Chapter 86: Please Date Me Seriously
"Ah!"
The two of them stared at each other wide-eyed for a moment. The girl hurriedly shrank back into the paulownia tub. From that startled cry, Takumi instantly recognized her—it was none other than Kenichi Shirahama… no, wait, Keni Shirahama!
"Yo, you're bathing? Then I'll step out and wait."
Compared to the girl's overwhelming embarrassment, Takumi remained surprisingly calm. He turned to leave, but then heard her covering her face and sobbing,
"I've been seen completely naked by a boy… I have to die to preserve my honor!"
Takumi couldn't help blurting,
"Hey, hey, isn't that a bit extreme? Seeing you won't make a piece of you disappear. How about I strip naked too and let you look back at me?"
"Waaah, you're bullying me!"
"Okay, okay, my bad. Keni-chan, stop crying. If Miu sees this she'll think I'm picking on you again. You saw how terrifying she looked this morning after our accidental super-intense, jaw-numbing kiss, right? So please… just stop crying."
"But… but… I…"
"But what? I'm actually kinda curious. It's three in the morning—why are you up taking a bath? Is your sleep schedule really okay?"
"I… I couldn't fall asleep in bed, and… you're also taking a bath in the middle of the night, aren't you?"
"So we're both at fault here. Just put your clothes back on, go back to bed, and pretend this was just a not-so-wonderful dream."
"Can avoiding reality like that really solve anything?"
"Hmm… probably not."
Silence fell over the bathroom. Then the girl's crying grew even louder. Takumi clutched his head in agony.
"Stop crying already! Real men don't bawl at every little thing!"
"I'm a girl!!!"
She stopped crying instantly. Standing up in the tub, she leaned out and practically roared,
"Even if my chest isn't as big as Miu's, my butt isn't as perky, and I'm a total crybaby… why are you even denying that I'm a girl?! Apologize! Apologize to washboard girls everywhere!"
"Sorry! I'm really, really sorry!"
Takumi pressed his palms together and bowed deeply, apologizing with utmost sincerity. Truth be told, because Keni had taken the place of the male protagonist from 'History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi', Takumi had subconsciously never treated her as a girl. The ingrained impression made it feel incredibly awkward. But seeing her tearfully shouting that she was a girl finally snapped him out of it. This wasn't some weird gender-bend situation—this world line simply had no male protagonist at all. Keni was just coincidentally occupying that slot of "existence power." If she had a different name—say, something like Yozuki Yui—she'd just be an ordinary girl. Like how in the real world Takumi once knew two people named Natsuki, one guy and one girl. Nothing strange about it.
Realizing that, Takumi apologized immediately. His earnest attitude left the girl stunned, unable to say another word.
"You're here to bathe? Ah—there's so much blood! What happened to you?"
After looking at him more closely, she noticed the bloodstains and mud caked on his body—like he'd been fighting someone on a riverbank. Shocked, she remembered how he'd been "gravely injured" last time too. Was he involved in something dangerous?
"It's nothing, don't worry. You keep using the bath. I'll just rinse off outside with well water. Sorry about this."
Takumi couldn't explain the blood without terrifying this ordinary girl who'd wandered into a den of monsters. He didn't want another round of awkward misunderstandings either, so he backed out of the bathroom. Outside, he drew some well water, scrubbed himself clean, yawned hugely, stumbled to his room, and collapsed into bed.
[Master, welcome to the lottery space.]
"How am I back here again?"
[You have unlocked an achievement: 'Warrior of Love.' For daring to fight everything for the sake of love, you have earned one skill lottery draw.]
"Warrior of Love? How did that made-up title end up on me? Eh, whatever. Call me whatever you want in here—it doesn't matter. I'm super excited for the skill draw. Can't wait!"
[As you wish.]
Soon another lottery wheel rose in the grand hall—this one made of plain wood, with skill names written across its sections.
"Ryūkei Kigō Tashinkō, from 'Tenjho Tenge'. Concentrates ki into invisible needles; on contact via fist strikes, pierces straight through internal organs or structures. Bypasses external defenses with an 'ox-piercing-through-mountain' effect. Extremely powerful—the stronger the ki, the greater the damage."
"Kamehameha (Original Version), from 'Dragon Ball'. The signature killing move created by Master Roshi over fifty years. Hands form a petal shape, gather energy into a glowing sphere in the palms, then fire it as a brilliant blue beam. Immense destructive power."
"Spirit Gun, from 'Yu Yu Hakusho'. Gathers spiritual energy at the fingertip to form an energy bullet. Deals double damage to spiritual entities."
"Satsui no Hado (Surge of Murderous Intent), from 'Street Fighter'. Hidden boss Akuma's ultimate technique. Overwhelmingly powerful, but requires possession of the Surge of Murderous Intent—extremely easy to fall into the path of demons."
Though the wooden wheel looked plain, every skill on it left Takumi gaping. Ryūkei Kigō Tashinkō was the only one he wasn't super familiar with; the rest were iconic. Any one of them would skyrocket his strength. But what pissed him off was the "Better luck next time" slot squeezed in among the four—drastically lowering his odds.
"Let's give it a shot. Hope I get Kamehameha. That's straight-up Golden Utopia-tier martial arts."
[As you wish.]
The wheel spun. Takumi broke into a nervous sweat. Finally the pointer stopped—not on the dreaded consolation prize, thank god—but on the one skill he knew the least: 'Ryūkei Kigō Tashinkō'. Powerful as it was, it paled in both fame and raw destructive oomph compared to the others.
"Ugh, so frustrating… Whatever. At least it's still a solid technique."
The wheel dissolved into light that surged into Takumi's mind. In an instant he comprehended every nuance of the art—its power, its precision—as though he'd trained it for a lifetime.
His consciousness returned to his body. He itched to test the skill, but exhaustion won out. Takumi fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning he woke to sunlight streaming through the window. Though he wanted to laze around, his biological clock forced his eyes open. Something felt… off. He turned his head—and froze.
Golden hair spilled across the pillow beside him. Violet eyes gazed straight at him.
It was Miu. Lying right next to him!
"What the hell is this?! Did I sleepwalk and go night-prowling on Miu?!"
Cold sweat poured down Takumi's back. But then Miu smiled softly.
"I came here myself. I never knew Kouichi-kun's sleeping face was so adorable. Shigure-nee said you sleep like a baby, fists clenched, expression peaceful… and she was right."
Her gentle voice made Takumi feel like he was dreaming. Was he dreaming? While he was lost in thought, Miu suddenly spoke louder.
"Takumi!"
"Y-Yes!!"
Takumi shot upright like a soldier at attention. Miu stood up too, then slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her fingers gently traced the spot where she had stabbed him yesterday—almost killing him—and she murmured softly,
"Kouichi… I admitted defeat yesterday. So I'll keep our promise. I won't interfere with you and any other women. I only have one condition."
Takumi's mind was a whirlwind.
"Anything! A hundred conditions—I'll accept them all!"
Miu stepped in front of him. Cheeks flushed, she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes directly.
"Please… date me seriously."
Wanna read ahead? Join my Patreon and support the story — up to 6 new chapters are published for you every day!: patreon.com/ArealMaster