"So at some point I will travel through time and fight someone during the Great War era" Kaito murmured.
He was not too surprised, he had already messed with time several times before, so doing it again was not strange.
In fact, in every story that included at least one instance of time travel that he had read, there was an unspoken rule, time travel is never a secondary or unimportant matter. When it is given greater importance, the entire series starts introducing paradoxes and consequences from that journey that alter the whole series, and even when it is given little importance, there will at least be an important arc or event that affects the overall story, but never would there be a case where the protagonist simply traveled through time and that was something episodic that was left aside.
Time is like a very lonely person who becomes obsessed with anyone who plays with it even a little and refuses to leave their side.
Regardless, thinking about that right now would be pointless, so Kaito simply returned to the base where everyone else was.
With Asia's personality, getting along with her is not difficult, and getting her to get along with everyone else is even easier.
So when he arrived, he was not surprised to see her interacting normally with everyone, although the one closest to her was definitely Koneko, who talked to her as if she had known her for a long time and missed her, something that was actually true.
"Mr. Kaito" she said as soon as she saw him appear. "Thank you very much"
"Why are you thanking me?" Kaito raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Because you saved me, didn't you? Besides, I was told that your intention is to save the world" Asia replied, looking at Kaito with her eyes shining with admiration and an expression full of gratitude.
"And you simply believed everything you were told?" Kaito sighed helplessly. "Regardless, they would have saved you in the end anyway. I simply did it earlier so I could recruit you, so you don't have to feel indebted to me. Besides, you don't need to speak to me so formally, we are companions from now on"
"Y-yes. But, just as I don't think those who have not done anything wrong yet should be punished, I also don't think those who have not done anything good yet should be praised. If everyone were judged only by their actions and not just by words or intentions, what kind of beautiful world would we live in?"
"You're a good person, Asia. Don't let this world corrupt you" Kaito gently stroked her hair before starting to leave.
"I understand. I will strive to become a magnificent healer who can help all of you. Ah!... except Miss Elizabeth, how could I possibly compare myself to a goddess?" Asia corrected herself halfway through her sentence upon realizing that her words sounded like heresy.
Kaito simply laughed at her personality before going to his room.
...
"Asia is still such a good person" Koneko smiled in the clubroom the next day. "I missed her innocence and optimism"
"You know, about that, I was thinking" Kaito said. "Why don't we just kidnap your friends? With Megumi here, it should be possible, right?"
"Why? You don't want to try seducing them?" Koneko teased with a smile.
"Ha, of course I do" Kaito smiled back. "But if you miss them that much, we can just kidnap them and explain everything to them"
"There's no need" Koneko refused. "They would be useless now."
"Useless?"
"Nn" Koneko nodded. "Akeno is still running away from her fallen angel side, refusing to use all her strength, Kiba has not resolved his problems related to the Holy Swords, and Rias is still immature and just spends all day having fun instead of training."
"I see. Although they really don't bother me like that" Kaito said.
At his words, Koneko looked at him with narrowed eyes before clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"Tsk, of course they wouldn't bother you. Akeno's current personality consists of flirting all day, and Rias's idea of having fun includes being an exhibitionist"
"So she really is an exhibitionist" Kaito said, realizing it.
"Half the time she is opening her legs or emphasizing her breasts, she loves bathing in the club and coming out in tiny towels, and half of her clothes are too small for her. What else did you think she was?"
"I thought she used lust as a means to control Issei"
"To her, Kaito is still just a Twice Critical. Why would she have to work so hard to control him?"
"I suppose you're right" Kaito agreed. "Then will her personality change in the future?"
Koneko thought about it for a second, frowning as she considered it.
"No" she finally replied, realizing something. "Now that I think about it, even when the total percentage of living beings on the planet was being reduced at incredible rates, the incredible one still somehow managed to find an opportunity to do it. How does she do it? Could it be an illness?"
"Ara, what are you two talking about?" While they were talking, Akeno had already entered the room, of course, the two of them had actually noticed her.
"I was telling Kaito that Rias is an exhibitionist" Koneko replied.
"Kaito, you hadn't realized that before?" Akeno asked in surprise. "And what did you think she was doing half the time?"
"He thought she used lust to control Issei" Koneko mocked with a smile.
"Pfft, Rias isn't that smart, and Issei isn't that difficult to control" Akeno laughed as well. "Although..."
Akeno sat beside Kaito and leaned against him, pressing her breasts against his arm while whispering directly into his ear.
"You are quite difficult to control, though. Even though she has already tried several times and even showed you how dangerous the supernatural world is, you still reject her. Perhaps Rias is trying to seduce you to control you instead of Issei?"
"Really?"
"No" Akeno immediately told him, disappointing him when she realized he had misunderstood Rias's intentions. "Hehe, Kaito, you're really bad at understanding girls. Rias is just a pervert who likes showing herself off, she doesn't have any other intentions behind it"
"So that's how it is, huh?" Kaito sighed. It seemed his understanding of people was still rather weak.
"Come on, don't be so disappointed. Most people would have a hard time guessing that this is the true personality of the school's Madonna" Akeno laughed. "At least you can enjoy the view, right?"
While Akeno continued teasing him with every movement and word as usual, the clubroom door opened and Issei saw the scene.
"Kaito, you bastard, how dare you flirt with Akeno despite having Koneko? You're a cheater!" He did not even greet them before starting to yell jealously at the situation.
"I don't mind" Koneko said, making Issei notice her.
"It can't be, two beautiful girls, both of them agreeing with the situation, this is... this is... A Harem!
Kaito, bastard, how dare you steal my dream as well as one of my candidates?!"
"Ara, Issei, so I'm a candidate for your harem?"
"Issei, you know Akeno as well as I do, and you know that she is just flirting as always"
"This can only be settled with a duel! The winner gets Akeno!" Of course, Issei did not listen to any explanations and simply decided on his own.
"Issei, the lineage of Adam, even with a locked strength of only a few times the human maximum, is still stronger than your current strength even if you double it with your Twice Critical" Kaito tried to explain.
"It doesn't matter, as long as I have my infinite determination for my dreams, I will somehow manage to win" Issei declared.
"You really are crazy" Kaito sighed.
"Ara, although deciding my future just like that seems a bit much, having two men fight over me is quite romantic, so... how about I give the winner a special reward?"
"'Special reward'" Issei repeated excitedly, blushing and breathing heavily, but the next second he realized the situation and his expression changed. "Actually, let's cancel the..."
"Come on, Issei, let's fight" Kaito placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"Y-you, you said you weren't interested in Akeno?!" Issei snapped indignantly.
"So you were listening to me?" Kaito said with an irritated grimace. "I said Akeno was flirting with me, not that I minded her doing it. Let's go to the training field, Issei"
"...Fine, I'll win!... somehow" Issei recovered his determination for a second before becoming depressed again.
"Kaito is quite determined when it matters, huh?" Akeno said with a smile as she led the two of them to the training field.
...
"So, the rules are simple" Kiba, who had been in the training field from the beginning, said, now acting as the referee. "The first person to surrender or be knocked unconscious loses. No lethal attacks or attacks aimed at vital points are allowed. Begin!"
"So, Kaito, although you're strong, you've never fought before, right?" Issei asked nervously, his scarlet gauntlet already covering half of his left arm.
"Koneko taught me a little self-defense" Kaito replied naturally.
"She taught you... kughh!" Issei stopped halfway through his sentence and covered his chest with his arm when he saw Kaito appear in front of him with a punch aimed at his chest.
Seeing his reaction, Kaito smiled.
"Vital points aren't allowed, remember?"
At Issei's surprised expression, Kaito stopped his fist and drove his knee into his stomach, making him spit up bile.
"K-Kaito, there's no need to..."
He did not finish speaking. Kaito was already in front of him, forcing him to cover himself again, this time protecting his stomach instead.
But when he looked forward again, he realized that Kaito was no longer there. He was met by a blow to the back strong enough to make him fall to the ground.
On the ground, his right arm was pulled backward with force while his back was held against the floor.
"It's my victory, Issei" Kaito smiled above him.
______________________________________
I have a new fic about Syndrome in Marvel. Go check it out if you're interested.
Name: Marvel: Creating a World Where Everyone Is Super.
(Don't worry, this message will only be here for one month and then disappear)
+15 chapters in advance on Patreon.
p-atreon.com/IAMME26
(just delete the hyphen)
80 power stones = 1 extra chapter (cumulative)