Kai
I thought that, maybe, somehow things would get moving quickly after my deal with Akeno, like how in anime things just happen.
'Okay, that thought sounded too geeky, but that's fine. It's not like anyone can read my thoughts.'
Now I was out 500,000¥ for an extended stay at the hotel because I didn't receive a reply in the days of stay I had left.
'I should really factor these things in when planning.'
Still, despite being proven wrong, I actually enjoyed the last eight days.
I had so much fun with Konan that I couldn't actually remember a time before this last week where I had felt that kind of freedom and happiness.
We trained in the forest outside of town. We figured out how to use genjutsu. We refined the practice so much that I thought we could be considered very accomplished in that area.
Of course, we couldn't test that because we had no ninjas in this world, and mundane people kind of fell for the simplest illusion.
We knew because we tried that.
It was my idea. I didn't like the fact that my funds were dwindling. I decided to take the mantle of a merchant, and I would be a goddamn wealthy one.
So, we played with people. It was a lot of fun.
We first had to select targets—something Konan was a lot more skilled at, but I wasn't that far behind either.
Second, we observed them and dropped a single paper made with our paper release into their possession.
The paper was imbued with the concept of tracking and a small harmless illusion.
When people found those papers, they started to glow, and then they forgot about them.
We then found these people, cast another illusion of a big, black gate with serpent-like engravings opening, and stepped out of it.
Then came the deals.
Mostly curing people of sickness, giving them minor powers like the power to sleep less and work harder—yeah, that one salaryman we found was a workaholic of the highest order.
Most people freaked out when I used my paper release to make a contract paper with the clauses written on it appear, but there were some that just splashed blood on the paper like it was nothing.
'That guy was a lucky find, no matter what Konan said,' I grumbled inwardly as I remembered what happened.
---
Flashback
Two days ago, while sitting on a bench in the park, gloating and teasing Konan, we received pings.
Konan received two, and I received one. At the same time.
I looked down to tell her we should go to mine first, but as I was saying, I had just been gloating to her, and she wanted to win because the prize was the power to make decisions for the whole day.
So we decided—because she totally pouted—that we would go in order. We would pick the one whose location was closest to our current one, which was the park.
It was then that it happened.
"X@@@&X street," we said at the same time.
It took a moment for the news to register, but Konan had been smug since then. She decided she won because the guy had pinged two of her papers and only one of mine.
I could have argued, but a smug Konan was far more adorable than a pouty and grumpy one.
We went, heard a sob story about how he had spent three months trying to verify that the supernatural was real, after finding out that his girlfriend had gone missing and he couldn't remember having one despite having written and solid evidence of the opposite.
I didn't really care for his story, nor was I moved by it. Not because I didn't care for tragedy or because I found his teary face and runny nose disgusting.
No. I didn't care for it because he had a knife with him the entire time. He summoned a devil—or at least he thought so—and prepared to defend his life with a kitchen knife.
I know I am the last one to judge, but it's kind of hard to care about someone that stupid.
Really, I felt that this kind of stupidity should be taken out of the gene pool.
Still, Konan was moved, so I had to pretend I was.
That was also one of my more successful deals.
He got the pill that granted the ability to shield his mind from moderate amounts of mind manipulation, the ability to track and figure out what happened to his girlfriend and her alone, as well as the power to be as strong as a peak low-class devil from the pill group.
Not the strongest of the ten, but definitely not the weakest either.
In exchange, I would get his talent, abilities, wealth, identity, potential, and experience when he dies.
A good deal, because I was reasonably sure he would get himself killed sooner rather than later, and then I would have a new stock of powers to trade without the pills.
The man, of course, didn't even read the contract. He just saw that I didn't write "soul," stabbed his hand, and smeared the contract.
Konan healed him even though I wanted her to leave him to stew in his misery.
Flashback ends
---
"Come on, we have to return now if we want to catch the Power Rangers episode," Konan said as she hurriedly dragged me in the direction of our hotel.
"Fine, fine," I grumbled.
I scooped her up and started running back to the hotel, much to her delight, as she began laughing and drawing attention from passersby.
"Aww."
"How cute."
"That's how you treat your little sister! Not by going out to play with your friends and leaving her alone in the house."
My senses were sharp enough to catch some of the reactions even if I wasn't paying attention to them.
We arrived at the hotel, the lobby filled with Konan's giggles.
The receptionist gave us a warm smile as we made our way toward the elevator.
It was only after we entered the room that we noticed four uninvited guests sitting in our living room.
There was a field that messed with the senses set up in the room, which prompted Konan and me to activate most of the talismans we had in the room.
The lock and containment ones, of course.
The change was instant. The area where they were sitting was now surrounded by a golden-colored, floor-to-ceiling barrier.
"Wait, wait!" Akeno stood up and yelled, holding the guy with a sword—who I would assume was Kiba—as well as the cat girl who was snarling at us.
"Well, well, well," I drawled. "What do we have here?"
"Kai…" Konan elbowed me.
"Don't use that tone or that speech pattern," Akeno said. "Just don't. All of it."
I was offended. I could role-play an arrogant cartoon villain.
Still, I had a more important thing to focus on, so I would file this offense for later.
---
So there we stood, me and Konan side by side, the attack ofuda—spell tags—hovering around us, emanating a soft glow of holy energy.
I looked at the four kids, because that's what they were, and couldn't help but sigh.
I made a dismissive gesture, the papers returning to their original places on the ceiling, walls, and floor, and patted Konan to make her do the same.
"Whose genius idea was to break into my hotel room?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
The redhead had the good sense to look slightly embarrassed—if the blush she got on her face and ears when her peerage looked at her was anything to go by.
"Rias Gremory, then."
"Yes. Heiress of the Gremory house, ranked Duke, Rias Gremory." She curtsied. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," I said as I snapped my fingers, breaking the containment ofuda that were active, and started to walk to the seating area.
Of course, the papers that fell out of me with every step weren't missed by the vigilant eyes of the devils, but they definitely missed the ones Konan created.
"Sit down," I gestured as I took a seat on the armchair, with Konan jumping onto my lap.
"So what can I do for you?" I asked.
"What makes you think it's not us who can help you with something?" Rias tried.
"You invited yourselves into a stranger's hotel room. That action alone reeks of desperation," I interrupted, making Akeno groan into her hands.
"I told you we should have just sent an invitation," Akeno said in a hushed whisper that was heard by everyone.
"I thought we could rattle him easier this way!" Rias argued.
I decided to interfere before this turned into an actual argument.
"Not that I don't find the prospect of a catfight alluring," I said, "but we should really get this done quickly. We have a Power Rangers episode to catch."
"Oh yeah. This week's episode is good…" Rias started talking, but I shut her up quickly.
"Oi," I raised a finger at her chastisingly, treating her like a bad pet misbehaving. "No spoilers!"
I didn't want to hear Konan complain.
"Fine," she grumbled. "I was about to offer you exclusive access to the next three episodes, but I guess I'll keep those."
"You do that," I rolled my eyes at her. "So what do you want? A deal?"
"A few things first," she suddenly got serious. "I would like to ask you about why we couldn't find anything pertaining to your identity."
"Skill issue," I shrugged carelessly.
"You did not just say that!" she exclaimed like I had just revealed God was dead. "There's no such thing as a skill issue when it comes to the Gremory group's information network."
"Call it what you wish. I'm just calling it as I see it."
"Ugh, fine."
"Anything else?"
"Plenty, but I can tell you won't answer much, and I can't force you without risking Akeno's life."
"It's cute you think that contract has not been violated yet," I rolled my eyes. "I just haven't decided what to take from her yet."
Rias balled her hand into a tight fist and hissed, "What do you want?"
"I think you have some kind of misunderstanding," I explained as I saw the teenage ball of destruction get antsy. "I am a merchant. As long as nobody bothers me with non-trading-related inquiries, then they have nothing to fear."
"And why should I believe you?" Akeno asked.
"Because that was literally the first deal I made when I awakened the power," I lied with a smile. The more confident they were about doing this, the better it was for me.
"Oh," she was taken aback. "Why would you do that?"
"To ensure my neutrality, increase the power of my ability, and a few other reasons…"
"And the penalty?"
"Soul erasure," I stated like it was the most normal thing. "That was the thing that got me the biggest boost."
Rias and her peerage looked at me like they had just witnessed a madman. And that would be the honest reaction of anyone if the story I told was real.
"So, are we making a trade or not?" I urged them, trying not to make them dwell on the topic more. I am an excellent liar, and I know that the more you lie, the more likely it is to slip.
"Ah, yes," Rias got her focus back and nodded at me. "So what is it that you sell?"
"Anything related to power," I answered concisely.
"That's a very broad and misleading tidbit of information," she laughed. "It's not like you can turn someone into a god."
I just stayed perfectly calm.
"That's impossible," she muttered when she saw my unchanging expression. "That's… that's…"
I just smiled at them. Their reactions were cute.
"So, what is it that you want?" I asked again.
"Can you make me a god?" Rias, of course, wasn't one to let things go.
"For a price I doubt you can afford."
"How do you know that I won't?" she said challengingly. "At least let me hear the price first."
"Your soul and three billion human souls of all ages," I replied without blinking.
And now she looked aghast. Did I overdo this?
Nah.
"For the last time, do you want something?" I grumbled. "We have an episode to catch…"
"Ara," Akeno interjected. "Couldn't you offer us a few minutes?"
"Sure," I nodded. "After the episode ends," I continued. "Either that or get moving quickly."
"Fine," she sighed in resignation, throwing up her hands. "Kiba will go first. We already talked about what we want."
I turned my head to look at the blond boy standing behind the sofa, looking all serious and stuff.
"Go ahead."
"I want the power to accelerate the results of training at least five times," he simply stated, without a change of expression.
"Oh, trying to meta-game reality," I said, impressed. "Not a bad start. For how long do you want said power?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course. The price reflects all aspects of the power."
"At least three years," Rias answered.
"Sure," I shrugged. "That will be 5 million dollars worth of gold."
They exchanged glances. Hooked.
"What if he wants it forever?"
"That changes the price drastically. Depending on how long he lives, I get all his accumulated power, experience, talent, wealth, etc."
They sucked in a deep breath.
"Isn't that too much?" Akeno exclaimed.
"No. Not really," I shook my head. "He could live forever and I simply receive nothing. It's all a big gamble, but then again, what trade isn't? Am I right?"
"That's not…" Rias started before she stopped and just nodded. "You know what? Sure."
"So what will it be?"
"He will get the three-year thing first," Rias said, and Kiba nodded.
"Alright. Here," I agreed and summoned my trusty pill case along with a long paper stating our agreed-upon terms. "Here, sign this and choose one."
I engineered the pills to grant a buff that was between five and six times the training speed. The side effects were a boner, because I could and I didn't like his overly serious attitude. Duration was three years, of course, and I didn't add anything else.
No, sir.
He walked around the sofa, injured his finger with his sword, smeared blood on the paper after reading the contents, and took the pill.
The pill turned blue in color, but I was not focused on that.
"Dude!" I said. "There's a pen right there." I pointed.
He had the good sense to blush before he just popped the pill into his mouth and walked back to his position.
His steps faltered, and with a throaty groan, he suddenly took a long step as he tried to discreetly hide his boner.
Not that it helped.
"Hentai," Koneko said, which was her first word since the beginning.
"Ara ara."
"Kiba!"
"Oi!" I yelled and moved my hand to block Konan's eyesight. "Can't you devils just eat your pills outside or at home if you can't control your urges? I have a kid here!"
Kiba's face was red. Really, if one looked closely and he moved a little behind Rias, it would camouflage his face with her hair.
"Koneko next," Akeno said, drawing our attention.
"What do you want?"
"Same thing as him," she stated, pointing at Kiba with her thumb.
"Okay. Get here, sign, and take your pill, then."
I said as I did the same thing I did with Kiba, minus the drawbacks. I liked Koneko.
She took the pen, signed the paper, and then chose one of the pills, which soon turned green in color.
She got one that increased training by 5.8 times as opposed to Kiba's 5.1 times.
"I am next," Akeno said as she leaned forward.
"Of course. What is it that you desire?" I smiled and brought out my morningstar persona.
"You said you're a merchant, right?" she asked the obvious.
"So you can trade anything that constitutes power, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Then what can I get for my half-Fallen side?" she asked.
"Akeno!" Rias exclaimed.
"Not now, Rias!"
"But…"
"Rias, please…"
"Fine…" Rias said and threw herself back on the sofa and crossed her arms.
"So, where were we?"
"Well, in exchange for your Fallen side, permanently, you get the power to compensate for said loss in devil equivalent and the same buff for seven years."
"That's it?" Rias once again interrupted. "That's gotta be a scam."
"Not really. She's half-Fallen with little to no power, practice, or experience on that front. In fact, I am being generous because the trade is something I like."
"Deal," Akeno said before Rias could even comment, making the girl throw her hands up in exasperation.
"Well then, sign that and choose one."
She did and got a pill that gave her what we agreed on, along with a 5.5 times buff for seven years.
I immediately went to obstruct Konan's vision and hearing as I saw her eat the pill immediately.
"Ughhhh… ahhhhh~" she let out a moan that was between pain and pleasure, before shaking and spasming on the sofa and losing consciousness.
"Pervert. Hentai. Ecchi."
"Akeno!"
"You are eating your pill out of my room." I pointed at Rias, stopping whatever it was she wanted to say.
After a few seconds of the group checking on Akeno, Rias finally turned to me.
"What if I want the buff to be ten times as well as physical and magical power increase?"
"Depends on the increase, duration, and stuff."
"Peak of high class in both aspects and ten times the training speed."
"Buchou!"
"President!"
Rias ignored the two and focused on me.
"Hmm," I hummed. "I can make that happen if you arrange for two new identities for us, provide a decent residence, and a template copy of all your abilities and none of the weaknesses."
She narrowed her eyes and looked at me suspiciously. " How does that work?"
"Don't know," I shrugged. "It just does."
"And this won't affect me?"
"Not really, no," I said while thinking, 'as far as I know.'
"Okay then, deal," she hastily agreed.
I did the same thing again. She signed the paper and got a crimson-looking pill.
She stared at it, then at me, before she held Akeno and said, "We will meet again," gesturing to Kiba to teleport them.
I, on the other hand, couldn't be more ecstatic about them leaving.
I just got her overpowered clan trait, her lifespan, her demonic energy, and pretty much everything she had for nothing.
I don't know if she actually lost anything, but I don't care either.
As far as I was concerned, this day went great.
"Kai," Konan, who had been silently observing until now, called out. "TV." She pointed.
"Of course, your highness."
I opened the TV to the opening song of the Power Rangers.
'I guess I will watch the episode first, then I can assimilate the power.'
…
X_
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