If This Doesn't Count as Love~ - Anime: Infinite Swordsman! (Danmachi+Asterisk War+Rakudai)

Chapter 457: If This Doesn't Count as Love~

Nene's petite frame combined with those expectant eyes really did make her look like an adorable little girl.

So Luke gave her a gentle smile and said,

"Keep dreaming!"

Pfft—!

Critical hit!

The Nene has sunk…

"Why?!"

Nene remained dejected for only a few seconds before bouncing right back.

Then she immediately began questioning him, both confused and unwilling to accept it.

"I thought your explanation was more than convincing enough!"

"If Kuro no longer needs to worry about becoming a monster, then she doesn't have any reason left to refuse becoming a Desperado, right?"

"…That explanation wasn't meant only for Director Kurono."

Luke looked at Nene's carefree expression and sighed helplessly.

"You know it yourself, don't you?"

"You're not exactly far from turning into a monster either."

Luke's words made Nene pause.

But only for an instant.

She concealed the reaction almost immediately and answered lightly.

"Hmph. I haven't fallen so far that I need one of my students worrying about me."

"Besides, it's all Kuro's fault anyway. Ever since she retired, I've had nowhere to vent my urges."

"And I'm different from Kuro."

"Being human isn't that important to me."

"Heh."

Luke gave Nene a disdainful glance, the corner of his mouth curling into obvious mockery.

A vein immediately bulged on Nene's forehead.

A dark aura surrounded her as she glared at him.

"You damn brat… If you've got something to say, say it!"

"I'll beat you until you're picking your teeth off the floor!"

"Well, I was just thinking…"

"Nene-sensei is surprisingly cute when she lies to herself."

"Huh?! C-Cute… Wait, no!"

"What do you mean I'm lying to myself?! When did I ever do that?!"

Compared with Kurono, Nene was far more boisterous.

She was not especially loud, but it felt as though she had been complaining nonstop ever since entering the room.

Yet despite being far more lively, she was even less willing than Kurono to confront what was truly inside her heart.

'Seriously… which one of us is supposed to be the teacher here?'

Luke rubbed his forehead and eventually sighed.

"If you weren't rejecting it yourself, you would've reached Transcendent Awakening long ago, wouldn't you?"

Truthfully, Kurono and Nene possessed terrifying talent.

One had sensed Transcendent Awakening while still standing outside the Desperado gate.

The other had reached the threshold of Transcendent Awakening not long after achieving Awakening.

However…

"You're rejecting that power yourself."

"Just like Director Kurono refused to push open the Desperado gate back then."

"I suppose that's what I should expect from best friends and lifelong rivals."

"When it comes to the important choices, you two really are exactly alike."

Luke raised an eyebrow at the now-silent Nene.

Then, with genuine curiosity, he asked,

"Why are you resisting it?"

"Don't tell me you really are afraid of becoming a monster?"

Back at Hagun Academy, Luke had frequently spent time with Nene because of his training.

So he understood his petite teacher quite well.

Just as she had said herself, her identity as a human should not matter enough to make her reject this power.

Luke could tell she was resisting it.

He simply did not know why.

"…Tch."

Nene did not answer immediately.

Her playful expression disappeared.

She seriously looked Luke up and down before finally seeming to surrender and muttering quietly,

"I-I already told you…"

"It's all Kuro's fault."

"I'm… just a little afraid that Kuro might hate me."

"Think about it. Being human matters so much to her."

"If I really became an 'oni,' wouldn't she start hating me…?"

"Whenever I think about that, I instinctively reject the power."

Back when Nene and Kurono had still been constantly fighting and competing against each other, such a concern would never have occurred to her.

Due to both her natural disposition and the environment she grew up in, Nene possessed an exceptionally strong violent impulse deep within her heart.

The image of the "oni" in the Far East fit Nene's personality extremely well.

Just as Stella evolved toward becoming a dragon, Nene's response to Transcendent Awakening was to evolve toward an oni.

But Nene herself did not dislike the transformation at all.

It brought her overwhelming strength while perfectly embodying the violent desire buried within her heart.

If anything, Nene was rather pleased by the idea of becoming an oni.

The problem was—Would Kurono feel the same way?

There was not even any need to think about it.

Someone who valued her human identity so deeply would surely struggle to accept her friend turning into an oni.

Especially when Kurono herself had refused even to push open the Desperado gate.

If Nene chose Transcendent Awakening now, the two of them would truly be walking down completely different paths.

And that was something Nene could never accept.

After hearing her explanation, it was Luke's turn to fall silent.

And having finally confessed something she had hidden for so long, Nene became embarrassed and did not know what else to say.

So the two simply stared at each other.

"…"

As the silence continued, the atmosphere gradually became awkward.

After a while, Nene was the first to lose patience.

After all, she was the one who had just exposed her feelings.

Luke's silence was making her restless.

"Hey! S-Say something already!"

"Hmm…"

Luke looked at Nene, whose face had reddened slightly from embarrassment.

After thinking for a moment, he began to sing.

"If~ this~ doesn't count as love~~~!"

Thump—!

A small fist slammed directly into Luke's head!

Nene's entire face turned bright red as she roared,

"You damn brat! If you're trying to die, just say so!!!"

...

After another round of violence, Luke once again sat obediently while holding his aching head.

Forced to Behave (Luke Edition, Part Two).jpg

"Seriously, I'm still a patient."

"Why are both of you hitting me without the slightest restraint?"

"What if you make my recovery take longer and I can't compete in the finals?"

"Hmph. You don't need to worry about that."

Nene sat back in her chair, still looking somewhat irritated.

"The name Yaksha Princess still carries a little influence in the League."

"Forget a mere Seven Star Sword Art Festival final—even the League's KOK tournament would have to wait if I was in a bad mood!"

"I'll tell the operating committee to postpone the match, so let me hit you a few more times!"

Despite saying that, Nene finally lowered the little fist she had been waving threateningly.

Thanks to the interruption, the awkward atmosphere had disappeared.

After taking a sip of water, Nene finally brought the conversation back on track.

…

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Chapter 457 - If This Doesn't Count as Love~