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Chapter 16: Is She Really a Genius?
"Ahem." Suyan coughed lightly to mask his lingering embarrassment. "Let's get back to the topic of Nen."
"Alright." Saeko Busujima's eyes danced with amusement, graciously ignoring his blunder. As she had said earlier, protecting a man's pride was part of a woman's modesty. And didn't safeguarding Suyan's dignity count as protecting him?
"I've already demonstrated the Four Major Principles to you," Suyan said, his expression turning serious. "Next, I want you to familiarize yourself with the most fundamental technique: Ten. Once you have a handle on it, I'll unleash my Ren on you again. All you need to do is wrap your Nen around your body. It'll act like a thick down jacket in a blizzard, shielding you from the sheer force of my aura."
At his words, Saeko recalled the suffocating terror of facing Suyan's Ren just moments ago. It had felt like being stared down by a prehistoric apex predator, and the mere memory drained the color from her face. If possible, she never wanted to experience that absolute powerlessness again. It was only when Suyan assured her that Ten could effectively block the pressure that her complexion slowly returned to normal.
"I understand." She gave a firm nod and closed her eyes. Following Suyan's exact instructions, she focused her mind, carefully sensing the flow of qi coursing through her veins. Slowly but surely, she began to guide that energy, drawing it outward to drape over her skin.
Within moments, the qi coalesced, forming a protective, film-like cloak of aura around her body.
"I did it," Saeko said, opening her eyes. A bright spark of joy lit up her gaze.
Because Nen was fundamentally life energy, it was inherently formless, intangible, and entirely invisible to the naked eye. The only way to perceive it was by using Gyo—an advanced application of Ren that concentrated refined qi into the eyes.
Having trained in Nen for over a year, Suyan would be better off thrown to the dogs if he couldn't manage something that basic. He easily saw the faint shroud of aura wrapping around Saeko's form.
He wasn't particularly surprised by her success. After all, Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter had achieved the exact same feat the moment they learned to control their qi. With the added boost of the Nen seed planted within her, there was no reason Saeko couldn't do the same.
What truly shocked him was the sudden influx of energy. In just that brief window of time, he felt a fresh stream of Nen synchronize into his own reserves, feeding back directly from Saeko. While it was a drop in the bucket compared to his total capacity, it was far from insignificant. At the very least, it equated to what he would normally earn from a solid half-hour of focused meditation.
Is she really a genius?
Honestly, it was a little demoralizing. His thirty minutes of hard work couldn't even match the sheer output she casually generated in a few minutes. That was at least a threefold difference in efficiency.
But then it hit him. Because they were bound by the Contract, whatever Nen she cultivated automatically synced with his own.
Wait. That means I'm a genius too!
[Certain.jpg]
Is this what it feels like to be a kept man?
I love it! Delicious! Five stars, bring me more!
At the same time, a pang of bitter regret washed over him. Why had he waited until now to form a Contract with her? If he had locked Saeko down a year ago, wouldn't he have saved himself years of tedious grinding?
The way he looked at her suddenly grew intensely, feverishly passionate.
"Suyan-kun… why are you staring at me like that?" Saeko asked softly, a faint shiver running down her spine under his burning gaze.
Suyan blinked, flashing a sheepish grin. "Ah, it's nothing."
He couldn't exactly tell the girl that freeloading off her hard work tasted like a gourmet meal, could he?
Clearing his throat, he steered the conversation back on track. "Are you ready to face my aura again?"
"Mhm." Saeko's demeanor shifted, her posture instantly tightening with resolve. Despite the lingering dread pooling in her stomach, she met his gaze without flinching. "Bring it on."
Suyan nodded. Without hesitation, he unleashed his Ren.
An invisible, crushing pressure erupted from his body. Even though it couldn't be seen or touched, the suffocating weight it imposed on the air was infinitely more terrifying than a raging blizzard.
Hit by the shockwave of bloodcurdling aura, Saeko's survival instincts flared, and she subconsciously staggered back a few paces. But almost instantly, the thin cloak of Ten clinging to her skin flared to life. With her Nen actively defending her, the overwhelming, blizzard-like terror of his Ren was abruptly reduced to little more than a stiff, sweeping breeze.
Realizing the suffocating pressure had vanished, the girl steadied herself. Step by step, she marched straight toward Suyan. She moved with fluid grace, unhindered by the weight of his aura, until she was standing right in front of him. Her striking purple eyes locked onto his, shimmering with an unspoken anticipation.
"Well done," Suyan said, immediately cutting off his oppressive Ren with an approving smile.
At his praise, a flicker of profound satisfaction warmed her expression.
For the next hour, Suyan walked Saeko through the deeper intricacies of maintaining Ten, before introducing her to the fundamentals of Zetsu and Ren. Perhaps her lifelong dedication to the Busujima Style gave her an edge; she absorbed the concepts like a sponge. In virtually no time at all, she had grasped the core principles and preliminarily mastered the foundational techniques.
Glancing at the clock, Suyan noticed it was pushing five in the afternoon—the standard cutoff time for school club activities. He decisively called an end to the session. "Alright, it's getting late. Let's wrap it up for today."
He had just remembered that Shizuka Marikawa took the day off to go visit her best friend, Rika Minami. He had no idea if the dizzy school nurse was even coming back tonight. If it were just him, he wouldn't care, but there were two perpetually hungry YukimiBotamons waiting at the house. Knowing Shizuka, there was absolutely zero chance she had remembered to take the little furballs with her.
"We're stopping?" Saeko blinked, genuinely surprised.
The intoxicating rush of tangible, rapid growth had completely hooked her, to the point where she hadn't even noticed the passage of time. Looking out the classroom window, she realized the bright afternoon sky had already melted into a deep, bleeding sunset over the western horizon.
Though disappointed that her private time with Suyan was coming to a close, she didn't press the issue. Instead, she quietly tucked away her anticipation for tomorrow.
"I've taught you the Four Major Principles," Suyan said as they packed up. "All you need to do now is practice them consistently. If you run into any bottlenecks or have questions while I'm not around, you can always head to the infirmary and ask Shizuka-sensei."
He sold the school nurse out without a second thought. That lazy woman spent most of her time slacking off anyway; it was about time she made herself useful. Even though she treated her Nen training like a hobby—working hard one day and sleeping the next two—she had been at it for nearly a year. The fact that she successfully awakened and manifested a Nen Beast proved her foundation in the Four Major Principles was solid enough. She was more than qualified to tutor a complete beginner like Saeko.
"Shizuka-sensei?" Saeko echoed, caught off guard.
The lazy, clumsy blonde doctor in the infirmary was a Nen user too? That was completely unexpected. Was this what they meant by true masters keeping their talents hidden?
"Wait!" Suyan suddenly called out as a thought struck him. "Are you living by yourself right now?"
"I am," Saeko replied candidly, not missing a beat. "My mother passed away when I was very young. Since I'm already legally an adult, my father isn't worried about leaving me alone. He's currently overseas, focusing on expanding the Busujima Style dojos internationally."
Suyan paused, weighing his next words. "In that case… would you consider moving in with us?"
It wasn't something he had planned to ask. But after witnessing her breathtaking progress today—and feeling the lingering heat of that kiss—the idea had firmly planted itself in his head.
Logically, having Saeko under the same roof meant he could constantly oversee her Nen training, accelerating her growth and, by extension, reaping massive Nen dividends through their Contract.
Selfishly, he just wanted her there. So he asked.
"M-Move in…?" Saeko stammered, her usual unshakable composure fracturing. "Live with… Suyan-kun?"
The sheer abruptness of the invitation sent her pulse into overdrive, causing her voice to stutter. Her breath hitched, her mind completely blanking out as every rational thought evaporated, leaving behind only one echoing, deafening word:
Cohabitation.
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