The meal was delicious. Kunou apparently cooked some of it herself, impressive.
"Kunou, you can cook? I always thought princesses wouldn't know such things."
She pursed her lips.
"Don't be silly. I won't always be protected. Sometimes I'll be the one standing at the front. I must learn all necessary life skills."
She's a true guardian. In this underground world, even a "Nine‑Tails" might be needed to handle future threats.
"By the way, Ikki, you seem exhausted... Was it really that tough?"
"It was tough. The candidates were taken care of before I got there, so I fought their mobs. They kept getting knocked around, even bones‑breaking hits didn't stop them! It was like fighting undead."
Their endurance and obsession were uncanny. They just wouldn't stop, like they were possessed.
Since attacks came from all directions, I strengthened my aura to defend, but that drained me fast.
"That must have been rough. You have about fifteen minutes left. How about resting? Though it's not ideal to nap right after food... But a bit of rest might help?"
"Yeah… let me lie down."
I laid back on the tatami. Kunou sat close to my head.
"Kunou? Where'd you learn the art of head‑on‑lap? Your mother teach you?"
She glared, but then sighed:
"You'd offend me to ask that. My mother said a man likes it when... well, she said I should try it before we came."
Of course Yasaka chimed in. I can just imagine her smirking as she told Kunou.
Kunou looked shy herself, and seeing her like that made me smile.
"Thanks, Kunou."
I gently patted her head, and we continued light conversation until the distant drum signaled time's up.
Then: "KILL THEM ALL!!!"
"KILL HIM!!!"
"SLAY!"
They were back, more furious than before. Even the five suitors reappeared in the crowd, shrouded by mobs chanting "Ku-nou!" Again, the flood of hatred started.
And that's where it leaves off, facing wave upon wave of enraged youkai in a never‑ending engagement test. The real battle has only just begun.
It seems like only those guys were teleported to the very front lines due to how the transfer was configured… which is why they're currently laid out like squashed frogs again. Their presence was already being devoured without even an introduction.
Then came another chaotic battle. Dodging enemy attacks when I could, deflecting with my briefly summoned Sacred Gear, and blocking when necessary, I took them down one by one. But these maniacs charged at me as if to say, "We don't feel pain!" One of them even swung an arm that was clearly broken in the morning fight, still in a splint and bandages.
Despite being inwardly horrified by this madness, the first day of fighting finally came to an end.
When I was transferred back to the mansion again, Kunou was there to greet me.
"Well done, Ikki. The bath's already ready, so go freshen up first. I'll have dinner prepared by the time you're done."
Gratefully accepted. If someone only saw this scene, it might look like that stereotypical "Welcome home! Bath? Dinner?" moment, but in my current filthy state, food isn't really an option. …A third option? No idea what you're talking about.
After dinner, while the two of us relaxed over tea, Yasaka-san came to visit.
"Yasaka-san, thank you for your hard work. Have you eaten already?"
"Yes, I just finished. So, how was your day?"
"In a word, exhausting. Why do those guys keep getting back up no matter how many times I knock them down? Oh, and about the suitor candidates… Could you maybe have them teleported more toward the middle of the battlefield instead? I didn't manage to beat even one of them today…"
I had seen them revive from unconsciousness a few times during the fight, only to get taken out again by the stray attacks from the mob of lunatics.
"I watched at first too, but… things were starting to stray too far from the original purpose."
Honestly, I think we're already way off track.
"We'll adjust it. The other participants are allowed to stop if they want, but… I wonder how many will actually quit, given their state."
Yasaka-san said this with amusement in her voice. But seriously, dropouts? I doubt it. I saw madness in their eyes.
"How about thinking of the fights as training, Ikki? You've mostly done mock battles with specific opponents. You don't have much experience against a variety. If fatigue is an issue, maybe it's worth exploring ways to compensate."
She's right. Repeating those chaotic fights might build stamina, but it's not an ideal solution. If there's a more efficient way, I'd rather try that.
"Right, Ikki! What about Kuroka? You're both senjutsu users, maybe there's something in her techniques that could give you a hint?"
Kunou offered the suggestion, but I shook my head.
"If it were Kuroka, she'd just use her youjutsu to spread a paralytic poison mist and call it a day. She can also manipulate gravity through spatial senjutsu, but I haven't mastered that. The only areas I'm confident I surpass her are in refining touki and self-healing, physical control stuff."
For a supposed senjutsu user, I'm pretty physically inclined… I've learned how to set up barrier fields that obscure perception, but that's still a work in progress.
"Hmm… not quite ideal, is it?"
"There's still time. I'll figure it out gradually."
"Well then, I'll be heading off now. Kunou, what about you? It wouldn't be proper to invite only the participant Ikki to the main residence…"
"In that case, I shall stay here with Ikki! This whole situation could be considered partially my fault, after all. I'll take care of him!"
"No, Kunou, it's not like I need, "
"Well said! That possessiveness, that's my girl! Once you catch a man, never let him go!"
I can't with this mother-daughter duo… Kuroka was like this too. They act like predators.
After that, Yasaka-san cheerfully said, "I'll leave the rest to you two youngsters~ " and quickly departed.
That said, Kunou and I often talk through Izuna's communicator, so there weren't many new topics to discuss besides today's chaos. We ended up laughing together while watching the built-in TV, until Kunou suddenly plopped herself down onto my crossed legs.
"Oho! This is surprisingly comfy!"
Watching her act like this, I'm reminded she's still a kid at heart. Rather than making my heart race, it's more wholesome… Also, her six fluffy tails are seriously impressive.
I want to pet them so badly!!
But wait… for beast-type youkai like Kunou and Kuroka, what does touching their tails signify? Is it like groping their butt?
"…Ikki! Hey! You zoned out for a moment there."
Oops. Got lost in thought.
Well, maybe it's not a big deal? I mean, she's sitting in my lap, and I'm already enjoying the full sensation of her tails. Kuroka was about 70% sleek and 30% fluffy, but Kunou feels like she's put all her points into fluff. I wonder how Koneko-chan compares?
We continued watching TV, enjoying her fluffy tails (×6), playing cards and shogi, and having her show off some of her youjutsu.
"Alright Kunou, see you tomorrow. Good night."
"Yup! Good night!"
The brawl from earlier felt like a distant memory. We finally had a peaceful, summery evening. After saying our goodnights, we each went to our bedrooms and fell asleep.
The next morning, or what counts as morning in this place where it's always night, I woke to find Kunou in my futon. She was giving me a squinty stare.
She seems annoyed?
"Good morning, Ikki… Can you let go of my tail now?"
Only then did I realize I had apparently bundled up all her tails in my arms while sleeping.
"Ah! Sorry! But, uh, why are you in my futon? And why are you mad?"
Blushing, she explained:
"Well… I happened to wake up during the night. I wanted to try sleeping next to a man at least once, so I snuck in… But I was going to wake up early and cook breakfast for you… and then you grabbed my tail like that, and I couldn't escape."
Kunou muttered sulkily, "I was really excited to surprise you…"
Her girl power (not to be confused with brute strength) is seriously impressive… Now that I think about it, what about Kuroka? She's always been hiding out, so she's never really shown that side. And cooking in the middle of the mountains during training doesn't count.
Anyway,
"Alright! Then how about we cook breakfast together? Two people working together can make up for the lost time."
"Hmm… but to make Ikki work hard again first thing in the morning…"
"It's fine. Working together with someone is fun in itself. Let me help."
It wouldn't be right to let Kunou handle everything long-term, especially for appearances' sake.
=====================
Kitchen
"Secret technique! Floating veggie slice!!"
…I might be getting a little too into this.
"Whoa! Amazing! You cut them so cleanly despite that wild style!"
Kunou clapped from a short distance away. I had reinforced the knife with ki and was fully utilizing my physical control skills, this kind of stunt was easy.
She had asked me if I could cook, so I decided to show off a bit. She seemed satisfied. Still, this kind of flashy performance isn't suitable when cooking together, so I'd dial it down in the future.
And so, we happily made breakfast together.
=============
32+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
Add to Library to support