Naoki lived his days without burden or regret. Morning to afternoon he spent at school, going through the remainder of high school life that was counting down the days before the graduation ceremony arrived.
The awareness that the remaining time was increasingly limited made him accept every invitation that came from his classmates. They hung out at various places—from game centers with glittering lights and the noisy sounds of arcade machines, karaoke rooms where they sang loudly without caring about being off-key, to fast food restaurants that became silent witnesses to light conversations about futures that were still abstract.
As someone who had lived through life more than once, Naoki understood very well that high school days were a period that would never repeat. Except for anomalous individuals like Reincarnators, Transmigrators, or Regressors, most people could only reminisce about this time with nostalgia.
He knew exactly what would happen after graduation.
Once they stepped out of the school gates and entered society, the personal relationships they had built would slowly loosen. Each person's busyness would become an invisible dividing wall, the frequency of meetings would drop drastically, and eventually communication would be completely severed.
It wasn't about good or bad, but rather the inevitable natural law of social life.
Naoki was even pessimistic about being able to maintain relationships with his high school friends after joining the Anti-Demon Corps. At that point, the dividing chasm between his social status and theirs would be too deep to ignore.
While his friends were busy with college or work in a world where men were only seen as second-class citizens, Naoki would become a global sensation—the first and only man in history to successfully awaken a Peach Blessing.
His name would be recorded in history books, his photo would adorn screens in every corner of the world. Even if he didn't change his attitude one bit in treating them, it would be his friends themselves who would feel inferior in his presence.
That wasn't arrogance, but rather a simple projection of how social dynamics work when the status gap is too wide.
So, before that time period arrived, Naoki chose to indulge in all forms of silly madness that youth offered. He laughed with them, joined in the commotion that might feel embarrassing when remembered ten years later, and created memories that would eventually only remain as recollections.
In between his social activities, Naoki continued moving in the shadows to strengthen his Peach Blessing, «Pandemonium».
In that short time, he had filled the Sathariel slot in the Qliphoth Tree. His target was the Peach Blessing belonging to Ōkawamura Nei from the Seventh Unit of the Anti-Demon Corps.
Nei was an eleven-year-old child with pale skin, long pink hair reaching her waist, and bright blue eyes. Her hair was decorated with small white hair ties, arranged with two tufts on the sides of her face and a side ponytail on the left side of her head.
Her figure was small, cute typical of a child her age, and she was known as a kind-hearted, diligent, and sociable child.
The Peach Blessing she possessed was called «Promise»—a clairvoyance-type ability that allowed her to sense and observe targets and events from afar. Nei's power had a very wide range (more than 20 kilometers), and allowed her allies to accurately assess incidents or potential threats before taking action.
Of course, in the process of copying Nei's Peach Blessing, Naoki treated the little girl in a very different way compared to previous targets.
No matter how deeply his morals had declined, Naoki had boundaries he would not cross. Doing lewd things to an eleven-year-old child was no longer just a bastard's action—that was the deed of an inhumane beast.
He might be an opportunist, might be cunning, could even be called depraved in certain matters, but he still had enough remnants of humanity to draw a firm line there.
So, one night, Naoki activated Dimensional Displacement, snuck into the Seventh Unit dormitory, entered Nei's empty room, and carefully took a strand of hair left on the girl's bed.
That strand of hair he swallowed as a DNA medium to trigger the requirement for «Pandemonium» to perfectly copy another person's Peach Blessing.
Thus, of the ten slots available in the Qliphoth Tree Diagram, Naoki had now filled eight of them.
Just a little more and «Pandemonium» would be complete!
✧Thaumiel — «Ame-no-Mitori» [Spatial Manipulation]
✧Chaigidel — «Golden Hour» [Time Manipulation]
✧Samael — «Crazy Sheep» [Physical Enhancement]
✧Gamchicoth — «Decimal Point» [10x Amplification]
✧Golachab — «Amplitude» [Shockwave]
✧Thagirion — «Canopus» [Life and Death Manipulation]
✧A'arab Zaraq — «Night Storm» [Air Manipulation]
✧Sathariel — «Promise» [Clairvoyance]
Only two empty slots remained.
Clearly, the filling of «Pandemonium» was proceeding faster than his initial expectations. What he thought would take several months, turned out he could complete in just a matter of weeks.
Even so, Naoki had no plans to reveal himself yet.
On high school graduation day, when he officially shed his student status and stepped into the adult world, that's where he would appear before the public for the first time.
Until that time arrived, he would continue living the final days of his youth calmly.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
February 28.
Morning at 8:10 AM.
Kamikawa House.
"When was the last time I went on vacation? School field trips should count as vacation, right?"
Naoki pondered for a moment in front of the mirror, gazing at his own reflection. This morning he was already neatly dressed—a blue jacket he deliberately chose, black long pants, and casual shoes comfortable for travel. In his hand, a wheeled suitcase that had been neatly sorted since last night was ready to be taken.
He pulled that suitcase, leaving the room and heading toward the front door.
"By the way, if going to a hot spring, there will definitely be luxurious sushi dishes, right?"
Hunger began tickling his stomach just by imagining slices of fresh fish on vinegared rice. However, Naoki immediately shook his head. No matter how delicious the food or how efficacious the sulfur water, all that was just a bonus. For him, the main attraction of this trip was the opportunity to soak in the hot spring with Tenka.
This vacation was planned to last three days and two nights. Tenka had decided to bring her private car rather than using public transportation, a choice that Naoki immediately agreed to without debate.
Before leaving, he went around briefly, making sure all lights had been turned off. Dark living room, silent kitchen, empty bedroom. That house would be left for three days.
He locked the front door tightly, then stepped out, dragging his suitcase behind him.
"..."
Outside, the morning air was still fresh with a little remaining night chill.
The sun had just risen, illuminating the residential area with warm golden light. Birds chirped in the trees, creating a calming morning symphony.
Naoki walked toward the car already parked in front of the house—a gleaming black sedan belonging to Tenka. And beside that car, stood a girl's figure who was already waiting.
Tenka.
The girl appeared stunning. She wore a sea blue dress wrapped with a milk white coat on the outside. That color combination not only gave an elegant impression, but also perfectly highlighted her slender body silhouette.
It should be mentioned, the blue jacket Naoki wore had a color almost exactly the same as Tenka's dress. Whether coincidental or intentional, they looked like a couple wearing matching clothes.
"You came earlier, Tenka." Naoki greeted while approaching.
Tenka gave a sweet smile. "I've already taken leave, of course. Unless there's a truly urgent emergency matter, this vacation will be our honeymoon~"
"..."
Hearing the term "honeymoon," the corner of Naoki's mouth twitched. Although their status wasn't officially as husband and wife, Tenka seemed to have already skipped several stages of commitment in her head.
Naoki said nothing. He just smiled slightly, then opened the car trunk and put his suitcase inside.
A few moments later, he sat in the passenger seat, next to Tenka who sat in the driver's seat. The scent of gentle perfume mixed with that girl's characteristic fragrance filled the car cabin.
"Ready?" Tenka asked, her hand already on the steering wheel.
"Ready."
Tenka turned the ignition key. The car engine started with a smooth sound, then she slowly drove the vehicle away from the Kamikawa house.
The car drove on the morning Tokyo streets that were starting to get busy. Behind them, that house grew smaller, finally disappearing at a turn. Ahead, the highway awaited, and at the end of the journey, the mountain hot spring with all its warmth.
The three-day, two-night vacation had begun.
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