Is it Wrong to Speak in a Dungeon? Chapter 7 (Patreon)

I do not own Danmachi/Jujutsu Kaisen or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

{Thoughts}

"Speech"

Character Sheet / System Text

"Tvs, Radios, Texts, and newspapers…"

(Disclaimers)

*Onomatopoeia*

"Cursed Speech"

[A/N: Bit of a slow chapter today. Still worth reading tho. You'll see.]

…

…

[Mikey POV]

Rightfully so, Orario in its entirety went into an uproar at the news of someone leveling up in only 3 weeks.

Eina dropped by to inform me that hundreds of familias have asked for my information from the guild just today, but an undisclosed higher rank in the guild has blocked more sensitive information about me and my familia from being released.

After I thanked her for the information and she left our manor, I called Bell to do our daily training.

The current scene is quite the peculiar one.

Bell lays on the floor in exhaustion as Hestia helps him drink while I stare at my right hand intently while my left one is engulfed in Armament halfway, barely being away from my thumb.

My right-hand sparks with Cursed Energy every few seconds, but my face does not change from the frown it currently has.

I may be getting a bit ahead of myself right now but…

I'm attempting to create my own inherent cursed technique.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "That's impossible! First of all, people with innate cursed techniques have to have 80% of their focus on that technique! Cursed Speech is an Inherited Cursed Technique, so it is even more so! Second, innate techniques usually appear at 5-6 years old and cannot be copied, so it's impossible for them to be 'created' or 'unlocked' now that you're old!"

Well, to that I say fuck you random voice in my head!

I do whatever the fuck I want, and my limits are only decided by ME!

I can handle more than one innate technique because I'm built different. Yuta could handle using more than one- albeit, because he had the help of Rika- so I can do it too!-

Wait…

Wait wait wait.

WAIT.

…

With the help of Rika…

…

Edias…?

"Uhm… Mikey? What are you doing just staring at your hand?" I'm snapped out of my thoughts as Bell speaks up from the ground he's laid on, sounding breathless from our workout but still curious.

"Trying to create an Innate Technique." I reply dryly as Hestia glares at me irritatedly while Bell tilts his head in confusion.

I take a deep breath before explaining. "My Cursed Speech is basically an inherited technique, which is an innate technique that's passed down through the generations. One day, my greatest ancestor of the Inumaki clan woke up with our Clan Technique, and passed it down through the generations until it reached me." I slowly explain to Hestia and Bell as they both look at me attentively and expectantly.

Apparently, I'm good at storytelling and explaining things. I make a great teacher, ehe~.

"So basically, an innate technique is a technique that starts with you, while an inherited one is passed down. I am attempting to make a technique that I did not inherit, which is not exactly easy as those techniques are usually gotten from birth, awakened at ages 5 through 6." Bell makes a look of understanding and admiration as Hestia thoughtfully hums.

"Has someone ever created an innate technique while already having an inherited one?" Hestia asks curiously as I smirk.

"No. There are few who even have more than one innate technique." I stare at the sky smugly as Bell claps his hands in amazement while Hestia just stares at me with a deadpan.

I'm not worried about anyone overhearing us. I cast a Curtain technique on the yard to make it look like it's empty and not let any sound out.

Ah, a Curtain technique is basically a barrier-type Cursed Energy Technique that separates an area using a black force field that cannot be perceived by outsiders without having an advanced understanding of the technique and Cursed Energy. It's usually used to maintain secrecy for when a Jujutsu Sorcerer is exorcising a spirit, but it's useful here as well.

The only people I'd expect to be able to see through it would be Freya, as she already knows where we live and my technique does not block her scrying ability. Or block anything physical, really. It's mostly an obscuring technique.

I'd notice her if she was snooping anyway, so I'm not worried.

"So what makes you so sure you can do it if no one else ever has?" Hestia continues deadpanning as I roll my eyes and look down at her with a piercing gaze.

"It's simple, really. Because I'm Michael Inumaki." I close my eyes and cooly state as Hestia's face grows shocked at my truthful answer. "If you wait for someone else to do everything first before you start to believe that it's achievable, you'll never be able to achieve anything yourself that hasn't already been done. I do not need anyone else to have done it first, because I will be the first."

Bell got up to sit from his laying down position and is now staring at me in wonder and awe as even Hestia's face looks awed and she seems to be slightly moved by my words.

I slowly walk in front of Bell and place my hand on his head while bending down to his level.

"Bell. Don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't do. Your limits are YOURS. YOU decide where you draw the line. YOU declare when you're done. And if you're strong enough, don't ever draw them." I pat him on the head a couple times before standing up and facing away from him.

"Admitting you have a limit is the same as giving up, and no familia member of mine would ever dare call themselves one of us if they ever even entertained the idea of giving up."

Arrogant? Perhaps. But it's the truth.

I almost feel Bell's awe-inspired gaze on my back as I go for the finisher.

"Indeed. No Hestia familia member would ever dare… especially my own Vice-Captain and partner." I hear some shuffling behind me and look back to see Bell standing up with a fire in his eyes and his fists raised with one of them holding a tanto.

"... I understand. I'm ready for more training, Mikey!" Bell speaks with determination coloring every ounce of his being as I smirk.

"Normally I'd take you up on that, but we have guests." Hestia and Bell tilt their head in confusion before the sound of something traveling through the air at high speeds assaults their ears and a crashing noise sounds out from behind them alongside a cloud of dust.

"... Ow…" The familiar sound of a certain elf comes from the cloud of dust as four figures can be made out through the dust.

"Alright! We landed perfectly in the yard, awesome!" The extremely excitable voice of an Amazon accompanies the elf.

"... I'm not sure this is perfect… Tiona…" The usually expressionless but now worried voice of a certain sword princess speaks up, revealing the identity of the second voice and by extension, the entire group.

"Ehhh~ It'll be fine Aizuuu~ I'm sure 'Mikey' won't mind." The obnoxious voice of a certain annoying trickster goddess completes the set and reveals the identities of the United States Aerial Company Missile- I don't think that joke works as well as I thought it would.

Which is weird, since I'm literally thinking of the joke in my head, so how can I think that it will work when I haven't thought of it yet?

It's like, 3 different degrees of thinking. I'm 4 parallel universes ahead of MYSELF.

Anyways.

"... I am not exactly enthused with your choice of travel and your entrance to my home, but the yard is mainly made to be destroyed… so I will not hold it against you." I speak with a deadpan as the dust clears and the shocked faces of Lefiya, Tiona, Ais, and Loki all turn to look at me with confusion.

Lefiya blushes slightly at the sight of me and Bell being shirtless but sees no one else reacting so she doesn't comment.

"... I was sure your backyard was empty when we launched ourselves here… How did we not see you?" Ais asks in honest confusion as Bell pales at the sight of her before turning to look at me with an even paler face at her words.

Probably thinks I'm gonna have to disclose the specifics of my technique here.

No need to worry, Bell.

I'm an expert.

"Merely a trick of light." I answer with seriousness as the 3 familia girls look at me with half-lidded eyes while Loki's eyebrows twitch.

"He… isn't lying?" They turn to look at her with shock as I smirk at my goddess and Bell.

Part of the Curtain technique is obviously light manipulation to make everything look fine inside. I'm not lying.

"... Indeed, I am not. Moving on, I am guessing you are all here for training?" Ais and Tiona's eyes light up as the former nods enthusiastically while Tiona shoots off like a ballistic missile at me.

"Michael! I couldn't sleep all night because I was trying to 'will in' Haki like you said! You have to help me!" She grabs onto my hands and looks into my eyes pleadingly as my eyebrows raise slightly.

First of all, I'm shirtless. Can you not be a little embarrassed at the close contact with the shirtless dude? Second of all, you definitely slept like a log after giving up in an hour. It's your sister that probably had to suffer all night.

That's at least my own psych evaluation of her and what I think happened.

"... That is why I invited you here, yes." My wry voice must have upset her because she was pouting at me.

"... Let's start." Ais apparated next to Tiona and looked at me intently.

"A-ais! We should at least apologize first for…" Lefiya grimaces and looks behind her at the crater their landing caused before turning back. "Our… accidental landing."

Ais turns to look at the crater, turns back to look at me, looks back at the crater, and then bites her lip slightly with indecision.

"Mah mah~ No need ta get your panties in a twist Lefiya! Mikey here already said he didn't mind since that's what the area is made for anyway. Plus, the crater is almost indistinguishable from the others around here, ain't that right?" Loki grinned at me like a fox as I turn to her with a raised eyebrow.

She's speaking about all of the craters all around the training grounds from the times I used 'Get Crushed' and 'Crumble Away' on Bell as punish- to build character.

"... I said I'd forgive it this once, do not make a habit out of it. May I ask what is it you're doing here, Lady Loki?" Hestia pouts at me when I say 'lady', but I'm not about to antagonize the trickster god hims- herself needlessly yet.

Though it would've been hilarious if I said 'Sir Loki'.

Loki waved the first part of my speech away before grinning again. "I came to spectate my girls while they're training and make sure you ain't getting too comfortable with 'em if you get what I mean." She winks at me and I reply with a complete deadpan as Lefiya blushes crimson, Tiona gets a light dusting of pink on her tanned skin, and Ais tilts her head in confusion.

"... We will not be getting comfortable in training though…?" She innocently states with confusion before turning to me. "... Right?"

Bell turns to look at me in confusion as well because he's an innocent cinnamon roll like that as I sigh.

"... No, we will not be getting comfortable in any way while training. You may rest assured, Goddess Loki." I turn away from Ais and Bell's gazes to the grinning goddess as I expressionlessly speak, making her 'tsk' in annoyance, still with a grin though.

"... Very well, you are allowed to spectate, Goddess Loki. Make sure not to distract or cause any trouble while here though, that goes for all of you as well." I turn to look at all of the girls with narrowed eyes as they all stiffen. "... While I did invite you all to help train in Haki, I am also training with Bell here and will not stand any tomfoolery, understand?"

Tiona salutes with a cute determined face as Ais nods with furrowed brows to show her seriousness, also resulting in looking cute.

Lefiya clenched her fists and raised them in front of her resolutely while nodding at me aggressively.

Wow, she is resolved.

Loki just continued grinning at me innocently while Hestia grumbled something while staring at her.

"... Very well. I've seen your resolve. Goddesses, please stand to the side in the shade. I do not wish for either of you to be injured." I order Hestia and Loki as they both make a show of 'sadness' and slowly walk away to the shade as the girls (and Bell) stare at their departing figures before turning back to me.

I clap my hands. "... Now, as to how exactly we will be doing this…" I grab a training stick I usually use as a spear while sparring and dig in the ground. "I am currently only able to infuse a fist of mine with Haki, which is fair considering I've only been learning how to use Haki quite recently." Tiona raises her hand at my words and I gesture for her to go.

"How long does it take for a person to learn Haki usually?" She asks with curiosity as everyone, including Bell, looks at me with matching curiosity.

"... An interesting question. A certain prodigy I know needed two years to learn the basics." Their faces turned downright stupefied at my words with Bell himself being the most astonished.

"But you only took a few weeks yourself!?" He blurted out in amazement as the girls' necks snapped to me in shock and even Loki choked from the sidelines, having somehow heard us.

I'm unable to suppress my smirk, which is unfortunate since I don't have my shirt on, and put a hand on my hip confidently. "... I am also the person who leveled up in a mere 3 weeks, am I not?" The group's eyes all widened at my words as if realizing that, yes, I am the person who leveled up in only 3 weeks.

Tiona's gaze on me was so intense I almost took a step back.

I can't make out the exact emotion in that gaze, but my senses almost say that it's… lust?

There's no way though, right? She's way too innocent I think-

"Mikey… Do you use a technique or have the ability to increase growth speed?" Ais asks in an almost desperate voice as Bell's eyes quickly turn to look at her in surprise.

Probably surprised that Ais, who's a level 5, wants to become even stronger (and widen the gap between them).

Tiona and Lefiya turn to look at Ais in shock before looking at me in worry, as if afraid of me realizing something they don't want me to know.

I'm guessing that when Tiona gave them the information about Bell defeating the Silverback and they realized that Bell has only been an adventurer for as much time as myself, they must have assumed I have a way to boost Excelia gain for people other than me.

Which could be true if my hypothesis about how a certain ability of mine works is correct.

But sadly…

"I'm sorry, Miss Ais. Even if I somehow did have an ability like that, I could not teach it to you." I shake my head sadly as Ais's face turns broken, Tiona and Lefiya looking at her worriedly as my heartstrings are pulled slightly.

I feel for her, but I can't just give away power to the Loki familia more than I already am doing so willy-nilly just because she's an anime waifu.

Bell looks at Ais with concern before turning to look at me pleadingly.

I quickly turn and narrow my eyes at him making him grit his teeth and look away quickly, remembering my anti-simp behavior classes.

"Do not fret though, Miss Ais. I do not think it will take you as long as it took him. The rate at which you learn Haki is based on strength, and all of you -except maybe you Miss Lefiya- are stronger than he was at the time." I believe level 5s are capable of generating Earthquakes and destroying mountains as a baseline, which should be stronger than pre-timeskip Luffy I believe.

Ais's face brightened up at my words while Lefiya slumped slightly at my words.

Well, we can't have that considering how we're about to train in Haki, aka literal Willpower.

"Don't be discouraged, Miss Lefiya. While you may not match Luffy in terms of Physical power, you have him beat in firepower. Also, while Luffy may have been a genius, he was also a terrible idiot, so I believe you can do better." I pat Lefiya's shoulder a single time as I speak, not missing how she stiffens before sighing and nodding with a small smile.

"T-thank you… um… M-mikey…" She blushes crimson and quickly waves in front of her face. "S-s-sorry! I-I thought that I s-should call you that since e-everyone is calling you that…" Wow… She really must have terribly low confidence if she thinks I'll mind a cute girl calling me by a nickname.

"I do not mind, Lefiya." She blushes a deeper shade of crimson as I don't add the 'miss' before her name this time while smirking at her. "I presume you don't mind?" She quickly shakes her head.

I feel someone aggressively grab my arm and turn to a Tiona pouting at me fiercely.

"Why does she get to be called by her name only and I don't!? This is unfair!" She almost growls at me with how fiercely she's 'glaring'.

I make a show of sighing before I smile. "I mainly called her by her name only to tease her, but I suppose it's unfair for me to not call you by only your name despite how close we've become and how we've fought side by side." She blushes slightly but smiles and nods with satisfaction. "I'll quit being polite then, Tiona."

Ais stares at me piercingly as I smile wryly.

"You as well, Ais." She smiles slightly and Tiona lets go of me and turns to Bell who's just been blinking in confusion throughout my entire interaction with Lefiya.

"You as well, Bell!" Tiona demands as Bell panics at being talked to and blushes.

"Uh- ah- huh?- Uh! Yes! I'll do that Miss Tiona-" She glares at him with narrowed eyes as he quickly jumps in fear and bows. "Sorry! I meant Tiona!"

She nods in satisfaction and turns around.

"Now that we're done with… that. It's time I continue. Now… Where did I leave us off…?" I look at the ground where I had drawn chibi versions of all 5 of us.

"A-ah! You were telling us about how you were uhm… only able to infuse your fist with Haki?" Lefiya hesitantly raises her hand and informs me as I nod.

"Yes. Now, allow me to clarify something real quick." I glance up to make sure everyone is listening intently. "The exact name of what I'm teaching you is 'Armament Haki'. As I said before, it increases your defense, attack, and durability." They all nod in understanding and I continue.

"Now, this could either be your own defense attack and durability…" I cover my entire fist in Haki as everyone lets out a sound of amazement. "... or your weapon." The Haki on my fist fades away and the stick in my hand is slowly engulfed in Haki at the tip.

Ais's eyes sparkle while everyone else lets out an 'o' of understanding.

"Now, someone like Tiona would want to use Haki on themselves, as your power is more reliant on your strength rather than your weapon, while someone like Ais or Bell here should use it on their weapons as they are an agile and dextrous fighter that would suffer if their weapon were to break, and thus need the extra durability on the weapon." The mentioned people all nod in agreement while Lefiya raises her hand hesitantly (again).

"U-um… W-what should I try to do?" She sounds unsure and slightly worried, which is fair considering how she's a mage and Haki sounds like something used by a close-range fighter.

I make a sound of contemplation while putting a hand on my chin. "I suppose I will have to work out something special for you. Once I assign everyone their tasks, I'll take you to the side to figure out something fitting." I nod to her as she breathes out a sigh of relief and nods with a happy smile.

"Now, any questions about Haki before I continue?" I look at the others and my face slowly morphs into a deadpan as all of them raise their hands.

"... Bell, you first." He looks sheepishly at me while scratching the side of his cheek.

"U-uh, what's the difference between infusing Haki into your hands and infusing it into your weapon?" Ais lowers her hand and turns to me after Bell asks his question, making me smirk at the fact they both had the same question.

Bell seems to have noticed too as he blushed and snuck a couple glances at Ais.

"Good question Bell. The ideal situation would be infusing both with Haki." I bring up my stick and try to infuse both my hand and the stick with Haki, but am only able to keep half of the tip infused with Haki while my index and middle finger are the only part of my hand covered with Haki.

I let the Haki dissipate and continue. "But as you can see, that's not exactly the easiest thing to do when starting. Now, the advantages of infusing Haki into your own body, namely your fists, are increased strength and striking power alongside higher durability depending on how much of your body you're covering with Haki.-" Tiona raises her hand higher and I nod to her as she smiles happily.

"How much of your body can you cover with Haki possibly?"

"If you're good enough at using Haki, your entire body." I lift my foot and infuse it with Haki before dissipating it again and infusing different parts of my body with Haki, like my neck, chest, and head.

Tiona's eyes sparkle but I quickly interject before she gets any ideas. "Don't get any ideas about using full-body Haki just yet. Not only is it extremely hard to achieve, but it also comes with the disadvantage of lowering the overall power you gain from Haki." Tiona's brows furrow and she tilts her head in confusion at my words.

"Think, if you put all of your Haki into just your fists, would it not have more power than if you spread it all across your body? It would be like placing 240% into your hand compared to 40% across your entire body." They all let out sounds of understanding as I nodded with satisfaction.

"Indeed. While 40% across your entire body may be useful, more often than not when fighting something particularly strong you'll want the 240% boost to your attack power." Tiona nodded in understanding at my words.

"Now, back to Bell's question, infusing Haki into only your weapon will increase its sharpness, durability, and…" I pause for a second as everyone looks at me curiously.

"Well, if your weapon lasts long enough and you infuse it with enough Haki, it could become a Black Blade." They all curiously looked at me as I put a hand to my chin in thought.

"Black Blades are weapons that have been improved over time by Armament Haki, to the point where they gain the traits of being infused with Armament Haki without actually needing to be infused. And when actually infused, they gain even greater strength." Ais's eyes sparkle as she quickly looks at the weapon on her hip with a complicated look.

"... What do I do if my weapon breaks too easily…?" Ais asks as Tiona laughs nervously and rubs the back of her head while looking at me from the corner of her eyes.

… What?

Do they break their weapons too easily or something?

"... I wouldn't recommend trying to make a Black Blade anyway. I believe it requires actual decades of being infused with Armament Haki, so don't worry about that just yet." I wave off their concerns as I circle the drawing of Ais and Tiona I had.

"Now, as you two are the only level 5s here, I, unfortunately, cannot fight you head-on without being absolutely destroyed." Ais and Tiona's lips twitch slightly as I continue. "So both of you will be fighting in hand-to-hand combat with everything you've got, no weapons, no magic." I aim that last one at Ais as she looks away. "Pure physical might only. That's the way of unlocking Armament."

Tiona excitedly fist bumps the sky as Ais nods resolutely and they quickly move to a corner to begin fighting while I turn to Lefiya and Bell.

"Now, Bell, go grab a copy of each of our training weapons while I speak with Lefiya here, please." Bell salutes and runs off as Lefiya looks at his retreating form and then nervously turns to me.

"... Lefiya." She stiffens. "Have you ever used a weapon before?" I ask with curiosity while twirling my spear between my hands.

"U-uhm… Most elves are taught to at least use bows but I have trained in hand-to-hand as well as some very light swordsmanship…" I hum and nod as she tilts her head in confusion.

"Have you ever considered being more than a simple mage, but a spellsword or a magic knight, perhaps?" She tilted her head before shaking it at my question with furrowed brows.

"U-um… no? I-I don't believe that's an actual thing… r-right?" I raise my eyebrows and stare at her silently for a few seconds to show her how dumb that sounds and push the point further.

"... Anyways, yes, it is indeed a thing. In fact, I and Ais are Magic Knights already, with her having a focus on swordsmanship with magic to assist it, while I have my magic as my main focus with spearmanship to assist it in close quarters." Lefiya's eyes widen at my words as she glances at Ais in admiration and hesitation.

Wow, having an anime moment with me right here? Really?

I cough to get her attention as she quickly snaps her head to me with a crimson blush, eyes widened at being caught. "I wish to turn you into something closer to myself, with you focusing on your magic and assisting it with swordsmanship." I pause for a second. "That is, if you even wish to make such a change."

Lefiya stares at the ground silently in contemplation for several moments, face clearly conflicted before her eyes rise to look at mine with uncertainty.

"U-um… W-why did you choose to be a 'Magic Knight' as you said…?" Oh? Asking for my personal preference? Fair enough.

"I hate pure magical builds like yours." I state matter-of-factly as she flinches and widens her eyes in shock. "To be so reliant on others for protection… a glass cannon. I despise being so helpless that I'd need someone else's help to be useful on the battlefield." Lefiya's eyes widen even more at my words as I seem to have struck something familiar in her heart.

"Sure, if you have range and terrain advantage on your enemies, you'd be easily able to dispatch them with your magic… but since when did we adventurers have the advantage against the monsters? What about if we're sneak attacked? What if they are faster than you can chant?" I barrage Lefiya with questions with my tone having a slight edge of annoyance.

"To need certain conditions to be useful… that disgusts me. I do not need anyone else to be a menace on the battlefield… No, to be THE menace of the battlefield. That is why I am a 'Magic Knight'." I end my speech with a large exhalation as Lefiya stares at me in admiration.

Wow, I really did go off on a tangent.

Fair enough though. I really do hate mage builds and I think Lefiya here has a lot of potential with how strong her firepower is.

If I had to choose one person from the Loki Familia to take, it'd probably be her.

Mostly because she's only level 3, so I'd be able to raise her stats the correct way rather than how most do it around here. But her potential is definitely the bigger factor as well.

"I… I see…" Lefiya is still staring at me with admiration as I pat her on the head as I do with Bell.

Mostly because they remind me of each other.

She stiffens under my touch but doesn't do anything and I spot a small smile on her face.

Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask.

"By the way, Lefiya, I've been meaning to ask but… why do you stiffen whenever I touch you." Lefiya froze for a second before looking at me in realization as I continue. "I noticed that when I saved you from being hit by the plant monsters a few days ago, you seemed almost angry at me despite me having saved your life." She blushed in shame and looked down at my words, but I didn't stop.

"Which was quite odd since you seemed more inclined to glare at me instead of looking back at the enemies, which could've cost you a lot, and it almost did considering how I had to grab you and jump to a different roof when the plant creature attacked again since you were too distracted to dodge yourself. You then almost glared at me again instead of composing yourself." I spoke dryly but couldn't keep my smirk back as she hid her face between her hands in embarrassment.

"So… is there a reason for that?" Lefiya nodded while still hiding her face in her hands as my eyebrows rose.

"U-ughhh… I'm so sorry… I-it's because we elves do not like being t-touched by other races… s-so I wasn't…" She pauses and pushes her face deeper into her hands with a groan. "That sounds so s-stupid now that I think about it…"

… huh?

Why?

"... Why?" I voice my thoughts out in confusion as she groans again.

"I-I don't know…? It's just… something we all do? It's like… well… the elves still back in the forest say it's because we think it's beneath us b-but not all of us think that!" She took her hands off of her face to stare up at me in panic as I rolled my eyes.

"Clearly you all still believe that it's beneath you if your first action upon being saved from certain death or at least a grievous injury is to glare at your savior." My words made her shrink slightly while looking down shamefully.

"S-sorry…" She mutters in a whisper as I sigh.

"It's alright. I do not blame you for your own birth race's conditions. Not to mention, you're wrong anyway." She looks up at me hopefully but with a little bit of confusion at my last sentence.

"How could elves be superior to all other races? The only Elf of note I am aware of is the Nine Hells Riveria, who is part of a trio with a Pallum and Dwarf. Not even known for her own prowess alone, but with two other 'inferior' races. What happened to all of the other first-class adventurers with non-elf races? The King, Ottar, is not an elf, is he?" Lefiya grimaced slightly at my words but had no words to defend her race.

Not that she seemed like she wanted to anyway, it seemed almost instinctual of her to grimace.

"Not to mention, the previous record holder for leveling up is human, even if she isn't purely human." Lefiya's eyebrows rose for a second and I saw Ais freeze for a second from where she was fighting Tiona, but she was quickly punched by Tiona for freezing.

"And let's not mention myself. I am a human, and I have destroyed the previous record by at least 17 times. One that, as I previously said, was held by a human. This racism by the elves is quite ridiculous." I wave my hands with another eye-roll as Lefiya nods slightly, probably agreeing but not wishing to state it out loud.

"Back to training, Bell seems to be…" I pause my words as I see Bell holding an armory of weapons in his hands, filled with Greatswords, Longswords, Shortswords, Rapiers, Scimitars, and just about every type of blade out there.

"S-sorry for how much time I took! I couldn't grab all of our training weapons in one go. I'll go grab the rest-" I grab Bell by the scruff of his neck as he freezes in my hands like a kitten.

"... I said a copy of each weapon, not the f- entire dang armory." Bell gapes at my use of 'dang' but I couldn't give a damn right now.

Lefiya stares at us from where she's standing with an amused smile.

"O-oh! I'll go grab the other copi-" "No, we've got everything we need. Grab a tanto and prepare yourself." With that ominous sentence done, I turn to Lefiya and gesture to the pile of training weapons.

"Grab the weapon you're most comfortable with, you and Bell will fight against me while I use Haki on my weapon. Try to infuse your will into your weapon as we fight, and envision my weapon as you do so." Lefiya looks at the weapons pile and then at Ais's sheathed weapon with clear indecision.

"I don't recommend picking a Rapier as it's too skillful of a weapon for someone I believe should be using swordsmanship as a backup to magic. It would require too much effort and skill and by then, you'd have to focus on swordsmanship over Magic." I quickly interject as Lefiya's eyes widen before she smiles slightly and nods.

"What do you think I should take then, Mikey?" I hum at her question while shuffling through a couple of the weapons.

A smirk makes its way to my face. "You could enter the Far Eastern club with me and Bell by trying a Chokuto or a Kodachi." I raise a flat blade of moderate length and a slightly curved blade that is slightly shorter as she tilts her head with amusement.

"I thought you used spears?" I nodded with another hum as I threw the weapons away and twirled my stick in my hand again.

"Polearms. When I'm at a sufficient enough level where using a stronger weapon won't hinder my growth, I'll be commissioning Far Eastern polearms like Naginatas, Jis, and Guandaos. Using such… unique weapons at the level I am at right now is a waste of money and merely for show." She lights up in understanding while picking up a Chokuto (or Ninjato, if that helps.) and inspecting it.

"... I may join the 'Far Eastern Club' then… If you'll have me." She blushes slightly as she speaks with a small smile as I smile right back.

"Great, glad to have you, Lefiya. Now, you and Bell do as I told you and attack me at once." I'm about to solo the two protagonists of this world. Fuck off Plot Armor.

Lefiya seems hesitant for some reason as Bell stares at her knowingly with a smirk.

"U-um, not to be rude or anything Mikey but… I am a level 3 even if I have not focused on my physical stats much… and Bell here seems to not be a pushover either with how he had taken a Silverback alone…" Bell blushes slightly at her praise but continues knowingly staring at me as I smirk.

"There is no world out there where either of you beat me right here." I state simply as Lefiya recoils from my confidence. "Without magic, of course. I don't think I can take one of your spells." She blushes slightly but frowns at my earlier words as she sends a glance at Bell.

"... Fine. We'll see about that!" Her face becomes fierce, probably because of my challenge as she grips her sword. "Bell, right? Let's do this! You lead and I'll follow." Bell seems to have accepted his fate already but nods nonetheless, already knowing my- our stance on giving up.

"Yes!" Bell nods to her as they both look at me viciously.

"Come." I taunt them with one hand giving a 'come hither' gesture as they both charge forward to meet my spear.

Aka, my beating stick.

…

[King Crimson! Time Skip!]

"This is so booooring!" Tiona complains in a whiny voice for the thousandth time as everyone sighs in fatigue while sitting in a lotus position.

We're trying to meditate since that's what I did to awaken Haki, but Tiona keeps complaining every other minute.

"You have to bear with it, Tiona… This is what I had to do to awaken Haki in only a short amount of time. The faster you deal with it the faster you'll gain Haki and won't have to do this again." Actually, meditating is a great way to increase my mastery in Armament, but at this point, I'll say anything to get her to stop complaining every minute.

"... That may be true but I don't see how doing this achieves anything! I'd rather we go back to beating each other up!" She exclaims energetically as I sigh.

A quick look at the beaten Ais staring at the ground with dead eyes and the aching Bell and Lefiya shows me that they do not share the same sentiment.

"... I quite like this group meditation…" Lefiya whispers from next to me as I pat her on the head on instinct.

"You need to tame your spirit to pull on it, Tiona. In Wano, Armament Haki is called 'Ryou', or the Inner Flow. You are a bundle of energy, and to unleash your inner willpower, you need to tame your overflowing energy so your Haki can come forth." I begin spouting bullshit to try and convince her to meditate silently.

It seems to have worked as her eyes become starry and she quickly sits down with crossed arms and closed eyes, silently 'meditation'.

She's still twitching and opening her eyes every other second, but it's a start and I'll take what I can get.

"What's Wano?" Lefiya glances at me with one eye open as I take my hand away from her head.

"A place in the far east." Of the One Piece world.

She nods in understanding and closes her eyes with a pleased smile, confusing me slightly.

I don't see why she'd be happy about me telling her that but alright.

We sit in silence for a few minutes with Tiona twitching periodically while looking at everyone around her with one eye open, Ais peacefully meditating like a statue, Bell trying his best to meditate but blushing at the close contact he has with Ais as she's next to him, and Lefiya giving the stink-eye to Bell while glancing at me nervously.

I, of course, am just experimenting with Cursed Energy and Haki inside of me while ignoring everyone else around me.

"... So how are you guys today?" Tiona eventually fails at staying silent and asks as everyone groans.

I sigh.

…

[Hestia POV]

"-I tell ya! He's stealin' away all my girls! And don't think I didn't notice how your rabbit boy was lookin' at my Aizu either!" I push my face deeper into my hands as this bitch just doesn't shut up…

Please… just shut the fuck up.

"..." I do not give her the privilege of a response as she gets more agitated by my silence.

Wow, Mikey's teachings really DO work! Silence truly is a powerful weapon.

"How the hell did ya even get your hands on that one? He's too good for you to have just found him in a ditch somewhere!" Loki asks with jealousy while crossing her arms.

"... He approached me while I was selling Jagamaru-kuns and asked to join my familia, stating that a goddess of Family and Hearth could never hurt him." I reply solemnly as Loki's eyes widen and stare at Mikey curiously.

"How'd he know what your domain was?" Loki asked with the same curiosity as I almost punched the bitch for how many questions she kept asking me.

"I don't know. Michael is very informed about us gods somehow." I reply with irritation as Loki lets out a sound of contemplation with a smirk.

How annoying.

"Ne~ You wouldn't mind sharing what Mikey's skills are by any chance, would you?" She turns to me with the same irritating smirk as I deadpan at her, staying silent.

She eventually loses her smirk and grumbles at my lack of response as I internally rejoice at my victory.

Mikey is truly the god of culture! How was such a powerful man not a god? If he was, I'd accuse him of using his Arcanum!

Loki looks back at the group meditating as they all simultaneously groan for some reason and glare at the amazon.

"The hell they doin'?" Loki asks with genuine confusion as all the group did so far in their 'group meditation' was speak every few minutes and otherwise stay silent while sitting.

"Meditation. Michael says it's good for calming your nerves, honing your temper, and a bunch of other fancy words I don't understand. It apparently also raises your Magic stat if you're good enough at it. Michael proved that to me some time ago." I idly explain what Mikey told me as Loki's eyebrows rose.

"I obviously know what meditation is, itty-bitty! I'm askin' why they're doin' it when they're tryin' to unlock Haki. Though I didn't know the magic stat part… Interesting." I facepalm and groan as the annoying goddess grins at me victoriously.

"I don't know. That's what Mikey did to unlock it." I respond with irritation as she hums and suddenly gets up from the bench we're sitting on while approaching the group.

I tilt my head and get up to follow after her.

"Oi oi oi!" She calls out to the group as they all look up at her. "I know y'all are doin' some meditation or whatever but you've been at it for a few hours now and mama's getting bored! Plus, the girls are headin' back to the dungeon tomorrow so they need ta prepare!" Again? Didn't they only return a few days ago?

The Loki Familia must really need the money if they're going into the dungeon that much.

"... Can't we stay for longer…?" The sword princess, Wallenwhatsit or whatever, pouts at Loki as she takes critical damage and almost collapses.

I understand completely. That pout is dangerous no matter how much I hate to admit it.

"Awww does my Aizu want to stay at the sleepover for longer? Maybe I'll let you stay longer if you give me a kiss~ Or… If you let me give you a little kiss hehehehe~" The goddess laughs pervertedly as the sword princess's face darkens and she quickly turns to Mikey and Bell.

"... Today was fun, I will see you next time. I need to go." Loki actually collapsed this time, much to my amusement.

"Awwww… So we have to go? I dun wanna!" The amazon girl jumps at Mikey and latches onto him while glaring at Loki half-heartedly.

Michael just holds onto her with one arm while staring in front of him with the same tired eyes he has when dealing with an unruly Bell.

And an unruly me but we don't talk about that.

"U-uhm… Mikey… can I speak with you p-privately?" The elf girl hesitantly speaks up, drawing curious and teasing glances her way, the latter mostly being Loki.

Mikey tilts his head but nods as he looks at Tiona with lidded eyes.

"... I dun wanna." She pouts at him as the elf girl blushes, probably at the thought of the amazon being there for whatever it is she wants to say to Mikey.

Hmph. Stupid playboy. This is why Bell isn't looking at me, he's learning everything from Mikey, even his bad habits!

"Tiona… Please?" Mikey pats the amazon girl on the head gently as she suddenly blushes crimson and nods while running away.

… Wow. He really is a playboy. I was just saying that as a joke!

Michael moves away with the elf girl as Bell moves to stand next to me nervously while glancing at Ais Wallenwhatshername.

Loki and I meet each other's gaze as I smirk and she grits her teeth.

I totally did not childishly stick my tongue out.

Michael has to never find out…

"... Bell?" The sword princess approaches Bell as he freezes like a deer in… a headlight? Was that the saying that Michael taught me…?

"U-uh… Y-yes!?" He nervously answers.

"... I wanted to apologize for scaring you… during the minotaur incident…" The sword princess looked almost sad as she said this.

Bell quickly shook his hands in denial. "W-w-what? S-scared me? N-no! I-It's not like that… I-I was just…" His blush turned so nuclear you could not tell the difference between his skin and his eyes.

Hmph… He doesn't blush that much with me!

That's unfair! Why does Bell have to go looking for other girls when I'm right here…

Very well… I require the forbidden 'Rizz' classes from Michael. Bell… PREPARE YOURSELF!

"I… I was really amazed by you when you saved me… I just ran away because I was embarrassed…" Bell blushed a little more and bowed. "I-I apologize if I gave you the wrong idea!"

Wallenwhatsit just blinked and nodded with a small smile as Bell stopped bowing but kept looking at the ground in embarrassment.

They stayed awkwardly silent for a few seconds as me, Loki, and the amazon girl all stared at them while sweatdropping.

"... What is Mikey like?" Ais eventually asks with curiosity as Bell brightens up at the mention of Mikey.

As well as the chance to actually speak with her in a proper conversation, probably.

"Mikey is amazing! He knows so much and constantly teaches me new things every day! I don't think there's a greater teacher out there that is better than Mikey. He's truly the coolest Captain and Mentor there is!" Bell excitedly declares as my heart warms at the bond my children shared.

As much as I complain about Mikey and how troublesome he is, I cannot imagine a life without him and Bell ever again.

"... Really?" Ais questioned in surprise as Bell nodded confidently.

"Yes! Whenever we go into the dungeon, Mikey instructs me about my mistakes whenever I make them and explains to me how to improve without directly interfering unless I'm in danger. His training may be… extremely difficult at times-" Bell looked haunted for a second before snapping back to excitement. "-but the results show, even if I haven't unlocked obs-"

I quickly jump and block his mouth while despairing at the big mouth Bell has.

Especially when talking to his… crush…

The girls all look at us curiously as Bell pales and facepalms so hard a shockwave must have generated across all of the manor.

"G-goddess… P-please don't tell Mikey…" He quickly took my hands away from his mouth while staring at me pleadingly with his cute eyes.

How adorable… sadly, you've been speaking with other girls in front of me!

"... I am sorry, Bell." Bell looked like his life had ended as his soul escaped his body, leaving nothing but a husk behind.

… Serves you right.

"What was he talking about, I wonder?" The annoying voice of the trickster bitch questioned with smugness as Bell's husk of a body paled further.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." I reply cooly as she grinned further.

"Is that so-" She's interrupted as Michael and the elf girl return, the latter blushing furiously while Michael had a shirt on now.

Much to the amazon girl's despair, apparently.

"... We have returned. Well, it's been a pleasure, Loki Familia, but I believe you stated that you needed to go back to your own… preparations. Bell and I need to prepare for our daily dungeon run, so I believe it's about time we separate." Michael solemnly spoke with the amazon girl and sword princess pouting while the elf one's lips twitched upward despite her blush.

Ho? Whatever could that mean?

"Fiiiiiiiiiiine… I'll come to visit as soon as we return from the dungeon though, don't worry!" The amazon girl gave Mikey an enthusiastic thumbs up as I watch his eyebrows morph in a way that reflects amusement and resignation.

Hehe. I can read my children as easily as a book! Even if half of their face is covered up, nothing can escape my divine eye!

… Too chuuni?

… Too chuuni…

"I will be waiting then, Tiona." He nodded to her as she smiled brightly with a pleased expression.

"... Thank you for having me, Bell, Mikey." Ais Wallensomething nodded to both of them with a slight smile as Bell beamed and Mikey nodded.

"I-I'll see you soon, Mikey." Lefiya nodded to Bell and smiled at Mikey in a suspicious way as he had the equivalent of a 'smirk' on his face while nodding.

"I'll lead you all to the-" Before Michael can finish his sentence, the girls were all blasted out of the grounds courtesy of Tiona and Ais as they flew out of our manor and into the sky, leaving a crater in the ground where they stood.

I could roughly hear the annoying flat board (not the amazon) cheering as they sailed through the sky.

"... door." Bell shivered in his spot from Mikey's expression, and I couldn't help but let out a shiver myself.

That is one scary stare.

"... Bell, go take an hour and a half to shower and prepare for the dungeon. I have some papers to do. Hestia, do not disturb me." He sighed and blinked once, removing the ominous aura in his eyes and walking away.

Probably to go shower and then do paperwork in his office.

I don't know why that maniac actually LIKES paperwork. Something about them being so 'pre-historic' that it feels like playing with children's toys.

Bell leaves as quickly as he can before I can utter a single word to him, leaving me to pout in the yard.

…

…

…

… What do I do now?

*RING RING*

"Oh, the bell! I'll get it!"

…

…

[A few minutes before Loki Familia's departure, Michael POV]

I lead Lefiya into the manor and through the living room as she nervously glanced at me before glancing literally anywhere else and then repeating that process again.

Is she about to confess to me or something?

Oh, wait, asking that question in my head usually means she's not gonna do that. Good to know.

"... So, what did you need to speak to me about privately, Lefiya?" I turn around and ask her once we get to a random room in the manor that is 'private' enough.

"U-uhm… I…" She stops and takes a deep breath as my eyebrows rise.

Is she actually going to confess?

"I… P-please, accept me as your student!" She blurts out with closed eyes as I stop myself from facepalming.

Yep, definitely not confessing.

"... My… student?" I ask curiously as she nods determinedly.

"Y-yes! Under your tutelage… Bell, your younger familia member, was able to face a Silverback while only being an adventurer for a few weeks… Please teach me how to grow as he does!" She bows her head to me as I blink.

They think I'm the reason for Bell's ridiculous growth?

Wait, he didn't get Liaris Freese here, he got a different skill that relates to my speech.

Holy shit, Bell's growth IS because of me!

Though that means nothing to me since it's not like he wouldn't have grown so fast without me.

Though he definitely would clap his other self at this moment, even if the other Bell had higher stats, this one is leagues ahead in terms of skill.

I'm getting lost in my head and Lefiya is currently shifting nervously under my gaze.

Right, refocusing.

"... First of all, I am a lower level than you." I start, watching her shake her head in denial.

"That may be the case… but you would easily defeat me even if we were to both go all out, and you are a lot more skilled than I am." Great points, anyway.

"Second, aren't you already the student of Nine Hells? You know… the greatest mage in Orario?" I point out wryly as she blushes.

"W-well… Y-yes… B-but I'm sure she doesn't mind! A-as long as I study hard, s-she doesn't mind what I do in my free time." She becomes slightly hesitant but continues nonetheless as I hum.

"Alright… Thirdly, you are not a part of my Familia." She stiffens and I quickly continue. "I cannot trust you to not reveal or disclose anything and everything I teach you to your executives."

It may be harsh, but I really cannot just teach her all willy-nilly more than I already am doing. Being my direct 'student' (as weird as that sounds) like Bell is, is simply not possible unless she was in my Familia.

"I…" She looks downcast at my words but is unable to find anything to refute them as I stand there and look at her with resignation.

Wait... Isn't this like that anime trope where the MC is rejected by a very powerful or knowledgeable teacher and they then declare that they won't give up and will do anything to gain that tutelage?

"I… I won't give up! I'm sorry if I sound selfish or entitled by asking this, but please… Accept me as your student! I will not disclose anything you teach me to my superiors and I will confirm in front of your goddess every day that I did not disclose anything you taught or told me to ensure that!" Oh fuck. This really is fucking happening.

Am I about to become the teacher of BOTH main characters in this world?

Does that fucking make me more susceptible to dying or less? Because I can't die if I haven't finished teaching one of them, but I also am DOUBLING the chance to die for the sake of character development of the MC.

"... That may have solved that problem, but there is one more issue here. What do I gain from teaching a person from outside of my Familia? What do I gain from teaching you?" I ask that question with narrowed eyes as she looked down in contemplation.

"... I… I'm ready to give you anything you want for the chance to learn under you. I… I need to get stronger… This is my chance, I cannot give it up!" She steeled her resolve and declared with a firm gaze focused on me as my eyes widened slightly.

Anything?

"... Anything, you say?" I approach her with a raised eyebrow as she takes a step back, hitting a wall before I block her escape with my arm, rom-com style, and put my other hand under her chin. "That is a very bold statement." I whisper those words in her ear as her blush turns nuclear.

I am still shirtless right now, and we're in very close contact in a closed-off room that is also soundproofed. This has got to be the start of some doujin out there.

"... Are you prepared to stand by that offer?" I whisper again in her ear teasingly, smirking freely as I move my head back and angle our faces in a way that gives her the illusion of being much closer than we actually are while I gently run my thumb under her chin.

"I-I-I-I-I-I…" She stutters and blushes all the way from her neck to the top of her head, and I vaguely see steam rising from her ears as I continue smirking.

I don't know what it is about this girl, but I just really want to tease her.

"You…?" I breathe out, the wind from my breath impacting her face as her eyes widen even more.

"I-I-I'm… p-prepared… to do a-a-anything…" She eventually speaks out breathlessly while closing her eyes as I struggle to hold my laugh back.

"Is that so…? Then… prepare yourself." I smirk and move her chin up slightly as her lips quiver and she closes her eyes further as if preparing for what's coming.

I let go of her chin and take a step back. "You will not disclose anything you see, hear, or even think about me and the Hestia familia to anyone outside of our familia. You will never complain about the training I give you, no matter how hard or rough-" I pause for a second but continue before she can notice anything. "-it may be. You are to follow my instructions to the very letter when we enter the dungeon together, and never disobey an order while inside there. Am I understood?" I suddenly list out the 3 golden rules for this 'mentorship' I'm about to offer her.

Lefiya's eyes open in shock as she looks at me with puzzlement before quickly realizing what I said and nodding furiously.

"I-I understand! T-thank you so much for accepting me! I'll follow your instructions to the very last letter!" She bowed to me deeply as I saw tears at the edge of her eyes alongside a beaming smile.

"Don't get ahead of yourself yet. I'll do my best to instruct you, but everything else depends on how much effort you're prepared to put into training." I warn her as she stops bowing and looks at me with a fire in her eyes similar to the one she had when she first arrived here.

"I know! I will work my hardest, you don't need to worry about me slacking off." She clenched her fists and brought them up ferociously as my lips twitched into a smile at the 'fierce' scene.

"Very well. You will come here every day you are not in the dungeon with your familia as soon as the sun rises. I cannot ask you to show me every time you update your status, but I will require that you bring a copy of it every now and then so I can track your progress. You are not to level up until I believe you to be ready. You cannot tell anyone about this 'mentorship', lest they begin throwing more 'students' at me." I roll my eyes at the last sentence as Lefiya nods at everything I say and seems particularly aggravated by the last one, not at the condition itself but at the idea of more students.

"You will also not hinder Bell in any way. You both are my 'students', and I will not have you bullying or blocking his progress. I will not ask you to befriend him, but I wish for you to at least try to be friendly with him." Lefiya blinks at my condition but easily nods with a small smile.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to harm you or your familia ever! N-not even if my own familia and yours came to blows." She sounds slightly hesitant but confidently declares the last part as I nod with satisfaction.

"Good. I'm glad." I open my emergency clothes crate I left in almost every room in the house 'just in case' and take out a shirt to put on now that the teasing was done.

"U-um…" Lefiya suddenly speaks up, making me turn around to look at her as she blushes and shuffles slightly. "W-why did you not… e-earlier…"

…

Oh my god(dess). That's adorable.

I smirk as she blushes and looks down, unable to match my gaze. "That would be a reward for you, rather than a payment, no? If you're able to beat me in a spar in the future, I'll consider giving you what you want." She blushes indignantly at my words but doesn't say anything.

Wait, is her face becoming more determined?

… This feels like a foreshadowing moment…

Hold on a minute, there is no way she can actually beat me in a spar right? I've got way too much over her going on to actually lose! … Right?

… I'm going to be more careful in all of our future spars…

Fucking plot armor.

"... Let's head back now. I'm sure the others are beginning to get curious about what it is we're doing. Wouldn't want them to get any 'wrong' ideas, no?" I move over to the door from behind her as I see her cover her face in horror.

"You better move faster." I lean forward and whisper in her ear as it twitches and she dashes forward at blitzing speeds while hiding her face.

… Amusing.

…

…

…

[Back to the present time.]

I sigh in amusement as I recall my new 'student'.

Putting a stack of papers to the side, I idly wonder how much I'll share with her.

I'm definitely not sharing everything, not like I'm doing that with Bell anyway but some stuff is going to have to be concealed.

What I'm conflicted about though is… Edias.

Should I reveal Edias to her, or not?

Better yet, what's gonna be Edias's reaction to seeing a girl with me? That's my waifu right there, and she might get the wrong idea seeing Lefiya with me…

Let's just hope my Edias isn't too much of a yandere.

My smile twitches slightly higher at my thoughts as I throw the towel I had on my neck away.

I start filling in another stack of paperwork before I'm interrupted by the sound of knocking on my door.

"Mikey! You have a guest!" Hestia's voice speaks from the other side of the door as my eyebrows furrow.

"Come in." I call out without revealing my confusion and turning on my CE senses to tell who's on the other side of the door.

The hand I was writing with freezes in place as I sense who exactly is with Hestia on the other side of the door.

Hestia enters the room with a certain gray-haired waitress in tow as she happily skips inside. "This is your friend, Syr, right? You spoke about her before and she came to visit you." Hestia emphasizes the 'you' with a smile, as if not accepting that Bell is also friends with Syr.

"Oh~? You've spoken about me to your goddess, Mike? I'm flattered~" She giggles while hiding her mouth behind her hand as I stare at her for a few seconds.

What the fuck is Freya doing in my house?

Did the yandere sense the Doujin plot I enacted a bit ago and decide to pay a visit?

"I noticed you've been too busy to drop by the tavern the last couple of days and I heard you leveled up so I came to congratulate you!~" 'Syr' happily claps her hands as Hestia nods in approval before quickly running to the door and closing it until there's only a small gap left.

"I'll give you guys some privacy since I have some stuff to do! Have fun~" Hestia shuts the door and presumably runs away as I sigh and look at Syr with lidded eyes.

[Slight… something, warning. R18]

"... This room is sound-proofed. Hello, Freya… Long time no see I suppose." Syr pouts at my words while crossing her arms unhappily.

… Unknowingly doing certain things to certain things that will not be mentioned. Wait no, this is Freya we're talking about, that was definitely knowingly!

Cleanse yourself from the unholy thoughts, you stand faced with the queen of thots!

Now that I think about it… She isn't wearing her usual maid outfit, instead having a beautiful dark blue blouse with a white skirt that goes down until just above her knees accentuated by black stripes and see-through black thigh highs with white Ankle Boots.

Oh shit…

"How rude… At least play along for a little while…" She approaches me with a certain sway and a pout that accentuates-

I blink and narrow my eyes. "... You wouldn't happen to be using your charm, would you?" My tone is slightly edged as I channel my Cursed Energy within its container and Freya raises her hands in surrender nervously.

"Awww~ I'm flattered you think so, but no~. This is all me~" She moves around the desk and behind me as she wraps her arms around my head and rests her hands on my torso, pushing the back of my head into her chest.

I eye her suspiciously as she does all of that, wondering what she's planning exactly.

This thottery is beyond my expertise.

"... Are you seducing me?" I ask with twitching eyebrows as she giggles.

"No… Would you like me to seduce you?" She whispers in my ear as I have flashbacks to what I did to Lefiya not even an hour ago.

So this is how it feels like.

"... I'd rather not. What's your angle here?" I ask with suspicion as she pouts and hugs me tighter.

"I truly am just here to visit you!" She looked down at my face, forcing me to look up at her (and push my head deeper into her chest) to see her facial expressions. "After all… You left me alone in a dirty alleyway after having used my body… without even a goodbye…" Her face turns sad and devastated as she speaks while I roll my eyes at her acting.

"I would like to point out, with your lie detection as witness, that was completely the fault of your charm's aftereffect." She switched from her 'devastated' expression to a smirk faster than she had any right to do so as she trailed her left hand down my neck, unfortunately causing me to shiver.

"Uh-oh, that was a lie~" She smirked teasingly while continuing to trail her fingers down my neck.

Fuck.

"It was about… 80% your fault. The 20% being the fault of the residue of Cursed Energy in my head. Technically, that makes it 100% your fault as I was forced to do that because you were trying to charm me." I try to compose my face, but probably don't succeed as Freya's smile widens.

Fucking thot with her thot techniques.

"Aww… I guess it was my fault then. How could I repay you for my mistake~?" She whispered huskily while pulling my head deeper into her chest as I close my eyes to focus on literally anything else.

A few seconds of silence pass before I suddenly feel something move on top of me and I open my eyes just in time to see Syr's face close in on mine before-

Lips.

The flawlessly smooth lips of Syr gently land on mine as she pushes herself further into me, making me sub-consciously push back while our lips battle it out in an intimate embrace.

Syr prods my lips with her tongue as I accidentally open my lips, allowing her access to the inside of my mouth as she begins exploring my mouth while beckoning my tongue to do the same.

… Cherry? … Maybe… Strawberry?

My tongue unconsciously begins dancing alongside hers as a tug-of-war game ensues between them, with both of us trying to taste more of the other's tongue even if that's physically impossible.

"Hey, kids! I brought you some snacks and drinks to-" Hestia slammed the door open and froze at the scene in the middle of her speech.

'Syr' is sitting on top of me at my desk with both of our tongues exposed to the world as they snaked together in a lewd dance, only freezing for a second at Hestia's entrance before the tongue belonging to 'Syr' continued its attack.

Mother fucker.

I quickly push Syr away gently while grimacing and turning to Hestia whose twin tails have risen into the air in embarrassment alongside an explosive crimson blush.

"Y-Y-Y-YOU! YOU SHAMELESS PLAYBOY! AT LEAST LOCK YOUR DOOR BEFORE DOING SOMETHING SO… SO… AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Hestia slammed the door behind her while running away in embarrassment as I rubbed my temples at the incoming headache.

Oh god… Edias is gonna be so mad…

I really should not be joking about my dungeon waifu right now after being molested by the thot goddess.

"Mmm… You taste just as otherworldly as your soul is… I want more~" Freya comments nonchalantly, not even caring about Hestia's interruption as she pushes her lips back on mine.

The door is slammed open again as Hestia enters, freezes at the sight of us kissing again, dashes to the table, and leaves the tray of snacks and drinks before dashing out of the room again while slamming the door behind her with a scream of despair.

Freya does not even spare her a glance as she continues molesting my lips with hers.

What the actual fuck is going on anymore?

I gently push Syr away again, this time with a little more force as I narrow my eyes at her. "Enough. What is it with you right now?" I totally do not avert my gaze from the lust-filled eyes piercing into me.

Holy fucking shit.

Horny ass bitch.

"Mmmn… I haven't been able to calm down ever since that day in the alleyway… I've barely contained myself from just ordering Ottar to capture you and bring you to me… Don't I deserve a reward for being such a good girl~~?" Holy shit, those are definitely heart eyes. This world is running on hentai physics.

"... The reason I'm allowing you to do all of… this… is because you have not yet ordered a hit on my head by the strongest adventurer in Orario." I deadpan at her, unable to stop my eyes from staring at her luscious pink lips as they curve up into a fascination crescent that would captivate me if I was a lesser man.

"Oh~ So that was my reward? I meant it as an apology for causing you so much trouble… but it was a reward for me in the end?" She puts a hand in front of her mouth while looking 'touched'. "I guess this means I still haven't apologized then, right~?" … There is a chance that I may be a lesser man.

No! Channel my inner mantra!

Uh…

Astolfo! Astolfo! Astolfo!

"Allow me to fix that~…" ASTOLFO! ASTOLFO! ASTOLFO! ASTOLFO! ASTOLFO! ASTOLFO!

Her lips captured mine again as I continue chanting my mantra to ward off the horny thoughts, but I'm unable to suppress the unsheathing of my spear in the presence of the… foe.

Freya hums in the middle of our kiss and moves her head back slightly to stare into my dead-fish eyes (I'm currently away chanting my mantra) as she moves her index finger down my chest and closer to-

"Oho~ Do you have a weapon concealed in your pants or are you just excited to see me?~" That porno line exists here? RHONGOMYNIAD CALM DOWN!

"I am armed at all times." I reply as expressionlessly as I can, but cannot suppress the little gulp I make at the sight of her giggling.

"I can definitely see that~" She replies huskily and starts roaming my body with her hands as I take a deep breath.

Alright… That's enough of that I think.

"Cum Yourself Into Unconsciousness." I command and watch Freya's eyes widen and delight fills them just a second before the euphoria erupts in her body and she lets out an ear-piercing moan that did NOT do good things to my Rhongomyniad.

My… crotch and lower torso are also engulfed in… liquids as Freya grips my arms so tightly I almost felt it with my enhanced durability. She pushed my face so close to her chest that I could hear her heart beating at a million miles a second and her warmth enveloped my face.

"Mikey~..." She whines needily in the middle of her orgasms before her eyes roll to the back of her head and she falls unconscious, still tightly grabbing me.

… I know I've said this like four times now but… Holy shit. I am drowning in… water.

I quickly lift the sleeping form of Syr (unaware of the plight of a certain Horn who just fell unconscious from the number of orgasms she had while signing paperwork) and run out of my office room and into the room right next to it (my bedroom) as I set the… overflowing form of Syr down on the bed while looking back at the hallway with a grimace.

[No more uh… R18 stuff now.]

… I cannot fucking believe my first four-word command was used to force a yandere goddess to cum into unconsciousness.

Also, the hallway is flooded.

Also, I'm flooded.

Also, my bedsheets are flooded.

"Mikey! An hour and a half have almost passed, are you ready for our dungeon run?"

…

… Fuck.

… I'm overwhelmed…

…

…

[Timeskip, In the Dungeon]

"It was just a confusing time overall… 1/10 would not do again." I 'sob' sadly while hugging the dungeon walls as a feeling of sympathy is transmitted through them from Edias.

After I quickly changed and hid Syr under the sheets, I begged Hestia to watch over her and not tell anyone about what happened, picked up Bell, took him to the dungeon, watched over him for a few hours, yeeted him out of the dungeon, and then went down to the 16th floor to 'cry' to Edias.

I mostly just wanted time to think, today's been hectic.

Edias transmits a feeling of curiosity to me, mostly asking about my day as I've said nothing except how terrible it's been so far.

"Well, today started off normally. I took a stick and was beating a blindfolded Bell up while trying to unlock his Observation Haki. I then made him do his normal physical training routine until the Loki Familia suddenly landed in my backyard." Edias emits a strong feeling of distaste at the mention of the Loki familia but gives me a feeling of encouragement to continue my story.

I must look like a dumbass right now when talking to Edias.

Oh well, people just cannot understand our relationship like we do.

I smugly nod to myself for a second before shaking my head in amusement.

"Do you dislike the Loki familia?" Edias gives an affirmative feeling as well as something complex, probably trying to explain why.

I have a couple of guesses.

"Is it because the lower floors that are unexplored have monsters roaming without dying every time they spawn, so their cursed energy doesn't return to you, but the Loki Familia explores deeper and kills those monsters, so their energy returns to you?" I make a wild guess and am filled with smugness as Edias emits a feeling of surprise and joyful affirmation.

"Hm Hm. Don't worry Edias, once I'm the strongest in the world, I'll explore you till the bottom and give you the relief you've always wanted." I wink at her with a 'cocky' smirk as she does the equivalent of an eye roll.

Unfortunately for her, I can easily feel the embarrassment and happiness she emits alongside the 'warm' feeling that is most prevalent inside of her.

She pushes her embarrassment away and gives me the encouraging feeling she gave me earlier when asking me to continue.

"Alright alright. So, I had to train with the Loki Familia- because having allies against the annoying familias that are going to come after me is necessary- and that led to one of them, an elf girl named Lefiya, asking to be my disciple." I feel a burst of annoyance at the mention of 'elf girl' and I smirk.

My Edias is jealous~

"The girl is similar to Bell in… a certain way… which makes it… not a terrible thing to have her as my student. My only problem is that the chance of me dying for the sake of the character growth of either her or Bell becomes higher-" Edias emits an intense feeling of anger and bloodlust, but I do not pause. "-but I was never one to bow to Plot and Reality anyway." I pause for a second while thinking.

Well…

"Well I did kinda go with the whole disciple thing which is a common trope, but I mainly did it because teasing Lefiya seemed like a fun time. Also, a better connection to an MC." Edias emits another feeling of jealousy as my smirk widens.

"Oho~ Are you jealous, Edias?" She gives a feeling of denial and embarrassment as I pat her walls consolingly. "Don't worry Edias, I'll tease you a lot more from now on."

She emits annoyance and resignation before figuratively rolling her eyes and asking me to continue.

"Okay okay. So after that, this is the part where everything just did a 180. There I was, completely clowning on idiots while doing paperwork… when fucking Freya appears in my office in her Syr disguise." Edias's emotions soar in anger and so much disdain it bordered hate at the mention of Freya.

"... Let me guess, you're angry because she charms your monsters into her service, removing them from your control?" She's surprised again but does not cease her anger this time as she emits an affirmative feeling.

I smirk, thinking of teasing the dungeon a little bit.

"Fair enough. Now, that was a surprise for sure when I saw her there, but then imagine my surprise when she rounds around my desk and begins seducing me! I'm talking full touching, sitting on my lap, she even stole my first kiss from you!"

Edias explodes in murderous rage as the entire dungeon shakes, and an earthquake is felt all across Orario as Edias emits the largest amount of hate and rage I have ever felt in my life.

I feel my Cursed Energy reserves skyrocket and almost break out of their container as my thoughts are overwhelmed by the feeling of wrath and desire for vengeance.

I gasp in pain and fall to the ground with my hand on my head as I quickly put a lid on all of my Cursed Energy, not even allowing a single ounce of it into my body as I feel an unfamiliar weakness enter my body from the lack of Cursed Energy that forces me to collapse to the ground helplessly.

I haven't turned off my Cursed Energy imbuing this thoroughly since I was brought into this world... My movements feel sluggish, my senses compromised, and my body heavy.

I SAID THAT AS A JOKE! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?

"Edias!? Please calm down! You're hurting me!" I quickly yell out as the entire dungeon ceases all activity faster than I thought possible.

Edias quickly aims a feeling of regret, concern, and despair at my fallen body as I feel Edias's complete attention on me.

Edias always has her attention somewhere else in the dungeon, so her presence is usually just a small percentage of the entire picture… yet right now, I feel her entire presence weighing on me with fear and concern as the atmosphere turns slightly cold.

"I-I'm okay! Calm down Edias. Your emotions overwhelmed me for a second so I had to turn off my Cursed Energy." Edias's presence… wrapped around me somehow as she continued emitting feelings of remorse and shame.

"It's okay, Edias. I don't blame you at all, that was my fault for mentioning something like that so casually." Edias replied with hate not aimed at me as well as more sorrow aimed at me. She also gave a heavy feeling of denial at my words as I painfully shook my head with a smile, grimacing at the weakness of even my smiling muscles.

Is my body so reliant on Cursed Energy that it's like taking a vital vitamin or something away? This is a weakness I wasn't aware of… but yet again, what self-respecting Jujutsu Sorcerer actively hinders the spread of Cursed Energy into their body so thoroughly as I'm doing right now?

"I promise that it's okay, Edias. You're still my number 1 wifey, I swear." Edias emits a feeling of embarrassment but then turns into anger at me for joking at this time. "Of course, that is if you'll still have me after I've been tainted by the big bad goddess." I dramatically look away in shame as Edias panics and her presence wraps around me a lot more tightly than it did earlier.

Suddenly, the ground splits underneath me as I fall through the crack and am enveloped in darkness all the while Edias's presence wraps around me tighter and emits feelings of reassurance, worry, and… nervousness?

I feel myself shift through… something that feels like a liquid but is a lot denser. I don't know how I'm still breathing but I close my eyes and simply trust Edias as I feel my consciousness fade…

…

[????? ???????? ???????]

… Where am I?

I look around at the dark room I've found myself in as I inspect my surroundings.

… There's nothing here. It's literally just darkness everywhere. I cannot even make out the corners or edges of this place.

"... Konbu." I hear from behind me and freeze.

Oh hell no.

OH HELL NO.

We are NOT about to have yet another cliche today.

No way. I refuse.

DAGA KOTOWARU!

"... Takana…?" I hear from behind me again as I sigh and slowly turn around.

In front of me, I see the mirror image of myself when I first entered the world.

An exact copy of Inumaki Toge.

No… Toge Inumaki himself.

"Konbu." I smirk and reply to him as he rolls his eyes and raises his middle finger.

"... You can speak." He speaks in a voice creepily similar to mine (or his?) as I feel his words impact me but move past me harmlessly, just like how all commands I make ignore me when they travel through sound.

"... Yeah. It seems even… here, you can't control Cursed Speech like I can." He glares at me lightheartedly but shakes his head.

"... Okaka." Huh. I always thought that even the rice ball language was infused with Cursed Speech, it was just impossible to affect someone when saying 'kelp' or 'mustard'.

It must be his desire to say words without using Cursed Speech affecting those certain words.

"So… You aren't going to say something like 'I need you to do something for me' or 'I entrust my body and powers to you', right? Because that would really ruin my day right now." His eyes curl up in the way I know mine do when I'm amused, and he shakes his head again.

"Okaka." He gestures to the empty room with rolled eyes. "... Tsuna Mayo." I grin.

"So we're just fucking around for a while?" He matches my grin and nods as my grin widens.

"Awesome. Though I do need to ask, are you like… sealed inside of me and watching my every move?" His eyebrows wrinkle in amusement and he shakes his head.

"... I'll cease to exist after you leave this place… I was instructed to greet you and explain to you how you have my powers now and are in a new world before leaving but… You're very good at Cursed Energy Manipulation, better than me. Upon entering this world, you instinctually began imbuing yourself with Cursed Energy, blocking me from reaching you for… maybe weeks?" My eyes widen in horror as I realize what I've done.

He's been stuck in this dark void for weeks because I never stopped the Cursed Energy from being imbued into all of my body…

"... I'm really sorry. I've forced you to stay in this dark room for weeks because I was too power-hungry to relax and stop infusing Cursed Energy into my body." I bow to him deeply.

Even if it's not intentional or even my fault really, I have locked a character I like into a dark room with nothing to do for weeks as I lived my life with his body without even thanking him.

I glance up to see him staring at me with surprise before he smiles and shakes his head.

"Don't worry. I'm not upset. The… thing that brought me here said it would bring me back with a boost in power once I did as it said. Also… I've been feeling myself grow a lot stronger while sitting in this room, and I believe my strength will return with me to the other world. I am just as thankful to you as you are to me." My eyes widened.

Falna enhanced Toge, with Haki, Magic, and more?

Awesome.

"Well now, that's quite the boost in power, huh?" He nods happily as we sit together and talk.

It turns out, this Toge is from before Itadori ate Sukuna's first finger.

So, naturally, I explained to him every single thing that happened that I could remember at the top of my head.

His face was a sight to see after everything I described, though… by the end of my speech, neither of us was able to smile that much.

"... That's… not what I was expecting from the future… I can't believe I lose…" He doesn't continue for obvious reasons but I nod nonetheless with a sympathetic expression.

"You're going back now with information that will help you get a better future as well as a body with powers that I can confidently say would only lose to Gojo or Sukuna with… maybe… well, definitely lose with all of his fingers, but you could take him if he only had a couple. Also, Yuta would be tough, because it's Yuta." Toge nodded while piping up slightly, remembering that he can change the future now with this power.

"Thank you… for everything. The power, the information… the company you've given me…" He smiles at me with gratitude as I remembered that he hasn't spoken to anyone in weeks.

"Allow me to repeat what you said back at you. Thank you for everything. Your power, knowledge, and the company you've given me in this room." He looked slightly touched at my words as I grab him in a side-hug.

"... This is one of the first times I've been able to speak with someone." He comments with a smile. "Normally, I mean." He clarifies as I roll my eyes.

Obviously.

"... If it helps, we both gave each other our capabilities. My ability to speak normally should be accessible to you if you train enough. It's obvious our consciousness dominates the other's in our respective bodies, but we can both achieve the same if we work hard enough." He looks at me with widened eyes before thinking for a second and nodding with a small smile.

"That sounds… right. I'll try that in the future. Thank you…" He blinks, and we suddenly realize we haven't given each other our names.

"Michael. Michael Inumaki." I state proudly as his eyes widen before smiling and nodding.

"... Toge, Toge Inumaki." His body glows and quickly begins disintegrating before my eyes as we both smile at each other.

His body eventually disappears into platinum light particles as I'm left alone in the dark room.

I don't know how long I spend inside there alone, but eventually, my vision itself darkens and I somehow feel my consciousness slip away while already unconscious.

When I open my eyes again, I find myself in a barely illuminated room with tight rocky walls that remind me of the earlier levels of the dungeon.

Except, these ones are a deep shade of purple and smooth to the touch without any callouses whatsoever.

All around the room lies corpses and skeletons of all types, all sharing faces filled with horror and covered in blood and dirt, probably from the monsters that killed them and then threw them away like trash, leaving them to eventually end up… here.

I look toward the center of the room with trepidation as my eyes land on 'it' with a gulp.

In the middle of the room floats a brilliant crystal that shines with a kaleidoscope of colors.

And this crystal… It's approaching me… ゴゴゴゴ

…

…

Fuck the real Danmachi plot. Omori don't got nothing on me.

Enjoy the waifus while you still can, losers.

Also, Edias go crazy. And is that Toge mf Inumaki? Love that guy.

Also this is my first Patreon posted chapter, Yay!