It was the end of the year.
Noa-san and Mikoto-chan seemed to be extremely busy with work during the year-end and New Year holidays.
Having decided to spend the day after tomorrow, New Year’s Eve, with my family, I rode my motorcycle alone toward the mountains.
Leaving my bike at the foot of the mountain and shouldered my backpack, I walked step by step, slowly toward the summit.
An empty mountain path. I chose a mountain where no people were around because I didn’t want to be disturbed.
Furthermore, it was winter. No one would head toward a summit at this hour by choice.
I switched on the lantern I had bought and, listening to the voices of insects and the rustling of trees, I pushed forward step by step.
Eventually, I reached the summit. I felt a sudden sense of aversion toward my own body, which wasn’t even out of breath despite walking for a considerable amount of time and distance.
Even so, it wasn’t as if anything would change.
Looking out at the city lights from the summit, the scenery I had struggled for, suffered through, and dreamed of many times over those five years spread out before my eyes.
Instead of a tent from that other world, I set up a tent I bought here and placed a chair I bought in this world.
Relying on the light of my lantern, I gathered dry wood. Once I had a decent amount, I lit it with a burner.
“It really is cold, though…”
A winter mountain… even that cold, which could probably be called freezing, didn’t bother me that much.
Warming myself by the fire, I put water in a pot to heat it up. Once the water boiled, I poured it into cup noodles and waited for a while.
After confirming three minutes had passed on my wristwatch, I removed the lid and slurped the noodles while slowly enjoying the scent of the steam.
“Phew…”
When I happened to look up at the sky, I could see the winter stars. As expected, perhaps the atmosphere was polluted, as it was blurry in places; it wasn’t quite a sky full of stars.
Even so, I stared blankly at that sky, which for some reason soaked into my heart, and then slurped my noodles again.
Man, the year ended in a flash…
I came back and met Noa-san, bought Reilia in that world… and before I knew it, there were five girls by my side.
In addition, there were Shinozuka-san, Chisa-sensei, and Rikka-chan. Lexie and Clara, Lily-chan and Nelphilia.
I had formed relationships with many girls…
Even so, an Onmyōji and the goddess Sara-chan…
I slurped my noodles with a loud sound and fell into thought.
“Is this… really the world I used to be in?”
Even if I spoke aloud and indulged in sentimentality alone, there was no one to answer.
To begin with, back then I couldn’t feel magic—or spiritual power, as it’s called here—so there was no way for me to know if this was my original world or not.
Unless I was a god or something…
Ah…
Maybe I’ll try asking Sara-chan next time… whether this is the world I originally came from.
I wonder what she’ll say?
Well, whether it’s the same or different, it’s not like anything can be done about it anyway.
After finishing the cup noodles and drinking every drop of the soup, I gulped down some water all at once.
I laid down on a thin towel spread on the ground and looked up at the sky.
“You’re alive. You’re right here in front of my eyes now.”
The words the President once said floated into my mind.
“I’m… alive, aren’t I…?”
Whether I was truly alive or if this was a dream, I couldn’t hold a single piece of certainty.
But… time certainly moved forward… I certainly interacted with people, and certainly now, I was continuing to think without interruption.
In that case… whether I was alive or dead might not even matter.
I tried to grab a star with my hand stretched toward the sky.
Of course, there was nothing inside my hand.
Who knows when… I might be sent to some unknown world again… so today, this day, this moment, I will enjoy living.
Well then…
I slowly sat up, went into the tent, and laid down.
Only the voices of insects and the rustling of trees enveloped the area…
As for what happened this morning…
“Iga… you say?”
“Yes, a group led by the current Hattori Hanzō. While our main duties besides guarding this region include security for rituals and acting as escorts, their main duties are intelligence gathering, spreading misinformation, and assassination, I suppose.”
“And why are they involved?”
“The ‘Urano no Tsukasa’ is not a monolith. Triggered by the matter of Sarasvati, they seem to have reached Kiriake-dono by investigating Rikka and her surroundings.”
“Ah… so that’s why…”
I sipped the tea that Kamo Yasunori had brewed.
“Yes, my desire is the downfall of the Abe family, after all. I have not reported Kiriake-dono’s power to the ‘Urano no Tsukasa.’ However… even if you hide your spiritual power, Kiriake-dono’s lack of openings cannot be completely hidden.
To the experts of Iga, that must have appeared abnormal.“
Speaking of Iga, I think Zero-san was there, right?
After the Onmyōji, it’s ninjas…
“I’ve been dodging the issue by claiming it’s atavism, but it seems several Jōnin have entered this area.”
“Are they strong?”
“Yes, if it’s keeping distance or large-scale destruction, we have the advantage, but in close-quarters combat, they have far more of an advantage.”
Well, they are ninjas after all…
“Especially Hattori Ayame… a girl the same age as Rikka, but she is truly the daughter of Hattori Hanzō, I suppose?
It seems she has already carried out a considerable number of assassinations, and combined with her beauty, people of her generation even discuss whether Ayame or Rikka is stronger and more beautiful.“
“Heh… Ayame-chan, huh. Is she really strong?”
“Yes… I happened to see her at a meeting before… she is far above Rikka… They’ve certainly raised quite a monster.”
“Hmm, do you think they’ll make a move? What do you think I should do?”
“They will likely make a move to confirm your strength… within the range where the Kamo family’s eyes reach, I won’t let them touch you, but…”
“What about fighting back?”
“It’s probably best to avoid that… If you make all of Iga your enemy, you certainly won’t find any peace.”
“And regarding my companions?”
“Everyone wants the blood of the ‘fallen.’ I don’t think it’s impossible to bring them over… but if you fail, the entire ‘Urano no Tsukasa’ will become your enemy.”
“But living while constantly hiding things isn’t really my style…”
“I will try to make a subtle inquiry to Hanzō… however, it is a betrayal of the ‘Urano no Tsukasa’ after all… we need to proceed with caution.”
“Then on my end… if I can’t make the assassin submit… I’ll have them disappear in a way that doesn’t involve me…”
“Do you have a plan?”
Maybe I’ll use the Tame magic I haven’t used in a long time…
If I used it at school, it would be discovered immediately since the people there don’t have spiritual power, but if they are people who originally possess spiritual power, they won’t immediately realize even if they enter the unique magical state of being tamed.
Furthermore, if I quickly dispose of them in a way that looks like an accident in a place unrelated to me…
“It’s a secret…”
Saying so, I put my index finger in front of my mouth.
While the moonlight shone, a projectile was suddenly thrown at the tent.
Thrown without a sound, it pierced through the tent and disappeared inside.
After a while, a woman appearing from the shadows of the trees headed toward the tent without making a footstep.
A flash of light occurred, and the entrance of the tent was slashed open.
Inside the tent that fell open, there was no one.
“What!”
Along with a slight cry of surprise, the woman leapt back.
Shall I play around a bit…?
Before that… I searched the surroundings, but there was no presence.
Just one person, huh… it’s all-you-can-play, then…
“Ei!”
With that, I reached my hands under the armpits of the girl who was on guard right in front of me and grabbed her breasts.
At the same time, Appraisal…
Hattori Ayame
18 years old, LV 22
Jōnin, Virgin
She doesn’t think too highly of her current situation, carrying out missions exactly as her father tells her.
As befitting a shinobi, she wishes to serve a master.
Ho-ho… I wonder if she’ll serve me?
“Haaauuunnn! Guh! Since when! You scoundrel!”
Oh, quite a cute voice came out.
She instantly spun on the spot and swung a small knife.
“What do you mean ‘since when’? I’ve been behind you for a while now.”
“No way! Kugh, don’t lie! There’s no way you could take my back so easily!”
I wondered what she was throwing, and two kunai came flying.
“Yo… it’s not a lie, though…”
Dodging smoothly, I took her back and again put my hands under her armpits to grab her breasts.
“Kyaun! Stop! You—you scoundrel!”
This time, a roundhouse kick came flying.
“About a C-cup, maybe? This tent was pretty expensive, but since I squeezed your boobs twice, I’ll call it even.”
“How—how could that make it even! Fire Style!”
As Ayame held up her fingertips and blew, a fireball appeared and was launched.
“Are you an idiot! Don’t use fireballs in the mountains! Ha!”
I wanted to go with neutralizing it with a Water Ball, but since I didn’t want to use magic, I extinguished the fireball just with a shout infused with magic power.
“What!? What did you do!?”
“Ho!”
I closed the distance and threw a punch. The punches and kicks she sent back after dodging beautifully were sharp, but they were nowhere near Sena-sensei’s level.
More importantly… I couldn’t take my eyes off her kunoichi outfit with the front and back flap style.
Her thighs were exposed all the way to the base, and every time she threw a kick, I couldn’t help but be bothered by her crotch area, which was dug into by the high-leg cut.
On top, she wore a front-wrapping garment and a ponytail. I couldn’t tell her face because it was hidden by a cloth.
“Kuh! He’s strong… for such a guy… Water Style!”
I stepped back to dodge the spray of water that suddenly erupted from beneath my feet.
“Is that the end? Look, you’ve seen I’m strong, so why not serve me?”
“Who would serve a scoundrel like you! Ha!”
Eight shuriken, four sandwiched between the fingers of each hand before I knew it, were thrown with a sharp shout.
Ooh… unlike kunai, they curve. They looked difficult to dodge, so I caught them all with my hands.
“You caught them!? No way!?”
“Why don’t you just surrender already? Well, even if you surrender, I’m not going to forgive you.”
“Kuh, you!”
She slammed something onto the ground.
Bam! In an instant, the area was enveloped in smoke.
“As if I’d let you escape.”
Taking the back of Ayame as she jumped out of the smoke, I hugged her.
Yeah… the scent of her sweat is enticing.
“Kuh, let go!”
“There…”
When I let go, she gave up on escaping and held her small knife again.
“You… who are you? To think I, of all people, would be played with…”
“Who am I… didn’t you come here having investigated that?”
“I only know that you’re a perverted high school student who has two girlfriends besides Rikka.”
“Calling me perverted is mean… I’m just a regular high school student. Also, there are three more girlfriends.”
“There’s no way… there’s no way such a ‘regular’ high school student exists! Are you perhaps an illegitimate child of the Kamo family? No… I don’t think even the Kamo family could brush me aside so easily…”
The strength of your body enhancement is equal to Father’s… no, it’s more than Father’s…
Wait… I thought the excessive cover-up was for the sake of ‘God’s Hiding,’ but… could it be… you…“
“Ah-ah, now I can’t let you escape.”
“Kuh, Rin-Pyō-Tō-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen…”
As Ayame formed hand signs, the surrounding atmosphere trembled.
“Ho… I wonder what you’re going to do?”
“Clone Technique…”
“No way! Seriously!?”
I was delighted by the unexpected Clone Technique. I strained my eyes so as not to miss even the slightest movement of magic power.
The principle was the same as a Shikigami, close to the process of creating a pseudo-magical creature… but she herself was also enveloped in magic power, and the boundary between the clones and the original became ambiguous.
“An illusion yet a reality, a reality yet an illusion… surely even you can’t chase me while facing two of me… You scoundrel… I won’t forget this humiliation!”
Two of the Ayames, split into three, attacked me.
Ooh! Amazing!
When I dared to catch the knives and kicks of the two, they had a solid, heavy impact.
When I drove a punch into the stomach of one and kicked the other, there was certainly a response.
“Agu!”
“Kaha!”
The remaining one grimaced and ran away while holding the place where she was punched.
Were they sharing sensations to some extent?
While I tilted my head looking at her retreating back, the two Ayames stood in my way.
‘Your opponent is me.’
The voices were slightly out of sync. Furthermore, they had completely different stances…
“They are thinking separately… you say?”
A-Amazing… this is…
“Is—Is a 4P possible by myself!? Moreover, if I learn this, I can have sex with multiple people at the same time!?”
“Th—That’s what you think of!?”
“Y—You scoundrel!”
“I’m definitely not letting you escape! Teach me! The Clone Technique!”
“As if I’d teach the secret arts to a pervert!”
“Die! You scoundrel!”
The two Ayames attacked again. But if I let her get away here, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
I don’t know to what extent the sensations are shared, but sorry, I’m going to settle this all at once.
I drove a punch into the stomach of one Ayame.
“Ah… kaha…”
Pulling out my fist that had pierced through her stomach, I snatched her knife and struck the neck of the other Ayame.
“Kahyu…”
Fresh blood sprayed along with her neck being hit.
“Ah, guah… no way… how could… ah, kuuu…”
Perhaps the feedback from the clones was larger than expected; the Ayame who was escaping fell to her knees and held her stomach and neck.
“Caught you!”
Grabbing that head and looking back, the clones had vanished.
There was no blood on the arm that had broken through the stomach, either.
“Hey, does it hurt?”
“Guh… damn it…”
She looked like she was in a lot of pain… Which means…
“It’s the kind where all the dicks I put in will feel good!”
“You… pervert!”
Perhaps because the feedback was strong and she couldn’t move, Ayame, with a pale face, was dragged along by me while still holding her stomach and neck.
Now then…
I put the super-strong otherworldly arm shackles I received from Lexie-sensei on her behind her back.
“Now… I don’t care about making you obey or making you forget, so for now, teach me the Clone Technique.”
Saying so, I pulled down the cloth that was hiding Ayame’s face.
“Ugh… as if I’d tell you… idiot… pui”
Yeah… she’s unmistakably a beautiful girl.
“The saliva of a beautiful girl is a reward. Lick, lick.”
I licked the saliva that had gotten on my cheek.
“You—You’re a genuine pervert…”
The thighs extending from the front flap were dazzling.
“Now, which one should I start with…”
Since various things have been found out anyway, it doesn’t matter anymore.
On the bonfire that had been smoldering and dying down, I placed several pieces of wood taken from my Item Box and lit them with Fire.
“Wh—What was that just now…”
“It’s, a, se, cret.”
And then, I lined up several vibrators and a small bottle containing Nelphilia’s love juice in front of Ayame.
I thought I’d lose my life just refilling it again. I wonder if the residents of the Imperial Capital are okay… Won’t there be dead people in the entertainment district eventually?
Ayame, who was looking at the lined-up vibrators, screamed.
“Kuh, kill me!”
“I’m not a knight, but to hear a real-life ‘Kukkoru’…”
“I—I won’t talk no matter what is done to me! Consider it a waste of time!”
Now then… what should I do? Various things have been found out due to the turn of events, so it’ll be bad if I don’t make her submit completely…
The time limit is the day after tomorrow, New Year’s Eve, the crab hot pot at my parents’ house… I’ll be an unfilial son if I don’t eat the crab my dad spent a fortune on.
Well, if it’s impossible, I’ll take her to that other world and borrow Lexie-sensei’s strength.
I wonder how things will turn out…
