"Pfft, hahaha! Brother Louis, you turned him down too, meow?"
Xiluo laughed heartily.
It was the next day, during breakfast. Xiluo had brought up how an instructor had come on behalf of a man named Skello to recruit him, then bluntly admitted that he had rejected the instructor's proposal outright.
Louis didn't answer. The man simply started talking as if Louis had rejected the offer too, without even asking whether the same thing had happened to him, much less whether he had turned it down.
"Then why, Xiluo? Why did you refuse?"
Louis asked with interest.
"Isn't it obvious, meow?"
Xiluo chuckled under his breath. "No matter how arrogant that Skello guy is, he can never beat Spandine, meow. After all, that idiot has powerful connections, meow."
"Even a dog can be invincible when its master holds a lofty position, meow."
"Heh."
Louis smiled without comment.
"But you'd better be ready, Brother Louis,"
Xiluo said with a cheeky grin. "Since you turned them down, a little punishment is bound to come your way, meow."
Louis understood perfectly. People in power didn't care about the wishes of those beneath them. Faced with the authority in their hands, the will of their underlings was of no consequence. But if an underling dared to defy them even a little, a small reprimand was sure to follow. Such a reprimand could easily leave the underling dead without a place to be buried, but to those at the top, it might still seem like a mere slap on the wrist.
Louis wasn't surprised.
By the end of the ninth month, Louis had finally finished working on his skin. A sensation like being reborn spread through every part of his body.
The essence of Kami-e was to soften the body and sense the airflow to dodge attacks. Louis could now freely control his skin and body hair, and his sensitivity had reached an extraordinary level. The Kami-e he had used to dodge Yerika's attacks could now take another step forward.
That wasn't all. When human skin endured prolonged friction, it developed calluses. They weren't very tough, but if he increased their thickness, their defensive power would surely be considerable. That was something Louis could do now, too.
And finally, there was the ability he wanted most: the freedom to change his appearance and apparent age at will! What could be more useful to a spy?
"There are still a few things that don't quite look right,"
Louis said, looking at himself in the mirror. He had become a completely different person, with a wrinkled forehead, sallow skin, flared nostrils, bushy nose hair, triangular eyes, thick lips, a full beard, and slightly chubby cheeks.
He controlled his skin to make it sallow and wrinkle his forehead, shifted the fat beneath his skin to plump out his cheeks and flare his nostrils, and manipulated his hair to turn his body hair into a beard and grow out his nose hair.
But
He pressed a hand against his cheek. It felt a little hollow. The fat had bulged out, but his muscles hadn't changed, so the sensation was strange.
"Next, the muscles?"
Louis set himself a new goal.
The ninth-month assessment arrived as scheduled.
The written exam had gained another subject back when Teacher Anna began teaching him. Each student took the assessment under their own instructor. Louis got along quite well with Teacher Anna. The only thing she regretted was that, although Louis excelled in every way, he was a little young.
Then came the next day, when it was time for the practical exam.
Louis drew lots again. This time, he was last. Looking at the instructor's face, Louis figured that the little punishment was coming after all.
"Louis,"
The instructor glanced at the slip in Louis's hand and announced loudly, "Your opponent is Stuart!"
Just as expected.
Louis wasn't particularly surprised. He turned his head and saw the feverish look in Stuart's eyes. Louis knew Stuart was eager to reclaim his standing in the training camp. Though he hadn't gotten his wish to face Xiluo and avenge his earlier humiliation, facing Louis was almost as good. After all, Louis did have the reputation of a genius.
"Hehehe, Brother Louis, looks like we finally get the chance to settle who's stronger, meow."
Xiluo chuckled. "Don't let that rat beat you, meow. If you do, I'll be—"
"Really angry, meow."
Louis and Stuart's match was the last one. It was the ninth month, and eight people had already been eliminated, leaving eleven students in the training camp. One had a bye, and Louis was in the fifth match.
There wasn't much to say about the earlier fights. The other students were distracted, too. Everyone was looking forward to the final showdown.
Unusually, Xiluo didn't toy with his opponent. He finished the match with a single strike and didn't even knock him out.
Yerika's recent performances continued to surprise Louis. She was growing stronger quickly, training hard and giving it her all. She really had changed.
And then, at last, the highlight of the day arrived.
"Hahaha, good luck, meow! Brother Louis!"
Xiluo laughed as he cheered Louis on.
Louis walked onto the field. Stuart had already hurried out to meet him.
"I've finally waited for this day!"
Stuart's voice was strangely excited. "Louis!!!!"
"Oh."
Louis replied casually.
"After you, I'll take on Xiluo,"
Stuart chuckled. "I'll show you both who truly deserves to be number one in this training camp!"
"Is that so?"
Louis raised an eyebrow. "Your world really is narrow."
"You—"
Stuart gritted his teeth. "This is your last chance to run your mouth, so make the most of it!"
"Then, Louis,"
The instructor looked at him and waved. "Begin!"
"Whoosh!"
Stuart was faster. After getting thoroughly thrashed by Xiluo's invisible Soru, he had clearly spent a long time studying it.
"Rankyaku!"
Louis felt a gust of wind. As he used Soru, Stuart raised his leg and swung it at Louis's head. He couldn't use Soru as freely as Xiluo, or change direction while using it, but Stuart could still use other Six Powers techniques while moving with Soru.
"Whoosh."
The gale from the Rankyaku blew Louis's head backward, bending it like rubber and letting him effortlessly dodge Stuart's attack.
"What? He dodged it?!"
Stuart froze. "That kind of Kami-e!"
"What?"
Louis's head snapped back into place. "Is that it?"
"Bastard!!!"
Stuart's eyes reddened, and he could no longer contain his fury.
"Finger Pistol Storm!!"
His arm blurred. From Louis's perspective, Stuart's Finger Pistol covered every inch of space. Nothing else remained in sight.
But Stuart was fast. Louis was faster.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!"
As if he had no solid form, Louis's body bent and twisted at incredible speed, constantly changing shape. No matter what Stuart did, his attacks couldn't touch Louis.
"Gaaah!!!"
Stuart roared and punched toward Louis's stomach.
"That's all you've got?"
Louis said leisurely. His right side caved in as if a huge hole had opened up, and Stuart's fist passed straight through without touching his body.
"This—"
Stuart stumbled back, his face flushed crimson.
"Paper Drawing Wind Rider! I'll give you a chance. You can attack me for one minute."
Louis spread his arms as if he were about to embrace Stuart.
"I won't fight back. Come on, Stuart. Give it everything you've got. Do your best and see if you can touch me!"
Before you continue