Chapter Six Hundred Seventy-Five: The Poorly Performing Child Always Gets Beaten
The moonlight poured like water onto the wooden floor of the corridor. Standing before the glass door of the corridor, Touma Shin’ichi rubbed his closed fists nervously.
The blond young boy gazed at the back of the black-haired girl before him. Confusion gradually surged in his pale azure eyes, a moment of pity, stubbornness, heartache, and a trace of unarticulated anxiety.
“Kazumi, that…”
“Good night!”
Her voice was a bit more subdued than usual, the last note trembling slightly.
The young boy knew he had already said enough for today, but as Kazumi’s boyfriend, Touma Shin’ichi felt that no matter how much he tried to comfort her, it would never be enough.
For the past few days, he had been closely following Kazumi’s study and mastery of her abilities. Although he hadn’t entered the study room with her, he understood her overall learning situation. No matter her innate talent or the control over her abilities, she had remained stagnant, to the point that the instructor responsible for her education had offered suggestions.
Touma Shin’ichi genuinely wanted to provide his own advice on improving her abilities. Even if it meant exposing some of his hidden skills, he didn’t mind. What he couldn’t bear was to see his girlfriend’s disappointment due to her inability to control her abilities, subtly concealed behind her usual calm and indifferent facade, yet he knew she could still sense the turbulence hidden deep within her heart.
Kazumi’s abilities ultimately stemmed from the “Seed of Fire” in her red core, and similar types of abilities rarely resonated together, let alone the uniqueness of her red core, which could enhance ordinary people’s special abilities.
Indeed, as Touma’s elder often said, staying here to study was the best choice. That’s why Touma Shin’ichi could feel that emotion and was concerned for Kazumi, while also feeling helpless about not being able to do anything for her.
He despised this feeling.
He had already said too many comforting words, even clumsily cracking unfunny jokes, but Touma Shin’ichi couldn’t find anything new to say. A shout from behind caused the girl to turn around. Moonlight outlined her clear silhouette, her indifferent expression revealing the faintest hint of a smile—an expression that in the young boy’s eyes resembled a cherry blossom in early spring, delicate and yet to bloom.
“It’s fine, I know.”
Her voice was light, yet crisp like the sound from a wind chime. Unlike the typical person who had made no progress in learning for days, she only showed a trace of helplessness and joy towards the young boy.
“Kazumi!”
Touma Shin’ichi looked at the girl’s profile under the moonlight, swallowing hard. This was precisely why he liked her—a classmate who always appeared aloof yet exuded a sense of reliability, completely at odds with the maturity expected from someone her age, which made him strongly desire to see the soft heart hiding behind her facade and to hold her close to protect her.
“What’s wrong? You look like you’re about to cry.”
Kazumi stepped forward unable to suppress herself at her boyfriend’s worried response. Touma Shin’ichi leaned slightly forward, making an effort to smooth out his furrowed brow that had twisted together in worry.
“Nothing, nothing, I just feel…”
Her words caused Touma Shin’ichi to pause. He rubbed his cheeks anxiously, most teenage boys would be reluctant to show such a dispirited demeanor publicly, even if he himself had those thoughts.
“What do you mean? Why is it so tragic that I can’t control my abilities? Are you worried that I’m just that fragile?”
Kazumi glanced at her boyfriend with a hint of exasperation. She knew all too well what he was fretting over.
It can only be said that kids of this age tend to overreact; it’s as if they feared that their minor troubles would make achieving their original goals an insurmountable task.
Or perhaps this is a common issue with these insufferable second-generation kids.
Having lived so effortlessly in the past, even the slightest setback and feeling of failure could lead to anxiety, mixed with concern for themselves, turning them into nagging worries that resembled an irritable mother.
“Stop joking, failure is something Kazumi experiences all the time, and if she were upset over such trivial matters, who knows what state she would be in if she faced greater challenges.”
“Maybe this is a good thing? After all, from another perspective, Kazumi can indeed consider herself a failure.”
“It’s not that; I’m just worried that you might be unhappy due to the present circumstances. I initially wanted to…”
Before he could fully express himself, he was interrupted by the black-haired girl.
“Alright, I understand. Enough with the nagging, my dear Touma.”
Kazumi hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to interrupt her boyfriend’s repeated murmurs of comfort. She could certainly feel the intensity of his concern for her, but also couldn’t bear the constant chatter that was becoming almost irritating to her ears.
“Hey, do you actually want to be a naive hero? You should have known that the present situation is the best outcome, Shin’ichi.”
She sighed lightly, looking at the young boy’s dejected face, like a lost puppy abandoned by humanity. Kazumi felt a flicker of compassion flash in her eyes as she reached for his rough palm, speaking.
“I know your intentions for bringing me here. I can feel your care and concern. But abilities aren’t something we can control ourselves, right? Besides, your original goal was to help me pick myself up again. We’ve already achieved that goal; it doesn’t really matter how much progress I make or what innate talent I possess.”
“Accepting all the imperfect aspects of life is also an important lesson to learn,” Touma Shin’ichi smiled, looking at the girl before him, and continued.
“Or are you saying you don’t want to put in the effort to become a hero yourself and expect me to carry you along?”
Touma Shin’ichi’s eyes widened in surprise. To any male who subscribed to traditional masculinity, such words could easily rattle him, and in that instant, his blond hair seemed to stand on end! His chaotic flailing made his face turn red. However, this playful banter quickly eased the tension in his brows, like clouds dissipating in the sky. He broke into a bright smile, his little tiger teeth glinting in the moonlight. His left hand instinctively scratched the back of his head, causing his blond hair to become even more tousled, yet it made him appear more lively.
“Alright, then everything is fine.”
“Good night!”
Watching the young boy return to his usual self brought an even brighter smile to Kazumi’s face. After giving her final reassurance, she gently patted his hand a few times, then withdrew her hand, waved goodbye, and turned to go back to her room.
“Alright!”
Touma Shin’ichi remained bent over in place, watching the girl’s retreating figure, his mind deep in thought as he scratched his head like a bewildered young boy.
Kazumi softly closed the door behind her, the wooden sliding track emitting a faint “click.” The moonlight streamed in through the paper window, casting geometric patterns on the tatami mat. Her steps paused at the entrance, where a pure black diary lay quietly at the boundary of light and shadow, its neat handwriting still clear even in the dim light. The black-haired girl’s eyes curved into a crescent, accompanied by a hint of a clear smile. But soon, her smile turned indifferent, and a cold glint flickered in her eyes. She used her fingers to play with her short hair while the moonlight danced on her cheek, casting shifting patterns of light.
Gradually, her right hand slowly straightened, and she indifferently flicked away a flicker of invisible green light that danced around her fingers. Her fingertips swelled, as if something inside was being transferred to her fingertips before being expelled from her body.
Kazumi let out a cold hum, not looking back as she walked into the bathroom.
The light through the window trailed behind her footsteps, leaving a shadow in the room.
【Black Hat】
In the realm of space, on the battlefield where the Death Reapers’ organization was stationed in the City of the Underworld, an orderly formation of skeletal knights stood in ranks. Their hollow eyes sparkled with ghostly blue flames. Adorned in dark iron armor and wielding fierce long spears, they stood silently in the stillness.
Meir Salian stood at the front of the line, staring expressionlessly at the battlefield surrounded by the army, watching the designated clear area with a blank gaze. A giant needle was thrust into the soft decay beneath him, the bloody gleam of his skeletal body glowing ominously.
Meir Salian watched as a giant light gate of pale green opened slowly, tiny black dots wavered and fell through. As they fell, they rapidly inflated, transforming into a particularly fierce ghost from the underworld, its gaping maw displaying sharp fangs as it devoured the souls streaming from the crack.
At this time, the little black creature was somewhat befuddled. It didn’t understand why its master suddenly rose up before it, curiously observing everything around it, much like its kind it had previously encountered. A distant, echoing voice resonated from the sky.
“Just don’t die on me and beat him senseless!”
“Understood, master.”
Receiving the command, the undead general drew its massive blade from the decay, resting it on its shoulder, a bloodthirsty grin appearing as it obeyed its master’s order, slowly approaching the scrawny ghoul in front of it. Only the small black creature, overshadowed by the surroundings along with the ghoul with its elongated neck, bore a flickering black flame lily on its neck…
