The Mandate of Khaos: Occult Slaying Club (ch. 5)

"Ahh!" I jolted upright, hand flying to my chest as if trying to cage my racing heart. My breath hitched unevenly as I scrambled off the bench where—judging by the sun’s lower angle—I’d clearly fallen asleep. The dream’s lingering vertigo still clung to me like cobwebs.

The sounds of footsteps and sloshing buckets could be easily heard from a mile away. The building was not in terrible condition—quite the opposite, actually—but it was clear it had not been cleaned in a while, and as such, it was up to us to get it up and running. Rias had mentioned adding a shower to one of the rooms, and I couldn’t begin to imagine the logistical nightmare that would be.

"Shinji-nii-san." Sakura’s voice, soft but startlingly close, almost made me leap out of my skin. She stood behind me, silent as a shadow.

"Christ, Sakura! How long were you there?" My hand went towards my heart once again, this thing was getting a lot of work done today.

"Ever since you woke up. Everything okay, nii-san?" She was carrying a bucket and a mop that clearly had seen a good amount of use. I cringed at the fact I’d left them to do the work while I napped and forced myself to get up, but my leg was all tingly from being asleep on top of it on the hard bench.

"What were you dreaming about?" Sakura took a seat beside me as I massaged the numbness out of my limb, and proceeded to frown as the memories of the dream came back.

"I just… fell."

"You fell?"

"In the dream, I mean. That’s why I woke up like that."

"Ah," Sakura nodded as if she understood. "And what were you doing before you fell?"

I leaned forward and closed my eyes. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing of matter. I was waking up, getting dressed, going to school, coming back home, killing time on the internet, and going to sleep. Again, and again, and again, on a loop." I said, drawing circles in the air. It had seemed like I was doing much at the time, but it really did all amount to nothing.

"Was I there?"

The question gave me pause. “…Not in the beginning. But then suddenly, one day, you were, and I… simply kept going on. I’d leave you behind with…" I scratched my head annoyedly at the memory. "I’d go to school, eat, sit at the desk, go back home, and ignore everyone else to go to my room, sleep, and then the repeat the cycle."

"Where did you fall?" Sakura asked, and I wondered why the sudden interest in my dreams but simply sighed and answered her. My head was not up to much more than that.

"I opened a door, and was suddenly on top of a building. Classic dream stuff," I said shrugging.

"And you… fell." Sakura’s eyes locked onto mine, but I was quick to break eye contact.

"Yeah. Yeah, I fell."

"Was it a windy day?"

Gods, this was one of those times I really wished I had a cigarette on me.

I exhaled annoyedly at her insistence. "What do you think?"

Her lips pursed thoughtfully, and I cringed at how confrontational that came out. I begin to form an apology, but her eyes, clearer than they’d been a month ago in that cursed mansion, still held a depth beyond her years — a calm, unsettling stillness — that forced my mouth to close.

"I think, Shinji-nii-san… that you need not worry about such things anymore." She extended her hand to me, and I took it without hesitation. Soon enough, I was being led to the inside of the building.

It was chaos. It was worse than I remembered it being when I had left. Sona stood drenched from head to toe in soapy water, dripping onto the newly mopped floor. Rias was doubled over, howling with laughter… until Sona, with a furious flick of her wrist, conjured a whip of filthy water from a nearby puddle and cracked it sharply across Rias’ retreating backside.

“Gyah! Sona, you dirty cheater!”

“Sigh,” Tsubaki muttered, wiping grime from her glasses. “I did try to maintain order. But honestly… imagining them as President and Vice President fills me with existential dread.” Still, there was a fondness and twinkle in her eyes that I hadn't seen on them until now, along with a slight lazy slouching of her previously perfect posture.

“Why, I think it sounds delightfully entertaining,” Akeno purred, turning her amused gaze towards me. “Don’t you agree, Shinji-san?”

I watched Sona chase a shrieking Rias around a stack of chairs, the water whip snaking after them. A reluctant smile tugged at my lips. “…Yeah. Yeah, I think it’ll be pretty fun.”

Behind me, unseen, Sakura offered a small, genuine smile. She mouthed a silent thank you towards Akeno and Tsubaki. Akeno winked, Tsubaki flushed slightly and busied herself straightening a pile of rags. Sakura’s gaze then drifted to the two figures wrestling near a mop bucket, a silent thanks offered to the whirlwind of crimson and raven hair currently turning cleaning into a contact sport.

They’d stop eventually.

…Probably.

- - -

Feat: Become Part of the (Unofficial) Occult Research Club

Rewards: One Silver Trait Ticket

[Fertility Calibration]

|Uncommon Trait|

You can freely adjust your own fertility, being able to freely go from absolutely inert to being so fertile you can impregnate even someone completely infertile at will. Or depending on your parts, make yourself sterile or rival the Goat of a Thousand Young.

- - -

Tsubaki Shinra, to this moment, wasn’t exactly sure how she had ended up here.

She knew, however, that it likely wouldn't be long before she was chased away, just like before. Asutaroto-san had probably only invited her because of her surname, and she didn’t fault him for that. Despite his looks, he had been nothing but a gentleman—with a potty mouth for sure, but such things could be easily overlooked. Sitri-san too, likely recognized where she came from, and that's why she made first contact.

It was just a shame that she would not be able to meet their expectations.

The group appeared to be genuinely nice though, and however brief it lasted, she was grateful for the fleeting taste of what a normal, fulfilling high school life might have felt like.

There was always a limit to niceness however, and the existence of Tsubaki Shinra itself placed her far above such limit.

"Rias." The soft, velvety voice of Akeno Himejima resonated through the room—and wasn't that a surprise? To find the daughter of the only member of the Himejima Clan (one of the Five Principal Clans, along with her Shinra Clan) that had been exiled in the past one hundred years in the same school as her, a girl who was as close as it was possible to such a state without it being made official.

The Gremory Heiress turned, crimson locks swaying, her ample bust shifting noticeably with the movement. Tsubaki had always considered herself well-endowed, but it seemed like she had merely been a big fish in a small pond.

Asutaroto-san glanced around, clearly perplexed by the abrupt shift in the room's atmosphere. To him, Tsubaki presumed, they had simply been enjoying juice and cookies provided by Gremory-san, before everyone else (his sister notwithstanding, the girl looked more uncaring than anything else) suddenly grew tense and wary.

Tsubaki sighed softly and rose from her seat. “I apologize,” she admitted, offering a small, formal bow. “This is entirely my fault. I’ll—”

"Does anyone" the rough voice of the delinquent-looking boy resounded through the room, "mind telling me what the absolute fuck is going on?"

"We're surrounded." Asutaroto-san swiveled his head towards Sitri-san, who continued to sit primly, sipping momentarily on her cup of juice. "From the feeling these things give off, they're likely to be spirits like Hitodama and Obake."

Asutaroto-san practically leapt from his chair. "We're surrounded by Human(Hito) Souls(Dama)?!"

Himejima-san's musical laugh, rich with sadistic amusement, filled the room. "Hitodama are merely floating, fireball-like spirits, Asutaroto-san. Essentially wandering fragments of souls left behind, appearing as ghostly flames.”

“Oh.” The blue-haired boy coughed into his fist, a faint flush creeping up his neck. “Right. Obviously.” Akeno’s amused chuckle echoed again. Shinji's eyes narrowed, focusing on Tsubaki. “So, wait, you summoned them? Why?” She dropped her head, unable to meet his gaze, shame prickling her skin.

"She did not summon them," Sitri-san clarified smoothly, setting down her cup. "However, going by what she said, it is likely that they were attracted to this location due to her presence."

Tsubaki nodded mutely, confirming the young heiress’s astute assessment.

“…Can I beat one of those things?”

Sitri-san laughed softly—her laugh, Tsubaki couldn’t help but notice every time she heard it, was truly a thing of beauty, enrapturing her every time she heard it. The Sitri heiress rose gracefully and approached Asutaroto-san. “Give me your hand,” she instructed. He hesitated for a second before shrugging and extending it.

Calling upon her innate power, Sitri-san quickly wetted both of his hands until they were dripping (couldn’t she just have dropped a bit of water on them instead of using her own hands to spread the little bit she formed)? She then pulled him towards the window. “There’s one of those orbs approaching the glass. Envelop it with your hands, if you would.”

Asutaroto-san looked doubtfully at her, but his gaze followed her pointed finger. Sure enough, a floating ball of eerie, greenish-white flame drifted close to the windowpane. Reluctance warred with determination on his face. He glanced back at Sakura, who gave him a quick, encouraging thumbs-up. With a sharp, decisive clap, he trapped the spirit between his wet palms. It vanished with a faint puff of extinguished light and a whisper of steam.

"Ha! Look at that. Neat."

He frowned for a moment then, before looking at Sitri-san and grinning widely.

"Hey, how much of these shitty spirits you say we had surrounding us?"

- - -

Feat: Slay one Hitodama

Reward: Bronze Ability Ticket

[Spark]

|Trash Ability|

Allows you to create small sparks of electricity from your body, not even strong enough to function as a proper taser.

- - -

“And—ten!”

Asutaroto-san snuffed another hitodama with his water-soaked floating bandages, and Akeno laughed at the pure, childish glee lighting up his face as he celebrated his double-digit kill count.

Ah, but how delightful it would be to see that expression crumble into despair…

Lightning crackled between her outstretched palms—"I wasn't aware we were competing, Asutaroto-san?"—and ten more spirits vanished in a sizzling burst of light.

“Awesome!”

Akeno blinked, startled. Instead of the despondent pout she'd anticipated, a bright grin was threatening to fill his entire face.

Had he found her display that incredible? That was a bit endearing if so.

She looked to the side and caught Sona-san frowning. She appeared as annoyed as when she saw how the boy’s hands did not ever seem to run out of the water she had applied to them, and he had quickly explained that he could invoke a small stream basically at will. The pout she threw at his turned back, and the murderous glare she threw at Rias—along with the throat-slicing motion that followed once she saw her fellow heiress almost laughing out loud—were truly incredible sights to see from the usually so reserved girl.

“Woah!”

Asutaroto-san’s startled cry reached her ears and she was quick to turn in his direction to find him falling backwards as a Nuppeppō shambled towards him. The lump of decaying flesh moved sluggishly, and its stench was beginning to bother even her senses.

Interestingly, the girl Asutaroto, who had merely watched from the sidelines until now, crouched slightly as if preparing to launch herself in her brothers direction, one hand darting behind her back as if grasping—was that a Magical Girl Wand?

She blinked, and the amethyst staff seemed to vanish, making her momentarily doubt her eyes. She lightly shook her head and refocused on the battle. What use would be a toy in this situation after all?

She looked back at the boy, intent on helping him, but found Tsubaki blurring past her, her naginata flashing and impaling the abomination with one clean strike.

“Thanks!” His smile displayed no hint of annoyance, neither at being saved by a girl, nor at the fact that said girl was the reason he was in that situation to begin with. “Hey,” he said, and poor Tsubaki almost jumped out of her skin, “think you can help me take one of those down?”

“Ah—wha—? Y-yes! Of course!"

Asutaroto-san got up and clapped Tsubaki-san’s shoulder, a huge grin on his face, and then hurled a shimmering rune-like projectile at the second Nuppeppō. He knew Rune Magic?

“Alright, it should be blinded now.” He looked towards the girl’s naginata. “Hey, can you lend me that?”

“Ah—of course!”

Akeno smiled as the bespectacled girl passed her weapon to the boy after a quick demonstration of the simplest way to attack with it. Self-flagellation was one of the few forms of pain she did not enjoy seeing. There was no enjoyment to be found in another person hurting themselves, unlike the great enjoyment that there was to be found when one person fully gave themselves to you and allowed you to take them to their lowest and highest.

Well, not that she had much experience in the area, but she was sure that was how it was. Rias had always been a bit too squeamish for Akeno to be permitted to experiment much on her, after all.

Still, distracted by the boy’s requests, Tsubaki Shinra seemed to have finally gotten her mind out of the slump it had been in, as she focused intently on helping Asutaroto-san not sprain his ankle while trying to stab the mass of rotten flesh to death.

“Ah, is everything okay, Asutaroto-san?” The bespectacled girl asked after seeing his grin fall once he killed the rotting meat ball.

The boy waved the girl’s concern aside. “Yeah. Yeah, don’t worry about it, just my luck acting up again.”

Akeno tilted her head to the side, but she didn’t have much time to ponder upon his words. The smell was hitting her nostrils again, which meant another one of those overgrown faces was near her.

The smell of ozone soon intermingled with the smell of rotten flesh, and she had to ask Rias to erase the remains with her power lest Akeno’s nose give out on her.

She had no intention of blaming the Shinra girl for something clearly out of her control of course, but she would enjoy getting some payback either way once she was able for the disgusting smell she was being made to endure during this entire debacle.

As she saw her fellow student blush slightly upon hearing Asutaroto-san praise her abilities, Akeno’s smile sharpened.

“Akeno, no.” Rias’ voice cut through her thoughts. “Bad Akeno, whatever it is you’re thinking, no.”

Bah, what did Rias know? Hm… maybe she’d include her on it too.

“Gods damn it Akeno! What did I tell you about smiling like that?!”

- - -

Feat: Slay ten hitodamas.

Reward: One Bronze Ability Ticket

[Blind]

|Rare Ability|

Allows you to inflict a curse on your opponents, once applied it blocks off their sense of sight. You can place a curse on someone through touch or throwing a hex, a moderately fast projectile that looks like a rune, duration depends on the target's magic resistance and can be applied permanently on targets who cannot resist.

Feat: Slay one Nuppeppō

Reward: One Bronze Ability Ticket

[Cry]

|Trash Ability|

You are able to shed very salty tears at will.

Feat: Slay one Obake

Reward: One Bronze Ability Ticket

[Compass]

|Trash Ability|

You can conjure a mental compass that acts like a regular compass.

You have reached five total Abilities. A new Ability Slot has been unlocked.

Feat: Slay ten Obake

Reward: One Bronze Ability Ticket

[Megaphone]

|Common Ability|

Allows you to amplify all noises you create, they can get so loud that they disorientate and temporarily deafen opponents.

Feat: Deal with a (weak) evil spirit incursion

Reward: One Silver Ability Ticket

[Trance]

|Rare Ability|

Allows you to snap your fingers to put anyone who has their attention on you in a trance, you can subtly influence them in their trance or take other advantages, and being harmed snaps them out of their trance. Cannot be used on especially strong willed people or people stronger than you.

- - -

If this girl ends up not becoming a club member I won't need Cry to begin bawling my eyes out.

I need this!