"Well then, everyone, until next time. I look forward to your trades."
With a slight smile, Rei Ao and the others who had traveled with him disappeared before everyone's eyes.
"???"
Chelsea was utterly dumbfounded.
First, General Esdeath had peacefully coexisted with Night Raidwithout killing a single person!
Second, there was this strange man and a group of women who seemed to have come out of nowhere.
Third, they all vanished in an instant, like an illusion.
And finally
"What is this 'chat group' you're all talking about?"
As Chelsea voiced her confusion, every gaze in the room turned to her.
...
Mafuyu Kirisu had been waiting at Rei Ao's house to thank him properly, but he still hadn't returned.
"Mai-san, where exactly has Rei Ao-kun gone?" she asked.
""
Mai's expression grew a bit awkward. "He mentioned helping his friends unclog some drains."
"Eh?" Mafuyu looked surprised. "He knows how to do that? Isn't that something you'd call a professional plumber for?"
"Haha."
Mai's lips curled into a faint, sarcastic smile. She replied with a cryptic tone, "He's quite skilled at clearing blockages. Once someone experiences his work, they tend to get hooked."
"Oh? That's a peculiar way to put it." Mafuyu's confusion only deepened.
"Well, then, maybe I'll have Rei Ao-kun help if I ever have plumbing issues at home," she said casually.
""
Mai pulled the corners of her mouth taut in an effort not to react.
Even though she knew they were talking about completely different things, she couldn't help but worry that Mafuyu-sensei might already be on Rei Ao's radar.
If that were the case, "clearing her pipes" might just be a matter of time.
"Well, since Rei Ao-kun hasn't come back yet, I should head home," Mafuyu said, preparing to leave.
She walked toward the door, opened itand froze.
A figure materialized out of thin air.
""
Mafuyu and Rei Ao locked eyes.
From inside the room, Mai witnessed the scene unfold, her eyelid twitching in disbelief.
Had Rei Ao just been caught in the act?
Mafuyu tilted her head slightly, as if trying to process what she was seeing. Then she turned to Mai, confused.
"Mai-san, am I imagining things, or is Rei Ao-kun standing right in front of me?"
"I feel like I'm hallucinating," she added nervously.
""
How on earth was Mai supposed to answer that?
Rei Ao, however, quickly jumped in to handle it.
"Mafuyu-sensei, you're not hallucinatingit's really me," he said calmly.
"Uh" Mafuyu stiffly turned back to face him, her complexion growing pale.
"Rei Ao-kun you're not a ghost, are you?"
"Pfft."
Rei Ao couldn't help but chuckle, narrowing his eyes mischievously as he leaned in slightly.
"Well, Mafuyu-sensei, since you've seen me, I can't let you leave," he teased, adopting a sinister tone.
"I'm a 'lustful spirit', and from now on, you'll stay here as my personal plaything~"
"Eek!"
Mafuyu's face went white as a sheet, and before anyone could react, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward.
"Mafuyu-sensei!"
Mai was startled and quickly rushed over.
Fortunately, Rei Ao had caught her in time.
Mai knelt beside them, her voice filled with worry. "What happened to her?"
""
Rei Ao sighed and shook his head. "She fainted from fright."
"Luckily, I used my powers to calm her body. She's just asleep now."
"She fainted?" Mai said, exasperated. She turned to glare at him.
"Who told you it was okay to joke like that with our teacher?"
"Cough."
Rei Ao coughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
Even so, Mai's next words completely threw him off.
"And how could you joke about turning Mafuyu-sensei into your plaything?"
"???"
Rei Ao blinked, utterly speechless.
Did Mai really think that 'was' what scared her?
...
Rei Ao carried Mafuyu Kirisu to the sofa and ensured she was in good condition before letting her sleep.
Meanwhile, Mai noticed the visible red marks on his neckundoubtedly left by Akame and the othersand pointed toward the bathroom.
"Go take a shower."
Her tone betrayed her possessiveness.
Rei Ao, already planning to clean up, smirked and suggested, "Want to join me?"
"No! Way!"
Mai rejected him firmly, emphasizing each word before quickly turning and leaving, effectively fleeing from the scene.
She didn't trust that he just wanted to shower. Rei Ao's outrageous stamina and boundless energy left her overwhelmed.
He had just indulged himself with Akame and the others, and now he wanted to switch to her without any pause.
Unbelievable!
Even she had her limits!
'I really wish someone would step in and share the load,' she thought.
For a fleeting moment, she even hoped that Mafuyu-sensei might actually become his as he joked.
Rei Ao didn't push further, understanding that relying solely on Mai was indeed asking too much. The constant exertion would exhaust anyone, no matter how resilient.
Hagun Academy
In the principal's office, Stella Vermillion stood uneasily, gazing at the stern and professional Kurono Shinguji.
She couldn't reconcile this composed demeanor with the sultry sounds Kurono had made not long ago.
How could someone who had been so lost in pleasure now appear so calm and unshaken, as if nothing had happened?
Beside Stella were Ikki Kurogane and Shizuku Kurogane.
Kurono rested her chin on her hands, her sharp gaze sweeping over the trio.
"Stella, Ikki Kurogane, Shizuku Kurogane. There's something I need to inform you about."
"The inter-school battle is approaching. I hope you all aim for the best possible rankings, even against senior students."
Stella snorted dismissively.
"You don't need to tell me. I'll crush them."
Her confidence stemmed from her newfound strengthgranted by none other than Rei Ao.
As her trump card, 'Dragon Form' allowed her to access his power. Even without activating it, she could sense the immense, fiery strength burning within.
She doubted anyone in Hagun Academy, including their "reserved" principal, could withstand it.
Shizuku responded calmly, "I will do my best."
"Same here!"
Ikki Kurogane, brimming with determination, clenched his fists. He wanted to prove his worth despite his low magic aptitude, relying instead on his swordsmanship.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Stella, hoping to exchange a few words, but her sharp glare froze him in place.
"Guess that misunderstanding will never be cleared up"
Sighing internally, he decided not to provoke her further.
Shizuku, observing her brother's hesitation, shook her head in disappointment.
"Onii-sama will never surpass Rei Ao."
Kurono, who had once held high expectations for Ikki, now regarded him with less enthusiasm.
She had witnessed a far more extraordinary young manone who dominated in both power and presence.
Even now, beneath her business attire, Kurono could still feel the remnants of Rei Ao's overwhelming mark on her.
Walking down the bustling streets, Tohru marveled at the human world.
Disguised in a maid outfit, with her horns and tail concealed by magic, she curiously observed everything around her.
The lively crowds and fascinating trinkets were unlike anything in her world.
The only downside was how often these items required something called "money," which she lacked.
While she could easily obtain them through force, Rei Ao's stern warnings against causing trouble echoed in her mind.
Thus, she refrained, content to examine things up close before moving on.
Human interactions intrigued her. Compared to the chaotic conflicts of her world, their peacefulness was refreshing.
Still, her inability to fully integrate into their society annoyed her.
"Ugh, this is so annoying!"
She ruffled her hair in frustration.
Her respect for Rei Ao and her promise to avoid trouble stopped her from taking shortcuts.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her golden eyes brightened.
"Wait! Why don't I just find Rei Ao?"
With renewed enthusiasm, she began tracing his energy.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
Currently You can Read 50 Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 111: Private Chat, and Tohru's Visit
[Ding! Your number of trades has reached a threshold. The "Private Chat" feature is now available!]
Rei Ao had just stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist when he noticed the new notification from the chat group.
[Private Chat]
The function was self-explanatory, but upon reading the detailed description, his eyes lit up with excitement.
This feature was far more useful than he had anticipated.
[Private Chat]: Members of the chat group can now engage in one-on-one private chats. Subgroup memberscan also communicate privately using this feature.
While the ability for private channels was intriguing, the real game-changer was allowing subgroup members to send private messages.
Previously, subgroup members couldn't speak in the main chat and could only observe silently. If Rei Ao wanted to know anything, he had to rely on other main group members nearby, which was often cumbersome.
Now, things were different.
As soon as the feature went live, someone sent him a private message.
Yumiko Miura: "Pervert, scoundrel, trash!"
It was Yumiko.
She started the conversation with an aggressive outburst, but Rei Ao wasn't surprised.
Given how he behaved in the chat group, this was likely the image she had of him.
Rei Ao: "Oh? Have you already started to hate me?"
Yumiko Miura: "Hmph, I never said that!"
Lying on her bed, Yumiko had been eager to test the new feature. Seeing Rei Ao's reply made her kick her legs excitedly.
However, his next message made her freeze.
Rei Ao: "By the way, don't we already have each other's contact info? Why not just text me?"
Yumiko Miura: *""*
Why didn't she text him?
Because it would make her seem too eager, of course.
So why use private chat?
Well it felt less formal than texting, she supposed.
Yumiko Miura: "Hmph, because I wanted to!"
Yumiko Miura: "You're such an unreliable guy!"
Rei Ao: "Unreliable? How so?"
Yumiko frowned, her expression turning slightly melancholic as she typed.
Yumiko Miura: "You said you were going to pursue me, but what have you done instead?"
Yumiko Miura: "Not only do you fool around with other women every day, but you even started flirting with Yui!"
She immediately regretted sending the second message, worrying that it might inadvertently hurt Yui.
But Rei Ao's reply hit her like a bolt of lightning.
Rei Ao: "Oh? How do you know I was flirting with Yui last weekend?"
Yumiko Miura: "???"
She had only been venting in frustration, but now it seemed she had accidentally uncovered something!
Yumiko tensed up.
Yumiko Miura: "Last weekend? Don't tell me you two went on a trip or stayed at a hotel!"
She dreaded hearing Rei Ao confirm itdreaded the idea that something might have already happened between him and Yui.
Yui was different from the others.
She was her closest friend.
Yumiko could turn a blind eye to other women, but if it was Yui
Rei Ao: "Not that far."
Rei Ao: "We just went to school to make cookies together."
Upon reading this, Yumiko let out a massive sigh of relief.
At least things hadn't gone too far yet.
However
"Yui didn't even tell me she was going on a date!"
Yumiko chewed nervously on her nails, feeling a surge of betrayal.
The ship of their friendship was on the verge of capsizing!
Meanwhile, in the main chat group:
Frieren: "The new chat group feature is quite interesting. I can now see avatars of people I couldn't before. Those must be the sub-group owners, right?"
Rei Ao: "That's correct."
Stella: "Hmph, what's so exciting about that? It's just a private chat feature."
Shizue Izawa: "Velzard and Velgrynd seem pretty excited about it."
Stella: "Sorry I mean, I was referring to that Shizuku over there."
Saeko Busujima: "I think it's nice. This way, even Rei and the others can communicate directly with Rei Ao."
Rei Ao: "Emmm, but suddenly getting bombarded with a bunch of love-filled private messages is pretty exhausting to reply to one by one."
Indeed, Rei Ao had received many private messages.
For example:
Velzard: "Hubby~ That's what humans call it, right? When are you coming to visit?"
Velgrynd: "Hmph, when are you coming over? Just so you know, I only want to experience the power of the Crimson Lotus."
One was straightforward and intense. The other, with a hint of tsundere tone, still exuded the usual domineering aura of Velgrynd.
Apart from them, Rei, Shizuku Kurogane, and others were no exception. Rei Ao replied to each of them individually, whether they were already "his" or on his target list.
Sui: "Ah! I-I just sent one as a test!"
Ayame Yomogawa: "Sorry, I sent one too."
Frieren: "So, this is basically admission, right?"
Stella: "Don't! Flaunt! Your! Love! In! The! Group!"
While Stella protested against the group PDA, she herself initiated a private chat with Rei Ao.
Stella: "Hey, you idiot, perverted scoundrel. In a few days, Hagun Academy will be holding its ranking tournament. Do you want to come?"
Stella: "Hmph, not that I 'want' you to come. I just want you to see how strong I've become!"
Rei Ao chuckled and shook his head. Compared to Velgrynd, this one was a textbook tsundere.
Rei Ao: "I'd like to go, but what do you have to trade?"
Stella: ""
Only then did Stella realize the issueshe had nothing left to offer but her body.
Stella: "???"
Her entire face turned beet red.
"No way!"
She couldn't possibly do it!
Rei Ao could practically imagine her flustered state from the abrupt silence.
Rei Ao: "Haha, just kidding. Don't worry. I'll have Kurono initiate the trade instead. After all, she's mine."
Stella: ""
What he said was indeed a feasible solution, but why did Stella feel even more annoyed?
Perhaps it was because he'd be spending time with the headmistress again.
"How annoying!"
Stella angrily shook her pillow in frustration before sending one final message:
Stella: "Come if you want, or don't! Whatever!!!"
At that moment, Mafuyu Kirisu, lying on the sofa, began to stir.
"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
The classic three questions floated through her mind as she slowly woke up.
Sitting up on the sofa, Mafuyu froze completely because standing beside her was Rei Ao, dressed in nothing but a towel, his incredibly well-defined body drawing her gaze.
