Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
After ending the video call with Yakumo, Tatsuo stopped playing the piano for a moment to call Chiho. However, before he could press the call button, his thumb stopped just before tapping the screen.
"Something tells me that she's probably at work right now." Tatsuo muttered to himself as he pulled his thumb away from the smartphone screen. "Hmm... I guess I can go for a walk. I'll just tell her in person."
Saying that, Tatsuo put his smartphone back on the stand. Then, he took a deep breath before closing the keylid on his piano. After that, he stood up and started walking toward his bedroom door.
"I guess I should tell Ayane-Neechan that it will be a little longer until I can spar with her." Tatsuo muttered as he reached the door and pulled it open.
After leaving his room, Tatsuo made his way to the living room to find Tio. When he arrived, he found her sitting on the couch and watching television.
"Hey, Tio." Tatsuo said casually as he stopped in the living room's entrance. "Just wanted to let you know, I'm going out. Gonna go to MgR's to find Chi-Chan. Want anything while I'm out?"
"Do you think you could bring back some fries and a milkshake for me?" Tio asked, not even turning away from the drama playing on the television.
"Sure." Tatsuo replied with a smile, amused by how into TV dramas Tio had gotten since coming to his world. "Oh, and can you let Mom know I'm going out, too. Tell her to call me if she wants anything."
"Understood." Tio replied, once again not looking away from the television.
With the smile still on his face, Tatsuo turned around and left the living room, heading to the elevator. He then pressed the button for the next floor down, the training room, and waited for the elevator to reach its destination.
*Ding!*
*Swish!*
However, as soon as the elevator doors opened, Tatsuo's hand shot out, catching a shuriken that flew through the door, aimed straight at his throat.
"Nice welcome." Tatsuo said as he stepped into the training room and tossed the shuriken to the side.
Looking around, Tatsuo could see that almost all the lights in the training room were off. The only activated light being the one over the caged-in ring. Yet, Ayane was not standing in the ring.
"So, I guess you didn't want a traditional spar, huh?" Tatsuo muttered to himself. "And I only came down here to tell you that I needed to go out. But I guess you're not gonnna accept that, are you?"
*Swish!*
The response to Tatsuo's question was another shuriken. Though, this one came from a completely different angle.
"*Sigh* I thought so." Tatsuo muttered as he caught the shuriken before slipping into the darkness.
*Cling!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Ting!* *Smack!* *Cling!* *Bang!*
Then, for the next few minutes, the sound of combat could be heard. Though, neither Tatsuo nor Ayane stepped into the light. But it was obvious that Ayane was going at this spar with full force. Tatsuo, on the other hand, was only matching Ayane in terms of strength and speed.
Then, after a final clash, the room fell silent for the next few seconds.
"Well done, you two." Sumire said happily as the training room's lights came on. "That was pretty impressive."
With the lights on, Tatsuo's and Ayane's situations were revealed. And the winner of this little spar was clear.
Currently, Ayane was lying face down with her left arm wrenched behind her back with a shuriken, the same one Tatsuo caught after stepping out of the elevator, pressed to the side of her neck. As for Tatsuo, he was kneeling over Ayane with his left knee pressed into the middle of her back, holding her left arm behind her back, and holding the shuriken in his right hand.
"Tch!" Ayane clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Get off of me. You won. But it really pisses me off that the only weapon you used was my own shuriken."
"Well, if you didn't want me to use it, you shouldn't have thrown it at me." Tatsuo said cheekily as he let go of Ayane's arm and raised his knee from her back. "In fact, I think I'll keep this as a memento."
Standing up, Tatsuo slipped his right index finger through the hole in the center of the shuriken. Then, he started to twirl it leisurely while continuing wearing a smile that matched his tone.
"Ugh! Don't be an ass." Ayane said as she climbed to her feet. She then turned towards Tatsuo and stretched her hand out. "Now, give it back. Shuriken aren't free, you know."
"Nah, this is mine now." Tatsuo said as he put the shuriken into his [Inventory].
Ayane's glare at that moment would have made weaker willed men immediately start sweating at best and pissing themselves at worst. But to Tatsuo, it just made her look even cuter than he already thought she was.
"Anyway, I'm going to MgR's." Tatsuo said as he turned to look at his mother. "Did either of you want anything?"
"No, I'm alright." Sumire replied with a smile as she hopped over to Tatsuo's side and hugged his arm. "But thanks for asking. My Tatsu-Chan is such a good boy."
Smiling at his mother, who was now rubbing her face on his arm, Tatsuo then turned back to Ayane with a questioning gaze.
"I can't believe you eat that unhealthy slop." Ayane said in a huff, still upset that Tatsuo took her shuriken and refused to give it back.
"So, does that mean you don't want anything?" Tatsuo asked with an eyebrow raised and a playful glint in his eyes.
"Hmph! Get me an apple pie." Ayane said while crossing her arms and turning away.
"Roger that." Tatsuo replied with a smile and a nod. "Well then, I guess I'll get going. I'll ask Chi-Chan if she wants to go to the concert, too."
"Okay~!" Sumire cheered happily. "Just don't eat too much while you're there, I'm gonna start cooking dinner in about… Hmm… two hours?"
"It would be better if Tatsuo cooked, though." Ayane said quietly. "His cooking is better, anyway."
"*Gasp* Are you asking me to give up my job of cooking for my Tatsu-Chan?" Sumire asked, sounding completely scandalized. "Ayane-Chan, what kind of heartless monster are you?"
Ayane could feel her eyebrow starting to twitch at Sumire's question. Even so, she did not respond, knowing that Sumire's question had to be some kind of trap.
"But I can understand how you feel, Ayane-Chan." Sumire said, her scandalized expression disappearing as fast as it came. "Don't worry, Tatsu-Chan will probably end up cooking tomorrow and the day after that since I won't be here."
"I won't be here either!" Ayane shouted before she even realized it. "So, what good does it do for me if he cooks on those days?"
A shocked expression appeared on Sumire's face in response to Ayane's outburst. Then, she put on a contemplative expression, looking as if she was really thinking over what Ayane just said. A moment later…
*Smack!*
… Sumire brought her right fist down into her upturned left palm with a eureka expression on her face.
"Oh, that's right!" Sumie exclaimed. Then, she looked at Ayane with pity as she continued. "Sorry, I completely forgot about that, Ayane-Chan. But don't worry, next time I have to go out of town, I'm sure Tatsu-Chan will cook then, too."
The sound of Ayane gritting her teeth could probably be heard upstairs in the living room, despite the sound proofing on this floor and the sound of the drama Tio was watching. Meanwhile, Tatsuo was trying his hardest not to laugh at his mother's antics while Sumire's expression was the picture of innocence.
"Anyway… Pfft! *Cough* I'm gonna… Heh… get going." Tatsuo said as he turned away from Ayane's seething expression. "I'll see you when I get back. Bye."
With that, Tatsuo sprinted towards the elevator and pressed the call button. Luckily, no one else had called the elevator. So, it was still on the same floor. He then pressed the button for the lobby, and just as the elevator doors closed, he could no longer hold his laughter in.
"Tatsuo! You'll pay for laughing at me!" Ayane roared.
A moment later, however, Ayane froze, feeling like a predator had locked onto her. She then turned in the direction where she got that feeling and saw Sumire smiling at her sweetly.
"So, you don't like my cooking, Ayane-Chan?" Sumire asked, her tone as sweet as can be.
"I didn't say that." Ayane replied, showing no fear. "I just said that Tatsuo's was better."
Immediately, Sumire lost all her momentum. She then slumped her shoulders and looked down at the ground.
"Well, I guess I can't really deny that." Sumire said sadly. "Tatsu-Chan really is a better cook than I am now."
Sumire then took a step towards Ayane as she raised her head, a solemn expression in her eyes.
"Hey… Why are you looking at me like that?" Ayane asked as she took a step back on reflex.
"Even though I'm not angry at you for telling the truth, Ayane-Chan." Sumire said calmly. "There really are some things you shouldn't say, you know? The fact that I'm not as good a cook as Tatsu-Chan really hurts my pride. And you just rubbed it in my face. So, now I need to blow off some steam. And as it just so happens, I have a sparring partner right in front of me. You don't mind helping me out, do you?"
"Of course I do." Ayane replied sharply. "I already lost once today. I'm not really in the mood to lose again so soon."
"Oh, I understand." Sumire replied with a nod. "That's too bad, though."
In the next instant, Sumire seemed to disappear from where she stood. Though, she did not use her powers over space to do so. In fact, she kept her physical output at the same level as Ayane. Rather, the secret behind her movement was the way she took each step.
*Bang!*
"Damn it!" Ayane growled as she raised her arms to block a punch.
What Ayane did not understand, however, was that Sumire was doing this footwork maneuver slow enough that, if she was paying attention, Ayane would be able to see it. And if she did, Sumire was sure that the purple-haired kunoichi would be able to learn it through observation. But that all relied on Ayane being observant enough to notice.
And just like that, Sumire continued to almost completely one-sidedly beat up Ayane. Meanwhile, Tatsuo reached the lobby and was walking towards the Apartment building's exit.
"Hmm… I haven't seen Yusa-San in a while." Tatsuo thought aloud. "I wonder if she's doing alright. Nah, she's probably fine. I mean, she's not broke like Maou-San. Actually, I wonder if she's started stalking him yet. Has he slipped up and almost used magic yet?"
While murmuring to himself and continuing to think about the dynamic between Emi and Sadao, Tatsuo made his way steadily towards the MgRonald's where Chiho and Sadao worked. And along the way, his thoughts continued to bounce from topic to topic.
"Actually, now that I think about it, that Miyazono girl is kinda familiar, too." Tatsuo muttered to himself. "But I don't have any real impression of her. Maybe she's a character from an anime, too. Just not one I actually watched. More like one I saw someone talking about on YouTube, or something."
*Smack!*
While continuing to mutter his thoughts aloud, Tatsuo's right hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the wrist of someone whose hand was getting way too close. And when he looked at the hand he just caught, he saw that it was holding a knife.
"Really, in broad daylight?" Tatsuo asked in a bored tone as he narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Looking up from the knife holding hand, Tatsuo saw that it belonged to a bald, middle-aged man with a grey mustache wearing a baseball cap pulled down low enough that you he could not see the man's eyes, a sweat shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of brown loafers.
'This has gotta be Olba.' Tatsuo thought to himself while looking over his attacker. 'The priest from the church back in Ente Isla that came with Emi. Well, I guess Lucifer must have figured out the connection between fear and magic power for demons. Which means, he's probably nearby.'
With that thought, Tatsuo spread his [Perception], focusing on anything supernatural. And when he did, he could feel that the middle-aged man, Olba, was emitting the same kind of Holy Power as Emi. Thouhg, it was not nearly as pure. Then, not too far away, he could feel a power similar to, but weaker than Sadao's and Ashiya's hiding in an alley.
"It seems I may have bitten off more than I can chew this time." Olba said calmly as he looked into Tatsuo's eyes while struggling to free himself from the young man's grip. He then continued at a volume that Tatsuo could barely hear, despite their proximity. "Well, I can't be wasting Holy Power on a situation like this… What to do.? What to do?"
Tatsuo's amusement was palpable after hearing that.
Now, interested in what Olba would come up with to get out of this situation, Tatsuo simply waited while continuing to hold Olba's wrist. Then, out of nowhere, Olba actually did something that surprised him.
*Crack!*
"Hmph!"
Olba then quickly twisted his body, the sound of his shoulder dislocating echoing through the street as he twisted himself against Tatsuo, wrenching hiss arm into a hammer lock while pressing his back against Tatsuo's chest as he let out a grunt of pain.
"Someone, please help me!" Olba screamed, playing the victim. "This young man is trying to mug me!"
Olba's shout echoed around the area. Meanwhile, he and Tatsuo just stood there, an amused smile playing on Tatsuo's lips the whole time.