Volume 6 – Chapter 7 – Part 1 – Masochist Wind Goddess and A Day in Takamagahara

Shinto Realm

Shifengu

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

Upon returning to the Tengu realm, I was surprised to find that some Tengus were speaking with Inaie. Most of them were the younger generation, so kids and teenagers and a few young adults, but they seemed to be very receptive to Inaie now.

Unlike earlier in the day when they were giving her side glances, or when they gave her uneasy looks. It did seem like the older adults had kept on telling stories and gossip about Inaie's situation. But the two leaders and her parents were here too, so they might have just told them the truth since some of the adults looked unsure.

We made our way to them, and Yuanteng was standing dutifully beside the ice-encased Asahi and Shinobu seemed to be scolding the entire Arataki gang. It's been hours since the attack and she's still quite angry about it, huh?

"Ah, Jin. Welcome back. I heard from Inaie that Takamagahara was also attacked? I assume you repelled it?" Sōjōbō asked me as a lot of the attention was on us now.

"Yeah, it was resolved a few hours ago, and we've been helping with some repairs. There wasn't a lot, but a few stray attacks caused some damage. There were a few casualties, and one death, but… overall it ended it in a better note than one would hope for," I replied. "By the way, did you…?"

"Yes, they know that we adopted her. That's why most of the youth are quite friendly with her now and hold no hostility. Inaie helping defend the realm and saving their lives also played a factor in them accepting her," answered Surasu.

"I see…" I looked at Inaie from a distance as she was still chatting happily with other Tengu. Even some of the older adults were starting to speak to her now. I'm glad she's being accepted now, though I'm a little upset that an attack needs to happen for them to accept her.

"Well, I hope it works out well for all of you. I need to check on a troublesome Oni now," I said to them and they chuckled.

I walked over to the Arataki gang as they appeared to still be exhausted.

"Ah! Middleman! Thanks for saving us earlier—oh, especially you, Shigune-san!" Itto said happily with his usual grin.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Itto-san," replied Shigune.

I summoned four slime pills and gave it to all for our them, and told them what it would do. They quickly ate them and their injuries were healed.

"Aw heck yeah! My arm is healed! I thought I needed to wait for months for it to heal! Thanks, Shinobu, but the Middleman is damn miracle worker!" Itto said as he jumped up and started to stretch his body.

His other gang members also started to stretch their arms around, and gave me thanks.

"Itto, I need your help," I said to him.

"Anything! You even spared Asahi. I know he still has to spend a lot of time in jail, but... I started to see that idiot as a little brother. So, I'm grateful!" he replied and clenched his fist.

"I see. Anyway, do you know where Asahi's base is? Or even a vague general location will do. I need to go there and check it," I told him and he nodded.

"Yeah we do, actually. He brought us there around two months ago so we can take you there!" He looked at his gang and punched his palm with his fist. "Arataki gang, we got a new mission! Take the Middleman to Asahi's base location!" announced Itto and got a shout of 'Yeah!' from the guys. Shinobu simply shook her head at them."

"I'll teleport you guys back first. I'll meet you at your small village shortly. I need to speak with a few more people before I proceed."

Itto simply gave me a thumbs up, as the gang gathered around and I teleported them back to Zyoto. Turning my attention to Yuanteng, I made my way there and looked at Asahi. He was still alive and he wasn't bleeding even if he was missing a leg and part of his arm.

"Rias-sama was the one who did this," said Yuanteng.

I nodded and quickly read his memory. To my surprise I saw most of his history. However, he wasn't in the Khaos Order's base that much, so they probably didn't see him as a threat to their organization so they left his memories untouched. And they were right, however, they overlooked one thing—

He had a conversation with Rohe over the communication circle earlier in the day.

'So what they wanted to get from Shirayuki was one of King Enma's uchiwa that he made and gave to Shirayuki, huh? Interesting. I'll ask her for details about it then. Asahi, you were a lot more useful than I initially thought.'

I smiled after reading his memories and looked at Yuanteng and pecked her on the lips making her blush. "Good work. You can come back to the ring or accompany us to Zyoto. Which do you want to do?"

"I-I wish to accompany you…" she said meekly, still embarrassed after the quick kiss.

"Alright," I said and turned to look at Inaie who was still busy speaking to a bunch of Tengu. "I guess we can leave her here for the time being. She seems genuinely happy, so it's fine."

I brought back the majority of the shadow soldiers into my shadow, turned the dead enemies into more shadow soldiers, and left four in Inaie's just in case of anything. We then left for Zyoto after I put the ice-encased Asahi in my [Inventory]. However—

"Aaron, I want to stay here and learn a bit more about the Tengu realm with Inaie," said Rias.

"Really?" I asked and she nodded. "Well if you're sure, go for it."

We shared a quick kiss and we finally left for the Oni realm.

…

Zyoto, Vadaya

…

"Jin-sama, as we said…" Ram started and Rem just looked exhausted as she just sighed.

I had teleported us directly outside of Shuten's throne room and the two Oni maids were startled.

"Is Shirayuki here?" I asked them.

"No, she went back to her—"

"I see, thanks," I interrupted them and teleported away again. I think I'm just making Ram pissed off at me, but whatever, I have more important things to find out.

Once we arrived in the center of the water pool again, Shirayuki was there in her human form and she opened her eyes and looked at us.

"How can I help you, Middleman?" she asked calmly.

"The crisis in Takamagahara is over, and I have something to ask you," I said and then explained what I found out by reading Asahi's memories.

This alerted Shirayuki and she disappeared for a few minutes, but she eventually came back and looked quite pale.

"They took it…! No, how can I—I can't…"

"Is everything okay?" I asked her.

"No!" she shouted but covered her mouth and shook her head. "I was gifted that by King Enma a very long time ago. We had a simple chat; however, he enjoyed it so much that he gave me that as a parting gift. He's quite famous, so I kept it and treated it like a national treasure of sorts."

"But that item is also quite dangerous as it can be considered as an unofficial Sacred Gear, or Holy Relic of sorts!" Shirayuki then told us about its abilities and how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands.

"I see. If the Khaos Brigade had such an item then it would be quite dangerous. What does it look like? I mean, the details on the fan, I have my shadow soldiers all over the world. If they see that fan, I can have them take it back instantly," I asked her.

She described it as a normal looking uchiwa fan, however, the design on the fan itself was a Japanese flag and a blue wave on the left side and a red wave on the right side. On the handle was a small string that was attached to a red and green feather.

"Did he design it that way for any particular reason?" I asked.

"Not that I know of. However, at the time I was wearing a different set of clothing—the same as what I'm wearing now, but it was a bit shorter and had the colors of the fan. The main color was red, with some blue waves and green wind as patterns. Those were the designs of my kimono."

She made a face and added, "When I say it out loud, he may have created the design based on what I wore that way. I hope he doesn't get upset when he finds out I lost it."

"It was stolen during an attack, and was targeted. Even though he is the Lord of Hell in Buddhism, we can hope that he didn't join the new faction of the Khaos Order where the Evil Gods gathered. If he didn't, then he can be reasoned with. Can you contact him?"

She shook her head and said, "It was a one-time meeting, a coincidence. I do not believe we can see him again; however, I did meet him in Kyoto for that brief visit in time…"

"Kyoto, huh?" I repeated. Quite ironic since she comes from Zyoto since Shuten named it after Kyoto itself. I looked at Suzaku and she shook her head.

"I have no idea where Lord Enma's residence is. It could be at numerous Buddhist shrines and temples in Kyoto, or even Japan. However, I can ask my great-uncle, Suou… Aaron don't make that face…" she reprimanded me.

"I was making a face?" I repeated and looked away.

She pinched my cheeks and said, "Yes you were… you may not like him, but he is quite knowledgeable in many things since he was head of the clan for many years."

"Alright, alright, we'll ask him. I need to meet that old relic again eventually after all," I said and sighed.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused.

"I mean, I'm going to marry you. We've already engaged," I said to her and looked at her strangely. A small blush appeared on her face as a result of this.

"Ah… y-yes, you're right…"

Shirayuki coughed into her fist drawing our attention back to her. "You are a Himejima, correct? Then it should not be a problem. Amaterasu-sama has been trying to create her own alliance with Japanese Gods once she found out about Jin's attempts at creating peace. One of the first were the other religion of Japan, Buddhism, so those gods—and King Enma is one of them."

"Amaterasu is deeply connected to the Himejima clan after all, so it should make speaking to him much easier, in theory. There is no guarantee that he will speak to the Middleman since he is quite a recluse," added Shirayuki.

"Then why don't we bring you with us? He will surely like you, right?"

However, Shirayuki gave me a disgusted look. "If you are thinking of courting me, or thought that King Enma may have some kind of romantic feelings towards me, you are mistaken, young Middleman. He has a wife, and even King Enma is terrified of her."

'What the hell is up with most husbands in this world being completely weak to their wives…?'

[You will learn in the future, young padawan.]

{You is learn, when married then.}

'I don't need either of you being Yoda right now…'

"No, I'm just asking you to go with me when I go meet with King Enma…"

"I will speak to Amaterasu-sama about it. If she agrees all three of us can go," she said.

"I'm fine with that," I nodded and agreed with her. "Well, that's all I came here for. Thank you for answering my questions."

I could also ask Amaterasu about it before we leave, so I can have my answer then… but I'll wait for Shirayuki to ask her too.

Once we left the waterfall pit and got to the surface, we coincidentally came across the Arataki gang, and Itto seemed to have lost his soul. I can kind of guess what had happened since it looked like they came from Shuten's home.

"Ah, Jin-san," greeted Shinobu.

"Hello. It doesn't seem like your leader is doing too well," I greeted her back and she gave us a tired smile. Shinobu didn't have her mask on her face and she looked quite different without it.

"Yes. We stopped by to see Shuten Doji-sama and our boss got scolded quite harshly. He didn't want to go initially, however, both Rem-san and Ram-san were waiting for our arrival back in the realm… and they snatched us up when we arrived," she explained.

I can imagine Shuten doing something like that, and Rem and Ram doing it with stoic yet gleeful faces.

"I see," I said and walked up to Itto before slapping his face and him coming back to us.

"Eh? Uh… huh? Ah! Middleman! Good timing. We were about to go back to our base and then—"

"No need to explain, let's go."

He nodded and ran off leaving everyone behind. We sighed at him and quickly followed after him.

…

It didn't take us long to arrive at the quaint village that they stayed in, and it seemed a lot better than last time. Before we left this area, I subtly increased the fertility of the land. This meant that the vegetables that they had been growing were flourishing, and they had set up more plots to grow them.

In addition, I repaired the well and provided them with more water, enabling them to thrive.

"Ah! It's Itto-nii-chan!" one of the kids shouted which made the rest turn to us. They then ran up to us and started to pester him.

"By the way, Shinobu. What will happen with Itto?" I asked her.

"Shuten-sama somehow managed to convince Amaterasu-sama to leave the punishment to her and so Boss won't be able to leave this sub-realm for quite some time. Although he isn't too bothered by that since he rarely leaves it," she replied.

"I see. I guess Shuten had her words with Amaterasu, or they just struck up a deal. Anyway, I was meant to ask this, but… do you plan on sticking with his gang forever? It's not exactly a reliable way of getting income. Though I can understand wanting your own freedom and choices," I asked her.

"…Well, I do plan on eventually leaving the gang. But I would think that would be far in the future."

"You're probably skilled with finances, right?" I asked and she nodded. "I thought so. You probably handle the finances for the gang, right? I plan on opening a restaurant that may expand into something bigger in the future. If you want I can hire you."

Kuki Shinobu seemed a bit surprised, but thought about it. As she did the rest of us watched Itto play with the kids and also speak with the elderly of the small village. He was also scolded by them since he explained that he would still be punished by Shuten.

"May I have more time to think about it? I also need to talk to my boss about it for the future," she asked.

"Sure. It's not like I'm looking for an immediate answer," I replied.

She shouldn't have any other reason for refusing since I have basically infinite money and can destroy the human economy if I wish. My employees' minimum wage in the future should be quite high enough, so people employed in any of my businesses in the future should live a good life, roughly making around 180k a year, more if you're higher in position.

…

After a few minutes of helping the people in the village, the place had a more modern look. I had helped build new houses here, and also gave them some animals they could use for food. Since we were done, we were going to go to Asahi's base.

We had gone north of the village and we were running there at a moderate pace. Itto hadn't said anything since we left, but I could tell that he was excited about something. We eventually reached a small cave and a stupid little sign outside that said 'Asahi Sato: Gang Cave!' which made me chuckle.

We entered and it was small, and it seemed like Asahi himself had quite literally punched his way into this mountainside as many of the walls of it had some fist-shaped indentations. There was a small opening with some essentials like a few chairs, some kind of cooler that had ice magic at the bottom, a few wardrobes and other essentials like a small bed for him to sleep on.

"I was expecting something, but this is…" muttered Shigune.

"It looks more like a homeless person's man cave," I said and got pinched by Suzaku. "Ish dwa twtuth…" (It's the truth…)

She didn't let go of my cheek until I started to move around and search the room. For the most part, the items here were normal, nothing too suspicious. However, there was a book shelf on the left side that gave off a different feeling than the rest of them. I wasn't the only one looking at it as both Suzaku and Shigune were looking at it as well.

Arriving in front of it, I touched it and it vanished. It wasn't a powerful illusion spell, but it did the job to trick the Arataki gang. However, I was more impressed that Asahi managed to stop Itto and his group from destroying the place and accidentally revealing this spot.

There was another small room beyond this 'doorway' and I passed through it, followed by the girls and the gang. It was much larger than the 'base' that Asahi wanted to show off to them. The inside of this room was a lot more advanced.

It had a metal floor, walls, and roof. There were multiple monitors that were set up near the middle of the room and one of the cameras was no longer working, but 'Takamagahara' was at the top right of its screen. The others were for the Tengu, Kitsune and Oni realms.

"What the… was Asahi keeping tabs on all the sub-realms all this time?" asked one of Itto's men.

Shinobu walked over to the computer and touched it. "This… is pretty advanced tech. I saw this once at a place where they were showing off future tech in the human realm. I got curious and was at the beginning of my rebellion against my parents, so I resorted to it if you were wondering," said Shinobu.

"Do you know who made it?" I asked and joined her side as she sat down on the chair and began to mess with the computer.

"Looking at the wanted poster of Promestein and Avezza, and if I compared both women from back then… then it's probably them. I think they were trying to get funding or something. I don't know if that was before or after they joined the Khaos Order," she said and continued to type on the keyboard until—

"I'm in," she said. I almost snickered at how cliché it was. It felt like those films where the hacker types for a bit on the keyboard before saying what she said.

However, I didn't expect Shinobu to be this skilled at tech-type things. As she looked through the computer, the Arataki gang watched her while Shigune and Suzaku started to look through the room. There were some books in the corner, and Shigune started reading through them.

I walked over to Suzaku since she bent down and picked up something. I peered at what she was holding, and to my surprise… it was a picture? It looked like it was taken without the two people in it knowing. Both of them were clearly Oni, and if both of them were merged or combined they would look vaguely like Asahi.

"His parents, huh?" I said and Suzaku nodded. "I guess he longed for them. I wonder if they're dead or alive?"

Cúntóir: Answer: Only Asahi Sato's mother is alive. His father could not pay off a certain debt and was killed for it. Asahi's mother is in hiding now.

'I see.' I can ask him about his past another time, but… I think I have a vague idea of how it was. Debt, huh? I don't think my parents were ever near that. I believe I had a reasonably 'rich' life, maybe even spoiled if I stretched it.

"Can you keep this safe, Aaron?" Suzaku asked me.

"Sure," I replied. Family to her is paramount. Both the overall Himejima clan, and Akeno's family. I took the picture and stored it in my [Inventory] along with Asahi in there.

We walked over to Shigune and it seemed like she was reading something. I took another book from the ground and it was called 'Why the Universe Exists: How particle physics unlocks the secrets of everything'. Another was 'Atoms, Molecules and Photons An Introduction to Atomic-, Molecular- and Quantum Physics'.

"I didn't think Asahi was the type to read these kinds of things. He looked like the dumb type when standing next to Itto."

"Hey!" complained Itto, though I ignored him.

I looked at the book Shigune was reading and… to my surprise it was a light novel. I guess not all of these books were of that kind then. Seeing as how nothing popped out to me, and Suzaku joined in reading with Shigune, I walked back over to Shinobu.

"Any progress?" I asked.

"Most of these are encrypted with passwords. I've been slowly working through all combinations and I only unlocked—"

[Countdown has started—initiating emergency protocol by Asahi Sato… 'Blow the fuck-up, cause we got sneaky Oni's!'. Fifteen seconds before the area explodes.]

A robotic voice suddenly said startling all of us.

'Cúntóir, can you access this? And if you can, take any and all relevant data,' I ordered her.

Cúntóir: Answer: Give me a moment.

"Alright, time to go," I said and put my hand in front of me and teleported everyone out of the base except for me and Yuanteng.

I watched the timer slowly go down and waited for Cúntóir to finish. I also put a barrier around this place, so the explosion would be contained to only here, and it won't destroy this mountain side. Finally, when it reached five seconds—

Cúntóir: Answer: I am finished, you can leave now.

Taking one last look at everything, I stored a few items in my [Inventory] just in case—the pile of books, and other miscellaneous items. I grabbed Yuanteng and we left. I'll ask Cúntóir about it later on tonight.

…

"E-excuse me…" she mumbled and left to go inside the ring after we arrived in the village. I wonder if she was embarrassed by that…?

In the distance we heard a loud explosion and the ground shook underneath us.

"Wha—it was that powerful?! What the hell was Asahi hiding in that thing?" asked Itto as he looked in the direction of the explosion. "Wait, it doesn't look like the mountains are going to topple over."

"I sealed the place with a barrier, so only the base itself exploded. Everything else is safe, and no damage was done," I replied to the confused Oni.

"As expected of the Middleman, now fight me!" he said and took out his club.

Shinobu walked to his side and punched his gut—knocking the air out of him and making him keel over while clutching his stomach.

"No," she said coldly to him. She then turned to me and asked, "Did you get anything from that computer, Jin-san?"

"I think so, but—"

"I understand. I would like to know in the future… if that's possible," she said and I agreed.

"Sure thing, but for now… we have to go. I still have a few things to do back in Takamagahara."

Shinobu nodded, turned around and scolded Itto a bit more. I think she'd be a suitable fit for my future business. I turned around and left with my two companions.

…

Takamagahara

…

Once we got back to Takamagahara, much of the damage had already been repaired. However, the place that I was heading to was one that we were already familiar with. We eventually reached a certain inn and entered.

"Wel—holy, Jin! You're here?!" Uwabami screamed out and ran out from the counter before pouncing on me, which surprised me.

I caught her and she immediately stepped down and started shaking me.

"Why are you here?! Contract?! Talks?! Or… you came to see me?!" Uwabami gasped and stepped back and pretended to blush. "Oh dear, oh dear. How can I respond?! Such a sudden confession!" she exclaimed.

[Did… did she become a schizo?] Ddraig asked.

{If she heard you, she would definitely try to choke you out…}

[Oh yeah mommy, choke me!]

{......}

[I was joking! Don't back away from me! Also don't look at me like that!!]

"I did want to see you, but I also came here to talk about our plans from before," I said to her.

"Ara? Ara, ara? I didn't think you'd admit that~ but great! Let's go to… the kitchen and talk," she announced, grabbed my arm and dragged me away. "Ah, it's nice seeing you two again, Shigune-chan, Suzaku-chan!"

"Y-yes, it's a pleasure seeing you again, Uwabami-san."

"It's been a while; I hope you're doing well."

Both of them replied and we sat down at a table.

"Hit me!"

Bonk!

"I didn't mean literally!" she complained as I jokingly tapped her forehead.

"So—"

I explained to her my revised plan, and showed her my business card. I also shared with her a few of my immediate plans if and when my restaurant finds any kind of success. I had already drawn this up with Ravel, Latia and Grayfia.

"That's, what I have so far. What do you think?" I asked her.

"I think you proposed to me~"

...What?

I gave her a look that said she was insane and she laughed at me.

"I was joking, Jin-kyun~ but I love it! I'm fine with this! When are you getting married?!" she said excitedly and slammed her hands on the table.

"Great, but what was that last part?" I asked her.

"Ahhh~ I just wanted to tease you, Jin-kyun~! No need to be so serious~! I'll go back to the front since this is over, but if you guys decide to stay the night, please feel free to come back! The day is ending soon after all~" she said and left.

"Aunt will probably ask you to stay the night, Aaron."

"Yeah, I feel like she will," I replied to Suzaku.

"W-well at least we're in a place we've been to before, and the hot springs aren't too far away too, so I think Shuri-san might ask us to go there," added Shigune.

"T-there's that too…" replied Suzaku shyly.

I was confused by it but shrugged it off and we finally left the establishment. We started making our way back to the castle slowly, but I decided to make some stops first. First was Kathleen. We stepped into the shop and she greeted us.

"Ah, Jin-san. Welcome. Business has been booming since my partnership with Hephaestus-sama. I wanted to thank you again for this opportunity," she said and shook my hand.

"It's due to your talents and hard work. All I did was introduce you two, so I didn't do too much," I replied as we shook hands.

I looked around the shop as did my companions and it seemed like the items she's been making had dramatically improved since the last time I saw it.

"Amaterasu-sama and a few others approached me and told me the truth. So I've been desperately trying to improve my skills. I've also spoken to Hephaestus-sama a lot, as well as the dwarfs of Asgard. We've shared tips and they've even come here to see my own work," she explained.

"Muvoth, Beren, Sherry and Kioko, right?" I asked.

"Yes, that's them. We've been sharing techniques and other things. Apparently those two shops have merged in their realm, and they've become an even more significant name over there," she added.

That's surprising. They were kind of competing with one another. I wonder if Hephaestus was the one to tell them to merge or they just came to an agreement after working with Phae. Well, whatever the reason is, I think this is good…

A man suddenly walked into the shop, and it was… Sasaki Kojiro. We hadn't seen him since mom rejected him.

"Oh? Middleman-kun, I didn't expect to see you here again!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"I take it that you got over the rejection?" I asked and he awkwardly looked away.

"A-ahahaha, m-maybe. A-anyway, Kathleen-chan. Can I have you repair my swords for me?" he asked and placed both his swords down.

"Sure thing, Kojiro-san," replied Kathleen as she took them away.

"Those monsters were quite powerful, you know? You guys fight them on a regular basis? Even the heroes of this realm took quite a beating you know? But… I think it was a good thing. Some didn't take advantage of those chambers you installed all over the supernatural realms, but I think they'll start using them to get stronger," he explained.

"I even got my ass kicked a few times, hmm. Even Katou Danzou-chan nearly died, so she'll be a frequent visitor to that place, oh yeah another is—"

Before he could finish speaking, another person walked into the shop.

"Oh? Kojiro-oji-chan, I didn't think you'd be here… hmm? Hmmm?!? I-is that the Oppai Dragon?! Can I have an autograph?!" the female asked and walked up very close to me.

"Sure thing, what's your name?" I asked and summoned a pen.

"Miyamoto Musashi! Or famously known as Shinmen Musashi no Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu! I'm a big fan of Oppai Dragon!" she happily exclaimed and brought out a poster of me in my [Boosted Gear] [Queen] form and I signed it. "Thank you!"

I didn't expect to see Miyamoto Musashi though, and she's also a female… I was expecting a male.

Miyamoto Musashi had light pink hair tied in a bun, and pale blue eyes. She wore a custom made blue and red hakama, she had shin and leg guards and carried two swords with her. She also seemed to have a bright and cheerful personality.

"So what's the Oppai Dragon doing here?" she asked after putting away the signed poster.

"We were just checking on Kathleen, and our next stop is the two novel shops before meeting back up with Amaterasu," I explained while she nodded along.

"Are you leaving after all that?" she asked.

"No, we're probably going to stay for the night and a bit for tomorrow then we'll go home. I have a few things to do, and I doubt I'll get to them since the day is ending," I said. I looked out of the store to see the sun setting.

This answer made Musashi grin and she crossed her arms and declared, "I will accompany you! I wish to see you working, and I would also like to be near the Oppai Dragon!"

"Well… at least you're honest about it. I don't mind, I think Shuri would like to see another famous historical figure," I said and looked at Kojiro "what were you trying to say?"

"Ahaha, I was planning to mention this little girl here, but she came in at the right time," explained Kojiro as he patted Musashi on the head. She quickly swiped it away and glared at him.

"I see… anyway, we'll get moving then. Nice seeing you again, Kojiro, Kathleen. Oh and also, you better give up, Kojiro. Mom isn't the type of woman that would take too kindly to getting hit on, I think."

"N-noted," he replied a bit nervously.

'What was that about…? Did he try again?' I thought. In the end we just left with an unexpected traveling buddy, Musashi.

We arrived at the two novel shops and we dropped into Yae's first.

"Oya~? Jin-chan, Shigune-chan, Suzaku-chan and Musashi-dono. I'm glad you could make it. I have a few items that Akeno may like," she said and handed me a few books.

"…I'll buy them," I told her. They were very strange books that I didn't want to keep looking at. Yae laughed at me and we did the transaction.

"Akeno-chan is quite bold, don't you think?" she asked as she handed me a plastic bag with the books.

"Well, it wouldn't be Akeno if she wasn't like this," I said to her and stored the books in my [Inventory]. "By the way how's…?"

"He's fine. She's also awake now but didn't try to run away. They're both just waiting for you both, they're probably having sex before she gets locked up too, fufu~" said Yae quite mischievously.

"…I mean why do you think I went to your shop first? I have pretty strong hearing," I told her and she also blushed a little, the same for everyone else with me.

The store fell silent as I let that surprising fact sink in. Trying to move away from the awkwardness Shigune walked over to a shelf and pulled out a book. Unfortunately for her, she pulled out a book called '100 Shades of Gray' and she immediately blushed after reading the summary of it. She quickly put it back and awkwardly shuffled behind me and just grabbed my shirt and didn't move.

'100 Shades of Gray, why did they add an extra 50…? This world and its weird knockoffs…'

We waited around for a few minutes, making light chatter and getting to know Musashi a bit more. She wasn't too bothered by my earlier comment and said 'Sex is normal, though not that I know since I'm an old hag virgin!' and then laughed it off.

Finally, after five minutes of standing around we could go over. Yae decided to join us. She may just mock Kogitsunemaru, but I wasn't going to stop her. We arrived at the shop, and the lovey-dovey atmosphere that these two had instantly shattered after they saw me.

"Hello," I greeted them.

"J-Jin… glad you could make it," Kogitsunemaru said in a depressed tone.

Before I could reply, a familiar trio walked in with Sara.

"Rohe-san, you're under arrest," said Yoshitsune. "Please come with us quietly."

Rohe didn't try to run, or attack them. She simply agreed and quietly left with Sara followed by Yoichi and Benkei.

"We have been busy with many things over the last few hours. However, someone noted that Rohe-san was captured by you and left in Kogitsunemaru-san's shop, and we had a spy—Yae-san so we knew she hadn't run away," explained Yoshitsune.

We looked at Yae who winked at us. Kogitsunemaru seemed a bit angry with Yae but didn't do anything.

"Yoshitsune-san, what will happen to Rohe?" he asked.

"I personally do not know. What she did and whoever else—"

"Wait a minute, here," I stopped Yoshitsune and summoned the ice-encased Asahi. "He was also part of it. Do you want to take him with you?"

"Ah yes, thank you, Jin-san." She snapped her fingers and some people clad in ninja attire appeared and took Asahi away.

"As I was saying. I do not know, however, Rohe-san and Asahi-san will be judged accordingly and will have punishments put on them accordingly. I or anyone else won't have a say in it. Even Jin-san won't have much of a say. They endangered this realm and I'm sorry to say, I wouldn't be surprised if they got the death penalty," said Yoshitsune.

Kogitsunemaru fell to his knees in despair. If what Yoshitsune said was true then I wouldn't have much of an impact if I decided to say something to Amaterasu, or whoever was the one to deal with their punishments.

Silent tears streamed down Kogitsunemaru's face as what she said destroyed him. I would probably feel the same if the woman I loved was going to be executed, but at the same time I would understand why and that's why it's such a horrible feeling.

Even if there was only one death, and it was due to the person wanting to move on and refusing to be revived. Even if I said that, I doubt it would be a strong argument and I couldn't really say anything. In Áine's case she only targeted me, and to an extent Asia and Raynare who were with me that day.

In the case of Medusa, well, she was being mind controlled and had no choice in the matter. But with these two—Asahi and Rohe. They had choices and they decided to continue with it and this is what happened.

[Actions have consequences. They have to deal with that, even if it means that their life will end.]

{Hmm. Exactly, and what they did endangered many lives.}

"We can hope that they'll receive some sort of punishment that isn't death. I don't know Amaterasu much, but if what she gave the Himejima clan and to an extent—the other Five Principal Clans, then we can have some hope that they won't die," I said, as I tried to console Kogitsunemaru.

However, he didn't respond, and I just summoned some coffee and put it beside him. I then left the shop with everyone else. We waved at Yae as she headed back to her shop. She didn't show any emotions regarding the situation which was strange. Perhaps she believed in Amaterasu and Kogitsunemaru?

"Do you really think they might die?" I asked Yoshitsune.

"There is a chance. Amaterasu is a fair Chief God; however, she is no pushover and will be quite harsh in her punishments even if they avoid the death penalty. However, I just wanted Kogitsunemaru-san to know that those are possibilities. I don't think they will reach a verdict while you're still here, Jin-san. So I will update you via text when a decision is made," she said.

We arrived just outside where Sara would usually greet us and she bowed her head. "I will get moving then, and good night, Jin-san."

"Yeah, you too," we waved her off as she walked out of our sight. 'Death penalty, huh?' I shook my head and left the decision up to Amaterasu; we navigated our way back to the meeting hall and entered it after knocking.

Once we were there, Rose looked like she was exhausted and had that 1000-yard stare as she looked at Fūjin and Shuri speaking to one another. I didn't feel any trace of Asahi or Rohe here, so they probably took them somewhere else entirely.

"Welcome back, Jin!" Shuri welcomed us after she saw us. "We're staying the night! You do have a place in mind, don't you?"

"Yes, mom I do. We can go to the hot springs for our evening bath if you want," I added.

"This is why I love you! What an outstanding son-in-law. Also, these three ladies will be joining us~!" she said and spread her arms out again.

I have no idea how she managed to get so close to these three goddesses in such a short period of time, but I'm in awe if I'm being honest…

[The powers of a mother? Or a Himejima mother, specifically?]

{It makes me wonder how Akeno or Suzaku will turn out when they become mothers in the future…}

"Hmm? Who is that? A new harem member?" Shuri asked and tilted her head.

"…No, it's Miyamoto Musashi. She wanted to, I guess follow me for a little bit before we leave tomorrow. Anyway, let's go get a room at that inn first, mom. I know the person there," I said and she trotted over to us along with a still exhausted Rose.

"Ama-chan, Fu-chan, Ra-chan, we'll see you at the hots spring~!" she said to the goddesses who smiled and waved at her.

…

"Ara?"

"Ara, ara?"

Both Uwabami and mom said that to each other. They kept repeating it for a few seconds before Uwabami looked at me and said, "Jin! You have another Himejima in your harem?"

Mom wanted to play along and hugged my arm and said, "Fufufu, that's right, I'm Shuri Himejima~"

"A-auntie please don't say something like that…" muttered Suzaku.

"Auntie…? Ah, so you're Akeno-chan's mother! Ufufufu, I can see where Akeno-chan got her personality from~ so, Jin! Two or one room?!" Uwabami asked with a strange amount of enthusiasm.

"One. I will prevent my son-in-law from having any lewd time with these girls! This is a wholesome trip! Not including the attack from earlier, but it's still wholesome!" Shuri declared and crossed her arms.

Uwabami laughed and agreed with her. She gave mom the keys and gave her directions. Mom dragged me along with everyone else behind us. Musashi decided to stay in the lobby and chat with Uwabami.

"It's the perfect size~" said Shuri as she ran into the room, quickly got the tatami mats and futon out and jumped onto them.

"Shuri-san is quite childish at times…" said Rias beside me.

"That means she still has some of her inner child in her, which makes her a better adult!" proclaimed Inaie.

These two had returned to Takamagahara after we left Amaterasu's castle and met up with us. So we came to the Inn together, and we were all going to the hot springs later with the goddesses. As mom said, the room was even larger than the last one I got with Akeno, Suzaku and Shigune. It would easily fit us all. I wonder if Uwabami had a few 'luxury' rooms upgraded since we were last here?

As everyone else was choosing their futon, I glanced at Raiko as she had been silent the entire time since joining us. She had stayed behind to help with repairing the city, so we hadn't seen each other for a bit, but she also had been avoiding looking at me. I was a bit worried, but it seemed like she was a little embarrassed to look at me. It made me wonder if something had happened between her and Kintoki.

"Now then, dinner and then to the hot springs!" declared mom, as Rias and Inaie marched out with her.

"They sure are lively at this time of the day," I said and sighed.

"It's better than being sad is it not?" asked Suzaku.

"You have a point. You guys go ahead. Raiko, can we talk?" I asked them and they agreed. Everyone else left and Raiko and I were the only ones there.

"How was the rest of the realm?"

"Everything had been remediated by you and with the help of your shadow soldiers. I only helped with a few small things here and there, speaking with people I know and that sort…" she explained while not looking at me.

"Raiko, look at me," I said in a more authoritative tone and she reluctantly did so. However, when she did, she blushed the entire time. "Thank you, now tell me, did something happen during your confrontation with Sakata Kintoki?" I asked her.

She squirmed a bit before finally settling down and looking at me. "He… you know that he's a former subordinate of mine… a-and he declared his love for me…"

I see. I nodded at her but remained silent. She started to fidget again and meekly grabbed my hands and looked me straight in the eyes. "I… I um… I rejected him. I-I didn't see him that way, and I…" she started to mumble and look at our hands.

I saw that she was struggling to say the words she wanted to tell me. It was cute but we would get nowhere, so I'll do it my way.

"Raiko," I called out to her and she looked back up at me. "Equivalent exchange. I'll give half of my life to you and you give half of yours to me."

Raiko looked confused for a second before her face turned completely red. However, she found the courage to speak back to me. "…You only want half? …I'll give you all of it, f-from now on and forever," she said while blushing furiously.

"Then we have a deal, Raiko," I said to her and leaned into her and captured her lips.

Raiko let go of my hands and put hers on my chest and kissed me back. At the same time as we kissed, I made her immortal. She had declared that she would stay with me forever, so I took that as permission.

We eventually separated from our kiss and Raiko looked at me still blushing.

"Um…"

"Let's go join everyone for dinner otherwise they'll get suspicious," I said and winked at her.

"Y-yes…"

…

"Hehehehe~"

"Hehehehe~"

Both mom and Uwabami were giggling at each other and speaking to one another in hushed whispers. This was already going on once Raiko and I joined everyone else in the dining area.

"Raiko, congratulations," said Suzaku and Raiko blushed again.

"T-thank you…"

"Huh? What happened?" asked Inaie. Suzaku simply smiled at her and gesture to Raiko and then me and crossed her fingers. "Oh! Harem! Grats, Cow-tits-senpai!"

Smack!

"…Did Grayfia not tell you to not call women with large breasts that?" Raiko asked Inaie after smacking her on the head.

"…Ow… I'm sorry…" she clutched her head in pain and apologized.

"Ara? Raiko-chan joined my son-in-law's infinite harem? Ara, to think a legendary figure like yourself would fall for this boy," said Shuri as she shook her head.

Uwabami then whispered into Shuri's ear and she nodded, looked at her and then looked at my crotch. Well, she tried to and I uncomfortably covered it.

"I see… I can understand why. I also know which ones in this room aren't virgins," declared mom and then pointed at Suzaku, herself and Uwabami. "Everyone else is!"

I don't think she had anything to drink, so I don't understand why she was acting like this. But as long as she's having fun, I don't see a problem with it. The rest of dinner was rather uneventful, as we just watched about the attack and Suzaku, to my surprise, teased Raiko quite a bit.

…

"Ah, the hot springs are mixed by the way, Auntie."

"I don't have a problem with that, Suzaku~ the only man there is Aaron, so it's fine~" replied mom.

We arrived in the same old hot springs from before and even though the changing rooms were at different places, we all entered the same bath. Since I was on my own, I didn't need to socialize with anyone else, so I quickly got changed.

I was the first in the open bath and I quickly moved over to the furthest corner of the place. I sat down and waited for everyone else to arrive.

"Why are you all the way over there, Aaron?" Mom asked as she and everyone else + the three goddesses came out.

"…Don't mind me, just giving privacy to the women here," I replied and gave them a thumbs up. However, my ring briefly shone and out came Ayelet and she was already wrapped in a towel before hugging my arm.

"I would like to join too, Aaron-sama," she replied with a squint and nibbled on my ear.

She joined our side today and was quite aggressive already. I wanted to talk to her about the Evie and about her life before being turned into that android thing. But that can wait until we have a more private setting.

"Aaron," said Raijin as she stood in front of me.

I looked up at her and waited for her to continue.

"With the recent events our duel will be delayed and held at a different date. I have received your contact information through Shuri and I will contact you in the future about it," she said and Shuri gave us a peace sign as she sat down.

"I see. Sure, I don't mind," I replied. It only makes sense; I doubt people would like to attract that kind of attention to the realm right now after being attacked. Though I already plan to add more shadow soldiers here.

"Aaron! Aaron! Come here~!" mom called for me so I hurried over with Ayelet still hanging onto me. Raijin also came with us as she sat beside Amaterasu who was looking quite troubled by the whole ordeal.

"What's up, mom?" I asked and sat down in front of her.

"Who's that?" she asked and pointed at Ayelet. I gave her the vague answer of a new subordinate. She was still suspicious but let it slide. "Onto the real question!" she said and pointed at the three goddesses with us. "Who do you want first?"

"…Huh?"

"I have (sort of) convinced them to join your harem! Aren't I a great mother? Ufufufu~ so who do you want?" she asked again.

I stared blankly at her before looking at the three goddesses in question. Amaterasu gave me a troubled smile, Fūjin remained neutral and Raijin shrugged. 'These guys aren't being helpful…'

"Didn't Akeno—"

"Yes, she did, but! As a mother, I want you to hurry up with your relationships! Even Raynare-chan told me of her frustrations with you! She, while still a bit shy, wants you to be more active. She does appreciate you being considerate though!"

"There's more!" mom then looked at Shigune who wasn't too far away and she blushed and hid behind Poh who was with us too. "Shigune-chan wants your love too, jeez!"

I scratched the back of my head. I did spend a lot of time with all of them during our 100 years, but I guess that wasn't enough, huh? Though the main reason why I can't get to them all is because of all the crap that the Khaos Order does. This is in addition to my job and my current responsibilities as a student. I have a limited time in the day, even if I sometimes do just leave my avatar to attend.

'There is also you preparing for your upcoming business, no?' added Rudra.

'That too.' I sighed and said, "I'm trying my best, mom. I mean… I did propose to Raiko earlier."

"He did?!" Shuri asked surprised and looked at Raiko who nodded in affirmation. "Ara! It wasn't just starting a relationship; you skipped all the way to being engaged?! I see, is that your plan with Raynare-chan?!" she asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I do love Raynare if that's what you're trying to ask. I know a little bit about her past, which is why I'm a bit hesitant with her. As for the rest, it's just that we're apart cause of our school and jobs."

"I mean, I'm only engaged to a few people right now, so… I plan on increasing that once I'm in college. Though…" I trailed off and glanced at Rias who blushed when I looked at her. "I had plans on using a certain tree in this realm to propose to someone," I continued as I kept my eyes on Rias who understood what I meant and turned even redder.

"Hmm-hmm. Rias-chan, huh? Very well, do it!"

"…I have been told to have better timing and mood, I will not…" I replied.

Mom then gestured for me to come closer to her and when I did, she whispered into my ear, "What about Rose-chan? I found out a few things about her and she's also been looking forward to you proposing to her and asking her to be immortal."

I glanced at Rose as she had been splayed out at a part of the hot springs as she was still quite tired after looking out for mom during the entire day. I turned my attention back to mom and said, "I plan on doing it when I get her parents' approval and when we go to Yggdrasil, that's the place I want to propose to her in."

I already have Göndul's approval, but it wouldn't hurt if I also had her parents' approval. But even if I don't get it, I'll still propose to her.

"Ara~ so romantic. Yggdrasil, huh? How about a family trip after graduation? A supernatural one, I mean," she asked.

"I don't mind, but we'll have to ask everyone else since there are more than one person graduating." I turned to Amaterasu and asked, "What will happen to those two that were captured?"

"…We are still deliberating. However, please rest assured that they won't be killed. We want to gain as much information from them as possible," she said with a gentle smile.

I nodded and felt relief on Kogitsunemaru's behalf. I'll tell him this tomorrow, so he won't be too worried, and hopefully prevent him from doing something stupid.

"Ah, yes, by the way, Aaron-chan. Fūjin is a giant masochist like Baraqiel," said mom in a deadpan making the entire bath dead silent.

"S-S-S-S-Shuri!! Why did you say that?!" Fūjin asked horrified at the woman.

A smile spread across Mom's face as she grabbed Fūjin and pushed her towards me.

"Slap her ass," she ordered, stunning me.

"Aaron do not listen to her, we don't need—"

Morbid curiosity won over me and I raised my right hand and slapped Fūjin's butt.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhnnn~!" she moaned out, but then covered her mouth and looked pale. "W-wait, Aaron please sto—aaaaaaaaaahhhhnn~!"

I kept on slapping her butt, and she kept on moaning. I felt like my own image of Fūjin was slowly crumbling as I slapped her butt. I wasn't the only one—the rest of the girls in the bath with us looked defeated and horrified at the Goddess of Wind moaning as I continued to abuse her butt cheeks.

Finally, I stopped as she panted while using my body for support. I could feel drool coming out of her mouth. She really liked this, huh? She finally looked up at me—hearts-shaped pupils had replaced her normal ones.

"…I didn't think Fūjin-sama was like this… I don't know what to believe anymore…" muttered Musashi as she had watched all of this unfold, and looked depressed.

"Sorry, I got carried away there," I said to her. "We can stop now—"

But Fūjin lunged at me and tried to kiss me, but I dodged. We basically started playing a game of tag and I had to avoid her.

"What happened to her?" I asked as I dodged her attempts at catching me.

Raijin shrugged and said, "She's a giant masochist, and the fact you just spanked her a few times triggered it to come out. Whatever the case may be, either satisfy her masochism or knock her out. This rarely happens, but when it does, we just put her to sleep."

I nodded and put my hand out and made Fūjin fall asleep. She had already lunged at me again, so I caught her as she fell asleep. I sighed and shook my head. 'What a troublesome goddess…'

I looked down to see Shigune even redder than before with a shocked expression. "What's wrong Shigune?" I asked her.

"Hah. At least you're well-endowed down there," said Raijin as she nodded in approval.

"Ara, ara," said mom as her eyes were closed.

Many of the girls were blushing, and I finally noticed my towel had fallen off me as I ran around avoiding Fūjin. Smiling wearily, I covered myself up again and placed Fūjin beside Amaterasu who refused to look at me as she was as red as Shigune.

The rest of our time there was a bit more relaxed. However, mom started to tease me about how big I was and how all the girls with me would be satisfied. Ayelet agreed with her, and near the end of our stay there, Fūjin woke up and avoided me as she was too embarrassed to be near me.

…

"Good night—you too, Masochist Wind Goddess," I added and laughed. Fūjin blushed again and ran away with Amaterasu and Raijin following after her.

"Don't tease her too much, Aaron," scolded Suzaku.

"I'll try," I replied.

"Yes~ yes~ my baby Suzaku, be the one with the pants in your relationship~!" mom encouraged her on the sidelines.

We were going back to the Inn which wasn't too far, but as we got nearer to it, we saw Yae with a beaten up Kogitsunemaru. Yae looked furious as the male kitsune just hung his head down not acknowledging us in any way.

"Yae? Why are you here so late?" I asked as we reached them.

She then threw Kogitsunemaru towards me and I caught him. He did look pretty badly beaten as his left eye was swollen. When I looked back at Yae, her right hand was swollen and bloody. It was clear that she was the one responsible for beating Kogitsunemaru so much.

"That piece of trash was planning to try to go to the prison and break Rohe out and run away with her. Effectively making him a fugitive, I tried to reason with him using words, but he was hellbent on it. So, I decided to use a bit more force. If my words couldn't reach him, my fists would," she explained.

I didn't see her as a woman that used her fists to resolve issues. Her brains and intellect, yes and also magic, but fists? No…

"Kogi, were you seriously planning to do that?" I asked as I frowned at him.

"I can't… I can't let her die…! I love her…! Even if I have to stand up to this damn realm, I'll do it! I'll become a fugitive for her…!" he slowly said. His face was black and blue with that swollen eye, but he could speak.

"…Well, sorry to reign down on your heroics, but there's a high chance that they won't be killed. But they will be kept as prisoners for a long time. I can ask them to let you guys see each other, but that's probably the best I can do…" I said and looked at mom.

She was close with those goddesses; I mean she's trying to set me up with them for Christ's sake. But she understood what I meant and dragged Suzaku away. I think mom was proficient with purification and could probably use the flame manipulation of the Himejima clan, but for magic… I have zero clue.

"Eh…?" he looked shocked—well as shocked as a badly bruised person can show. "A-are you serious…?"

"Well, my mother-in-law is about to ask them now, so give us a minute, but yes they're not being killed…"

It seemed like his body had been working overtime or with adrenaline since after he heard that, he basically collapsed and breathed a sigh of relief.

"See, you idiot? If Jin is involved then there's a high chance of things going a certain way. I tried to tell that dumb head of yours!" shouted Yae.

Even if these two don't see eye-to-eye a lot of the time. I believe they have a certain degree of trust in one another, so when she saw him acting irrationally, she just had to pummel some sense into him.

"That makes sense," said Musashi and we all looked at her. "Did you know? Apparently a new moniker has popped up that people keep calling you now along with your current ones?" she asked.

"No…? I don't really keep up with those," I replied and healed up Kogitsunemaru.

"The Man Who Creates Miracles, and The Miracle Dragon. I mostly kept silent during our time in the open bath, but… what Amaterasu-sama said also surprised me. If something like this had happened in the past, those two who were kept alive would definitely have been interrogated and then killed. You must have changed her in some way," she said.

{[Uuuuuuoooooooooooooooo!! New monikers and they're not horrible!]} Both dragons cheered in unison. They were quite happy with it.

"That fits Aa—Jin-san," said Shigune as she hugged Poh tighter.

"Yes, for the short time we've known him, he tends to do ridiculous things that shouldn't have the outcome that they should," added Raiko.

"Yes, he's done a lot of miracles recently, including the—"

Before Rias could finish, mom and Suzaku came back and she gave us a thumbs up.

"They'll allow weekly visitations up to four times a week, so choose those times wisely, Kogitsunemaru-kun," said mom.

Kogitsunemaru started to cry again and started to thank us all. Eventually he managed to stand up and leave with Yae, who gave us a thankful look. We finally entered the inn where Uwabami greeted us. Musashi also left saying she'd be back in the morning.

"Fufufu, I heard it all, Boss Jin! Miracle boy!" she said and danced her way towards us. She and mom then high-fived.

We let them chat and we left for our room. Once up there everyone went to their own futon—though after a few minutes most of them had come over to mine since that's how we usually sleep.

Inaie, Rias, Raiko, Rose, Shigune and Suzaku. It was one less, but it was fine. Ayelet had left after our time in the hot springs and said we would talk about her memories once we returned home. She wanted privacy more than the barriers I provided. I didn't have a problem with that.

"Ara, ara~? It looks like everyone is joining Aaron in his bed~?" questioned mom.

"It's usually like this, Auntie," replied Suzaku. "However, it's typically seven and it's different every night," she added.

"Seven? It's only six tonight…" She then put a finger on her cheek and then jumped towards us. Everyone scattered as she aimed her body at me.

I pushed myself back up and caught her. "I'll join everyone then. I've heard many times from Akeno that you're an excellent pillow, the same with Lavinia," she said and hugged me.

Mom decided to sleep on my chest and everyone just smiled at her and joined back with me. It felt a bit weird, but I just rolled with it.

…

Jin's Soul

…

"I'm here," I said as a few of them turned to look at me.

To my surprise none of the women were there leaving me confused. Even though Cúntóir told me to come here… I walked over to the guys and stood by them. They were playing chess. Well, Ddraig and Garrett were.

[I think… they're in… God dammit…! Wait no… I think they're in that blue sky part of your soul, Partner,] said Ddraig.

{Hmm. I believe Cúntóir wanted to speak with Elsha and Amaris with something,} added Albion.

"I see, thanks." I turned around and left for that part of my soul.

…

When I got there, I saw all three of them sitting down on the water just chatting to each other. If I saw this in any other context in my past life, then it would just look like three friends talking to each other. Well, minus them floating on water…

I wasn't sure if I should interrupt it, but once I took a step, they all turned to me.

"Ah, Aaron. I'm sorry, I'm the one that told you to come here, yet I wasn't there to meet you," apologized Cúntóir.

"No, it's fine. Let's just talk about it here," I said as I sat beside them.

"If you're expecting a lot of relevant and useful information, then I'm sorry to say that you'll be disappointed. However, there were some interesting things that would help locate certain bases," said Cúntóir.

At least it's not all for a loss…

"To start, most of the things that Asahi in his files, and what he looked up were… well, that of a young teenage male or young male adult. Movies, Youtube, Veddit (reddit knockoff), etc, etc. However, the other part were some messages he had with a few members. The most relevant of these were Promestein, Nagendra and someone called Kecate Tepes."

"…Tepes? I'll ask Valerie about that name, or Azazel. That doesn't ring any bells for me," I said and frowned.

"Hmm. Nagendra seems to be the most active in India. Therefore, we can assume that his primary base is there. As for Promestein… there weren't any clear signs on where she primarily stays at. Kecate Tepes seems to be on the move all the time, since her signals traveled from the USA, to Canada, then to Denmark."

"…India, huh? I might be heading to Mt. Sumeru and speaking with Shiva, Indra, and Vishnu. All three are in the top ten strongest in the world. It should be interesting," I said and felt a bit of excitement in me. "So we have a chance of killing one of the Seekers of Truth permanently? I'm getting all fired up," I said and grinned.

"Not only that, but it seems that Avezza is planning on traveling to Italy very soon. It seems that her lover's death anniversary is coming, so she plans on visiting his grave over there," added Cúntóir. "So if we catch her off guard, and if she's not using a clone, we can capture her. If not, one of her bases is in the country, so…"

"Better than nothing, I'll increase the number of shadow soldiers there too, and have one of the G.o.B on standby there since one of them is close to Italy. I don't think Zeno and Silva will be there by the time I visit, but if they are then I'll have them help us too. Anyway, anything else?"

Cúntóir shook her head. I guess that's all the information on that computer then. I stood up and stretched my body and sighed.

"What do you plan on doing tomorrow and after, Aaron?" Amaris asked.

"Hmm? I'll go visit the Dragon Mountain in Takamagahara, bring Yoru and Haru home so Lianne and Aurelia can start training them—hell I've asked Tiamat to help train them too since she's a dragon, and both Ddraig and Albion didn't mind helping as well, so they won't be with me for most of my adventures starting tomorrow."

"Only Rudra and us?" asked Elsha.

"Pretty much. Though, it's not like they'll be there 24/7 until those two become Dragon God-class or something, but they'll be there for quite some time. Also, bring Medusa to my home too, after that… hopefully I can squeeze in a date with Rias. Unless something else happens then we'll have to postpone it again."

The reason why Tiamat is helping me is for me to let Nakiri Ouryuu join Aurelia's International Rating Game team, so that's why Tiamat joined Team [DxD] and also is willing to help with training both Yoru and Haru in the future.

As far as I know, there will only be two teams that will be in that International Rating Game that will 'play' for me. Aurelia's team and Cao Cao. As for their members, I don't know, but I'm leaving it up to Aurelia. For Cao Cao, it will mostly be Ex Hero Faction members.

"Then can I take over the announcements for the [Boosted Gear]?" asked Elsha who looked quite excited about it.

"T-then I want to do it for the [Divine Dividing]…" added Amaris.

"I don't mind, but you two need to tell Ddraig and Albion," I said and looked at Cúntóir. "It's possible, right?"

"Very much so," she replied.

"Great! Then I should go, I wouldn't—"

Elsha quickly got up and hugged my arm. "Now, now, you shouldn't leave so soon, Aaron. It's been a while since we got to speak to each other, you know? That 100 years seemed more like a million," she said and forced my arm between her breasts.

I know she's teasing me. However, after those 100 years, Elsha who had been against the idea of letting me revive her, had begun to lean more into it over time. When she did, she started being more… flirty or started to tease me more often. I took it in stride, but I personally found it a good thing and our relationship moved forward from there.

The same with Amaris, though neither of them has shared their personal history with me yet, but I'm still hopeful.

I silently stared back at Elsha and said with a grin, "Well, Elsha-sama. You have to be a bit more convincing than that."

"Ara? Alright~" she said and kissed my cheek.

"Hmm. I guess I'll stay for a little bit longer then."

After that, for around an hour or two, I stayed there with them talking about random things and flirting with them until I woke up.

…

Takamagahara

…

"Aaaahhh~" said Suzaku as she offered me some food on some chopsticks.

I opened my mouth and ate some. Shigune, Raiko and Rose did the same thing. In spite of the fact that we were eating breakfast, these girls were already competing on things like this.

Mom and Uwabami watched on in amusement. Inaie and Rias tried to join in, but they were across from us, so they had trouble, and were mostly pouting to themselves.

"You guys really love him, huh?" asked Musashi at a different table. She had arrived quite early. When we came down for breakfast she was already here.

"Yes," they answered in weird unison, making me laugh.

Musashi was a bit dumbfounded but laughed it off and turned back to eating her breakfast. This continued on until both Inaie and Rias got too jealous and decided to bring chairs over behind me and fed me too. Even so, having multiple chopsticks and pieces of food shoved towards my face was exhausting. But I still enjoyed it.

…

Our first stop was the castle. Mom wanted to meet with the three goddesses one more time. However, to our surprise both Inari and Tamamo were there, so mom got to meet up with two kitsunes.

Shuri, who had started speaking the four goddesses were acting like normal human women, who had met up for a 'girls night out', and were casually chatting. Tamamo had joined us and I asked her, "Why were you two here?"

"Inari-sama wanted to find out what had happened with the incidents. We had heard of the attack and delayed our arrival here by a day. It seems things turned out well?" she asked me.

"More or less. We do have two prisoners from the attack, though they were originally from this realm," I replied. "How have things been in your realm?"

"They have been well. A few rowdy individuals and groups showed up trying to start something, however, they were quickly stopped by Inari-sama and Maho-sama. If those two are there, our sub-realm is in safe hands," said Tamamo.

"Hmm…" I looked at Tamamo and she noticed me staring and gave me a questioning look.

"Hey, can you… do me a favor?" I asked. She was confused but agreed. "Can you do this pose, and say "Mikon!" and can I take a picture?" I asked again.

Tamamo seemed confused, but still agreed to do it. She went into the pose I showed her and said, "Mikon!" and I quickly snapped a picture with my smartphone.

"Thank you." I wanted her to do that since I first met her. But I wasn't sure when to bring it up, or if I should, but I decided on a whim today, so…

"I'm not sure why, but I feel very embarrassed," she said and her cute fox ears drooped slightly.

"Ara? I did not think you would flirt with Tamamo like that, Jin~ and you even made her do such a strange pose. You do know that she'll accept most of your requests for saving her? Ufufu~," said Inari.

I was only planning on asking her to do that. I wasn't planning on taking advantage of her, unless that did count.

"He's out on a hunt for goddesses like I said from yesterday!" said Shuri.

I looked at Rose and she gave me a tired smile but also shook her head. I guess I'll find out eventually, but I also didn't answer her and just stood there and waited for them to finish their talks.

They eventually did, and mom for some reason dragged Fūjin with her and pushed her to me, and I caught her.

"Hello there, Fūjin. How can I help you?" I asked as she squirmed in my arms.

"C-c-c—"

"C?" I asked as she struggled to say something. Shuri looked quite smug and the other two goddesses shook their heads. It felt like mom was using Fūjin's masochism right now.

"Can you be my daddy?" she asked meekly.

"....................."

I felt my own brain shut down, and it felt like I wasn't the only one. Even Tamamo who had looked at Fūjin also froze.

I quickly calmed down, let go off Fūjin, grabbed Suzaku's hand who was closest to me and turned around to leave. "It's time to head to Dragon Mountain to get Haru and Yoru. Let's go," I said and walked away.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiit~! You didn't give me an answer!!"

I did not and left the place without saying a word.

Once outside I sighed and looked up at the sky. I was fine with masochists, I mean Akeno is both and I have no problem with it. However, it's probably because we've gotten to know each other more deeply. With Fūjin, that wasn't the case.

"Shouldn't you answer her…?" asked Suzaku.

"Maybe another time, she can live without it right now," I replied. I glanced back to see everyone had caught up with us, including mom, but she did look a bit upset.

"Aaron!"

"I know, mom. I'll give her one when I come back here when I fight Raijin, but for now it's fine. She'll live," I said to her. She was still a bit upset but accepted my answer. "Anyway, let's go to Dragon Mountain."

I didn't know if Shuri could fly, so I picked her up.

"Ara? So you rejected Fu-chan, but you're putting the moves on your own mother-in-law? What a terrible son-in-law~!"

"Please don't say that," I tiredly said to her. "We're flying there and we'll be quick about it. Let's go."

I quickly flew up and then towards Dragon Mountain, everyone else behind me. What I failed to account for was that Musashi was running on the ground and was behind us by quite a bit. I looked at her but she waved us on. I nodded and flew faster and arrived at the entrance to the place. It only took her a few more seconds to arrive.

"Haha, I didn't think you'd suddenly start flying like that, Jin-san! But I did enjoy the exercise," she said and looked around the place. "It's been a while since I've been here. I heard Ryūjin-sama is here today," she added.

"Well, that makes it easier to get both Haru and Yoru then," I replied to her and let Shuri down. She immediately started looking around. "I'll go get them. You can explore the place with Rias, mom."

"Will do! Rias-chan come here~"

"A-ah yes!" Rias was a bit flustered but let herself be dragged away by Shuri.

"I'll keep them company," offered Raiko. She gave me a quick peck, blushed and caught up with them.

"Raiko-san is taking steps… so I have too as well!" Rose declared quietly to herself with Shigune agreeing with her.

I started making my way to the house of Ryūjin. It stood out the most out of all the houses so it wasn't too difficult to find. We quickly arrived at the front door with a few of the dragon and humanoid dragons look at us.

I didn't see a bell so I knocked on the door and it opened with… to my surprise, Hachiman, the God of War.

"Hmm? Ah, Middleman. We've been expecting you, come in," he said and let us all in.

The interior of the home was also quite modern but simple. We were in a small hallway, and to our immediate right was what looked like a living room, and Hachiman stepped into it and we followed him.

There were multiple couches, a table, some bookshelves filled with books and to my surprise an indoor fire pit. In the room were Ryūjin, Yoru and Haru. Ryūjin got up and shook my hand.

"It's been a while, Middleman. I heard that you accepted my request from Amaterasu, thank you," he said and gestured for us to take seats and so we did.

"Yeah. I didn't mind, as a fellow dragon I thought it'd be appropriate to help the new generation," I said as I sat down.

"Fellow dragon?" both Hachiman and Ryūjin repeated.

I smiled, and turned my pupils into slits and summoned by wings. They were a little stunned, so I added, "I'm just a hybrid though, and I hope you keep it a secret." before putting my wings away.

"I see… most people would assume what your real identity was, but to think you were a hybrid. I see, it makes sense. A human with two Sacred Gears that are based on dragons and was also a hybrid himself. Fufu, what a fascinating thing to know," said Ryūjin.

"May I know the reason why you want those two to be trained by me?" I asked.

"They know of what was spoken in that meeting not too long ago, so with that knowledge and the incoming dangers and especially with the recent attack, I would like them to be stronger. And why not ask someone who's been rumored to be one of the strongest beings in the world?" he asked and smiled.

"Rumored? Me? Haha, you praise me too much, but thanks. I also don't mind, so would you like them to be back at certain times, or…?"

"If it is not too much trouble, until they reach a certain power threshold, I would like them to stay in your home. I will pay extra if that's necessary, and if possible, can they be added to the newly created group that was created?" he asked.

"Staying in my home and joining Team [DxD]? Well, I'll need to consult Azazel and the sub-leaders, but I think that can be arranged," I replied.

Those three (Yoshitsune, Benkei and Yoichi) were already part of the Shinto group for Team [DxD], so adding Yoru and Haru wouldn't be an undesirable thing. We only had a few representatives of each pantheon, and I didn't know them personally so it should be fine.

"I do plan on having the [Chaos Karma Dragon], [Welsh Dragon] and [Vanishing Dragon] personally train them, and also the [Dragon God of Infinity] and the [Dragon of Dreams] train them. I think that should be fine, right?" I asked them and all their eyes widened.

"…Haha! Is that so? Well, if those dragons train these two, then they'll surely become stronger," replied Ryūjin.

"No kidding. Those are famous dragons after all—only a few know of the Dragon of Dreams, but it's rumored to be on par with the Dragon God of Infinity," added Hachiman.

"Well, I'd like to take them back today if that's okay? I do plan on returning home soon, since I have a few things to do for my job."

Ryūjin nodded and we all finally looked at the two girls in question who had remained silent. Both of them got up and bowed.

"Please take care of us," they said in unison.

"Yeah, leave it to me," I replied. "We'll be waiting by the entrance to Dragon Mountain, so when you're ready come meet us out there," I said and got up.

"Thank you again, Jin."

I waved to Ryūjin as I left. I was tempted to ask why Hachiman was there, but I assumed they were friends and left it at that. I'll probably do it once those two settle into my home, but for now, it's fine.

"What shall we do?" Musashi asked.

"Hmm? Well, I'll let mom and Rias explore the place and let them enjoy this 'holiday' of theirs. Even if the Khaos Order did try to attack the realm. For now, let's just wait for them… of course, if you want to join them then feel free," I replied to her.

Even though I said that, none of them ran off to do something, so we just walked around, checking the entire place out again. There weren't any major changes, apart from stronger barriers set around the place, and we had lunch in the tavern from before called 'Draven'.

…

It was around two in the afternoon that both mom, Rias and the two dragons joined us at the entrance. We enjoyed our time there since I was dragged away for at least an hour to help with training some of the youngsters. Musashi, Rose and Suzaku helped me so it wasn't that terrible. Musashi also left not too long ago.

I also didn't think we'd spend that long here, but what can you do, right? I glanced at everyone, and both mom and Rias had some kind of souvenir from the place. I'm sure they have more with them, but that's all I saw for now.

"Okay, we're heading home. Are you all ready?" I asked and got a unanimous 'Yes!' from all of them.

…