Unbearable Pain / The Meeting

Still, while she had enjoyed herself, Koizumi had suffered. From beginning to end, he had not even managed to touch the hem of Esdeath's clothes.

This was simply the most miserable sparring session ever... Well, it was all for improving his own strength, so he should not complain.

But one thing was certain: his strength had improved considerably. At first, he had been unable to catch Esdeath's movements at all, but by the end, he could fully track her. The reason he still could not touch even her clothes was that he could not keep up with her speed, and her defense was simply terrifying. Facing such exquisite skill alone was enough to make one despair. Truly terrifying!

Remilia's speed could definitely keep up with Esdeath's, and Koizumi had indeed inherited Remilia's power. But that did not mean he could clash head-on with Remilia. After all, inheriting power and being able to use it perfectly were two entirely different things!

Therefore, against Esdeath, Koizumi simply could not win. Forget winning—he could not even fight her to a draw.

Even if Esdeath had not used her full strength, Koizumi's chances of victory would not necessarily have improved.

"Mr. Koizumi, are you all right? You lost so much blood. Your complexion looks terrible, so pale..."

Kurome stepped forward and supported Koizumi with a worried expression. She somewhat regretted bringing him here.

Though she did not know why Koizumi possessed such powerful strength, everyone had a few secrets, did they not?

Take herself, for example. At first, she had not intended to tell Mr. Koizumi that she had been rejected by the Imperial Assassination Squad. If Mr. Koizumi had not suddenly asked, she and the others would not have mentioned it. And since they had not asked Mr. Koizumi about his power, there was naturally no need for him to explain it either.

What Kurome cared about now was that, because she had brought Koizumi here, Esdeath had beaten him so badly.

The blood all over the training ground and Koizumi's pale face were enough to show that he was in terrible condition.

"I'm fine... I just look pale, that's all. Don't worry... Vampires might be bad at everything else, but their vitality is insanely tenacious. If this were an ordinary person, even if they did not die, they would have severe anemia... Come to think of it, vampires probably do not get anemia, right?" As he spoke, Koizumi suddenly began muttering to himself, his brows knitting slightly.

Vampires probably did not get anemia... He had never heard of vampires suffering from anemia!

Remi had never said she had experienced symptoms like anemia either... Koizumi thought to himself.

But then again, did Kurome even know what a vampire was? She probably would not understand what he was saying.

With that thought, Koizumi glanced at Kurome beside him. Just as he had expected, Kurome still looked utterly bewildered. Clearly, she had not understood him. There were no creatures called vampires in this world, though at least she knew that vampires were probably beings that drank human blood. That left Kurome feeling somewhat uneasy.

Mr. Koizumi would not drink my blood, would he? A trace of fear rose in Kurome's heart.

Seeing through Kurome's fear, Koizumi could not help but smile bitterly. Creatures that drank blood truly did inspire fear in others.

There was no helping it. No one wanted to be drained of blood for no reason. Honestly, Koizumi himself resisted both drinking blood and having his blood drunk.

However, if Lady Remilia wanted to drink his blood, Koizumi would absolutely not refuse.

As for Reimu and the others, the only thing Koizumi could do was indulge their temperaments. Even if it affected important matters, he would try his best to satisfy them. After all, meeting them had been his good fortune. Koizumi had already come to regard them as family.

"Don't worry. I won't drink your blood. I actually hate the idea of drinking blood too."

Koizumi smiled faintly, and Kurome immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It was good that she would not be drained of blood. Having a friend who drank her blood would be very troubling.

No... that was beyond merely troubling. It would be terrible if she accidentally got sucked dry into a corpse.

Kurome had also heard of an Imperial Arm that drank blood. If one was not careful, it could suck someone into a dried corpse.

"But Mr. Koizumi is really strong. You actually fought General Esdeath to that extent!"

Gin's eyes shone with shock. Honestly, after what had happened today, she would never underestimate Koizumi again.

Not that Gin had ever underestimated him. Being able to make food like that was already impressive in its own way.

But now Gin and the others understood even more clearly just how formidable Koizumi was. Even his combat ability was so terrifying!

Koizumi merely smiled faintly. Next, he intended to return to his room and rest. Vaguely, during the earlier battle, he felt as though he had touched two other powers: the powers of Archer Hakurei Reimu and Lancer Hata no Kokoro. As for Yukari's power, he had yet to sense it at all. Perhaps Yukari's power lay at a deeper level, beyond his reach.

Ruler Yakumo Yukari's power was actually very useful. Her gaps alone would be enough to let Koizumi observe the entire world. Perhaps he could catch sight of the distortion, then swiftly resolve the matter of this Singularity.

Of course, Koizumi did not know that Yakumo Yukari had told Reimu that even she could not use gaps to observe the center where the distortion was located. This Singularity was something akin to a dual world, and Yukari could not observe the other world.

The next moment, Koizumi returned to his room to rest.

He had to admit that Esdeath's general's residence was simply enormous. There were so many rooms. He truly did not know why Esdeath needed such a large estate. Was it fun?

Sure enough, ordinary people simply could not understand the lives of the rich!

Unable to Suppress the Pain

The pain could not be suppressed. It spread through his entire body, as though every bone in him had been shattered.

His face twisted as he wrapped his arms around himself, his body curled up as though he were huddled in a corner.

It was as though all the pain from fighting Esdeath had erupted in that instant.

Koizumi's body trembled slightly. The moment he entered his dreams, he had fallen into this state.

That unbearable pain had spread through his whole body. It had been like this ever since Koizumi fell asleep.

Originally, Koizumi had planned to... Huh? What was I planning to do? It felt as though he had suddenly forgotten something.

What was going on? Why did it suddenly feel as though he had forgotten something? Koizumi held his head.

It was merely an instinctive movement, not one caused by a splitting headache. He simply felt as though he had forgotten something.

At the same time, the pain in his body began to ease, as though something had suppressed it.

Slowly, Koizumi opened his eyes, and Reimu's impatient yet faintly worried expression entered his sight.

Seeing that Koizumi had finally awakened, Reimu immediately kicked him in irritation.

"You bastard, can't you just sleep properly?! You didn't give anyone a moment of peace all night!"

Koizumi gritted his teeth and slowly stood up. Compared to the pain wracking his body, Reimu's kick could be ignored entirely.

Honestly, Koizumi did not know what was happening. Why had such intense pain suddenly erupted throughout his body?

And it had spread through every part of him, making it impossible to endure for a time. That was why he had ended up like this.

"Master... are you all right?" Hata no Kokoro silently walked over to Koizumi and slowly asked.

Hata no Kokoro wore a mask that represented worry. Clearly, Koizumi's inexplicable cries of pain had greatly concerned her.

After all, the relationship between Hata no Kokoro and Koizumi was no longer like it had been when she had first been summoned.

At the beginning, there had only been an inexplicable fondness, but on top of that, Koizumi's comfort had also played no small part.

As a tsukumogami who governed emotions, Hata no Kokoro was clumsy at expressing feelings, yet equally straightforward.

Everything was expressed through her masks. That was her clumsiness, but it was also her directness.

In response to Hata no Kokoro's question, a very forced smile appeared on Koizumi's twisted face.

There was no helping it. He had to endure the pain while keeping his friends from worrying. Koizumi was already being very strong.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Though I don't know where this pain came from. I was clearly just resting..."

Deep confusion flickered in Koizumi's eyes. He hugged himself as his body trembled slightly. However, compared to his initial trembling, he had eased considerably. The pain was no longer as intense as it had been in his dreams.

Moreover, Koizumi was covered in talismans. After glancing at Reimu, he could more or less guess that she was responsible. The sudden relief in his pain was probably due to the talismans Reimu had attached to him.

Although Reimu's item-making skill was not particularly high, as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, she could still produce a range of fully functional talismans. Their effects could be quite useful in many situations.

Gradually, as time passed, the pain in Koizumi's body had mostly subsided.

That was thanks to the talismans. Otherwise, the pain would not have faded so quickly.

"You don't happen to have some bad habit while sleeping, do you? Is that why this happened?"

Reimu looked at Koizumi before her with a speechless expression and slowly spoke.

There was no helping it. Every time Koizumi had a problem, it happened while he was asleep. The first time, he had been drinking at the inn, gotten drunk, fallen asleep, and somehow used a Command Seal to summon Reimu and Hata no Kokoro. The second time, he had been sleeping again when his body inexplicably began to hurt terribly. Yet according to Reimu's observations, he did not have the slightest wound on him.

This was rather strange... Reimu cared a little, but she did not think too deeply about it.

If that one from Gensokyo had been summoned, Reimu might have suspected her existence. There were all kinds of beings in Gensokyo: shrine maidens like Reimu, tsukumogami like Hata no Kokoro, Gap Youkai like Yakumo Yukari, where one youkai represented an entire race, and vampires represented by Remilia. There were even gods, oni, and so on who had yet to be summoned. In the future, Koizumi would encounter many, many more people.

It was even possible that beings related to the moon would be summoned.

And in Gensokyo, there was one particularly special being, a youkai who basically never appeared in reality.

Reimu had encountered her before. She had a mocking-looking face, but she was actually very gentle and loved taking care of people. Thus, Reimu dismissed her as soon as she thought of her.

Leaving aside the fact that she had not yet been summoned, that person would not be so maliciously playful as to bully her future Master.

Though Reimu had not had any particularly deep exchanges with her, she could still grasp her basic personality.

So Reimu had almost entirely ruled her out, believing that Koizumi probably just had a problem with his sleeping posture.

And this was out in the wilderness. Poor sleep could cause all sorts of aches and pains, right...

I used to be like that because of the Hakurei Shrine... Well, it was better not to continue.

When she thought of her former impoverished life and compared it with life in Chaldea now, it truly was much more comfortable!

At least she would not have to return to that old life, where she had to spend her own money on ingredients just to cook her own meals. Chaldea...

Wait! There did not seem to be any staff in Chaldea, so what would they do about meals? Would she have to cook again?

Without realizing it, Reimu had begun to feel waves of worry over her future life.

Koizumi glanced at Reimu and could not help feeling helpless. I don't know whether I have any bad sleeping habits either. But you sleep beside me, don't you? You should know best whether I have any bad habits!

Wait, if he really had some bad habit and did something in his sleep, would Reimu still be talking to him this calmly? She probably would have already thrown a Dream Seal at him!

With that thought, Koizumi could not help looking at Reimu. After finding nothing strange about her, he truly breathed a sigh of relief.

If I really had some indecent sleeping posture, or even...

In any case, being able to survive until now without getting killed by Reimu was truly thanks to heaven's blessing...

Meeting

After getting up, Koizumi, Reimu, and Hata no Kokoro had remained where they were. Rarely, Koizumi had not gone to train.

It was not because he felt unwell, nor because he wanted to slack off. He simply had guests to wait for, so he had not specifically gone to train. Besides, this place was not far from the Imperial Capital. What if they accidentally attracted trouble?

Even if they wanted to train, they would have to find a suitable place first. Otherwise, they could easily get caught.

At first, Koizumi had actually planned to properly train himself, because he felt as though using his power had become more natural. But honestly, it was only a feeling. No one could know without trying, so Koizumi wanted to test it.

But unfortunately, Koizumi could not leave Reimu alone. Do not misunderstand, it was not because he worried about Reimu's safety. Reimu was very strong, after all. He had heard that she even had an ultimate Noble Phantasm sealed away because she did not want to use something that extreme.

If Reimu wanted to, she could unseal her ultimate Noble Phantasm at any time. And since it was a Noble Phantasm even Reimu wanted to seal away, its power had to be terrifying. Therefore, Koizumi had never worried about Reimu's safety.

What he mainly worried about was Reimu negotiating with others alone. Reimu's integrity... Heh heh heh...

This was not really looking down on Reimu. She could talk to someone, sell herself off, and not even know the other party's name.

With that kind of integrity and intelligence, Koizumi truly could not praise her. Perhaps her intuition was the only thing about her that he found beyond reproach. Had she put all her life experience points into combat and intuition, leaving her integrity and intelligence low?

Forget it, he should not think too much. It felt rather pitiful for Reimu to be looked down on like this in his mind.

Back to the point, the main reason Koizumi did not want Reimu to face Night Raid alone was that he feared she would be talked into something foolish. Of course, Reimu was a Servant, and her life experience was definitely greater than Koizumi's, so the chances of her being tricked were fairly low. What Koizumi mainly worried about was that she would be tempted by money. So long as Koizumi stood beside Reimu, at least she would not hear the word money, have her eyes light up, and stop listening to anything else. Besides, Hata no Kokoro was here too.

As a tsukumogami who controlled emotions, Hata no Kokoro could sense the other party's feelings. That would also make Koizumi more vigilant.

For example, things like guilt... Being able to sense another person's emotions was quite a useful ability.

Although after forming a contract with Hata no Kokoro, Koizumi might one day gain this ability as well, he still could not fully control it. He could only vaguely sense the other party's surface emotions, not anything deeper.

Koizumi, Reimu, and Hata no Kokoro waited there, but a long time had already passed without a single person appearing.

Before they knew it, impatience had appeared on Reimu's face. She had agreed to the deal, but that did not mean she had much patience. On the contrary, Reimu had always had poor patience, so—

"They aren't going to break the appointment, are they...? If they are, then I'll have to give them a Dream Seal!"

Reimu could not be said to have a good temper, because when her temper flared, she was like a demon.

If someone dared play with her using something like money, Reimu would not mind teaching them a lesson.

Of course, the most important thing to Reimu was her offering box. Koizumi had heard that from Yakumo Yukari.

However, since Reimu had been summoned here without the Hakurei Shrine, her offering box was apparently not with her.

He had heard that if anyone dared smash Hakurei Reimu's offering box, they should prepare to be dealt with by Hakurei Reimu after she turned into a demon...

Well, there was no need to say the rest. Once she had turned into a demon, what else could she do...

Koizumi could only smile helplessly at Reimu's impatience. Did she think an assassin organization could mobilize so easily?

Night Raid's notoriety in the Imperial Capital was immense. People might not have heard of anything else, but anyone living in the Imperial Capital would definitely know Night Raid.

Therefore, whenever Night Raid mobilized, secrecy had to be extremely high.

This place was not far from the Imperial Capital, so even if Night Raid came here, they definitely would not send everyone.

But if they were to send someone with enough status to discuss the deal with Reimu and himself, that person could only be Night Raid's Boss. Yet if even the Boss was coming, their safety had to be considered. Otherwise, if the enemy captured her, would Night Raid not be left leaderless?

So it was understandable that they were moving so slowly... That was what Koizumi thought.

"Do you think an assassin organization does not need to consider all sorts of factors before mobilizing? For example, this place is so close to the Imperial Capital. What if the Imperial Capital's general led troops to surround them? We can fly away, but they can't... So they naturally have to account for safety before setting out. Going back and forth like that takes quite a bit of time... Let's wait a little longer..."