Tensei Skill Shop Chapter 50

Tensei Skill Shop

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 50:

“Is something wrong?” The brunette asked me, making me realize I had been staring at her longer than a person normally should.

Calm down. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that she has the same name? “No, well, um…”

She smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay, take your time.”

Wow, even though she’s younger than me, I can really feel the kindness. I mustered up the courage to speak. “Sorry, but can I ask you a few questions about yourself?”

Chiho blinked, slightly confused. “Sure…?”

“In the world you were from, was there a company called MBI?”

The surprised expression confirmed it even before she answered. “Why yes. Mid-Bio Informatics, it’s a very famous company founded by… Minaka, I think? Does this mean you were from my world too?”

“Not exactly…” I trailed off as I tried to find a way to verbalize my thoughts.

Chiho’s expectant look helped me spill the details. I told her how in her world, within the city of Shin-Tokyo, Minaka had released over a hundred human-looking aliens known as Sekirei, to find their destined persons and fight to be the last one remaining. Included was how the Sekireis possessed superhuman abilities, and could be enhanced by the Norito with their Ashikabi.

“Incredible.” She murmured.

“You believe me?”

“You don’t seem like the sort to lie. I wasn’t expecting my world to have such a fantastical setting.” Chiho tilted her head. “But, what connection does this have?”

“It’s a bit of a long story, so bear with me.”

She listened patiently as I explained how I visited her world to gather skills from those Sekireis as part of my job, but also to recruit a colleague, someone whom my meta knowledge identified as a talented person. 

“And one of them… would have been your Sekirei.” I admitted.

“My Sekirei?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Her name is Uzume. Here, this is how she looks like.”

I used my magic to create an image of my brunette Sekirei, one that served as her phone’s wallpaper; it depicted her hugging my arm as we smiled at the camera she was using for the selfie.

“Wow, she looks so pretty!” Chiho commented. “You’re a lucky man to have her.”

What? That statement surprised me. “You don’t feel anything else when you see this image?”

“...was I supposed to?”

Ah. I get it now. I stared at her for a moment, then closed my eyes.

Different worlds had different systems. In the Sekirei World, Hidaka Chiho would have- no, should have become the Ashikabi for Uzume the Veil Sekirei. However, by entering the world and doing what I did there, I had changed that fate. Uzume became my Sekirei, and Chiho… Chiho died.

The Hidaka Chiho in front of me had been transmigrated from that world, so she was no longer part of the Sekirei World’s system. There was no fated connection with my Uzume. 

Somehow, the guilt that I had been feeling about taking Uzume away from Chiho lessened by a great deal.

“Is there anything wrong?” Chiho asked me concernedly.

I shook my head, opening my eyes to look at her. “No. It’s just… I think I was responsible for your death.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I hadn’t been there, you would have met Uzume, and the bond you two would have formed would have led you to live longer.” I knew that I was generalizing things a lot, but I couldn’t really describe it how I wanted to. “Instead, you ended up dying.”

Chiho nodded slowly. “I did die, yes.”

“Sorry.” I apologized.

“No, you don’t have to apologize.” She met my eyes straight on. “I was already dying. The treatments I was undergoing at the hospital, they only slowed the progression of my disease. They couldn’t cure it.”

But in canon, MBI could and did cure you. I didn’t say anything and just let her continue.

“Maybe in another world, another time and place, when you didn’t appear, things might have turned out differently.” Chiho reached out, and gently rested her hand on my arm. “But the me here, I’m not that person.”

“You’re not.” I agreed.

She smiled, a pure, happy one. “In this world, I’m healthy. I can do all sorts of things. Things I wanted to do before, but couldn’t because of my illness.”

[Appraisal] showed me her status, and indeed, her body’s condition couldn’t be called infirm in any way. I could also see a list of skills, stuff like [Taming], [Familiar Summoning], [Quick Heal], and other Beastmaster-type skills. 

“So please, don’t feel bad about what you did,” Chiho finished. “From the look of the girl in the picture you showed me, she’s very happy with you already.”

“She is.” I can tell through our bond whenever we spend time together.

“Then you should keep making her happy.” The girl told me, simple as that.

I let out a small snort of laughter as I smiled back at her, now feeling much better.

“Still, Uzume, was it?” Chiho looked out over the scenery of the village. “I think if I ever have a bird familiar, I’d like to name it that.”

“I think she wouldn’t mind,” I replied, before suddenly recalling what I was here for. “Oh, we should get your skills properly updated.”

“Oh. You did come here for that, didn’t you? It had slipped my mind.”

We sat down on the grassy slope, and I quickly got to work. Extracting the skills, decompiling them, making the small adjustments that were in line with this world’s system… 

Having worked with hundreds of Sano’s skills by now, combined with the extra knowledge he downloaded into my head before I came, I could tell that there was a distinct difference in quality between the skills Chiho had been granted and the ones I usually handled. At the same time, there was a familiar style to them that made me think ‘yup, this is Sano’s’.

Okay, so this one’s efficiency is poor. Wasting more mana than necessary for a lesser effect. Adjusted. One final check to make sure nothing else was wrong, and then I compiled it back together again.

The last part was to make sure that all the adjusted skills didn’t clash with each other. Just like certain regiments of medication for separate health conditions could cause organ damage if taken together, stress from having skills in action could accumulate on portions of a user’s existence, leading to severe side effects. One of Sano’s provided skills worked as an emulation tool, allowing me to see if such a thing might occur.

Fortunately, things turned out fine, and I returned all of the adjusted skills back to Chiho. 

“Is it done?” She asked, patting her body curiously.

“Yep. Your skills should be working perfectly now.” I nodded to her. “Go ahead and give them a try.”

She closed her eyes, as though searching within herself. “[Detect]. [Scan]. [Recovery].”

I felt her activate several skills, and they all seemed to work properly, linking up with the world’s system to do so. At the same time, I felt divine attention fall on me. The goddess in charge of this world had been paying attention, and now that my job was done, I could feel her impatience for me to leave.

“Everything seems okay,” Chiho said, opening her eyes. She quickly noticed my discomfort. “What’s wrong?”

“Seems like the owner wants me to leave now that I’m done here. I think we probably won’t see each other again.”

She looked a little sad at that. “I see. Well, it was nice meeting you.”

“Same here.” 

“Um!” Chiho suddenly burst out. “About that girl… Uzume!”

Oof, the pulling is getting stronger. “Y-yes…?”

“I wish that the both of you have happy lives together!” Chiho smiled brightly at me. 

I blinked, then returned the smile. “Thanks.”

The next moment, Chiho and the world itself vanished from around me, replaced by the divine realm I saw when I first entered this world. The goddess herself was still sitting on the boulder.

“You fixed the problem. Your performance was acceptable. You may leave.”

I recognized a dismissal when I saw one. Nodding, I exited through the world’s barrier, and engaged the skill to [Travel] once again.

Stepping out of the white space and into a darkened shop floor, I let my job persona handle the task of returning the [World Travel] skill to where it belonged in the special storage. After that, it was a quick phone call to inform Sano that I had finished the task, and I was free for the rest of the day. No longer controlled by the job persona, I made my way back to the living space, where I found a surprise waiting for me.

“Tadah~!” Uzume gushed, posing in a shrine maiden costume, “What do you think?”

I couldn’t help smiling. “I think you look amazing,” I told her, honestly meaning what I said, though there was another term that I didn’t say out loud.

Erotic. 

It wasn’t blatantly so; the entire outfit was the usual white top with long red skirt, but there were gaps that exposed her bare skin, which emphasized her full-figured body. The small traces of red, either from the inner lining or the stitching along the edges, just made those gaps stand out more.

“No detached sleeves?” I asked as Uzume raised her arms and slowly turned for me to see.

“I considered it, but that would have meant putting the parts on one by one. This way’s easier.” She raised one arm above her head, her other hand tugging at the front to draw attention to the cut out section and what it exposed.

The openings beneath the shoulders would have been hidden with her arms lowered, if not for Uzume’s generous bust, which pushed the front out enough to expose a good amount of sideboob on both sides. My fingers itched to slip into those gaps and enjoy the sensation of feeling up what lay within, but I resisted the urge and looked lower instead.

The lower half was just as stealthily suggestive. The skirt was secured by a large red bow at the front, hanging underneath her bulging top, but there were gaps at the sides as well. I idly recalled the term as ‘hip vents’, and the curves of her hips and thighs could be glimpsed through them. 

I gulped, then asked, “So what brought this outfit on? Wait, where are the other-”

The bond I had with my Sekireis pulsed, not the one to the girl in front of me, but to the other two. I could tell they were together, and they were…

<Ohhh… yes! Right there, Irene-tan!> The telepathic voice echoed through our heads. <Your tongue feels so good!>

Meeting Uzume’s heated gaze let me know that she was aware of what the two redheads were doing, and it had gotten her into the mood as well. She stepped lightly towards me, giggling softly as she did, until she was close enough to hug me.

Her hands guided mine to wrap around her body, and I couldn’t help cupping her perky butt. Likewise, she pressed her chest against mine, the motion squishing her breasts up and emphasizing the cleavage.

“Mm~ Since they’re having fun by themselves, how about we do the same?” Uzume invited, looking up at me lustfully.

My answer was to kiss her, deeply and intensely.

As we maneuvered over to the couch, I gave into the temptation and began molesting Uzume’s clothed body, my hands wandering over the parts of her that turned me on the most. She responded eagerly to my advances as well, grinding her butt against my hands, or moaning lewdly when I rubbed the bumps tenting the front of her top. At the same time, I kept stealing kisses from her lips, with momentary slips of my tongue into her mouth.

“Rick-kun… you tease…” She whimpered.

Contrary to her weak-sounding voice, her grip on my wrist was strong, as it guided my hand into the side gap in her top. The sexy curve of her breast outwards from her ribs, the warm feeling of her skin against my palm, all of it resounded with my own burning lust, and it was just more signs of her own arousal, that I was well aware of through the Sekirei bond. I began playing with her breasts, seeing the fabric writhe with my fingers squeezing and molding her sensitive flesh beneath. Uzume continued to moan from the stimulation, her body squirming against mine.

We tumbled backwards onto the couch, and I got a facefull of her hair, which smelled pleasant as it always did. Naturally, I took deep breaths, taking in the scent of my cute and sexy Sekirei as we repositioned ourselves into a more comfortable posture. All the while, my hands continued to grope her. I enjoyed her mewling whenever I flicked and rubbed her erect nipples, knowing how sensitive they were for her.

“Touch me down there too, Rick-kun…” Uzume begged.

“Alright…” 

It was a simple maneuver, just a slight pull back from the gap in the top, and push downwards at an angle, through the opening in the sides of the skirt. I had suspected it from the glimpse I had earlier, but my touch confirmed it.

Uzume wasn’t wearing panties underneath her skirt.

Instead, I felt something like a strip of cloth covering her genitals, stuck there somehow, a thin slick layer that kept my hand from making direct contact. But that didn’t stop me; my fingers began stroking up and down the small bulge between her legs, feeling the small crevasse that went down its center. With how thin the cloth was, I could also feel that she was totally shaven bare, without a hair I could detect. My other hand kept on teasing her breast throughout.

“Ohhh… Mmm… ah, ah, uhhh!” 

“Uzume… Uzume…” I murmured as I continued to play with her body.

I could feel her emotions spiking each time I called her name, even as the cloth grew damper with her own arousal. After a while more, I felt a sensation like Uzume was giving her permission, and the strip came loose, its wetness causing it to stick to my fingers.

Instead of going for the treasure it exposed, I pinched the cloth and slowly pulled, drawing it out through the hip vent. The smell of Uzume’s arousal was very clear, as was the liquid evidence that stained the pink ribbon. 

This feeling… magic too? I looked pointedly into Uzume’s eyes, and she stuck her tongue out cheekily. 

Bringing the strip to my mouth, I took a careful lick of it, tasting the familiar taste I had come to attribute to Uzume’s flavor. She moaned as she watched me, getting even more turned on by the act. Her hand reached out to caress mine, before bringing it and the cloth it held to her mouth, where she did the same.

We enjoyed ourselves like that for a few seconds, before I dropped the strip down onto her top, which had fallen open from all the groping I had done there. Snagging it with my other hand that was still within her top, I began using it to tease her nipple, the wet fabric adding a change to the stimulation. Uzume had no time to relax, because I slipped my hand back into her skirt, and struck at the now exposed core. 

“AHN! Rick-kun!” She threw her head back with a moan, as my fingers spread open her pussy lips and slipped a digit into her burning hot cunt. “Uhh! Oooh!”

With how turned on Uzume was, and the amount of teasing I had been giving to her aroused body, it didn’t take long before she came. As always, her body writhed in the throes of ecstasy, and I felt the pulse resonate with another coming from elsewhere in the living space.

“Rick-kun…” Uzume called hoarsely, turning her head weakly so she could look at my face. “I can’t wait… hurry…”

Her hands scrabbled at the bow at her waist, a quick tug loosening the knot, and letting the skirt fall free. My Sekirei tried to mount me, but her orgasm had left her slightly off-balance, so I decided to take the lead. 

“Ah! Ri-Rick-kun?!”

“Shh, just lie back and enjoy.”

Aiming my erection at her exposed honeypot, I met Uzume’s surprised gaze, and slowly sank myself into her. Her groan of ecstasy was music to my ears, and I began to play the instrument in my embrace more. 

Her breasts jiggled as I thrust powerfully into her, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as her throat expressed her bliss in erotic groans, the clenching of her pussy’s flesh around my cock, seeking even more pleasure from this act…

Just like her first orgasm, it didn’t take long for mine to hit, and I felt Uzume’s body twitch and jerk beneath mine as I filled her insides with my cum. 

“Haa… Haa… Haah…” She panted, looking at me with her beautiful brown eyes. “Again?”

“Again.” I agreed, and began moving once more.

Uzume’s hands added to her own pleasure by rubbing her clit and playing with her breasts. In between her moans, she slipped in whispered encouragements to me, telling me how good I was making her feel, or where I could adjust my technique to better pleasure her. We also changed positions, just to keep things fresh and interesting.

“Hey… Rick-kun…” Uzume murmured as she rode on top of me slowly, taking the chance to catch her breath a little. 

“Hm?” I raised my gaze from her gently bouncing breasts to meet her eyes.

“I love you.”

“I know.” I replied instantly. “I love you too.”

I embraced her tightly, halting her bobbing motion, and kissed her deeply. She returned it fiercely, and I felt her Norito flare to life, creating the wings of light from her back. The surge of energy flowing through our bond made us both climax together, and I released my load into her yet again.

Elsewhere, another pair of Sekireis had their own orgasm.

A short while later, we were cuddled up naked on the sofa, our clothes having been discarded somewhere in the room. Uzume’s hand was lightly caressing my cock, while I fondled her butt in return, but we’ve had enough fun for the time being. The fluids we spilled had been cleaned up with a skill, saving us from having to endure the discomfort of a mess as we talked.

So Matsu decided to seduce Irene, and Irene went along with it? “And you didn’t join them?” I asked Uzume.

“I wanted you to see me in that outfit first,” She admitted shyly.

“You were dazzlingly beautiful in it.”

Uzume’s hand paused on my shaft as she flashed a smirk at me. “Yeah, I can tell. I’ll wear it again for you sometime.”

Eventually, the topic shifted to my brief work trip, and I flat-out admitted that I met Chiho there, as a person who was transmigrated to another world.

“Really? You’re not joking?” Uzume asked, blinking at me in surprise.

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this. It really was Chiho, I confirmed it by asking her about the world she came from.”

“Did anything happen with her?”

“I told her about how I changed what would have happened, and apologized.” Seeing Uzume tilt her head, I elaborated, “For causing her death, I mean.”

Uzume narrowed her eyes at me. “I bet she said you didn’t have to apologize. Am I right?” She squeezed her hand, tighter than usual.

“Y-yeah.”

After a few seconds, she relaxed her grip, and resumed stroking up and down. “What else did she say?”

I told her everything else about my interaction with Chiho, how she said she was not the same girl anymore. More importantly, I told her how the girl felt about the relationship Uzume and I had, and her well-wishes for the two of us. 

“Such a kind girl.” Uzume commented, turning her head and letting it rest on my chest. “I suppose I might have chosen her as my Ashikabi because of that.”

“Uzume…”

“But!” She twisted around to look directly in my face, and poked my nose with a finger. “MY Ashikabi isn’t Chiho. It’s you. And I’m your Sekirei. Nothing’s going to change that.”

I blinked at her, then smiled. “Yeah. You’re my Sekirei.”

““Now and Forever.”” We chorused together, before smiling and exchanging a kiss.

Uzume pushed herself up and swung her leg over to straddle me once again, eager to resume our fun. Later, when Irene and Matsu finally emerged from their sapphic exploration of lust, we pulled them in for another sexual orgy. The limits of the [Sexual Stamina] skill and the [Sex Maniac] job class were put to the test.

We ended up having instant noodles for supper that night, as Uzume didn’t feel like cooking afterwards even with her accelerated cooking speed. Afterwards, we fell into the bed and passed out fast asleep instantly.

Absolutely no regrets.

…

“So you’re sure that this is the next world to visit?” I asked Matsu. 

“That’s right! According to my calculations, the abilities in this world can help give a good upgrade to all our skills.”

“Alright then. You want to let Sano know, or should I?” 

“Leave it to me!” Matsu winked.

It didn’t take long for Sano’s approval, but we still had the one week period before the connection was made. Leafeon declined to join us for this trip, so the four of us made our own preparations. The obvious part was rereading the original source material, which I sped through pretty quickly with my reading speed, only surpassed by Matsu. 

I closed my foldable smartphone after finishing the last chapter. “Wait, so who exactly is the god in charge of this world?”

“According to Sano, there isn’t one,” Matsu answered, “The role of managing the world is by the system you see introduced in the story.”

“Doesn’t that mean any god can just move in and take over?” 

She shook her head. “I can’t say for sure until I’ve seen it for myself, but the system is pretty good at rejecting any outside attempts to gain control, and from how Sano describes it, it serves as a trap in itself.”

“So our boss is lucky he didn’t try to take over?” Uzume joked, “Imagine if he had been captured by that system. We’d all be out of a job.”

I shuddered at the notion of that happening. “Lucky us then. So how did he gain access?”

“He contacted the managers with an offer of help in adjusting the system, making use of the future knowledge in this.” Matsu tapped the tablet she was reading the electronic manga on. “Some worlds are just more malleable when it comes to traversing time.”

Irene’s hair wiggled as she shook her head, but she didn’t say anything other than to sigh.

Given the likelihood of combat, we also spent some time revising our skill loadouts, practicing with them in the training room. At the point in the timeline we were entering, the main character group wasn’t that strong, but there were still outliers and potential boss-class enemies our presence might attract, so it was only prudent to be prepared.

Especially since we were intending to seize a few valuable items for ourselves, and the people we would be targeting were the type to retaliate with deadly force for the crime. The world system’s rules could also increase the risk of us dying, and that was something we all agreed on not seeing happen.

Our evening planning sessions felt kind of exciting, because it really had the feel of a Grand Theft Auto heist setup. Multiple smaller missions over time, helping us build up towards the big score at the end. Matsu was our planner and techie, Uzume our equipment specialist, me as the muscle, and Irene as the trump card in case things got hairy.

The sessions themselves were held in one of Matsu’s Rooms, customized to look like a high-tech command center. I could see the similarity between it and the one in the GTA V game, from all the Lets Play videos I used to watch from my favorite Youtubers.

“While we have to restrict our selection of stuff to bring along, the large variety of phenomena present in this world means that we can push the limit a little, under the excuse of ‘secretly developed technology’,” Matsu made air quotes with her fingers, as we sat around a long table, facing a holographic display screen.

Uzume snickered. “I’ve got some ideas on dresspheres we can use then.”

“Not only that, but the special abilities also mean that we aren’t precluded from using magic. Just no Ultima or Deus Sema, okay, Irene-tan?”

“I know. I’ll try to be as conserving of my magic as I can.”

As expected of how thorough Matsu was with her planning, she listed out several points in the timeline we could insert into, along with options of how to act for each one.

“And so, because of that, we’ll be going for short visits each time,” Matsu explained, “Either as antagonists, allies, or just observers.”

I nodded in agreement. Yeah, that way [Learning] will trigger, and we can harvest more skills with less risk.

“A shonen setting like that does mean the main characters grow in the face of adversity,” Irene responded.

“So what are our targets this time? Aside from skills, that is.” Uzume asked Matsu, though we all knew it was a rhetorical question.

“Equipment and technology, of course!”

And then finally, the day of our departure arrived, and we assembled in Sano’s office.

“This time,” Sano informed us, “You’ll be carrying a few skills for that world’s manager, to help him in preparing for the appointed time.”

The skills were already laid out on his desk, and I inspected each one before storing it within me. A skill for better monitoring of hunters, another for stealth, another to improve energy efficiency, and so on… When I was done, I stepped back, only for Uzume to step forward this time. In the place where the skill boxes had been, she placed Leafeon, who sat down and looked at us.

“Take care of her for us, okay?”

“Fee.” Leafeon let out a reassuring bark, filling the room with clean scented air.

Sano nodded, smiling slightly. “Of course. The connection has been made, and you can go through the door now. I look forward to seeing what you return with.”

“See you when we see you, boss!” Matsu said as a farewell as we left the office.

…

In certain hidden parts of the world, a few people suddenly reacted to an intrusion that shouldn’t have been detected.

A woman wearing a mushroom-shaped white hat glanced out the window, blinking.

“Is something the matter, boss?” One of the suited men in the same room asked her.

“No… but for a moment, it felt like the future changed,” She murmured.

“Huh?” 

“Never mind. Moving on, regarding our relationship with the other Famiglia…”

A white-haired boy, paused in the act of cheerfully eating marshmallows, feeling like something had locked off the myriad possibilities and potentials available to him. However, he shrugged it off, chalking what his special senses had noticed as a figment of his imagination, and continued snacking on his favorite food.

In a small town, an even younger boy whose connection with a mystical planet granted him the ability to rank things suffered an intense migraine as the list of rankings in his head was disrupted for a reason he could not perceive. He soon recovered, but was left with more questions than answers.

Some of the others who also noticed were small in body, but strong in spirit. They only noticed because of their highly-trained instincts, combined with the items they wore on their persons. None of them had any answers for what it was they felt, just that it was impactful in some way.

The last of them was in a misty room, surrounded by several others dressed like he was. Faces covered by bandages, with black top hats and cloaks, this gathering of people were feared by many for their ominous appearance and what they represented.

Seated on the shoulder of the largest one in the room, the small head turned sharply. 

“What is it?” His mount asked.

“I feel it! It’s him!” The tiny person hissed. “Checker Face…”

Instantly, a portal tore open, swallowing up the entire group. They reappeared in a small town, their hidden faces turned outwards in search of the one they bore a grudge against. Chains and manacles snaked around, moving of their own volition. However, after some time passed, it became clear that their target was not present.

“He was here, but no longer.” The small figure, who was clearly the leader of the group despite his size, mused, “Just what made you come out of hiding for…?”

Recognizing the pointlessness of their presence in this place, the portal opened again, removing all signs of the group’s presence just as quickly as they had appeared.

…

“Greetings,” The white-haired man wearing round glasses bowed to us politely, “My name is Kawahira. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.” Irene returned his greeting with the same manner.

“That was close… Did you feel those guys?” Uzume glanced in the direction where the ominous feeling had appeared and vanished. “I wouldn’t want to face them.”

“You can relax. I have long experience in remaining concealed from those hunting me.” Kawahira reassured us.

“Well, what we’ve brought will make things easier.” 

I touched my chest and began bringing out the skills, with Matsu helping to explain what each one did. Despite his intense expression, I could tell he was interested in the foreign abilities we brought. 

“I know asking you to trust us like this is a bit much, but I can guarantee that these skills do exactly what I said.”

“Forgive me if I verify that for myself first.” 

Yeah, I guess even I would be suspicious at first glance. “Anyway, this is just the visiting gift,” I added, “Shall we move on to the negotiations?”

His response was a single nod.

Despite his appearance as a normal human, Kawahira was more than that. He was one of the few surviving human progenitors, supporting a system designed to guide the growth and development of life on this world. The path said development took gave rise to a bunch of interesting skills that we were here for.

Namely, skills that were all fuelled by a power known as Dying Will Flames.

This was the world of Tutor Hitman Reborn!, or Reborn! for short, a rather old shonen manga series. While it initially started off as a gag manga, it soon became an action-focused one, with the characters engaging in life-threatening fights. I remembered enjoying the seven-color power system, as well as the whole Box technology thing. 

Characters-wise, they were rather memorable with their shonen-esque named moves, like Yamamoto with his Shigure Souen Ryuu, or Hibari with his tonfas, so I was kind of itching to test myself against them. Though at this point of time, it was a little early for that, so we were here more to observe than to actually fight. Apart from those, there were also a lot of Improbably Weapon Users.

“Alright, that settles our deal.”

I blinked, realizing I had zoned out for a bit, enough for them to finish their negotiations. 

Kawahira was smiling slightly, an expression that was mirrored on Matsu’s face. On the table between them was a medium-sized case, one that my [Appraisal] identified as having all forty-two volumes of the Reborn! manga. It was an obvious trade of future knowledge for the help Kawahira would provide us for our stay here.

The man inclined his head in a half-bow. “Your help is greatly appreciated, and I will do my best to repay this debt.”

“Good job, Matsu-chan!” Uzume said happily.

“So where should we start first?” Irene asked.

“A place to stay and serve as our base of operations,” I reminded them of Matsu’s plans.

Kawahira nodded, pulling a map from his sleeve. “I believe I can help with that. I do run a realtor, after all.”

The title at the top of the map bore the name of the town we were in, the town where many of the manga’s events took place.

Namimori Town.

Afterword: Feels like a good point to end this chapter. I initially considered just hinting at the next world, but somehow my muse just refused to cooperate. So I ended up struggling, and finally just decided to state it straight out. 

Do let me know what you all think of the initial smut scene, by the way. It’s difficult to write such stuff when I’m not in the right mood…