()= Thinking/ Replacing
*= Actions
""= Phone
/= Whispers
--= Narrator
~~= Timeskip
Darren POV:
Shido and I kept on playing the dating sim as so-called "training" after a while. We finally completed the game.
Darren: FINALLY!!!
Shido: WE COMPLETED IT!!!
~timeskip to the Physics room~
Reine was fixing Shido's face as he made a puckered face that I just want to smack into the ground as Reine placed a headphone that slowly camouflaged into the surroundings.
Darren: Can you just stop it already, captain delusional?
Kotori: What are you doing, captain delusional?
Kotori walked into the room and kicked me off of my chair which made me fall onto the floor.
Kotori: we're going to begin stage two of the training, practice.
Darren: Can I skip, please?
Kotori: Maybe, if you are good enough.
Darren: (I wanna use a binding vow against her.)
After Shido left, I snuck out of the school to find a figure lurking around school, he had a volcanic head as I smirked and jumped toward him with my sword in my hand.
Darren: YOOHOO!!!
???: Huh?!
I landed near him and slashed at him which he was able to dodge.
???: Jujutsu Sorcerer?! I thought they all died already!
Darren: I don't know what you mean by that, but judging by your aura, you're not a spirit, but something way weaker than that.
The cursed spirit suddenly had lava sprout out from his volcanic head even though the surroundings were not destroyed.
Darren: Damn, you must be extremely weak to resort to something like this.
???: ME!!! WEAK?!
Darren: yeah, your aura is weaker than mine by so much.
???: I WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW WEAK I AM THEN!!!
Darren: Go ahead.
He rushed toward me and tried to punch me on the face but I blocked it and sliced his arm off with my sword. I rushed behind him and whispered in his ear.
Darren: Looks like no one is here, so I wanna show off to myself how strong I have gotten~
???: I'll kill you!!!
Darren: Go ahead and try!
I did a hand sign which resembled a bird.
Darren: NUE!
A bird made of purple electricity rushed toward Jogo and knocked him down.
Darren: There's still more!
I kicked him away while punching his face simultaneously and slicing off his arms with my sword.
???: This amount of power... the same as a special-grade sorcerer...
Darren: I don't get what you are saying but.
I kicked him away again while he summoned flames toward me.
Darren: Counter.
I summoned my blue flames to counter his flames which caused a collision and the cursed spirit was eventually swallowed by my blue flames.
Darren: Swap places!!!
I grabbed his collar and dashed away from the city while I did a handsign representing a rabbit.
Darren: Rabbit escape.
An army of rabbits surrounded me and the curse while I rushed behind him as he charged up an attack as I cancelled my Shikigami. This resulted in him being kicked into a river.
???: NOT OVER YET!!!
He summoned a meteor which I stared at with glee before I summoned my blue flames around my sword.
Darren: Need to do better than that.
I jumped toward the meteor and sliced it all to bits before I smirked at the curse.
Darren: You're weak, you know.
???: Don't underestimate me!!!
He did a handsign as I smirked, sensing the immense energy coming from him.
???: Domain Expansion. Iron Coffin Mountain.
A barrier surrounded me as I smirked.
Darren: Really? This is your best?
???: In my domain, you can finally get hit!!! this attack is a sure-hit move!
Darren: This is true, but, even attacks like this can have counters.
I punched the incoming attack with energy flowing through me.
Darren: So this is what we call cursed energy, huh... I love it. Even though this is incomplete, even though this is still new to me. I have mastered this.
I did a handsign as I laughed at his expression which turned into shock.
Darren: Domain expansion. Chimera Shadow Garden!
Liquid shadows flooded the area as the curse just looked shocked at how his domain was being taken over by mine.
Darren: Thank you for so kindly letting me borrow your domain's barrier to build my extra!!!
I dashed toward the curse and sliced off his arm and head as he aimed at me with his fire attack which I dodged and sliced off his other arm. All of the liquid shikigamis and shadows appeared and attacked the curse while he was dealing with my attacks.
???: No way, how can he be this strong?!
Darren: Don't ask me, I am, the Shadow Monarch.
I sliced off his head without using cursed energy and he stared at me in shock.
???: Without cursed energy?
Darren: I still need to ask you some questions, after all. Why did you come here?
???: I sensed a sorcerer, so-
Darren: Your name.
???: Jogo...
Darren: Jogo... huh...
I held up my hand which slowly turned Jogo into a black ball.
Darren: My cursed technique is cursed spirit manipulation as well~
I ate the ball which tasted like a cloth that is used to wipe up vomit.
Darren: Disgusting...
I held my throat and resisted the urge to vomit as I dashed back to where Shido was.
Darren: That shit tasted garbage. But it's better than going through whatever Kotori makes me do, just to be sure.
A portal opened behind me as Jogo appeared out of the portal.
Darren: (So it did work, my technique wasn't lying that I can use cursed spirit manipulation. But ugh, a spicy feeling is down my throat, I wonder if it was the lava...)
I rushed toward Shido before returning Jogo to the place where he was from as I crashed into Origami.
Darren: Ouch...
Shido: Darren?! WHERE DID YOU GO?!
Darren: Fought something and then came back...
I fell backward as I slowly looked up while someone was speaking in my ear.
Kotori: (Where did you go, Darren? I sensed your energy running loose outside of the city!!!)
Darren: (I was fighting something, it took too long.)
Kotori: (You deserved to get kicked later, I'll let this pass for now.)
Darren: (Can I not? I was forced to sleep on the floor already because you keep kicking me!)
Kotori: (Just shut up.)
I looked up at Origami who fell over as Shido was looking at me.
Darren: Sorry, are you all ri-
I blushed as I accidentally stared at Origami's panties, which were snow white as I turned around while blushing.
Origami: I'm fine.
She slowly sat down as Kotori spoke in my ear again using the headphones.
Kotori: (Perfect timing, Darren, let's get her involved in your training.)
Darren: (What do you mean by that?)
Kotori: (You and Shido should date people your age after all.)
Darren: (What the hell do you mean? What happened to Shido before I came back?)
Kotori: (Let's just say a little incident happened.)
Darrem: (I see...)
Kotori: (Besides, even though she may not be a spirit, but she's an AST. She definitely isn't the sort with loose lips.)
Darren: (I-)
Origami suddenly stood up after patting away the dust on her legs
Kotori: (Just shut up and compliment her already!!!)
Darren: (Bruh...)
I sighed as I looked at Origami.
Darren: Origami-San, you look really good in our school uniform today.
Origami: This is how I look every day though.
Darren: (Why am I subjected to this... even though I just fought a cursed spirit?!)
Kotori: (Why are you praising her the way she looks everyday? You stillborn hagfish.)
Darren: (Can you just shut up?! I need to think!!!)
Reine: (Desla, let me help you.)
Darren: (huh?)
Reine: (Just follow what I say.)
I sighed mentally while I placed my hands in my pockets.
Darren: Origami-San, I've actually known about you for a very long time.
Origami: We just met yesterday though. But same here.
Darren: Well, I am really happy that I could be in the same class as you and I can't take my eyes off of you.
Origami: Same here.
Darren: And that's not all, I also sniff at your PE uniform after school-
Origami: Same here.
Darren: Wait, you do, what a coincidence.
Origami: yeah
Darren: Then would you like to go out with me?
I gave her a bruh face as she kept that usual emotionless face.
Darren: (Hold on, what the heck am I saying right now, what is wrong with you all.)
Origami: I wouldn't mind.
Darren: Eh?
Origami: I wouldn't mind going out with you.
Darren: Is that so, do you mean by accompanying me to somewhere, right?
Origami: Is that what you meant?
I took a step back and placed my hands in my pockets.
Origami: I thought you wanted to date me. Am I wrong in this case, Kiriya?
Darren: Well, you aren't wrong, but...
Origami: Ok.
Darren: (What the hell am I saying at this rate... why am I saying she's right?)
She walked toward me and placed something like a picture inside my hand.
Darren: What is this?
Origami: If you like my uniform.
Suddenly an announcement started as Shido, Origami and I looked toward the source of the sound.
Announcement: The signature of a spacequake has been detected within the area. This is not a drill. Please evacuate immediately
Origami: I have to go, later!
Shido: Wait, Tobiichi!
She dashed away while I grabbed Shido's collar, and dragged him.
Darren: Let's go, Shido. Don't forget though, this one's mine.
Kotori: (Darren, Shido, it's a spacequake, let's go back to the Fraxinus for now.)
Darren: (Is it the same spirit again?)
Kotori: (Yeah, it's the Princess. She's expected to appear here.)
Darren: (Appear where?)
Kotori: (Raizen Highschool.)
Darren: (HERE?!)
After a while, the spacequake appeared at the school and destroyed half of it while Shido and I were blasted out of the school.
Kotori: (Shido, Darren, consider yourselves to be lucky. The CR unit isn't optimized for indoor combat. Because the Princess is indoors, the AST can't just break in.)
Darren: (But...)
Kotori: (Listen to me, Darren, Shido, you two are the only ones who can do this right now. Despite you two constantly complaining, you've continued your training for the past week, Darren, you've also gotten reasonably strong yourself. You two want to help the spirit, don't you? Well, since it's Darren who called dibs already, we can let him do the job.)
Darren: (Her expression... it was like my old expression... so lonely, unknowing what to do... hey, Kotori, if this job is up to me. Can I do it?)
Kotori: (Yeah, have confidence. It's the only other way we have to subdue the spirit. You two will.)
Darren: (I know, talk to her, go on a date, and make her fall in love, I saw it all in that dating sim game you made me and Shido play.)
We slowly walked inside the room and I sighed.
Shido: Kinda hard to believe.
Darren: It's a whatever for now.
Kotori: (Don't worry about it, Darren, and Shido, if anything does happen, Ratatoskr's proud Fraxinus crew will assist you both in any situation that arises.)
Darren: (Now I have a sudden urge to go home...)
Shido: (Same...)
Kotori: (You two will be fine, they are all very experienced in the art of love.)
Darren: (I still want to go home and eat something...)
Kotori: (You'll be fine, we've got plenty of experts on hand. Don't worry, you can use a continue even if you lose the game once.)
Darren: (You make it sound like it's not a big deal...)
Kotori: (Trust your commander. Maybe if you do well I'll let you lick my foot.)
Darren: (I swear to god it's not a good thing...)
Shido and I slowly walked toward the classroom quietly as we slowly opened the door. <Princess> stared at us while I summoned my Katana as she blasted an energy wave toward us. I quickly drew my katana and blocked the attack while dust flew up.
Darren: WAIT! We're not here to fight.
I dropped my Katana back into my shadows.
Darren: Calm down for a second.
Princess: Stop.
Another wave came toward me and Shido as we tried to walk toward her.
Princess: Who are you?
Darren: I'm-
Kotori: (Hold it, Darren. An anomaly in the spirit's mental estate was just detected. The AI is now analysing it, the options will be shown later.)
I sighed as the options were being read to me.
Kotori: (1. I'm Satoru Darren. I'm here to save you. 2. I'm an innocent passerby, please spare me. 3. Before asking someone else's name, you should tell them your own. Make your choice! Darren, can you hear me?)
Darren: (I would like to not be able to, but yes...)
Kotori: (Then repeat after me, if you do well, I'll reward you.)
Darren: (Please not some almost eaten-up lollipop again...)
Princess: I'll ask you again, who are you?
I sighed before looking up to Princess with a determined expression in an attempt to hide my cringe.
Darren: Before asking for someone else's name, you should tell them your own!
I yelled out the last part, this part almost made me cringe from how much I sound like a chuunibyou. I summoned my Katana and barely blocked the energy that rushed toward me.
Princess: I knew it!
Darren: What the hell...
Kotori: (Huh, why did she go ahead and do that?)
Darren: (Stop giving me options that could kill me!)
Princess suddenly pointed an energy ball at my face while I held out my katana.
Princess: this is the end. If you do not answer, I will consider you my enemy.
I dropped my katana back into my shadows as I sighed.
Darren: We should've just done it my way from the start, I'm Darren Kiriya Satoru. I'm a student here, I don't have any intention to harm you.
Princess stared at me as she still held the energy ball at my face.
Princess: We have met before, haven't we?
Darren: We have, on the tenth, in the city, I was the one who busted that building.
Princess retracted the energy ball as she still kept that glare at me, while I looked for Shido yet he is nowhere to be found.
Princess: Ah, I remember now. You're the one who held that katana and was able to summon creatures from your shadow.
Princess suddenly grabbed my hair and pulled it up.
Princess: You said you don't have any intentions to kill me. What a blatant lie. What are you trying to achieve here?
Princess stared at me with a sad look while I groaned.
Darren: Why are you staring at me with that look? I don't really care if I achieve anything, not every human would want to kill you.
Princess: Liar! Every human that I've seen has said that I deserved to die!
Darren: Who the hell said that?! Of course, you don't!
Princess: Then, I must know... if you do not intend to kill me as you said, what have you come here for?
Kotori: (Judging by her previous reaction, it seems like option one is the one to go with, Darren.)
Darren: (So loud. Let me do it my way.)
Darren: I'm here to meet you, of course.
I pointed at Princess while smiling at her.