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"That's the first step of our Senjutsu, Kuraru," Ogashi corrected, raising a brow.
"Your Senjutsu? Then how come your Senjutsu was in the Terumi clan's library?" Kaoru asked, even more confused than Ogashi himself.
"How would I know that, kid? Probably one of your ancestors tried to recreate it but didn't know the proper steps." Ogashi shrugged, brushing the question aside. Kaoru's worry that the Leviathan might be angry about their Senjutsu being leaked turned out to be unfounded.
"Anyway, that's not important right now. I noticed that even though you managed to kill the Nocturnal, you struggled way too much. Your mastery over the skill is terrible…" Ogashi shook his head, but his tone lacked the disappointment it usually carried.
"I avoided using this skill on purpose. At first, it just felt… inhuman. Not the kind of way I wanted to kill anyone," Kaoru admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "But then I realized that if I'm going to kill someone, I might as well use the most effective method I have. It's probably the deadliest ability I've got. But…"
He trailed off, recalling the reason why he decided to avoid the water extraction.
"I realized if anyone found out about it, I'd become a primary target for every major village. This skill is just too dangerous. And besides, I still can't use it even on animals, the chakra cost is ridiculous." Kaoru's chakra reserves were no longer mediocre, but water extraction was still too demanding.
"The only time I used it effectively was against a guy who fought using bugs. Killing insects wasn't a problem." His voice softened with something like guilt to disappoint Ogashi, though he wasn't even sure why.
"That's because extracting water from living beings that actually have chakra is exponentially harder. And that technique isn't as invincible as you think. Not if someone knows how to counter it," Ogashi said, already walking toward the exit. "Here, try it on me. I'll suppress my chakra just enough for you to extract the water."
He stopped and extended his arm, pointing to a specific area for Kaoru to target.
Kaoru hesitated, not out of fear that he might hurt Ogashi, but because he doubted he could hurt him. And if he failed, the backlash would be severe. But after a moment of consideration, he nodded and decided to trust him.
His Suijingan flared to life, glowing with a bright cyan light as Kaoru focused on the spot Ogashi indicated.
He reached for the water particles flowing through the limb and began pulling. To his surprise, they responded. Effortlessly. Kaoru almost stopped, afraid he might actually damage something, but then he noticed it: Ogashi's arm was replenishing the water at the exact rate Kaoru was extracting it.
"That's enough, kid. You'll tire yourself out," Ogashi said, pulling his arm away. Kaoru stared, confusion written all over his face.
"It's simple. All I have to do is supply enough chakra and convert it into water. That's all there is to it," he added, smiling as he clearly enjoyed watching Kaoru process it.
'It can be countered so easily?' Kaoru pressed his lips together in visible disappointment.
"It's not that easy," Ogashi explained. "Very few people can tell where you're focusing your extraction. Even fewer can control their chakra well enough to react in time. Besides, once you learn to use Suijingan's fifth ability, anyone who can counter it will basically just be handing you their chakra."
He turned again toward the hall's exit.
"Come on, let me show you where you'll be staying. Get some rest. We start training tomorrow."
Kaoru nodded and followed, his mind already sorting through everything he'd learned today.
…
Kaoru thought he'd be given a room in Ogashi's home, but instead, the Leviathans had prepared an entire house just for him. It was clear they were offering him premium hospitality - the bed alone put his Takimura one to shame with how soft it was.
He began unpacking the essentials from his storage seal. The one he handled most carefully was the connection device Yko had made. Kaoru would be sending messages every Sunday to keep his friends and family updated.
He placed the notebook that he and Mizuki used to contact each other on the stand next to the bed. Ogashi had warned him that it would always be daylight outside. The only way to tell time was through a strange clock on the wall that showed the sun's position. Thankfully, the house was built in a way that allowed him to block out the light entirely, so he could actually sleep in darkness if needed.
'I'm not that tired, but I should probably rest,' he thought, slipping off his shoes and sitting on the bed.
'It was an interesting day. These creatures, despite their quirks, are more normal than I expected.'
He was just about to take off his clothes and lie down when he realized it wasn't going to work, his stomach was already grumbling.
'I forgot to eat. And they didn't offer me any food,' he thought, disappointed, sitting back up. 'Wait… do Leviathans even eat? Don't tell me they live off natural energy or something and I'm the only one stuck hunting for scraps.'
Kaoru was starting to regret not packing supplies when he heard a knock at the door.
Thinking someone had brought the food, he practically jumped to his feet in delight, hurrying over.
'Please don't be Sona. Please don't be Sona,' he muttered in his head as he reached for the handle.
It wasn't Sona.
Instead, it was a girl who looked a little older than Akane, with the same dark blue hair and cyan eyes as the other Leviathans, but her face was bright and full of energy.
"Hello, I'm Anya," she said, smiling as she practically shoved the box she was holding into Kaoru's hands.
"I'm Kaoru Takime," he replied, though his eyes were glued to the box. His nostrils flared so wide trying to sniff what was inside, it was a miracle his brain didn't fall out.
The girl clearly wanted to talk, but Kaoru was too hungry to entertain anyone right now.
"Would you like to come in? I'm very hungry," he offered politely, though not for a second did he think she'd actually accept.
"Sure," she grinned and slipped right past him through the open door, leaving Kaoru standing in stunned silence.
"Are you coming?" she called over her shoulder, already seated at the small table, her tentacles swaying playfully around her like a dog's tail waiting for something fun to happen.
Kaoru finally snapped out of it, closed the door, and made his way to the table. He didn't even sit down properly before tearing open the box, his nose already overwhelmed by the rich, savory aroma.
"We didn't know what kind of food you prefer," Anya said, her eyes sparkling as she watched him practically dig into the box. "So we included a bit of everything we had access to. Just let us know what you like, and we'll make more."
"Did you cook all this?" Kaoru mumbled without looking up. His full attention was now fixed on a large plate overflowing with all sorts of seafood. There was even a hefty chunk of something that looked suspiciously like beef, but Kaoru was fairly certain it was some sort of giant fish. Mussels and lobster were stacked around it, though everything was two or three times the size he was used to seeing.
"No, not all of it," Anya replied proudly. "But I made the stew, and the crusted shellfish. That's my specialty."
Kaoru, already mid-bite, gave a silent thumbs up.
"You're not going to say anything?" she asked, resting her chin on her hands and leaning forward. "I'm here delivering food, maybe even saving your life from starvation, and I don't even get a compliment?" She pouted, clearly exaggerating.
"It's incredible," Kaoru said with a full mouth.
Anya laughed, her tentacles becoming more energetic. "You're lucky you're cute, or I'd not have even bothered cooking for you."
Kaoru nearly choked. "I-what?"
She grinned even wider. "Relax. I'm just teasing. You should've seen your face."
"I'm going to request that someone else bring me the food," Kaoru muttered, half-threatening, while grabbing another bite.
"Good luck with that. I'm the only cook who has the time to come here." She said, the corners of her mouth curling into a devious smile.
"So you are my only hope?" he raised a brow.
"Yep. The Elder said you might be a picky eater or, what was the word… 'delicate' about food. So I got assigned to handle your meals."
"I'm not delicate," Kaoru said, glaring.
"Uh-huh. You almost cried when you smelled the stew."
"That's called gratitude," he replied, chewing slower now.
They sat there for a while in a strangely comfortable silence.
"So," Anya finally said, breaking the quiet, "what kind of stuff do you eat up there in your world?"
Kaoru blinked. "You mean like… normal food?"
"Yeah! You've got farms and animals, right? Elder said you raise animals to kill and eat them. We don't do that, we just hunt…" She was speaking nonstop, trailing off from time to time. "So, what kind of weird things do you call 'delicacies'?"
Kaoru leaned back, finally full. "We have this thing called Sushi."
Anya's eyes narrowed. "Is it any good?"
"It's the best thing you can eat." Kaoru salivated, imagining sushi. Even after eating so much, he could still find space for it.
"Better than the food I just brought?" Anya putted again, clearly faking it.
Kaoru grinned. "You asked for my honest opinion."
She wrinkled her nose in mock offense. "And here I was thinking you had taste."
They both laughed, and Kaoru realized Anya was the most human-like Leviathan he'd met so far. She was easy to talk to, cheerful, and surprisingly talkative.
"You know, you're probably the most human-like Leviathan here," Kaoru chuckled, relaxing back in his chair.
But the smile vanished from his face the moment he saw her expression change. She wasn't faking it. Her grin faded, her eyes lost that playful light, and for a moment, she looked like someone else entirely.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know comparing Leviathans to humans was considered offensive," Kaoru said, sitting upright again. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, a trace of offense he didn't bother hiding.
'I didn't know Leviathans looked down on humans that much.'
But Anya shook her head quickly.
"No, it's not what you said," she muttered, looking away. "It's… me. I'm half human."
Her voice was lower now, bordering on a whisper. She stood up before he could reply, walking slowly toward the door.
Kaoru stayed seated, unsure what to do. 'Half human? What? How?' He was still processing.
'Should I tell her not to go? Say something?'
But the truth was, they weren't that close. And Kaoru had never been good at comforting people.
"I forgot the fruit," Anya suddenly said, her voice loud and upbeat as if someone had flipped a switch. "Damn, now I've lost the wager. That's a week of dish duty."
She laughed, light and careless, regaining her earlier demeanor in an instant.
"What wager?" he asked, confused. "You bet on forgetting something?"
"Nope," she turned around, waving a hand, "I bet that I wouldn't forget anything, but I lost. Look."
She held out her palm, where she'd written a checklist of everything she needed to bring. Everything was crossed off except for fruit.
"Anyway," she said, stepping backward toward the door, "I've got to go. It was nice meeting you, Kaoru. I'll be around every day from now on, so get used to me!"
Then she was gone, darting out without giving him time to say anything else.
Kaoru stared at the door for a moment before chuckling to himself.
"I take it back. She's also weird."
He shut the door gently and tidied up the table. The room was quiet again. He looked around one more time, making sure he hadn't missed anything, then moved to the bed and climbed in, finally lying down.
The softness welcomed him immediately, like the bed itself wanted to lull him into rest.
'Tomorrow's going to be a big day,' he thought, pulling the covers over himself. 'I'm starting my training.'
**
A/N -
Reminder - Break Tomorrow
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