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Chapter 72: A Nekomata's Teachings (I)
The Academy Gardens were a different world at twilight.
During the day, they were a peaceful retreat, a place that seemed like a curated space of winding paths, filled with ancient trees and flora that could offer an unseen retreat for the students of Yokai Academy. Students would gather there to study, to gossip, to steal quiet moments between classes. It was a place of life, of laughter, of the gentle hum of conversation.
However, while at day you might think the Gardens were an emerald sea, at dusk another face of the Gardens revealed itself, becoming something else entirely. The shadows lengthened, pooling beneath the branches like dark water. The flowers closed their petals, retreating into themselves as if preparing for the night. The air grew cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and the faint, sweet perfume of night-blooming jasmine.
I stood at the edge of a small clearing, my hands shoved into my pockets, my breath fogging in the cool air and I was beginning to anticipate this evening's training while also following the blood-red moon in the sky.
'Should I wait outside the entrance for Shizuka-sensei? It seems only fair to wait for her instead of getting inside the Garden.'
'I mean… she could find me with those cat whiskers of hers if she put her mind into it.'
'Still, I wonder how good it will be? Would I be able to awaken Senjutsu?'
I had arrived early, as I always did before something important. It was a habit I had carried over from my first life, a small ritual of control in a world that offered so little of it, and you can't deny that being early offered plenty of benefits. Being early meant I could observe and allowed me a window to adjust to the unexpected if it would come my way.
Maybe it was because of my compulsive behavior that I never liked to be caught off guard; this happened even in this second life, when I hated the idea of being under someone else's heel or being bullied by the stronger.
Staying around like that, you can't help yourself but think about random things, such as today's task to tackle, learning Senjutsu. When I thought of Senjutsu my mind didn't shift to DxD's version of this energy but instead to another verse totally different from the one I was taking part of.
I did manage to gather some general knowledge about this power while browsing the endless number of library books. In the DxD's context, this energy, Senjutsu, was a power that could grant you control over the flow of life, to tap into the energy known as Ki of all living beings surrounding you.
Using it, one can strengthen both their internal and external bodies or even cause vegetation around them to bloom or wither. It was said to grant its practitioners the ability to read the flow of nature itself, to draw strength from the earth, the air, the water.
It was also said to be nearly impossible to master. Only a handful of Yokai in the entire world had achieved true proficiency and there were also a limited number of Sages in the Human World that achieved success in using Senjutsu and tapping into the potential of their Touki.
The rest were content to touch the surface of this endless ocean filling the world.
From what he could remember reading in his first life, Senjutsu in a sense also could corrupt you if you weren't proficient enough in handling the malicious and dark intent surrounding you.
'Even if I get reckless and by chance get into a malicious state by forcing my way into absorbing this type of energy, I have a squadron of Kuribohs ready to purify me with their bonks.'
'Hmm? She's already 15 minutes late… I guess even mature women like to make guys wait for them. Makes them feel appreciated for all the effort they put in getting ready?'
'I don't know. I wish I could read the mind of a girl…'
'... No, I retract that. I can't be bothered to mindread all the girls in my life.'
A twig snapped behind me.
I turned, and my breath caught in my throat.
'Yelp, that scared the crap out of me.'
Shizuka Nekonome walked into the clearing, her golden eyes warm, her tail swaying gently behind her. But it was not her expression that caught my attention. It was her outfit.
"Good evening, Tsukune-kun." Her voice was warm, carrying a hint of amusement that made me suspect she had been watching me for longer than I realized. "You are early even for this. Sensei is sorry for making you wait."
She stepped into the fading light, and I felt my breath catch again but for the wrong reason.
She was not wearing her usual teacher's attire. Instead, she wore a tight black sports bra that left her midriff bare and hugged the generous curves of her chest. Her arms were toned, her shoulders smooth, the lean muscle of a predator visible beneath the pale skin. Her lower half was clad in matching black shorts that rode high on her thighs, revealing the powerful line of her legs, the subtle curve of her hips.
'Why is she wearing such revealing gym wear?'
'This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.'
Her figure was a piece of work, no doubts about that. Mature and full, the kind of body that came from years of maintaining yourself and also aging gracefully, like a fine wine I might add. Her waist was slender, her hips curved, and the way her tail moved behind her only emphasized the sway of her body.
She was confident, comfortable, and utterly unashamed of her own beauty.
'Not again! Another beauty trying to seduce me with their toned stomach and armpits.'
I forced my eyes to stay on her face, to not let them wander down to the generous swell of her chest or the smooth line of her stomach. It was a struggle, a battle I was losing, and I knew she could see it in the way my ears had grown warm.
"You are staring, Tsukune-kun." Her golden eyes sparkled. "Should I be flattered or concerned?"
'Goddamn, focus, Tsukune. We're not trying to romance Shizuka-sensei here.'
'Remember why you're here. To learn Senjutsu, not to stare at a hot body.'
"Ahem, my bad."
"Good evening, Sensei." My voice came out rougher than I intended, and I cleared my throat, forcing my gaze to stay on her face. "It seems you managed to find me just fine even if I wandered deeper in the Garden. I wanted to get a feel for the place before we started."
'And also to calm my nerves,' I added silently to my heart. 'Which is not going well.'
Her ears twitched, and I had the uncomfortable feeling she could hear exactly what I was thinking. "And what do you think of it?"
"I've already been here a couple of times for other matters. I know the reason you picked this place is because it offers a somewhat controlled environment. There wouldn't be much of a disturbance in the energy around us such as if we choose to take this training in the Dark Forest."
Shizuka's lips curved into a pleased smile. "The Gardens are one of the few places in the Academy where the flow of nature is still intact. It is a place that was created by the previous generations of students, maybe back one century ago, to allow future generations a place to practice stillness and calmness."
She walked past me, her movements fluid and unhurried. "The buildings, the walls, the constant presence of students, all of it disrupts the natural energy flow. But here, in this small space, the world still breathes as it should."
She glanced back at me over her shoulder, her golden eyes catching the fading light. "Follow me."
I obeyed, falling into step behind her. We walked around the Garden, passing the infamous 'bench' where I shared my first intimate moments with Inner Moka. The memory flickered through my mind, but it passed as soon as I came to a stop.
She stopped in the center of the clearing and turned to face me. The fading light caught the edges of her silhouette, outlining the generous curves of her body against the darkening sky. Her tail swayed slowly, a hypnotic rhythm that seemed to pull at my attention.
"This is where we will begin."
I walked toward her, my steps deliberate, my hands at my sides. I stopped a few feet away, close enough to see the flecks of gold in her eyes, the subtle curve of her lips.
"I think I am ready to begin the first lesson, Sensei."
She nodded, her expression softening. "Alright. Let's begin by giving you an introduction into Senjutsu."
She began telling me some introduction on how Senjutsu came to be as a power. It was a part that didn't interest me in the slightest, history and all, it was a trivia to know about the origin of Senjutsu, but what I wanted to get is how to use it.
Shizuka paused, her golden eyes softening as she looked at me. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, more intimate, as if she was sharing a secret she had never told anyone.
"Senjutsu is not a power you can force, Tsukune-kun. It is not like Yoki, which you can command with will and practice. It is not like the Sacred Gear, which responds to your imagination and desire."
She reached out and placed a hand on my chest, over my heart. Her palm was warm, and I could feel the steady rhythm of her heartbeat through her touch.
"Senjutsu is about listening. About opening yourself to the world around you and letting it speak." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I learned that the hard way, Tsukune-kun. I tried to force it once. I almost lost myself."
Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in their depths.
"That is why I am teaching you this," she said, her voice steady again. "Because I do not want you to make the same mistakes I did."
"Sounds simple enough," I said, keeping my voice light, "But I am getting the feeling it is anything but."
She laughed, a warm sound that chased away the shadows in her eyes. "It is anything but simple. Your mind will resist it because you have not trained your Chakra. Your instincts will fight it. The part of you that wants to control this power will try to dominate it and forcefully make use of it."
"But that is not what Senjutsu demands of its users. You need to find the perfect balance and also have a state of mind that is akin to nature. There's plenty of states the Senjutsu can be in, like the changes of nature."
She raised her hand, and I watched as a soft, golden-green light began to gather around her palm. It was gentle, almost imperceptible, like the first light of dawn filtering through leaves. The energy pulsed with a steady rhythm, calm and peaceful, and I felt a strange sense of tranquility wash over me.
I nodded, impressed by the display.
Then Shizuka's expression shifted. Her eyes narrowed, and the gentle energy in her palm transformed. It darkened, becoming jagged and violent, pulsing with a malevolent intensity that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. The air around her grew heavy, charged with a predatory intent that was unmistakable.
'So this is the power of a S+ threat level. I can tell the difference between Inner and Shizuka-sensei already.'
She dismissed the energy with a flick of her wrist, and her expression softened once more. "Impressive, isn't it?"
"How am I supposed to do that?" I asked while trying to keep my appearance collected and cool, as if what I was seeing wasn't impressive enough.
She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of jasmine that clung to her skin, the warmth that radiated from her body. "You start by closing your eyes."
I blinked. "What?"
"Close your eyes, Tsukune-kun. Trust me."
I hesitated, then obeyed. The world faded to darkness, the sounds of the garden becoming sharper in the absence of sight. The rustle of leaves, the distant chirp of crickets, the soft rhythm of my own breathing.
"Now, listen. Not with your ears, but with your body."
I felt her presence shift, felt the subtle displacement of air as she moved closer. Her voice came from right beside me, low and intimate, and I could feel the warmth of her breath on my skin.
"Can you feel the ground beneath your feet? The grass, the soil, the roots of the trees that stretch deep into the earth? Can you feel the connection between the air in your lungs and the air around you? The flow of energy that moves through everything?"
I focused, reaching out with my senses as I would when sensing Yoki, but then my nature instinctively kicked in. My Vampire senses flared, scanning the area with predatory precision.
"No cheating by relying on your Vampire senses," she chided gently. "It defeats the importance of this first trial in understanding Senjutsu."
"Easy to tell me this," I muttered, "but it already became second nature to me to utilize my Vampire senses to gauge the world around me."
'Even the way I looked at the world around me has shifted to take in the perspective of a Vampire Predator.'
"Then you must unlearn that instinct for this lesson. Senjutsu requires a different kind of awareness."
I regathered my focus, trying to ignore the touch of soft flesh as she guided my posture. Her fingers were warm against my shoulders, adjusting my stance, and I could feel the heat of her body close to mine. My pulse quickened, and I forced myself to breathe.
After a while, requiring me to fully disassociate myself with the exterior world, it felt as if I was engulfed into a vast, quiet stillness that seemed to stretch in all directions. The sounds of the garden faded, the scent of the flowers dimmed, and I was left with only the rhythm of my own heartbeat.
Then I felt it.
A pulse surrounding me. So tiny that if you weren't hyper-alert you might have failed sensing it.
"I feel it…," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Like a pulse. It is faint, but it is there."
"Impressive. You have done it on your first try." Her voice was filled with genuine admiration, and I felt a warmth spread through my chest that had nothing to do with her proximity. "Who would have thought that Vampires have the potential of being proficient users of Senjutsu."
She paused, her hand still resting on my shoulder. "You have not felt it wrong, Tsukune-kun. What you felt was the life energy of the world that I amplified using my own Senjutsu energy to guide you safely. However, don't get overconfident, you have just touched the surface of it."
"So, now that you have taken your first step and believe in me, your Sensei. I will let you try sensing the world's energy on your own, to have a grasp of how hard it actually is."
It wasn't as if I didn't believe Shizuka-sensei, but she made me feel curious about what she said I would experience.
"Do I need to enter the same state of mind as before?"
"Yes, Tsukune-kun. Still your mind and cut out the surrounding influences."
Since I liked to meditate, a great exercise I did daily under the cold shower to improve my mental health, suppress my Vampire urges such as drinking blood or the intrusive thoughts of wanting to hunt someone weaker than me.
It didn't take long to enter that state of mind.
However, after minutes passed I felt nothing. It annoyed me and I turned to rely on my Vampire senses, but even that made it impossible to feel the pulse of the life energy of the World.
I didn't know it, but outside I was beginning to release my crimson blood, Yoki. It might have been caused by my visible frustration that began bleeding outside my body. My hands clenched at my sides, and I felt the familiar heat of anger rising in my chest.
'Why can't I do this? I sensed it before. I know it's there so why won't it show itself? Am I doing something wrong?'
It was only after I felt Shizuka's familiar hands on my back along with another surge of energy that flowed inside of me that I calmed my frustration. Her touch was gentle, grounding, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.
"There is no reason to force it, Tsukune-kun. You're already passed the first trial by sensing the world's energy."
"I am not satisfied." The words came out harsher than I intended, and I forced myself to take a breath. "This step feels so tiny that I could take it alone, but you're right… I can't force things, just let nature take its course. Am I right?"
Shizuka smiled at me, her hand caressing my shoulder in a gesture that was both reassuring and maternal. "You're right, nature has its own ways of delivering results. But, Tsukune-kun, don't forget what I told you in the introduction. If you take the wrong steps in trying to learn Senjutsu, it could backfire on you. Intent is also a key in this struggle between us and nature."
She stepped back, and I felt the loss of her warmth like a physical absence.
"Now your first assignment until our next lesson is to sense the world's energy pulse alone. Next time I will be teaching you how to gather that energy and give it form, just like this."
She once again covered her hand with this energy before unleashing it and toppling one tree. The trunk splintered with a thunderous crack, and the tree crashed to the ground, sending birds scattering into the darkening sky.
"Meow~ I think Mikogami-san will forgive me for breaking some decorum, don't you think Tsukune-kun?"
It felt like she got even naughtier and sexier at the same time. The way her tail curled, the playful glint in her eyes, the confidence in her posture. She was enjoying herself in this new role and I couldn't help but be drawn in.
"Now, we will try something more active since learning Senjutsu takes time. I can help you by improving on your fighting experience," she said, a small smile on her lips.
"Do you fancy sparring with me Tsukune-kun?"
I remained silent and just gauged her using my System. A window flickered in the corner of my vision.
[Name: Shizuka Nekonome]
[Race: Nekomata]
[Threat Level: S+]
[Status: Playful / Curious – No hostile intent detected.]
[Note: True power was previously concealed. Current reading is accurate.]
'Oh, don't you tell… You've put some new pair of glasses on, you dumbass System? Lucky me I learned not to rely on your senseless inputs because it would have been the death of me.'
'She has been hiding her powers too well. Everyone thinks of Shizuka-sensei as nothing but a slightly scatterbrained teacher cosplaying as a cat girl. Although she is a Nekomata, so you have that too.
By this point, I could tell that Shizuka-sensei was in a good mood and that she was showing another face I hadn't seen before. The part where she mentioned being a bad Nekomata wasn't wrong but also inaccurate.
She felt more like a naughty cat wanting to play.
"Has the cat caught your tongue now, Tsukune? Come on, I feel like wanting to see what makes you so special myself."
I looked at her and couldn't help but tell her in my sardonic tone. "There's a problem, Sensei."
"Meow~ What could be the problem, my dear student?"
"If we spar right here, we'll risk destroying the Garden. I just got away easily with the Headmaster. I don't wish you to be summoned again by him to explain myself for breaking school property."
She tilted her head, considering my words. Her tail swayed thoughtfully behind her. "If you put it that way… You're right. I also don't want to be summoned by Mikogami-san."
"Should we change places?"
"What about the Dark Forest? That place is too cursed for anyone to care about us having a spar."
"Perfect."
She laughed again, and I felt the tension in my shoulders ease. Her golden eyes sparkled with mischief, and I knew that whatever came next, it would be anything but boring.
"Don't worry Tsukune. Sensei will go easy on you. At first."
Her tail curled playfully behind her, and I couldn't help but smile. Whatever else this night held, I knew one thing for certain: I was in good hands. Even if those hands belonged to a very dangerous, very playful cat.