Nya?"
Now she's the one caught off guard, until a few seconds later.
"…Pff, kuh… kukuku… Nyahahahaha!"
She bursts out laughing.
"It's been ages since someone complimented my looks so sincerely. Not a bad feeling at all~ But seriously, who says stuff like that in a situation like this? Are you just plain dumb, nya?"
…At least I didn't leave a bad impression, but "dumb" still stings. Especially when I just recently came to terms with my own lack of maturity. And now that I think back on what I said, it was kind of embarrassing. I can feel my face heating up.
"Nya? Nya-nya-nyaa~? Why's your face so red? Wanna tell your big sister what's going on, hmm~?"
Damn it! I am so not good with this type!! She'll just keep teasing me no matter how I try to dodge it… Fine! I'll just go all in!!
"I-I SAID YOU'RE CUTE AND BEAUTIFUL, OKAY!?"
I shouted with all the force I could muster, probably got a little carried away after meeting this absurdly pretty, canon-breaking heroine for the first time in both this life and the last.
Even though she seems momentarily flustered, her cheeks tinged pink. "Nyahaha… Maybe I teased you a little too much," she chuckled.
With that, my brain finally kicks back into gear.
First of all, I already know I'll be rolling around on the floor in embarrassment once we part ways. Honestly, I already want to.
Second, that line she said earlier, "They said they'd be coming here soon, so I came to scout ahead", must refer to her younger sister, Koneko Toujou, and the rest of the Gremory peerage.
They're supposed to officially transfer into Kuoh Academy around the time of the spring entrance ceremony. They're probably not moving in the day before, so it's safe to assume they'll arrive within the next few days.
Given that Kuroka became a Stray devil for the sake of her sister, it's no surprise that she's been keeping tabs on her ever since Koneko was taken in by the Gremory family. Even if the Gremorys are known for their deep familial bonds, no older sister would just accept that at face value. Naturally, she'd want to verify things for herself.
As for why she was so wary of a senjutsu user… that's probably also because of her sister.
Right now, Koneko probably still believes that her older sister went berserk using senjutsu, killed their master, and abandoned her to become a stray devil.
Given her trauma, Koneko likely harbors a strong aversion to senjutsu. If she were to mess with it now, it could very well destroy her.
Senjutsu is already a rare power. Kuroka must have thought this scouting mission was just a formality… only to stumble upon me instead. Which means it's not hard to guess what she'll want from me next.
"…You must not teach that power to anyone else."
She looks at me sharply, a different expression from before.
"Is that… because improper control could allow malicious energy to enter the body?"
"Exactly. Glad to see you understand. Especially since you're self-taught, right? If you tried to teach someone and messed it up, it'd ruin them."
"I agree. Honestly, I wish I had a teacher. But I don't have any contacts… If possible, could you recommend someone?"
I ask, though not expecting much. Sure enough, she shakes her head.
"Sorry, but I don't know anyone I could refer you to."
"…I see."
I feel a little disheartened… but then, she makes an unexpected offer.
"Hey, if you'd like, I could help train you."
"That would be… amazing, but what's the catch?"
"Two reasons, nya~ One, I still don't completely trust you, so I want to keep an eye on you. Two, I need a base of operations here in town, and I'd like your help with that. In exchange, I'll oversee your training."
Makes sense. It's only natural she wouldn't fully trust me yet. But that second condition…
"I understand. I don't mind the supervision. But I'm just an ordinary guy. I don't have money or influence… so helping you establish a base might be tricky…"
"Your room will do just fine, nya~"
…This cat-eared beauty just said something outrageous!
"No! That's not fine at all!!"
"Hmm~? What are you imagining, nya? Well, no worries. If you tried anything in your sleep, I could easily take you down. Actually, I'd be more worried about accidentally… oops, overdoing it in my sleep~"
THAT'S A HUGE PROBLEM! Wait, did she almost say "kill" just now!?
"No, before any of that, I wouldn't be able to sleep at all!!"
Whether she hears my protests or not, she just keeps going.
"Alright then, lead the way, nya~ Oh, and you don't need to force yourself to speak formally. It's stiff, and your pronouns have been all over the place, you know?"
"Eh, Seriously!?"
I mean, yeah, it's been over ten years since I last used formal speech…
"Oh right, I never introduced myself. I'm Kuroka. Nice to meet ya~☆"
"…I'm Arima Ikki. Nice to meet you, Kuroka-san."
"Nope, no honorifics, got it? It's too formal. I'll just call you Ikki, kay~?"
"…Fine. Got it, Kuroka."
Looks like middle school is gonna be a wild ride… With that feeling, I head back home.
====================
Note: And so, the first heroine has been decided: Kuroka. Whether more heroines will appear is still undecided. As of now, Kuroka hasn't really developed feelings for the protagonist, and while he finds her cute, it hasn't reached the level of romantic interest either.
…Now then, how will these two end up together?