Chapter 317: Return to the World, Then Fight First?
Cold, trembling...
No, not cold at all—it was actually a bit warm, cozy, and damp?
It felt like his entire body was soaking in warm water.
That was his first sensation after being sent back.
"Where on earth have I been dumped this time..."
Muttering to himself, Mahiro slowly opened his eyes, only to see swirling clouds of misty steam. The sound of flowing water echoed in his ears, and just then, a drop of condensation landed on his face.
"Whoa, whose bathroom is this?"
That's right—it was a bathroom, and a large one at that, comparable to a public bathhouse. Even the bathtub was filled with hot water.
But the problem was, whose house was this? The layout and furnishings around him were completely unfamiliar...
Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a soft hum.
"La-la-la~"
It was a pleasant, melodious tune, but why did the voice sound so familiar?
Mahiro shifted his position in the pool and turned around, only to lock eyes with the other person—who had already frozen in place.
She was a girl, as beautiful and captivating as a model.
Her fiery red shoulder-length hair cascaded loosely down her back, the smooth strands still faintly showing the marks of a ponytail tie.
And on her body, she wore only a bath towel, which seemed a bit improper, but given that this was a bathroom, it wasn't entirely out of place.
The most crucial part was that, due to her casual way of securing the towel and the combination of her posture and figure, the area covering her chest was quite loose.
So loose, in fact, that in the brief moment she stood frozen, the towel around her chest slipped open and quietly fell to the floor.
Everything was completely and clearly seen by Mahiro.
The girl's face had already turned visibly red.
"Uh, well... Erika, long time no see?"
Mahiro forced a smile, doing his best to appear friendly.
"Pervert! Peeping Tom! How did you get here? Get out right now, you idiot!!!"
A torrent of incoherent insults stormed toward him, mixed with ear-piercing screams loud enough to shake the entire bathroom, along with the sounds of things being thrown.
...
A few minutes later, in the private reception room of the Chiba residence.
"So, you ended up in my bathroom because of your... dimension-hopping?"
"Ah, pretty much. This time, it was just a small accident?"
"Hmph, whether it was an accident or not is for me to decide!"
In the room decorated in traditional Japanese style, Erika, now fully dressed, sat cross-legged on a tatami cushion, her arms folded across her chest. Her damp hair was tied into a strand that hung loosely over her chest, with droplets of water from her hairline slowly trickling down along her collarbone.
Clearly, she hadn't had time to dry her hair.
Her stunning face no longer held its usual liveliness; instead, it was tinged with anger and a sense of indignation.
Opposite her, Mahiro sat with a pained expression, his face marked with bright red imprints and several red marks on his forehead.
All of them were courtesy of Erika's fists.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Mahiro didn't resist. After all, he was in the wrong from the start. Who could have known he'd be dumped in the Chiba family's bathroom, right when Erika was about to take a bath? If he had known, he would have used Shangri-La to teleport away immediately upon landing.
However, seeing him deliberately put on an exaggerated grimace, Erika's initial anger softened a bit. She couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, and her tone eased as she asked:
"Hey, how is it? Does it still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore. As long as you can calm down, it's fine. But you really went a bit hard on me, didn't you? You used psion power, right?"
Erika had long ago received the Enhancement Drug he brought. Both her physical fitness and magical power had improved significantly, and now she could cast spells without relying on a CAD.
He had done this back then to ensure her survival, as this world was dangerous, and Erika was the type who couldn't stay idle.
He just never expected that one day it would be used against him.
Was this a case of the boomerang coming back to hit him?
"Hmph! Who told you to barge into my bathroom while I was bathing and see me completely naked...?"
As if remembering something, Erika's face suddenly flushed red again, and her tone grew even more indignant.
"But the problem is, it's not really my fault, right? I can't control the teleportation coordinates of this thing..."
"Stop making excuses!"
Before he could finish speaking, Erika had already bared her teeth, her gaze sharp.
Her fierce expression was like a lioness ready to pounce, as if even her red hair was standing on end.
"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you. I won't say anymore, okay?"
Seeing the girl like this, he decisively chose to yield.
But when it came down to it, he was also a victim in this matter. Although it was true he caught a glimpse of scenery he had never seen before—noticing Erika's figure was curvy where it should be, slim where it should be, with a very slender waist and thighs that were firm and slender from years of training—this really wasn't something he could control...
"And one more thing, forget what just happened!"
"Hey, hey, hey, isn't that asking a bit too much?"
"I don't care, you have to forget it!"
This time, an intimidating aura once again emanated from Erika. "Otherwise, I'll tell Honami and Mayumi-senpai, as well as Maya and Aunt Miya, and Miyuki!"
Look at that, just look at the people you picked. Which one of them could actually control him?
Especially Sayaka and Mayumi—the two of them were almost completely obedient to him and often did outrageous things together.
Miyuki was more like a gentle, docile cat.
She even had less authority than Seitenshi. At least Seitenshi would occasionally put on a stern face to scold him a few times, though in the end, she usually ended up being the one taught a lesson with the "big stick."
As for Maya and Miya, if these two women found out about this, they probably wouldn't blame him. Instead, they'd encourage him to win over the little girl from the Chiba family and help the family expand its branches.
But under Erika's threats and coaxing, he ultimately chose to compromise.
At least verbally.
"Tsk, it's been so long since we last met, and the first thing I notice is how much more willful you've become?"
He only muttered it quietly, but the next second, he was met with Erika's sharp gaze.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, you must have misheard. I was praising the young lady of the Chiba family for her beauty and kindness."
"Hmph! Even if you flatter me like that, I won't forgive you so easily!"
Erika glared at him fiercely, then stood up and walked toward the entrance of the reception room, pulling the door open.
"Erika, are you... seeing me out?"
"How could I let you leave so easily? Come with me. There are some matters I need to discuss with you."
After tossing out those words, Erika left the reception room on her own.
Seeing the serious expression on her face as she departed, Mahiro knew it must be something important, so he didn't refuse and followed her out of the room.
However, what he didn't expect was that Erika led him to a dojo—a spacious one at that.
This was the dojo of the Chiba family, one of the Hundred Families known as the "Sword Mages."
For some reason, the dojo was completely empty, not a soul in sight.
Given the Chiba family's reputation, there should have been plenty of people coming here to learn swordsmanship and practice kendo...
"This is my private dojo, where I usually practice my swordsmanship. That's why no one comes here to disturb us."
A completely emotionless, serious voice answered his doubts.
Turning around, he saw that on the other side of the dojo, Erika had already changed into a kendo uniform—a pure white top and loose black trousers. Her pearl-like, fair toes rested on the wooden floor.
In her hands, she held two wooden practice swords, and she tossed one of them into his arms.
"What does this mean?"
Are you planning to teach me a lesson?
Erika explained expressionlessly, "Mahiro-kun, you haven't forgotten that you still owe me a swordsmanship match, have you?"
Hearing the girl's words, Mahiro suddenly understood.
He did remember now.
Back when they were first-year students, they had indeed made such a promise, but for various reasons, he had forgotten about it.
He never expected Erika to still remember it now.
But...
"Erika, are you sure you want to compete with me? You know the outcome, right?"
Competing with him in swordsmanship now would be like an adult bullying a child. Even though he hadn't deliberately trained seriously, after years of experience and integrating various styles, his swordsmanship had reached a terrifying level.
"I know I'll lose."
Erika admitted frankly, "But I want to see just how much of a gap there is between the current me and you."
She was stubborn to the point of refusing to give up until she hit a wall, especially when it came to swordsmanship—she always wanted to compete and prove herself.
To surpass Tendo Kisara, she had once challenged her endlessly.
This had shaped her into the genuine swordsmanship prodigy she was today, surpassing even her second brother, the "Prodigy of the Chiba Family," Chiba Naotsugu.
Having said that, Mahiro naturally had no reason to refuse. He picked up the wooden sword and slowly walked to the other side of the dojo.
Turning around, he saw Erika already in her stance.
It wasn't the Tendo style stance—just a simple one-handed, sideways posture.
But he knew this was Erika's most frequently used and most comfortable opening stance.
Next should be the "Self-Acceleration Spell," right?
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Erika was already in motion. There was no preemptive clashing of wooden sword tips as a signal, no fierce battle cry, not even a single word spoken—a very abrupt opening move.
She vanished from her original position in an instant.
When she reappeared, she was already at Mahiro's side, her wooden sword closing in on Mahiro's neck.
Clang!
Even though it was a clash between practice wooden swords, it produced a sound akin to metal.
Erika's strike was effortlessly blocked by Mahiro.
Calm and composed, utterly unruffled, his stance didn't waver in the slightest. The gust of wind stirred by the swords rustled his stray locks of hair.
Erika, however, felt as if her strike had landed on an immovable, towering boulder... no, more like indestructible steel!
But this was merely her habitual probing strike.
In the next second, her figure vanished once more, having already circled behind Mahiro and putting nearly three meters of distance between them.
This distance was completely beyond the range of sword attacks, yet she positioned her wooden sword at her waist.
For a fleeting moment, he saw the shadow of Tendo Kisara in her!
"『Water Turns to Ice』!"
The sound of the slash was light, yet swift.
This was one of Tendo Kisara's most proficient techniques, a rare swordsmanship move capable of a ranged slash. He hadn't expected Erika to have learned it.
Tit...
"Too slow, Erika."
Just as Erika was about to unleash her slash, Mahiro suddenly appeared right in front of her, closing the distance between them.
They were so close that their vision could no longer fully encompass each other's forms, close enough to clearly feel each other's breath—especially the unique, faint fragrance reminiscent of gardenias that emanated from Erika.
Mahiro had no intention of savoring the moment. With one hand, he seized Erika's wrist and applied a slight force.
As if performing a pas de deux, the two spun in place, and then with a sudden motion, he flung Erika away.
She was sent flying backward a full fifteen meters in one go.
But mid-air, a magic circle suddenly materialized beneath Erika's feet—an auxiliary spell to change direction, serving as a stepping platform.
Erika pushed off forcefully with her foot, her slender figure shooting forth like a sharp arrow.
"Again?"
That last move should have been more than enough to decide the outcome, yet this woman was so relentlessly persistent. It was truly unexpected.
"Tenacious."
He understood clearly now: if he didn't beat Erika into submission today, there would be no getting past this.
And so, he too raised his wooden sword—
Tendo-style Iaijutsu: "The Stance of Nirvana's Wondrous Mind."
The moment she saw this stance, Erika's gaze grew solemn, and a faint smile slowly curled at the corner of her mouth.
"Finally willing to get serious?"
What she sought was a life-or-death struggle with his full strength, not a perfunctory exchange of sword techniques.
This concerned her conviction, her honor as a swordsman!
Even though she knew full well that Mahiro was far stronger than her, as different as clouds and mud, she still had no intention of backing down.
Instead, during the acceleration process, he once again tucked the wooden sword at his waist.
"Iaido Style One, Form Eight—"
It was another technique of Tendo Kisara, specifically the Tendo family's iaido.
Just as the distance between the two narrowed to less than three meters and they were about to clash, Mahiro suddenly made his move. The wooden sword in his hand swung fiercely forward.
Swish—
Though it was just an ordinary swinging motion, it stirred up a gust of wind.
The wind swept to the far end of the dojo, collided with the wall, and dissipated, but it left behind several shallow yet distinct marks.
If it had struck a person, blood would likely have splattered three feet high on the spot.
But his strike missed, as if hitting an illusion. Erika's figure flickered for an instant, and in the blink of an eye, she appeared behind Mahiro.
At the same time, a sharp clang! rang out, like the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath.
"Shadowless and Traceless."
This time, her voice was soft, but the attack of her wooden sword was even more fierce, almost as if the sword moved the moment the sound was heard.
Aside from the Zero Series, Erika had mastered almost all of Tendo Kisara's iaido techniques, even integrating them into her magic and blending them with the Chiba family's bold and unrestrained moves.
This strike was something even the current head of the Chiba family, Erika's father, would likely be unable to block.
But what happened next left Erika stunned.
"Using acceleration spells continuously and performing multi-stage acceleration is a good idea, and your technique is quite polished, but you didn't consider your opponent."
Mahiro suddenly turned around. The moment the wooden sword was about to strike, he swung a rising slash from below.
Crack—!
The two wooden swords crossed, and in the instant they collided, Erika's wooden sword snapped cleanly in half.
Wooden splinters flew everywhere.
Under Erika's stunned gaze, Mahiro suddenly reached out and seized her by the neck, gripping it tightly.
Then, he slammed her forcefully onto the floor.
Thud—
A heavy, dull sound echoed.
The moment her delicate frame collided with the floor, even Erika couldn't help but let out a pained cry.
It felt as if a car had crashed into her, instantly forcing all the air out of her lungs.
With just that one strike, her entire body was engulfed in intense pain, leaving her unable to move, her head spinning dizzily.
"...."
"So, do you admit defeat?" Mahiro asked with a smug grin.
His gaze slowly swept over Erika's body.
Perhaps due to the intensity of the earlier strike, the collar of her dojo uniform had come slightly undone, revealing a drop of fragrant sweat sliding down her fair skin and soaking a patch of gray fabric.
So she was wearing a sports bra underneath.
He had always thought nothing was worn under the dojo uniform.
"That hurts so much..."
After catching her breath, Erika shouted as if throwing a tantrum:
"I admit defeat, I admit defeat! How can you be so ungentlemanly? You actually hit me that hard!"
"Not at all, I'm very gentle. I didn't even use much force," Mahiro shrugged.
This wasn't sarcasm or consolation—he truly hadn't used much force.
And this was the result of holding back.
Otherwise, just the act of grabbing her neck would have been enough to crush Erika's throat.
Not to mention the subsequent strike—if the dojo hadn't shattered entirely, it would only be because the dojo itself was sturdy.
"I don't care, I don't care! You horrible person are bullying a beautiful girl! And you saw everything! I demand to spar with me regularly from now on, otherwise I won't get up!"
Mahiro: "..."
What expression should I show now?
Should I say that Erika just can't get enough of being beaten, that she's awakened to her masochistic tendencies?
Or should I tease her, saying that even though she's a beautiful girl, she's acting like a child, rolling around on the ground throwing a tantrum?