Tensei Skill Shop Chapter 19

Tensei Skill Shop

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 19:

As usual in a new place, I woke up on my own without having my alarm go off. The light through the curtains let me know that the sun was already up, so I rolled out of the futon and began tidying up the room.

It had been a while since I woke up alone without either Matsu or Uzume sleeping nearby, but Miya was quite strict about enforcing the rules. Even though I knew they were just in the next room over, it was a slightly uncomfortable difference.

I’ve grown used to having them nearby already. I drew back the curtains.

“Haa!”

“Too much focus up top! Keep your footwork light!” The scolding was accompanied by a rap on the thighs.

“Yes!” The short-haired brunette bounced on her feet, preparing to attack once again.

Ah, blessed so early in the morning with such a view… I watched the large globes bounce within the white gym shirt.

Musubi was training together with Miya, getting schooled in fighting techniques by a master of the sword. From my vantage point, I could see that Miya outclassed the younger Sekirei by quite a fair bit. At the same time, she was doing quite a good job of pointing out Musubi’s openings and the mistakes that caused them.

An idea came to me. Hmm… maybe I should try that. I do have the LP for it. 

Closing my eyes, I used [Creation], and made a skill that was based on the Trainer skills I picked up in Skyrim, though in the reversed role as the learner instead. Feeling it slot into place within myself, I opened them to continue observing Miya’s instructions.

She was keeping her movements basic, as a way of letting Musubi see just how to move similarly efficiently, while her verbal and physical actions were to direct the Sekirei to correct her own actions and develop her own style.

If I were to use [Full Focus Breathing], I could probably surpass her at this level of strength, but I could tell that she wasn’t showing her full power in any case.

The new skill was pulling at me, chafing at the poorer efficiency of just observing. 

Hmm… I think I should be careful with some of the skills I make in other worlds, if they can influence me like this. Still, I turned away from the window, and went to retrieve the practice wooden sword from my inventory before heading downstairs.

The door to the neighboring room opened as I passed by near it, revealing Uzume in a skimpy set of nightwear. I couldn’t help glancing at her chest, before pulling my gaze upwards to her face.

“Good morning, Uzume.”

“Good morning, Rick-kun,” She crossed her arms and pushed her chest up a little, smirking in the way that let me know she caught me looking. “Would you like a good morning kiss?”

I obliged her, but kept it chaste before pulling back. “I’m going down to join Miya in her training,” I informed her.

She looked surprised. “Can you keep up?” <Without revealing your skills, I mean.>

“We’ll see.”

I descended the stairs and stepped out onto the veranda. My presence caught the attention of Miya, while Musubi was too focused on attacking to realize. Even so, the distraction didn’t break her rhythm at all; she swiveled around another lunging attack, poking Musubi in the back as she did so. 

“Ah!” Musubi nearly went off-balance, but recovered quickly.

“You committed too much. Good attempt trying to go for the brief opening.”

“Yes, landlady!”

Miya turned back to me. “Steel-san, what brings you here, carrying that?” She asked pleasantly.

“I would like to join in your training too, if you would have me.”

“You are welcome, of course,” Miya replied, “But can you keep up with us?”

“I won’t know if I don’t try.”

“Indeed.” She glanced at Musubi. “Musubi-san, please stand aside for a bit.”

The Sekirei slumped slightly, her cowlick drooping with her mood. “Okay…” 

Miya smiled in amusement. “Watching this should be educational for you too.”

That made the girl perk right back up. “Yes, landlady!”

Donning my sport shoes, I stepped out into the yard and took a position across from Miya, bringing my weapon up in a front-facing stance aimed towards her. Her legs bent slightly, and she placed her sheathed sword at her side, almost like a quick-draw stance.

“Here I come!” I announced.

I had largely mastered [Full Focus Breathing], though not to the point of keeping it up throughout the day, even while sleeping. Due to that, I could feel my muscles working in tandem as I kicked off the ground, closing the distance between us almost instantly.

Her eyes widened slightly, a giveaway that she hadn’t been expecting my speed.

Our weapons clacked against each other, and she swiftly moved to counter, only for my follow up to disrupt that attempt. A slash shifted into a stab, then transformed into several different motions as I constantly flowed through the various forms, trying to target the momentary openings I could see.

Yep, she’s sped up to match me. And she’s taking the defensive, trying to wait for me to tire out! I thought as I swung again. Too bad this breathing skill improves my stamina so much that it won’t happen for a while!

She leaned back, just out of the arc of my swing, though my dynamic vision caught a few strands of hair torn from her bangs by the force. 

Then it was my turn to dodge, as she responded with a swift upwards slice that a normal human being shouldn’t be able to do, causing a shockwave that gouged out the ground.

“You have excellent moves,” She complimented me, “Where did you learn your sword skills?”

“In quite a few places!” 

“Is that so?” Then all of a sudden, she was in my range, and her hand was on my wrist. “But how is your defense?”

Something swept my foot out from underneath me, and I barely managed to bring my weapon up to block when a heavy force rammed it back against my chest, sending me hurtling back. I quickly reacted by twisting around, managing to catch the tip of my wooden sword into the ground and redirecting my momentum, before executing several flips and spins to bleed off the rest of it. It ended with my back slamming against the fence several meters away from our sparring area, knocking the breath out of me.

“Whooo!” I stared at Miya, wide-eyed. So that’s the power of the Number 1 Sekirei? Daaaaammmnnn… 

She stood where she was after that combo move, looking at me with a gentle smile on her face. If she had decided to follow up, it would have been my definite loss for sure… 

I straightened up and lowered my weapon, slowly walking back over.

“That was amazing, Rick-san, landlady!” Musubi gushed, bouncing with her fists under her chin in barely restrained excitement. 

“I see your reaction time is quite good. Were you from a family that focused on martial arts, perhaps?” Miya asked me.

“Not really, I only started developing these skills last year.”

“Then you must be very talented.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

“Rick-san, could I spar with you next?” My fellow student asked me.

“Sorry,” I apologized, “I think I need a break after that…”

“Aww…” 

“I’ll be your partner, Musubi-san.” Miya came in with a save.

Her mood went back up to happy again. “Yes, landlady!”

I settled down to sit on the veranda, where an audience had gathered already. Minato, Kusano, and my two Sekireis were there. Uzume was dressed properly now, instead of the lingerie she had on earlier. 

“Steel-san, that was incredible!” Minato said, looking at me with awe. “To be able to go up against the landlady like that…”

I flopped down to sit next to them. “Good morning, Sahashi-san. She was still taking it easy on me.”

“Even so…”

I could see that he had some suspicion of me being a Sekirei as well, but he didn’t try to confirm it, instead focusing on watching Musubi continue training with Miya.

While I couldn’t really do much without giving things away with the landlady keeping a close eye on me, I was at least able to confirm a few things through [Appraisal] on Minato and Kusano.

Turns out that the [Ashikabi] skill worked much like Harem Labyrinth’s jobs, with the potential to grow based on the number of Sekireis winged. [Creation] had cheated by giving me a high leveled one right off, enough to trigger a reaction in Uzume and Matsu since they were the closest. 

Good thing I had [Edited] that influence down to prevent me from causing any other Sekireis to react, because I didn’t want to derail the plot any more than I already had. 

The other thing was Kusano’s [Life Manipulation] power. I could see that it had been adjusted to work only on plants at the moment, despite having the potential to affect any other living being. Though such a thing would most likely require a Norito to occur. For normal scientists to be able to pull off such a thing, that was quite impressive. 

I felt the mental link form in my mind.

<So what were you trying to do?> Matsu asked me.

<Trying out a new learning-based skill.>

<How was it?>

I couldn’t really recall the exact values of my various weapon- and battle-related skills before, but I could tell that they had all increased by a considerable amount. That destructive upward strike was something I could replicate, with a bit more effort. Not to the level of forming a whole new skill that I could pawn off on Sano, but that was a different matter entirely. 

<I’d say it was pretty good.>

Afterwards, Miya made us do a bit of slow sparring against each other so she could polish more of Musubi's flaws out, before we finally ended the session. Returning to the common room, I saw the final tenant of the inn present. We had met briefly when I moved in, but he had to leave for his night shift job, so he was only able to introduce himself and give his name as Kagari.

He was also Sekirei Number 6, Homura, with the power of fire. One of the few unwinged Sekireis still in Shinto Teito, he took on the role of the Sekirei Guardian to protect other unwinged Sekireis until they found their Ashikabi.

“So what do you do for a job?” The gray-haired man asked me as we sat around the dining table.

“Currently, it's in retail customer service, but I've done pharmaceuticals before.” I caught his suspicious look and shook my head, “Nothing like MBI, more like a community hospital thing.”

“Since you said ‘currently’, that means you're on vacation now?”

“Yes,” I confirmed, “Matsu wanted to come back to this place, so I came along.”

“Does that mean Matsu is also working at the same place you are?” The look he gave the subject of our conversation had some suspicion in it.

“What does that mean?” The braids-wearing Sekirei demanded. “Are you saying that me holding a job is that hard to believe?”

“Nothing of that sort,” He hastily backtracked.

“Yeah, I was out on a recruiting trip and happened to meet her, and she easily passed her interview.”

“So what does she do?”

“It’s kind of confidential, but the best description would be product development.”

“And I’m good at it!” Matsu added with distinct pride.

“That she is,” I agreed.

“Alright, enough talking,” Miya interrupted, her chopsticks holding out a piece of vegetable, “Open wide.”

“Hey, Miya? I told you, I don’t like spinach!”

“Don’t be picky.”

“What happened, Kagari-san?” Minato asked.

The flame user lifted up his hands, which were wrapped in bandages. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned as well, showing that his torso was similarly covered.

“I got a little burned, so my hands are like this. Can’t even hold chopsticks…”

“You were okay when I saw you yesterday,” I pointed out, “Did you run into an arsonist or something?”

“Some bad people were trying to assault a young lad, and I just had to step in.”

“Oh, what happened to the kid?”

“The last I saw, a bystander helped him to escape. After that…” He gestured with his injured arms again.

I exchanged looks with my two Sekireis. We knew the truth; the boy was Number 107, Shiina, while Kagari’s opponents were Sekireis belonging to the Ashikabi of the South. Kagari had used his flames to fend them off, but due to his improper tuning, his unstable powers ended up harming himself as well. As for the bystander who rescued him, that was Sahashi Yukari, Minato’s little sister. 

It could be said to be a coincidence, but I guess that was fate.

…

“Look at this city, Takami. Even now, there are still birds wandering around, searching for the ones that can give them their wings!” The white-haired man proclaimed as he stood on the balcony of his office.

With his high-collared white coat fluttering around him in the windy altitude, it would have been quite a sight, but there was only a single audience member present. The woman standing behind him just took another drag on her cigarette, having heard similar lines from him many times before. 

The man was Minaka Hiroto, the CEO of MBI, and the mad genius responsible for the Sekirei Plan that was currently taking place in Tokyo.

“The second stage soon approaches, and we, MBI, shall claim Tokyo to be the battleground for all Sekirei!”

“About that… It’s already starting to turn into one.”

“With money, power, and connections, nothing will stand in our way, and- What did you just say?” He faltered, turning slightly to look at Takami out of the corner of his eye.

“There’s been more than a few clashes between winged Sekireis and their Ashikabis lately, and not all of them know how to hold back. The number of terminations has risen considerably recently.”

“Hm, perhaps ten unwinged Sekireis as the trigger might have been a bit too generous,” Minaka mused to himself. “How many are left?”

“Thirteen.”

“That’s not too far off. Seems like my estimate of ten was a good one in any case!”

Takami shrugged. “Natsuo thinks we should send the Disciplinary Squad out to break up any big fights.”

“No need for that!” He declared, “The Sekirei Plan shall continue as scheduled! The chaos will lead the wingless birds to seek out their Ashikabis, and we will soon begin the second stage!”

Sighing, Takami turned and went back indoors, leaving the megalomaniac to his delusional roleplaying.

Her female instincts were telling her that there was something else going on behind the scenes, though she lacked the evidence to figure out what. MBI’s analysts noted that some of the recent duels between Sekireis had taken place between groups that wouldn’t normally have encountered each other, almost as though they were guided to meet. 

However, there hadn’t been any signs of the party responsible. It was as though the Sekireis decided to head in their chosen directions arbitrarily until they met the opposing one and fought.

“And we’re still missing two Sekireis and one Jinki,” She griped. 

That had been a very strange incident that baffled even Minaka; two Sekireis, one of them a Single Number, had been winged in an alleyway, but vanished shortly afterwards, leaving no clue as to how they had evaded the pursuers. Even MBI’s considerable influence had been unable to uncover anything.

She flipped open her phone, and looked at the phone background displaying her with her two children. Both of them were involved in a plan bigger than they were aware of, but she was still trapped in the chains of her current role.

Takami quietly hoped that whatever was about to happen wouldn’t harm her precious son and daughter.

…

<Yeah, this one’s bugged too.>

<As expected. Can’t leave any blind spots when it comes to the Sekirei Plan.>

<Minaka might be an egomaniac, but the guy’s a genius.>

<If he wasn’t, the Sekirei race would probably have been grabbed up and cut up for research in a lab somewhere.>

<Well, that’s morbid.>

<But realistically true.>

<Let’s not talk about what ifs now. Yoink?>

<Yoink.>

YOINK

The electronic equipment vanished into my inventory, and I quickly made my way to the window I had entered through, executing a wall ride to reach its elevated position and leaving from there. 

<Any need to alter the route home?> I asked as I looked at the city at night.

<Hold on… No, you’re clear. I’ll let you know if anything changes.>

<Thanks.>

The clock was ticking for us, because soon enough, the Sekirei Plan would enter its second stage, and we wanted to be ready to take advantage of the opportunity it presented.

<There’s a group near your location. They’re part of the South team.>

<Hmm… Mind if I make a detour?>

<What are you planning to do, Rick-tan?>

<Introduce them to some playmates.>

I heard Matsu sigh in my mind. <Alright. Be careful though. The ones you want are towards the northeast.>

I had a guess as to what, or who, lay in that direction, but I doubted I would need her help. Not to mention it would be pretty poor behavior to draw her into battle against others, even if she could handle them.

“Hold it! Are you a Sekirei?”

I paused at the edge of a building and looked back. 

There was a female standing on the roof across the street. A blonde with her hair in twintails, and she was holding a whip in one hand. She wasn’t alone; in the darkness above the lights of the streets, I could make out a few other figures standing around the place.

“Only a Sekirei can move like that, and judging by those skates on your feet, you must be an equipment-type Sekirei!” She concluded. “Now, take off that mask and show your face!”

I was wearing an orange fox mask to conceal my identity, with a white doctor’s coat to go along with it. Not that anyone in this world would get the reference, but it made Uzume chuckle when I suggested it.

I spread my arms out wide. “Hello, hello!”

“Not going to take that mask off, are you? Then I’ll do it for you!”

She swung her whip at me, the long weapon arcing out towards my mask. 

Clenching my teeth, I let myself fall over backwards, narrowly avoiding the attack as gravity took hold. My body twisted, realigning itself to face the rapidly approaching ground, and my ATs caught against the wall of the building.

Okay, jump there, spin, grind on that sign, and cross the street, then… My body reflexively executed the various tricks required to traverse through this urban environment, having practiced them multiple times before.

“What? That’s fast!”

“Chase him! We have to catch that Sekirei!”

Well, we’ll see about that. A small device appeared in my hand, transported there from my inventory, and with a flick of my wrist, flew high up into the air between me and my pursuers.

I could have used magic, but it was more convenient to let them and any watchers think I was using an item instead. 

There were shrieks of surprise as it burst into blinding light, though only momentarily. It gave me the opening to use one of my foreign abilities, released as a nearly invisible glow from my hands. The energy settled over the girls, and they turned to face a slightly off angle from where I was, hidden behind a careful illusion.

“He’s headed that way! After him!”

“You two, go around the left! The rest of you, with me!”

“Yes!”

I patiently waited until they were out of sight, before I continued my journey back at a more sedate and stealthy pace. With my map skill keeping track of the enemy Sekireis, I was able to confirm the moment they met the other group that was coming in the opposite direction, having been led there by my fellow conspirator.

That was when I suddenly found my legs bound together. The sudden immobility took me by surprise, causing me to trip-

And land in the embrace of someone very familiar. Even through the mask, I could recognize the feeling of the bosom against my head, not to mention the arms that were around my shoulders.

“Oh my, look what dropped in!” My catcher said with exaggerated cheer.

<Surprise!> Matsu chimed in through the mental link.

“Hi, Uzume…” I mumbled, wriggling slightly until I could look up. “I’d say it’s a pleasant surprise, but that’s not entirely true.”

I would be more receptive to pranks like this if it didn’t involve potentially falling from the roof of a building.

“Sorry,” She apologized as she released my legs from the cloth binding them, “But I couldn’t help myself.”

“At least you’ve cheered up a little.”

“How could I not? When I have my Ashikabi with me?” Uzume smiled down at me, the city lights illuminating her face from below. <Also, thanks for the help, Matsu-chan!>

<You’re welcome, Uzume-tan!>

We stared at each other for a few moments, Uzume’s hair and veil blowing sideways in the wind.

“Shall we go back to Izumo Inn then?” I spoke out loud.

A smile spread across her lips, and she nodded. “Yes!”

<Think she heard that?> I asked my Sekirei as we began making our way towards our current residence.

<Very likely. Wind is her specialty, after all.>

<I’m sure your [Sylph Raiment] could probably match her.>

<Skills are a whole different matter, and you know it!> She retorted without any heat in it.

I checked my map skill, noting the single marking following behind us. <We’ve got a tail.>

<Then we better let Miya know to expect a guest. Matsu-chan?>

<Got it. I’ll let her know!>

We landed on the roof of the neighboring building, before descending down to the street. Miya was very firm about not letting us damage the roof of the inn. Just before the door, I stripped off the mask and costume, and entered behind Uzume. Miya leaned out from around the corner.

“Welcome back. I heard from Matsu-san that there’ll be a guest?” She looked us over. “But it’s only the two of you?”

“She’s on her way,” I answered, “And I believe it’s someone you know.”

“Is that so? Well, go wash up before dinner.” Miya paused, before adding, “And no illicit sexual behavior in the bath!”

Uzume chuckled. “Okay~”

Matsu poked her head out of her room when we came up the stairs. “Rick-tan, Uzume-tan, welcome back! Can I see the loot?”

“Sure, but do you have enough time before our guest arrives?”

She smirked. “Is that a challenge I hear?”

While Uzume went to take a shower first, I unloaded my ill-gotten goods, and Matsu unleashed her full skill-enhanced speed on them. Her hands blurred as she disassembled the various electronic devices, picking out the various components she needed, and reassembling them into something she could add to the already impressive computer rig. The remainder was placed aside, either for disposal, or to recycle for other uses.

“And done!” She announced.

At the same time, the doorbell rang, courtesy of the uninvited guest waiting outside. I could sense Miya’s presence heading to open the door.

“Shall we go down to meet her?”

“It has been a while since I’ve seen Kazehana-tan,” Matsu conceded, getting up and stretching. “I can take care of the software after dinner.”

“Hmm, I don’t think there’ll be enough time for me to wash up first, so… [Clean].”

“So convenient…”

When we went back downstairs, there was an additional person at the table, leaning remarkably close to Minato. He was blushing quite a bit, because she was quite the buxom beauty, with a face that was borderline erotic, and was caressing his face with her fingers.

“You really do… look like him…” I heard her murmur.

“Please get away from Minato-san!” Musubi declared, thrusting herself between the two.

“Kuuu!” Kusano joined her in acting as barrier.

“Kazehana, please behave yourself.” Our purple-haired landlady scolded.

“Of course, Miya. I just wasn’t expecting to see your guest.” She blinked and looked over, just as Uzume made an appearance. “And who might this be? I’ve seen you before at MBI.”

“I’m Uzume. Nice to meet you, Big Sis.”

Thanks to my interference, Uzume never made it to Izumo Inn previously, so Kazehana didn’t encounter her while the Wind Sekirei was still staying here. 

“Long time no see, Kazehana-tan!” Matsu interjected, peeking out from behind me.

She blinked in surprise. “Matsu? You’re living here too?”

My redheaded Sekirei nodded. “That’s right.”

“And you are?” Kazehana finally turned her attention to me.

“I’m Rick Steel. Who might you be?”

“Kazehana. I’m Sekirei Number 3.”

While she might have a love for drinking and an appearance of a slut, Kazehana was in reality quite smart and strong. By identifying herself in such a manner, she was making it clear that she knew I was an Ashikabai, and therefore part of the Sekirei Plan. She probably came to the realization that Matsu was my Sekirei given how she was hanging around me.

“K-Kazehana-san is a Sekirei?! And saying that in front of them…” Minato looked over at me. “Don’t tell me, Steel-san is an Ashikabi too?!”

“Yup. You mean you didn’t realize?”

“N-No…”

“Uzume-san is a Sekirei too?” Musubi asked, bright-eyed with interest. “Would you like to fight?”

Uzume immediately shook her head. “No, thank you! Ask her instead!” 

The ditzy Sekirei accepted that and turned to the inn’s latest visitor. “Kazehana-san, would you like to fight with me?” 

“Ehhh~ I don’t wanna, it’s so troublesome.”

Thankfully, Miya was quick to reassert control, the demonic image preventing the topic from being pursued any further. “Need I remind you that there is to be no fighting under the roof of this inn?” 

“Yes…”

There was some irony about us following this rule, when we were responsible for initiating multiple fights between various other Sekireis in the past few days. Not all of them resulted in terminations, as both sides occasionally withdrew when things got too heated, or when the victor chose to show mercy. However, Matsu assured us that this would change once the second stage began.

Yeah, she’s definitely reacting to Minato. I covered a smirk as I saw Kazehana fidget awkwardly around the other male.

The Wind Sekirei eventually decided to spend the night, after she ended up drinking a bit too much for Miya to allow her to leave. It only took a little bit of persuasion on my part for the landlady to allow me to sleep in the same room with my Sekireis, while the drunkard was given my room to use. Naturally, she made sure to repeat the warning not to engage in any lewd behavior before leaving us alone.

Just before we turned in, on the computer screen, the counter turned from thirteen to twelve.

I joined in the morning training with Miya and Musubi, keeping it light in preparation for the events that were coming. After it was over, Miya told us to watch over the inn while she went out to buy groceries. It was shortly after the landlady left that Matsu informed me that the counter was now at eleven, along with another alert regarding one of the things we were on the lookout for. 

“Black is on the move. It looks like she’s heading here!”

“Then it’s time.”

We quickly started packing up what we could, and I left a letter that we had prepared beforehand, informing Miya that we had to cut our lease short and leave urgently.

“Ooooh… my head,” Kazehana leaned against the door as she peered out from the room she borrowed. “What’s this? Where are you off in a rush to?”

“Black’s coming.”

Her gaze instantly sharpened. “Here?”

“Yes. We’re going to take a bit of a walk to avoid meeting her.”

The Wind Sekirei hummed. “Hmm, that’s a good idea. Alright, I’ll cover for you three. Have a good time now!”

Her face suddenly twisted as the hangover made itself known, and she stumbled over into the bathroom.

Making our excuses to Minato’s group, we quickly donned our ATs and departed from Izumo Inn, taking an indirect route to avoid crossing paths with the incoming Sekirei.

“Rick-tan, the counter’s reached ten now!” Matsu informed me as she paused on a ventilator. “Orders are going out to various MBI units!”

“How much time do we have?” Uzume asked.

“The ground troops are already starting to move, but they are going slow to avoid causing panic,” Matsu answered, kicking off to continue towards our destination, “The helicopters? Maybe another half an hour at most.”

“Then what about Red and Blue?”

“They’re on standby at the tower, but it should be easy to get them to leave.” The redhead shot me a grin over her shoulder. 

“Alright. You know what to do then.”

“Leave it to me!” Matsu glanced up at the sky. “Karasuba’s reached Izumo Inn!”

The ability of a technopath in a modern setting with computers and cameras was such a convenient thing.

Utilizing distractions, blind spots, and other tricks, we managed to get close enough to MBI Tower without alerting the security posted around that location. We could see the various troops gradually ramping up in activity, and the number of helicopters in the air increased as well.

Then electronic devices all across Tokyo began to ring as they received a preset signal, displaying the image of MBI’s CEO, making a stunning announcement.

“We, MBI, have occupied Tokyo! A new age of gods is dawning here!”

“And here… we… go…”

…

“We’re under attack! Send reinforcements!”

“They’re Sekireis! Summon the Disciplinary Squad!”

“It’s no use, they’re not responding!”

“Get the counter-Sekirei equi- Gyeeeargh!”

“Who are they?! Those abilities don’t match our recor- Uwaaagh!”

<That’s the last of them. Where are the servers located?> I asked as I pulled my hand back, letting the unconscious trooper slump to the floor.

<They’re on the upper floors,> Matsu replied, already working at one of the terminals available on the ground floor, <And they’re heavily guarded.>

<Of course they would be.> 

<I’m done here, Rick-kun!> Uzume finished wrapping up the last trooper with her cloth.

<Done! I’ve got access! Let’s go!>

We quickly piled into the lift and hit the button for the floor for the labs, watching the floor counter tick through the numbers. We weren’t surprised when it started slowing down earlier than it should have.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting a bold attempt to assault MBI Tower like this!” Minaka’s voice spoke through the speakers. “But you will find that it isn’t as easy as you might expect!”

<Do it, Uzume.>

My Sekirei spun on the spot, and slashed a hole through the ceiling above us. Before the cut section could fall onto us, I leapt upwards and kicked it away, emerging into the empty shaft. The other two soon joined me, and we continued the rest of the way on our ATs.

<This floor!> Matsu gestured, holding onto the ladder rungs on the side of the shaft.

<I can detect several guards present, ready to fire with net guns,> I reported as my skill’s scans came back, <Ready when you are, Uzume!>

<Leave it to me!>

She sliced through the metal doors once more, creating an entrance for us. As I stepped through, I was already twirling a blue rod. In the hands of a Black Mage, it would allow me to cast Blizzaga, but in the hands of a different job class…

“Fire! Fire!” The soldier in command ordered.

“[Multicast]. [Stop].”

The guards instantly froze in position, unable to act against us at all. From the looks of things, they had chosen to concentrate their forces at this spot, so I was able to catch all of them in my spell. 

“What is that? How did you do that?” Minaka demanded, but we continued to ignore him.

<Cutting his link to the floor… now.> Matsu’s face was covered, but I could tell she was smirking at me. 

<Good job. Let’s get what we came here for.>

I withdrew multiple data drives from my inventory and tossed it over to Matsu and Uzume, and we split up under the Wisdom Sekirei’s directions. Each drive had already been preloaded with programs meant to seek out and extract the Sekirei-related research data, with decryption and other necessary protocols included to facilitate the task. Not to mention some skills to push things further along.

[Appraisal] found the right terminals for us to plug the devices into, and we just had to wait for them to do their work. There were a few scientists left on this floor, but they had been evacuated to a shelter room, so we didn’t have to worry about those. 

<The Disciplinary Squad are on their way back,> Matsu reported nervously, <And they’re coming in fast.>

Now that was something we had to worry about.

<Helicopters?> I guessed.

<That’s right,> She confirmed.

It was the logical conclusion; compared to driving or jumping around like Sekireis could, the helicopters were just faster.

<The good news is, we’re just about done.>

<Already?> Uzume was surprised.

<Yes. You can pull those out now.> 

We did as Matsu said. Through one of the windows, we could see several helicopters headed our way, indicating that we had almost no time left. Even with the enhanced physical abilities of a Sekirei and the speed boost of ATs, escaping the forces MBI was willing to throw at us was a nigh impossible task. 

But those weren’t all we had going for us.

The two Sekireis gathered around me in a secluded corner, out of sight of anyone or any cameras. To complete our final trick, I laid out the various gadgets that Matsu had helped prepare for this moment, tossing them around the place.

<Will you do the honors?> I handed the trigger over to Uzume, who didn’t hesitate to press the button.

Opaque gas clouds began to spray from the items I scattered, creating a smokescreen that enveloped the whole floor. I felt my Sekireis wrap their arms around me, and triggered the recall.

“Welcome ba- What are you wearing?”

It’s my asskicking outfit, bitch. I quoted in my mind, but out loud I answered Sano, “You could say we came from quite the party.”

Uzume and Matsu removed their facial covers, looking exhausted but equally exhilarated, and I had to restrain myself from sweeping them into a hot embrace. Instead, I removed my mask and looked at my godly employer.

“And we’ve got quite the haul.”

…

Asama Miya looked at the empty room, then down at the letter in her hand.

Dear Miya,

Sorry for saying goodbye like this, but something urgent came up and we had to leave right away. As per our rental agreement, we’re forfeiting our deposit. Hope it will help relieve the cost of hosting Sahashi-san’s Sekireis.

We don’t need the Sekirei Plan to find our own happiness, so we wish the same for you and all the others in Izumo Inn. Please help convey our apologies to everyone else.

P.S. Tell Minato to call his sister and mention Kusano.

Regards,
Rick, Matsu, Uzume

She glanced out the open window, where several helicopters could still be seen crossing the sky of Shinto Teito.

“Looks like our meals will be a bit lonelier from now on,” She commented.

Afterword: And that’s the return to the Sekirei world done! Real life was kind of busy, but I managed to hit my stride while writing this, and I thought it turned out well. However, I keep feeling like my writing could be better. Do share your opinions, I’m hoping to hear them.