Two hours later.
"Uhhhh... Finally done!"
Naoki leaned far back in his work chair, his arms raised high to the ceiling in a long, satisfying stretch. Then, with his index finger and thumb, he massaged the bridge of his nose which felt tense.
*CRACK!* *CRACK!*
The crisp sound of neck bones was heard when he tilted his head left and right. That relieving sensation slightly reduced his fatigue.
"Haaah... I really can't imagine how those corporate slaves endure sitting for hours on end, from morning to night, even past midnight if working overtime." Naoki felt sore after only two hours of intense focus. "Truly inhumane torture."
Imagining himself becoming part of the boring cog in society's order if he hadn't awakened a Peach Blessing, Naoki couldn't help but grimace. Life as a second-class citizen without power was a nightmare he had just avoided.
"Once is enough living a meaningless life in the past!"
"In this second life, I want freedom. Freedom to do whatever I want, go wherever I desire, become whoever I choose. And to achieve that freedom... power is absolute capital."
He grabbed the notebook lying beside the keyboard. Inside, neatly arranged was a list of Peach Blessings he deemed worthy of consideration.
His Peach Blessing, «Pandemonium», gave him a rare opportunity to copy ten other Peach Blessings in his lifetime. One slot had been filled by Tenka's extraordinary ability, «Ame-no-Mitori». That left nine very valuable empty slots.
Every choice had to be strategic, had to be synergistic, and had to bring him closer to his goal. Therefore, Naoki was very selective.
He flipped through the pages of his notes.
"From more than a hundred thousand entries. Only 283 Peach Blessings are interesting enough or 'good enough' according to my criteria. The percentage doesn't even reach one percent, huh..." Naoki stroked his smooth chin. "According to the most popular theory, the power women obtain from Peaches is a manifestation of their deepest traits, knowledge, and emotions."
He paused for a moment, recalling the plot from the anime which was now clearer after he examined the official Anti-Demon Corps data. Several examples came to his mind.
"«Promise» belonging to Ookawamura Nei... most likely arose from her obsessive promise and desire to find her parents who disappeared in Mato."
"«Golden Hour» belonging to Azuma Yachiho, it's a manifestation of her desire to manipulate time to spend more moments with Himari."
"«Learning» belonging to Azuma Himari, her desire to learn from Yachiho." Naoki clicked his tongue. "Tsk, those two biological sisters... can't they just be honest? This is why the roundabout tsundere trait is outdated."
"Ahem." He coughed loudly, realizing he was getting carried away commenting on others. He refocused. "Another example, «Red Soul» belonging to Zaha Megumi was caused by her previous position as the standard-bearer of Kamiunten Mira, and her desire to support her in the Rampaging Red Unit."
However, behind that handful of elite powers, Naoki realized the bitter reality from the data he possessed. The majority of Peach Blessings awakened throughout the world were actually useless in combat scenarios. Many of them only provided abilities that were too specific or domestic.
His mind brought up several random examples he encountered in the database:
«Perfect Brew»: Ability to always make a cup of tea or coffee with perfect taste and temperature, according to the drinker's heart's desire. Useful in cafes, but not on battlefields.
«Polished Surface»: Able to make the surface of any object gleam perfectly in an instant, free of stains and dust. A super cleaner ability.
«Whispering Wind»: Could hear wind whispers and translate vague information about weather in a very wide area. Good for weather forecasting, not tactical intelligence.
«Everbloom»: Makes small plants flower instantly and stay fresh for a long time. Decoration and farming ability.
«Silent Step»: Eliminates all sound of the user's footsteps. Useful for sneaking, but that's it, without speed enhancement or other combat abilities.
«Memory Sketch»: Could draw in detail any visual ever seen, as clear as a photo. Useful for artists or investigation, but not for fighting.
«Sweet Dream»: Able to make one target person feel sleepy and relaxed. The effect is weak, easily resisted, and doesn't work on highly spirited enemies.
«Unwrinkled»: Instantly smooths wrinkles in clothes. A living iron ability.
«Calculated Guess»: Slightly increases the accuracy of guesses or instincts for probabilistic things, like guessing cards or the chance of rain. Very limited.
«Soothing Voice»: The user's voice can sound very calming and convincing. Useful for negotiation or calming small children.
"Haaah..."
Naoki sighed. Indeed, this world was full of abilities more suited for daily life than combat.
"If I copy abilities like that, it's the same as throwing my precious slots into the trash." Naoki closed his notebook firmly. "I need something offensive, defensive, or high-level utility that can make me invincible."
"In the end, the Peach Blessings I really want are mostly within the Anti-Demon Corps." He muttered while tapping his fingers on the notebook. "And interestingly, two of them are in the Sixth Unit—they're Tenka's direct subordinates."
His relationship with Tenka had gone far beyond the boundaries of an ordinary couple; they had shared the most intimate moments under the hotel blanket that night.
Naoki felt very confident that Tenka wouldn't mind if he copied her subordinates' abilities.
"One of them is «Golden Hour» belonging to Azuma Yachiho."
"That ability allows her to manipulate time on a small scale. She can stop time for a certain area, or even rewind it, up to a maximum of five seconds."
His plot knowledge reminded him of critical moments where Yachiho saved Himari's life that should have been lost by rewinding those seconds of death.
Naoki currently already possessed spatial manipulation power through «Ame-no-Mitori». How could he pass up the opportunity to obtain time manipulation power?
"Spatial Manipulation has almost the same effect as Time Manipulation because space and time are interconnected. Both are related."
"Well, even though I have to do embarrassing chuunibyou poses like Yachiho to activate «Golden Hour», that's not a problem at all. The effectiveness gained is worth the slight 'embarrassment' on the battlefield."
Naoki rose from his chair, walked to his wardrobe and opened it. He began selecting all-covering and dark-colored clothes; a large black hoodie jacket, matching cargo pants, a face mask, and a cap covering his forehead.
His appearance now truly resembled a stalker.
His plan was clear—Naoki would immediately return to Mato to develop «Ame-no-Mitori» further. From his perspective, Tenka might be very strong, but he felt the woman lacked a bit of imagination in exploring the full potential of Spatial Manipulation.
With references from various literature and his knowledge, Naoki didn't have that deficiency.
And to do that in Mato without attracting attention, disguise was a necessity. He didn't want to accidentally meet or be detected by other Anti-Demon Corps members on patrol.
"Good."
Standing in front of the long mirror in his room. The figure behind the glass was an anonymous figure, not showing any gender characteristics at all.
"With this disguise, no one can determine whether I'm male or female from afar. And before anyone in Mato can get close enough to identify me... I'll just escape with teleportation."
He nodded, satisfied with his new appearance.
"Let's go."
Without further delay, Naoki used «Ame-no-Mitori» through «Pandemonium», which caused his eye pupils to change into a black-gold cross and the Qliphoth Tree diagram appeared behind him.
*ZING!*
A black portal opened in the middle of his room. Naoki stepped inside. The portal closed behind him, leaving the quiet otaku room.