"Okay, so it's fueled by your rage instead of Mana...I've never heard of an attack like that before. I guess you'd need to get super angry to fire it at full power, huh?"
"Yeah, the highest it's ever gotten to so far is ten percent," I replied, as I munched on a chicken strip, dipping it in a sweet and spicy sauce, a slight crunch ringing out as I bit into it, a burst of savory flavor filling my mouth.
Mm, sho good...the outside is nice and crispy, and the inside is soft and tender. The flavor's mellow and peppery, and the sauce complements it well.
"How do you know the exact percentage?" She asked me.
I didn't mention the Rage Meter, since I don't want to explain anything too closely linked to the functions of my Sinner System.
"Well, it's something of an approximation, sort of a gut feeling, I guess?" I responded, putting on an uncertain look on my face.
I feel kinda bad lying to her, but just because I agreed to tell her more about my powers doesn't mean I'm going to tell her everything.
"I see...oh, after I regained consciousness while you were fighting the Demon, it looked like you were even faster than before. Is that another Skill?"
"Yeah, it was...though, the Skill wasn't the only thing making me stronger at the time. It's called Arouse, and, well...it has an aphrodisiac effect on me, though it also boosts me physically, which is why I used it. The Skill's main effect is why I asked you to get off me," I admitted sheepishly.
"Huh? Oh. Ohhh," She responded as her eyes widened in realization, averting her gaze slightly as her cheeks reddened, quietly taking a sip of beer.
She's still on her first mug, she's been going at it at a pretty slow pace.
"Yeah, sorry...," I replied apologetically.
"N-No, it's okay, you don't have any reason to apologize...that does explain why you were so flushed, though. Anyway, um...what was the other thing that was making you stronger?"
"Oh, that'd be this," I replied, as I took Desecrator out of Treasury.
"Mm! Yes, I meant to ask you about that too! I did wonder where that blade came from when I regained consciousness and saw you using it, but we had bigger things to worry about so I set that thought aside," She remarked, as she peered at the blade curiously.
"While you were unconscious, I managed to steal the Greater Demon's whip, and it tranformed into this. According to what she said, it's a special weapon that transforms to fit the user, and one of its effects is that it gives me a physical boost while I'm wielding it," I explained, before putting the blade away.
"Ohh, so that's why her whip was gone was I regained consciousness, I was wondering about that too, but it slipped my mind. Cool...also, what was it that you just did? You pulled it out of thin air, you did that while we fought the Demon too, you kept taking out blades from seemingly nowhere," She recalled.
"Think of it like those Item Box Skills in video games, it's basically a large storage space, I call it Treasury."
"Wow, that sounds really useful. Also, how many blades did you buy? Even the lower quality ones aren't exactly cheap," She mused curiously.
"Think I'll keep that one to myself," I smiled in response.
"Sure, okay. Hm...what else can I ask? I can't think of anything else..."
"In that case, let's just kick back, relax and drink. If you think of something else you wanna ask me, go for it," I suggested, as I finished off my second mug of beer.
"Yeah, sounds good. Oh, and sorry, looks like I'm lagging behind," She replied, starting to raise her mug up towards her lips.
"Hey, there's no need to try and match me, just relax and drink at the pace you're comfortable with," I laughed, as I refilled my mug.
"That's probably the smart thing to do, yeah...by the way, what's your plan for after you get your Hunters License? I get why you're hiding your powers and all, but at this rate, you're bound to start at J-Rank. The Guilds rarely ever recruit J-Ranks, what will you do?"
"Nothing, I'm fine with starting as a Freelance Hunter to begin with, I'm in no particular rush," I replied with a shrug.
The two of us continued drinking and chatting over the next couple of hours, not really talking about anything in particular.
We looked back on our year at the Academy, discussed a few shows we both liked, stuff like that. It was pleasant and comfortable, I was really enjoying myself.
Well, I do find her very attractive, so if stuff happens naturally and one thing leads to another and whatnot, then sure, I'll go for it.
But if she doesn't show any signs that she's interested in me in that way, I won't do anything.
I've come to value my friendship with her, and I'd rather not risk ruining it by making a move if she's not into me in that way.
I don't know, maybe?
I never had the chance to fall in love with someone in my previous life, so I'm not exactly an expert in the subject.
<"I want to hook up with attractive women with reckless abandon, I want to drown in a sea of passion and intimacy, to fuck and fuck AND FUCK, until I'm FUCKING sick of-...!">
O-Okay, stop, that's embarrassing!
"Hey, Kai...? You there? It'sh weird...shometimes you space out with thish shtrange look on your face," Slurred Ariella, staring at me with her head on the table.
What the...? When did she...?
"Looks like you've had too much to drink, might be time to call it quits for tonight," I remarked in bemusement.
She hasn't even had two full mugs yet, guess she's a bit of a lightweight.
"Yeah...everything ish shpinning. Hey...you have really pwetty eyesh," She grinned, before letting out a slight hiccup.
Mhm...she's completely wasted.
Even if I had been planning on making a move, I definitely can't now. She's way too drunk to think clearly, it'd be nothing more than taking advantage of her.
"What's your address? I'll drop you off at your place on the way back to mine, I don't think you're in any state to go home by yourself," I replied with a wry smile, as I opened up a taxi app on my I-Watch.
"Mm...can we get more shicken shtrips?"
She's not listening.
"Uh, sure, just give me your address and we'll get some chicken strips to go, you can eat them at home and-...you're asleep," I trailed off with a sigh as she began snoring lightly, letting out as slight murmur.
Hm. So, uh...what do I do now?