"Ahem." Su Yan coughed lightly to hide his internal embarrassment. "Let's get back to the topic of Nen."
"Sure."
Saeko Busujima's eyes twinkled with amusement, but she didn't call out Su Yan's awkwardness.
Just as she had said, a woman's pride lay in protecting a man's dignity.
And how could protecting Su Yan's dignity not be a form of protection itself?
"I've already shown you the Four Great Principles of Nen one by one. For now, you can first try to get a feel for the most basic one: 'Ten'."
Su Yan said seriously, "Then I'll use 'Ren' on you again like before. Just wrap your aura around yourself. At that point, your Nen will act like a down jacket shielding you from a blizzard, protecting you from the aura I release."
Hearing this, Saeko's face paled slightly as she recalled the terrible experience of facing Su Yan's 'Ren'—it felt like being stared down by a prehistoric behemoth.
If possible, she really didn't want to experience that feeling of helplessness again.
It wasn't until she heard Su Yan say that 'Ten' could block the aura released by 'Ren' that her complexion finally began to recover.
"I understand."
Saeko nodded and closed her eyes. Following Su Yan's instructions, she carefully felt the flow of aura within her body.
She began to guide this aura, slowly drawing it to the surface of her skin.
Soon, the aura formed a protective film-like shroud over the girl's body.
"I did it."
Saeko opened her eyes, her gaze filled with joy.
Nen was essentially life energy; it was invisible and intangible, impossible to see with the naked eye.
Only by using 'Gyo', an advanced application of 'Ren', to focus refined aura into one's eyes could one perceive its existence.
After over a year of Nen training, Su Yan would be better off thrown to the dogs if he couldn't even manage that much.
Thus, Su Yan naturally saw the shroud of Nen enveloping Saeko.
He wasn't surprised. After all, Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter could do this as soon as they learned to control their aura.
There was no reason Saeko, aided by a Nen Seed, would fail.
What truly shocked Su Yan was that, in just this short amount of time, he felt an additional portion of Nen within his body that had been synchronized from Saeko.
While it couldn't compare to his total reserves, it certainly wasn't a small amount.
At the very least, it wasn't less than the Nen he would gain from half an hour of normal cultivation.
This was incredibly shocking.
'Is Saeko really a genius?'
To be honest, Su Yan felt a bit discouraged.
Half an hour of his normal training yielded less aura than she gained in a few minutes.
That was at least a threefold difference.
But then he reconsidered. After contracting Saeko, he would synchronize and receive the Nen she produced through training.
'So, I'm a genius too!'
Confirmed.jpg
'Is this what it feels like to live off a woman?'
'I love it!'
'It's delicious! I want more!'
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. Why hadn't he contracted Saeko sooner? If he had won her over a year ago, wouldn't that have saved him years of detours?
His gaze toward Saeko grew increasingly intense.
"Su Yan-kouhai, why are you looking at me like that?"
Saeko felt a bit unnerved by Su Yan's stare and asked in a soft voice.
Su Yan gave a sheepish laugh. "No, it's nothing."
He couldn't exactly tell the girl how sweet it was to rely on her, could he?
Su Yan straightened his posture and returned to the main topic. "Are you ready to face my Nen again?"
"Yes."
Saeko turned serious as well. Although she still felt a lingering fear, she spoke with determination, "Bring it on."
Su Yan nodded and immediately began releasing his Nen toward Saeko.
Instantly, an invisible pressure surged violently from Su Yan's body.
Though invisible and intangible, it felt more terrifying than a raging blizzard.
Feeling the aura crashing over her like a massive wave, Saeko instinctively took a few steps back.
Then, the Nen shroud covering her body quickly took effect.
Compared to before, with Nen providing protection, the 'Ren' that had been as terrifying as a blizzard now felt like a mere breeze.
Noticing the pressure had decreased significantly, the girl began to take steps toward Su Yan.
She didn't struggle; she soon reached Su Yan's side.
Her purple eyes stared into Su Yan's, as if she were anticipating something.
"Well done."
Su Yan stopped the discharge of aura and praised Saeko.
Receiving Su Yan's recognition, a glimmer of joy appeared in the girl's eyes.
Over the next hour or so, Su Yan continued to guide Saeko through intensive practice of the 'Ten' technique.
Along with 'Zetsu' and 'Ren'. Perhaps because she had studied Kendo since childhood, Saeko quickly grasped the essentials.
She soon mastered the basics of these two Nen techniques.
Seeing that it was almost 5:00 PM—the time school clubs finished—Su Yan called an end to the session.
Su Yan decisively stopped Saeko's practice. "Alright, it's getting late. Let's stop here for today."
He suddenly remembered that Shizuka Marikawa had taken the day off to visit her best friend, Rika Minami.
He didn't know if she would return tonight.
It would be fine if he were alone, but there were two hungry Snowball Beasts at home.
After all, he didn't think Shizuka Marikawa would take those two little cuties with her when she left.
"Stop here?"
The girl was so fascinated by the visible rate of her progress that she hadn't noticed the passage of time.
It wasn't until Su Yan called a halt and she looked out the classroom window that she realized the sun had turned into a sunset and begun to sink into the west.
Although she felt it was a pity to end her private time with Su Yan, she didn't insist. She only silently looked forward to tomorrow.
"I've taught you the Four Great Principles of Nen. Just keep practicing. If there's anything you don't understand, you can also ask Marikawa-sensei in the infirmary."
Su Yan sold out Shizuka Marikawa without hesitation. That lazy woman didn't take her training seriously anyway; he should give her something to do.
Besides, she had been practicing Nen for nearly a year. Even though she was inconsistent, the fact that she could awaken a conjured Nen beast meant her foundation in the Four Great Principles was solid enough to teach a beginner like Saeko.
"Marikawa-sensei?"
Saeko was surprised.
So that lazy, airheaded blonde teacher in the infirmary was also a Nen user?
This was somewhat unexpected.
'Maybe she's a hidden master?'
"Wait!"
Su Yan suddenly thought of something and called out to Saeko, "Are you living alone right now?"
"Yes," Saeko replied without thinking. "My mother passed away when I was very young. Since I'm an adult now, my father trusts me. He left me in Japan while he went abroad to expand the Busujima-style dojos."
"Then... would you consider moving in with us?" Su Yan suggested.
Su Yan hadn't originally intended this, but thinking about her progress today and that kiss, the idea suddenly sprang to mind.
First, if Saeko moved in, living under the same roof would make it easier to teach her Nen and gain more feedback through the contract.
Second, because he wanted to, so he did.
"Move... move in... with Su Yan-kouhai?"
The sudden proposal made Saeko's breathing quicken, and her voice began to stutter.
Her mind went blank, leaving only the words 'living together' echoing inside.