"Axel-kun, Axel-kun. It's morning, dear... Oh, still not waking up? Perhaps I should provide a proper wake-up kiss to stir your senses."
"My, my, Ayaka. You certainly are bold today."
The voices drifted into my consciousness, pulling me up from the depths of sleep toward clarity. The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the face of a blonde girl, her eyes fluttering shut as she leaned in close to mine.
"...What exactly are you doing?" I asked, testing the waters.
"Oh! You're awake," Ayaka chirped, pulling her face back with a look of palpable disappointment.
She really was a girl who wore her desires on her sleeve. I sighed inwardly. As a grown man, I knew I shouldn't be indulging a fourteen-year-old nearly ten years my junior... but things were complicated. Physically, I looked ten. Mentally, I was Axel Almar, a man in his twenties. Even if Ayaka possessed the poise and figure of someone closer to eighteen... well, it was a headache-inducing dilemma.
"Now, now, you two," Chizuru interrupted, carrying a tray toward the table. "Breakfast is ready, so save the flirting for later. Chachamaru-san will be here to pick Axel-kun up soon, remember?"
On the tray sat a quintessential Japanese breakfast: grilled salmon, a fried egg, dried seaweed, pickles, and miso soup. The sight of the steaming white rice made my stomach growl. It was only natural; life on the White Star meant a diet consisting mostly of bread. Seeing a proper washoku spread after so long, I couldn't tear my eyes away.
"Axel-kun, I have a spare toothbrush for you. Go wash up and brush your teeth," Chizuru commanded.
You don't argue with the person holding the keys to the kitchen. I took the new toothbrush she offered and headed for the washroom without a word of protest.
"Let's eat," I said.
"Let's eat!" the girls chimed in.
Our voices harmonized in the small room as I dove into my first Japanese meal in years. I flaked the salmon and tucked it into my mouth along with a heap of fluffy rice. Then came the miso soup—simple tofu and seaweed, yet to my current self, it tasted like heaven. I was eating with a fervor bordering on the gluttonous when Chizuru spoke up with a gentle smile.
"Slow down, Axel-kun. No one's going to take it from you."
"For a foreigner, your chopstick skills are remarkably refined," Ayaka noted.
"That's because he's originally—oh," Chizuru started to say, then stopped. She reached out unexpectedly and touched my cheek. "You can't go to Evangeline-san's place with a 'souvenir' on your face, can you?"
With a playful grin, she took the grain of rice from my cheek and popped it into her own mouth. This was more than enough to trigger Ayaka—the resident "shota-con"... or rather, the lover of all things cute and younger.
"Chizuru-san! That was... foul play! I mean, how rude! I'm the one who should be looking after Axel-kun. Please, just focus on your own meal!"
I ignored the bickering—a chaotic yet oddly comforting soundtrack I was already growing used to—and poked the yolk of my fried egg. It broke, the rich, golden liquid oozing out perfectly. I'm a soft-yolk man myself, so this was a win. I drizzled a bit of soy sauce over it and took another bite.
"Thank you for the meal."
"You're very welcome," Chizuru replied.
Having fully enjoyed my long-awaited breakfast, I accepted a cup of post-meal tea from Chizuru.
"So, my plan today is to head to Evangeline's place... What about you two?"
"Well," Ayaka said, puffing out her somewhat impressive chest with an air of self-importance, "I plan to go out and purchase a bed and other daily necessities for Axel-kun's stay."
"Oh? Usually you just have things delivered," Chizuru remarked, sounding surprised. "Why go yourself?"
"Isn't it obvious? These are items Axel-kun will be using! I must personally hand-select every single piece to ensure they meet the highest standards!"
"My, my, Ayaka... but you have a point. If I leave her to her own devices, she might go overboard. I suppose I should go along to keep her grounded... though I was hoping to look into some magic-related things today."
"True, but Axel-kun's comfort comes before magic!"
While I was genuinely touched that they were looking after me, seeing them this fired up was, frankly, a little intimidating.
"Fufu, I can guess what you're thinking, Axel-kun," Chizuru said, offering a bit of advice with a knowing smile. "But stay with Ayaka long enough, and you'll get used to it."
I looked at her, impressed. Her ability to read my expressions made me seriously doubt she was just a middle schooler. She had to be lying about her age—
"Oh? Are you thinking something incredibly rude right now?"
Chizuru approached me, a smile still on her face, but radiating an aura that practically hummed with a menacing 'gogogogo' sound effect. I was just about to beat a hasty retreat when my savior arrived.
"Excuse me. Is Axel-san available?"
It was Chachamaru, arriving exactly as promised yesterday. I couldn't be blamed for the internal sigh of relief I let out at the sight of her.
"My, my, looks like time's up," Chizuru said. "Shall we continue this conversation when you get back?"
"...Roger that."
I could almost see the text scrolling before my eyes: There is no escaping the Great Demon King.
"Well, don't keep Evangeline-san waiting. Have a safe trip."
"Yeah... I'm off."
Saying "I'm off" to people I'd only met yesterday felt a bit embarrassing, but they were the ones who had taken in a complete stranger. A little courtesy was the least I could offer. I tried to say goodbye to Ayaka as well, but she was off in her own world again, so I slipped out quietly.
"Shall we go? It's not far, right?" I asked Chachamaru once we were outside the dorm.
"Correct. It is approximately a fifteen-minute walk from here," she replied with a small nod.
We walked in silence after that. The atmosphere was a bit awkward; I wasn't quite sure how to make small talk with an android—or was she a cyborg? As I pondered this, I noticed Chachamaru looking off toward the distance. Following her gaze, I saw an elderly woman struggling to climb a pedestrian overpass.
"..."
Chachamaru glanced at me, then back at the woman, repeating the motion several times.
"I get it. Go ahead," I said with a wry smile, waving her off. "I'll wait here."
I watched her go, marveling at the fact that a cyborg with such a high degree of emotional capacity could exist in this version of the 2000s. Even Lemon, a master in the field, had faced countless failures before finally granting W17—Lamia Loveless—a sense of self and emotion. Though, lately, even Echidna was showing signs of it, which I'm sure Lemon found a pleasant surprise.
"Hey! I said you're coming with us!"
"Yeah, look, there's two of us and two of you. It's a perfect match, right?"
The shouting broke my reverie. It was a cliché scene: two guys—the "lightweight" type who thought they were smoother than they were—harassing two girls. One had short black hair, the other had long, violet-pink hair reminiscent of Lemon's. The girls looked annoyed, but the men were turning aggressive, their tone shifting from flirting to threats.
Despite the pressure, the girls didn't back down. The pink-haired one's stubbornness reminded me of Lemon. Well, standing by and watching didn't sit right with me. I started walking toward the group, making up excuses to myself as I went.
"Look, just hang out with us for a bit. It'll be fun. My friend here has a short fuse, so do yourselves a favor..."
"I already told you, we're not inter—est—ed...?"
The short-haired girl trailed off as she noticed me approaching. The long-haired girl made a subtle "get away" gesture, clearly not wanting a kid to get caught in the crossfire. I ignored it.
"You look pathetic," I muttered.
My voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange resonance that cut through the noise.
"Hah?! What did you say, you brat?"
"Hey, hey, don't get worked up over a kid," the "smooth" one said, turning to me. "Listen, kiddo, we're having a very important talk with these ladies. Be a good boy and disappear, okay? Unless you want to get hurt... You don't want that, right?"
"Hey! What do you think you're doing to a child?!" the short-haired girl snapped.
The man smirked at her reaction. "Tell you what. We won't touch the brat if you agree to spend the day with us."
"How does that even follow?!"
While they argued, the long-haired girl leaned down and whispered to me. "Look, we'll handle this. You need to run. If you stay, they really will hit you."
"It's not a problem," I said simply.
"Wait—what?!"
I brushed past her and walked straight up to the aggressive thug.
"What now, brat? I told you to get lost."
"I won't tell you not to hit on girls," I said calmly, "but when you're rejected, have the grace to back off. From where I'm standing, you look miserably unsightly."
"You little—!"
It was a knee-jerk reaction. He swung a fist downward toward my face, a punch fueled by pure irritation. But dodging a telegraphed strike like that is easy for anyone with a modicum of martial arts training. For someone like me, whose physical capabilities had already reached superhuman levels, I could have avoided it with my eyes closed.
I shifted my upper body just enough to let the fist whistle past, grabbed his extended arm, and pivoted. Using his own momentum, I executed a clean ippon seoi-nage, slamming him into the pavement.
"Gah!"
He hit the ground hard on his back, the air rushing out of him in a pained groan. I stepped on his face just firmly enough to knock him unconscious.
"...Eh?"
The "smooth" friend stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. I gave him a dry smile.
"I'd rather not cause a scene. If you take your friend and disappear, I'd appreciate it."
"Listen... just because you got lucky once doesn't mean you should get cocky! Hah!"
He didn't even finish his sentence before launching a kick at my head. Given my ten-year-old stature, my head was an easy target.
"Kyaaaa!"
"Wait!"
The long-haired girl screamed, while the short-haired girl instinctively lunged forward to shield me. I caught the girl trying to protect me, hopped backward to move us out of the trajectory, set her down, and dove into the man's guard as his kick whistled through empty air. I swept his supporting leg.
"Ack!"
I didn't want him cracking his skull open on the asphalt, so I caught his collar for a split second to break his fall before letting him hit the ground. His necklace snapped and flew off in the process—unfortunate, but that was his problem.
"Whoa... kid, you're amazing!" the long-haired girl shouted, rushing over. The short-haired girl just stood there, speechless.
"Hey, thanks for the help. Those guys were being real creeps."
"Ah... yeah. You really saved us," the short-haired girl added, finally finding her voice.
"You should probably leave before they wake up," I advised.
"Right, good point! Oh, I know! Why don't you come with us? As a thank you, we'll treat you to a Bitter Melon Crepe!"
My face twitched. A Bitter Melon Crepe? That sounded like a penalty game disguised as food.
"I'll have to pass. I have an appointment. Maybe next time."
"You know... you talk very formally for a kid," the long-haired girl noted, squinting at me. "Are you lying about your age?"
"Who knows? ...By the way, they look like they're starting to stir. You should go."
"Yikes, for real?! Okay, we're out of here. Thanks again, seriously!"
"I swear, I wondered why Sakurako didn't want to come today—she must have sensed this," the short-haired girl muttered. "Next time we meet, the Bitter Melon Crepe is on us!"
I really don't want that crepe, I thought, waving as they hurried away.
"Axel-san, my apologies for the wait."
Chachamaru had returned. With the distraction handled, we resumed our trek toward Evangeline's house.
Status Update
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 38 | PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272
Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder/Special
Terrain: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands: * Accel (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
In-fight Lv.9
Spirit Limit Break
Geass (Greyed Out)
Magic (Fire)
Magic (Shadow)
Magic (Summoning)
???
???
Kills: 376
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"