After thinking about it for a while, Akari thought there wasn't a better place than the mountain to train. Akari planned to increase Shunji's powers first before Naoki continued searching. Shunji agreed with her. He prepared a large area for training.
Akari started to instruct him about the use of his demonic energy. She noticed that he wasted energy excessively and didn't think about optimizing it. That was the first thing she tried to change through their battles. Second, he usually used his fists as weapons. Perhaps being a dragon with strong scales, he didn't see the need to use weapons.
Akari wasn't against that, but that meant his fighting range was significantly reduced, putting him at risk, so he needed to compensate for that weakness somehow. The solution she came up with was through long-range spells and magic. For some reason, Shunji had an aptitude for handling almost every type of spell. Also, noticing that he had a talent for barriers, Akari trained him in order to improve them so that he could quickly create them in battle to protect himself.
Shunji was like a sponge, absorbing knowledge and experience. The battles quickly escalated, and Akari also began using more techniques and spells to challenge him. This training not only helped him, but it also helped her. No matter how hard she tried to avoid losing skills, it was almost impossible to maintain the same level as before living here without someone with whom to practice. These combats helped her a lot.
After training, Akari and Shunji used to talk about their mistakes in battle.
"Should I attack with thunder instead of fire?" Shunji asked her.
"Yeah, it is a better option, it allows you a wider range of attack and destabilizes the opponent. In the past, I saw a half-demon suffer quite a bit from lightning attacks." Akari said while drinking water.
To share experiences, it was inevitable that Akari would mention the other world. She had been prepared in Shunji and questioned or doubted what she said, but he didn't ask her anything. Akari didn't know the reason, but it was easier for her. So she felt thankful.
Shunji narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it when Akari mentioned that half-demon. He had always disliked him ever since he heard Akari talking about him, and now he dislikes him even more. Akari had noticed it too, but she didn't know why Shunji was so hostile to Inuyasha. Even so, she continued to use him as an example because she had seen many fights while she was with him and because it was funny to see Shunji get angry but not say anything.
Akari had developed a taste for teasing him. Anyway, Shunji didn't say anything to her. He simply stared at her helplessly, like a puppy with its ears drooping. Akari thought he was cute.
"Well, I have to go back. See you tomorrow." Akari said.
"I'll take you." Shunji said, and Akari accepted.
This had become their daily routine. Although Akari could return on her own, Shunji always offered to take her. After refusing several times without success, she simply let him take her. She liked flying anyway.
Shunji left her at the college and returned to the mountain. When he landed, he met Takeshi, who had finished his punishment
"Brother." Takeshi said.
"Hmm." Shunji was about to leave when Takeshi said.
"Brother, is that woman my sister-in-law?" Shunji was astounded for a second. He had never really considered his relationship with Akari properly. Calling them just friends wouldn't be right. At least Shunji wasn't satisfied with just that title. Besides, if they were just friends, that means he'd have to put up with more idiots like that half-demon constantly getting close to Akari. Shunji thought about it and realized he couldn't stand it.
He felt so angry just imagining it that he wanted to kill them. Shunji hadn't considered getting a partner before because he wasn't interested, but he realized that if Akari was by his side with that identity, it wouldn't bother him. The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed to him.
Realizing that he liked Akari more than he thought, he replied cheerfully.
"Yes, treat her with respect from now on and warn the others." Takeshi quickly nodded.
Even without his warning, no one dared to treat her disrespectfully. They weren't blind. They could see the attention and care Shunji showed her. Also, despite being a territorial person, Shunji let her come and go from his cave without any problem. You should know that Shunji didn't allow anyone to approach his cave. If they needed him, they sent him messages and had to wait for him to come out. If anyone tried to visit him personally, they would be mercilessly expelled from the barrier or thrown down the mountain, as happened to Takeshi.
Ignoring Takeshi's thoughts, Shunji went to his cave and began to think about what to do to win Akari over. He knew it wouldn't be easy to win her heart; if he pressured her too much, he might scare her away as she did with the half-demon, but he couldn't be passive either.
Fortunately, he had the advantage of having recently built a close relationship with her; although she might consider him a friend, the feeling was not so deep that she would reject him for considering him only a friend. Shunji was a man of action, and when he set his mind to something, he didn't give up until he achieved it.
**
In the following days, Akari sensed that something was amiss with Shunji. At the beginning, she didn't notice, but then she began to notice that he was paying her much more attention. Also, he used to give her sporadic gifts if she casually mentioned something she liked in one of their conversations, the next day, Shunji would bring her that, whether it was food or some other object.
His behavior at first made her a little uncomfortable. However, Shunji was an intelligent man. He knew when to stop and give her space so as not to make her feel uncomfortable. Thanks to this, Akari was left without any arguments to stop his behavior. After a few days of hesitation, she decided to let nature take its course. She wouldn't stop it, but neither would she actively respond. It was true that his presence didn't bother her. In fact, she enjoyed spending time with him, but that wasn't enough for her to want to start anything with him. Whether he could touch her heart depended on his behavior.
Without her realizing it, her tolerance toward Shunji was much higher than with anyone else.