Chapter 25: A Bunch of Delinquent Girls
"This stuff really doesn't taste that great, huh…"
Takumi tossed the bag of vegetable juice—a specialty he'd brought back from the 2D world—into the fridge. Since it was low-tech food, bringing it over hadn't cost him a single drop of mana. It was pretty rare in Japan, so he'd bought some with Nao's money. That part made him sigh inwardly.
Man… even when I go on dates I'm spending my girlfriend's cash. How am I supposed to live with myself after this?
The allowance his parents gave him was more than enough for daily life, but if he wanted to chase girls seriously? Yeah, that fund was already crying for help.
Having used up almost all his mana, his brain still felt fuzzy and dizzy. After a self-deprecating chuckle, Takumi dragged himself to his room and collapsed face-first onto the bed.
The next morning he woke up feeling refreshed. His mana had recovered a decent amount.
He grabbed a comb and ran it through his long hair.
"Should I just cut it all off…?"
It reached down past his shoulder blades—not some artsy fashion statement, but because his hair grew freakishly fast. Back in first year of middle school and first year of high school the teachers had forced him to cut it short multiple times… only for it to grow right back to the same length within a single week. Hospital checks found nothing wrong, so eventually the school just gave up and let him be.
Eh, whatever. Even if I cut it, it'll be long again in no time. And I don't exactly give off feminine vibes, so no one's gonna mistake me for a girl.
Just as he was about to head to the bathroom, the normally silent Devil's Mark suddenly sent a tingling electric current through his body.
[Notification: Host has autonomously comprehended a new skill. Beginning evaluation… Evaluation complete.
Hypnotic Demon Eye – Special Skill, Rank 1 Upper-tier, Weak-level spell.
When mana is used to enhance intelligence and charisma, hypnotic suggestion can be incorporated.
Effect: Against the opposite sex → significantly increases initial favorability and exerts charm. Can also issue direct commands.
Success rate and strength depend on the target's own mental resistance and willpower.
The higher the target's favorability toward the host, the greater the effect.
If favorability is negative, failed activation automatically converts to Intimidation, forcibly increasing the target's hatred value while still allowing command issuance.]
Takumi blinked.
"Wait… skills get ranked too? So Rank 1 is the lowest, right?"
[Correct. Skills are divided into seven ranks overall.
They are further categorized into three major types: Lifestyle Skills, Athletic Skills, and Mystic Skills.
Skills the host comprehends on their own can only belong to the Mystic category.
Lifestyle and Athletic skills will, in most cases, be copied from women the host conquers and obtains mana from.
Those copied skills can be permanently strengthened and solidified by expending mana points.
Autonomously comprehended skills, however, cannot be strengthened.]
"So my Demon Eye is something I figured out myself… but if I copy, say, Nao's best ability and turn it into a skill, then I can strengthen it with mana points?"
[Precisely.]
"Most skills can only be strengthened after copying them from women… so I guess I really am destined to live off women forever, huh."
Takumi gave a wry laugh, but honestly? He was pretty damn happy. At least the skill he'd created on his own wasn't half-bad.
After breakfast, he hopped on the electric scooter with the little tyrant little sister riding behind him and headed to school.
When they stopped at a red light, Takumi's heart suddenly sank.
Walking straight toward them was the exact same female traffic cop from yesterday.
"Electric scooters are not allowed to carry passengers! Violators will be fined 5,000 yen. Refusal to pay will result in confiscation of the vehicle."
"Um… Officer-neesan, we're students—"
"Students don't get special treatment. Hmm… I think I saw you two yesterday."
"Eh?! No way, you must be mistaken! This is our first offense—please let us off just this once!"
Takumi spoke earnestly while a faint crimson glow flashed through his eyes.
The female officer's gaze instantly turned vacant. After a moment she slowly nodded.
"…Alright. Don't do it again."
"Thank you, neesan!"
Takumi flashed a bright smile, revved the scooter, and zoomed away.
A long while later the officer snapped out of it—just in time to see another scooter carrying two people.
"Hey! You over there! No passengers on scooters! Fine or confiscation!"
"Officer, we're students—please let us off!"
"Students get no special treatment!"
"But you just let those two go earlier!"
"What are you talking about? I only saw you two carrying someone."
...
"That lady cop was super nice all of a sudden, huh?"
"Who knows? Maybe she was charmed by the Empress's cuteness—wait, no, she must've been overwhelmed by Your Majesty's overwhelming aura!"
"You're the one with turtle aura!"
The little tyrant angrily pinched the soft flesh on Takumi's waist, making him let out an exaggerated scream.
"Your Majesty, mercy—!"
After finally dropping off the tyrant Empress, Takumi rubbed his poor abused waist.
When did she learn that move? That hurts way worse than her kicks. Isn't this basically the Nine Yin White Bone Claw? The legendary technique on par with a guy's Shaolin Dragon Claw Hand—both apparently self-taught.
Still humming the tune of "Dango Daikazoku," he started the scooter again.
Then his eyes caught something on the street ahead.
A crowd had gathered in front of a shop.
At first he didn't care… until he noticed the unmistakable magical girl color-coded hair: gold, pink, red.
It's them… Wonder who's unlucky enough to get cornered by this squad of delinquent magical girls… Wait. Don't tell me—
He rode closer.
Sure enough, the person surrounded was none other than Aoi Yuu.
"Stinky brat, today we're gonna teach you a real lesson!"
"That's right, Nee-san! She stood us up that day, got us chewed out by Uma-san, and yesterday she even ran crying to the student council president to humiliate us!"
"Let's mess her up good! Any ideas?"
"Beating her is too light—and bruises are easy to spot. Why don't we just strip her naked and take pictures?"
"Yeah! Grab her arms—I'll do the stripping!"
Aoi Yuu, surrounded by the three delinquents, looked up with pleading eyes.
"Aka-nee… please, just let me go…"
"Hmph. Dream on. You've got two choices:
One—come with us tonight to see Uma-san.
Two—get stripped right here, right now."
"I…"
"Hey hey, chubby Nee-san over there~ Taking a girl's clothes off is a man's job, you know? You keep this up and people are gonna think you're all lesbians, aren't they?"
Takumi parked the scooter and spoke with a bright, teasing smile.
The three delinquents whipped around.
"Who the hell are you, kid? Mind your own damn business!"
"Aka-nee, I think I saw this guy yesterday. Wasn't he standing with that Dragon President? Probably Yuu's classmate."
"He's actually kinda handsome."
"Tch. I hate pretty-boy milk-drinkers like him. Look at that hair—practically a girl."
"Hehe, oh right—Aka-nee only likes big macho guys like Minami-Aniki. Only a man built like him can really satisfy a woman, right? This kid… I wonder if his thing is even thicker than my finger."
"Pfft—remember that glasses boy in middle school? We stripped him and he had the tiniest little thing. I teased him till he got hard, then tried my ring as a test—couldn't even fit it on! Hahahaha!"
"Wait, seriously? That happened?!"
Listening to Pinky and Reddy's conversation, Takumi slapped a hand to his forehead.
Yeah… I get it now.
Delinquents really don't discriminate by gender.
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