"Oh my?"
When Akisame Kōetsuji stepped out of his room and saw the scene in the living room, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
At that moment, Shigure Kōsaka was curled up in Hayashi's lap, her arms wrapped around her knees as she stared intently at a glowing tablet in her hands. Hayashi held a ceramic bowl in his left hand while using his right to feed Shigure spoonfuls of its contents. Meanwhile, Erina leaned against the coffee table with a faint smile, occasionally dabbing the corners of Shigure's mouth with a napkin.
Akisame stroked his beard thoughtfully. 'Hmm, it almost looks like a family of three—'
A smile tugged at his lips as he approached the trio. "It seems you're all getting along quite well?"
"Ah—"
Shigure looked up, pressing her lips together as she raised the tablet toward Akisame. "Akisame, this... is amazing!"
"Oh?"
Akisame moved closer to Hayashi and peered at the screen—where a cat named Chi was chasing its own tail, only to clumsily trip over its own paws and tumble to the ground.
"Well now—" Akisame rubbed his chin. "Oh ho, an animation? Is this from another world?"
"Yep." Hayashi nodded with a grin. "Want to join us, Master Kōetsuji? It's a kids' show—pretty relaxing."
"Ahaha, I'll pass." Akisame chuckled as he stroked his beard. "It's getting late, you know. Watch a couple more episodes, then head to bed—tomorrow's training is going to be terrifying~"
If anyone else had said that, Hayashi might have dismissed "terrifying training" as an exaggeration meant to scare him. But coming from Akisame—the man known as the "Minister of Punishments, Japan Branch"—those words carried weight. So...
It was absolutely true!
Hayashi twitched the corner of his mouth. He glanced at the time displayed on the tablet—[21:03]—then nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll go to bed at ten."
Shigure nodded as well. She turned her head and said seriously to Hayashi, "Tomorrow's training—"
"Hm?" Hayashi looked at her.
"If you can't make it, I'll help you. I've already dug it." Shigure tilted her head slightly and added, "Your grave."
"...I really appreciate that." Hayashi's lips twitched. If he hadn't read the manga and known that Shigure's words were purely well-intentioned, he probably would have pinched her cheeks—though, of course, the current Shigure could beat ten Hayashis with one hand tied behind her back.
"You're welcome." Shigure replied earnestly. "But this is nice. I want to do it again tomorrow."
Hayashi mentally translated her words and realized she meant that sitting in his lap watching anime felt nice, and she hoped they could do it again tomorrow—hence her encouragement for him to survive.
Damn, this kid is way too blunt! Couldn't she learn a thing or two from Akisame and be a little more tactful?
Hayashi laughed helplessly and reached out to ruffle Shigure's hair. "Thanks for your concern—don't worry, our team has a dedicated healer. Nothing bad will happen."
"..." Shigure blinked, holding her head where he had touched it, then nodded softly. "Mm."
As for Akisame Kōetsuji?
Upon hearing Hayashi's words, he stroked his chin thoughtfully and murmured, "I see, so they have their own medic? Hmm, that means we can push the training intensity up another notch—"
So please, for the love of god, be human.
...
...
The next morning, after breakfast.
"Oooohhh—"
Hayashi was sprinting on the treadmill like a madman.
About ten centimeters behind him stood a crude but crackling electric wire mesh—getting zapped wouldn't kill him, but full-body convulsions were guaranteed.
Besides the electric fence, Hayashi was also wearing a leather vest connected to a thick tree behind him by a taut elastic band.
Clearly, if he stopped running, the band would yank him backward into the electric fence, granting him a taste of Professor Yang's "love" before he collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Though Erina and Hisako pitied Hayashi, they had no spare energy to comfort him—because they were squatting in horse stances, faces twisted in agony.
To be precise, they were squatting with spiked armbands digging into their armpits, burning incense beneath their butts, cold water dripping onto their heads, and ceramic jars filled with water hanging from their hands.
"This… is absolutely…" Hisako's face was flushed, her teeth gritted, her voice strained. "Torture!!"
This wasn't training! She refused to acknowledge this as training!! This was torture—it had to be torture!!
"Ho ho ho, don't be ridiculous." Akisame chuckled, stroking his beard. "This level is far too mild to be called torture."
'Just this much!?' x2
Erina and Hisako stared at Akisame with horrified eyes. In his opinion, what level of torture actually counted as torture!? Death by a thousand cuts? Or being skinned alive and having one's tendons pulled out!?
A devil—this man was a devil!!
The two of them finally understood why Hayashi had whispered in their ears before bed last night, urging them to hold on no matter what.
At this thought, they couldn't help but glance toward Hayashi again. Though his face was pale, he was gritting his teeth desperately, pushing his body to its limits, trying to endure even one second longer.
Ah—damn it!
If her boyfriend (young master) could hold on, how could she just give up!?
Hold on!
...
...
'Oh—'
Akisame watched the trio with delight as they clenched their jaws and endured. He checked the time on his pocket watch and thought, 'Interesting. They've already surpassed the limit I calculated. Truly, human potential is limitless!!'
Fascinating, absolutely fascinating!
Though his inner joy threatened to burst through the heavens, Akisame's gaze never wavered from the three for even a moment—just as he had thought, Hayashi and the others had long surpassed their limits. They could collapse from exhaustion at any second, so he had to be ready to act immediately…
"Whoosh—"
The next moment, the instant Hisako swayed dizzily and began to fall backward, Akisame dashed forward. First, he kicked the incense burner beneath her away with his foot; then, he swiftly removed the jars from her hands and the plate from her head, setting them on the ground; next, he took off the iron rings from her arms and placed them beside the jars; finally, he gently supported her back and laid her down steadily.
His movements were so fast, it was like witnessing the Yellow Flash of the Naruto world—Minato Namikaze, nicknamed "Little Akisame" by those in the know.
Soon enough, Hayashi and Erina followed in Hisako's footsteps, collapsing one after another, only to be "rescued" with practiced ease by Akisame and neatly laid out on the ground.
"Now then…" He turned his gaze to the Florges floating in midair and said, "Florges, right? I'll leave the rest to you—"
"Yah—"
Florges nodded lightly before floating above Hayashi and the others. A soft pink glow immediately radiated from her body.
Skill: Floral Healing!
Effect: Restores HP.
Then, in a flash of light, a green ring of energy expanded outward from Florges.
Skill: Aromatherapy!
Effect: Cures status conditions.
"Oh—"
Akisame's eyes lit up in amazement as he watched the three bathed in light rapidly recover from their physical strain before groggily sitting up.
"Oww—"
Hisako rubbed her arms and legs, wincing. "I feel like my body doesn't even belong to me anymore!"
Erina gave a bitter laugh. "Same here—my arms and legs are still shaking."
It was a sign of extreme fatigue—their muscles were beyond their control.
Hayashi, meanwhile, rubbed his face weakly and muttered, "I feel like half my soul's been knocked out of me. This kind of life is inhuman."
"Hehe." Akisame clasped his hands in his sleeves, smiling as he asked, "So, are you giving up then?"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible." Hayashi pouted lazily, beckoning to Arcanine before flopping onto the large dog's back. "I need to grow stronger so I can find a way to break Erina's curse."
"Idiot." The young lady bit her lip, lowering her head. "Hayashi, I don't want you pushing yourself like this for my sake!"
"Don't worry." Hayashi gave her a thumbs-up with a grin. "Master Kōetsuji knows what he's doing! The training might seem torturous, but it's all calibrated to our limits—maximizing our physical development."
Akisame stroked his beard. He didn't mention that for those brief ten seconds earlier, their willpower had already surpassed their limits.
But still...
"A curse, you say?" Akisame crouched curiously beside the young lady, studying her pale complexion. "I don't see anything unusual about her."
"Erina's curse stems from her bloodline—an ability called God's Tongue..." Hayashi briefly explained the nature of God's Tongue. "The tongue is a chef's lifeline. Simple solutions like dulling taste sensitivity won't work, so we have to seek more... mystical methods."
"I see." Such an ability was unheard of to Akisame. Truly, otherworlders never ceased to amaze.
Hayashi looked up at Akisame. "Speaking of which, I recall your medical skills are exceptional. Any ideas?"
Akisame rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Apologies! If it were merely heightened taste sensitivity, I might have solutions."
But God's Tongue evolved its "standards" based on the gourmet dishes it experienced—a self-enhancing "ability" far beyond Akisame's expertise.
"Alright." Though disappointed, Hayashi quickly rallied, slapping his cheeks for motivation. "Then I'll train even harder! Get strong enough to reach a world where we can break the God's Tongue curse!"
Hang in there, Hayashi-kun!
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