The Elegance of That Shot

I need your opinion on something.

According to Maeda Saori, since the amusement park became a hit, numerous companies have flocked to her agency to invite her to shoot commercials.

"They've started again?"

It's been a long, quiet period lately, so it's rare to have a break.

Shuya instructed Maeda Saori to refuse them.

Because it's too much trouble, and he's not short of money...

Shuya a moment, then made a message in the LINE group of the higher-ups in the Monster, asking them to send some yokai agents to Mai- chan's place, and to throw any suspicious people who approached them into the police station.

He sighed softly; he was really worried sick about Mai- chan.

After dealing with the greetings from the Monster, Seya finished cleaning the house, Shuya and she went to the garden to practice.

Ayase held a katana in her hand, which Shuya had his men forge for her.

After she won the competition in Little Six, Shuya gave her this as a congratulatory gift.

With a Shuya, First Snow appeared in Xiu Ye's hand.

He drew his sword, relaxed, and casually looked at Ayase.

She changed into ordinary sportswear, a short-sleeved shirt and long pants, and tied her hair back in a ponytail.

Her outfit was very clean and simple, without a hint of vulgarity.

Ayase stared at Shuya.

She turned slightly to the side, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword, ready to unleash a lightning-fast Iaijutsu.

Shuya's First Snow blade pointed to the ground, without any apparent stance.

Ayase took a deep breath and drew her sword with a clang.

Cold Gleam flashed, and the blade's shadow drew a silver line as it swiftly slashed diagonally across the ground.

Shuya glance at it, but arrived first despite being behind, raising his sword to block.

A long cry.

Ayase was not surprised that she was blocked.

After her initial strike, she unleashed a full-scale attack, soon breaking out in a light sweat.

Shuya only defended and did not attack.

This isn't a fight, it's just a tutorial. He'd be done for if he attacked Ayase; he even taught her how to play the egg.

After fighting for a while, just as Ayase was getting into her stride, Shuya seized the opportunity. After a clash of swords, he used First Snow to press down on Ayase's blade and then slashed down along her blade.

Just as the blade was about to touch her fingers, her will became highly focused, and her potential was unleashed.

Then, her demeanor changed.

Ayase's beautiful eyes narrowed, losing their luster and becoming empty and blank, like a whirlpool of nothingness.

"Hehe... Senior... Senior Shuya..."

She unconsciously let out a light, eerie smile.

She was deliberately provoked by Shuya, which activated her special physique.

Ayase's killing intent coalesced as she furiously lunged at Shuya, her swordsmanship a stark contrast to her previous composure, now tinged with madness.

Shuya all, remaining completely still and taking all her attacks like walking a dog.

Even the fiercest attacks would turn into calm waters when they reached him.

The two fought until Ayase was exhausted, and her eyes finally returned to normal.

Ayase, panting, leaned her sword against the ground, her left hand covering her head, feeling a buzzing sound.

Recalling what had happened, she said dejectedly, "Shuya- senpai, it seems I've failed again."

"It's okay, you'll get the hang of it with practice."

Shuya offered words of comfort.

The training I just did was also to help Ayase master her physique.

When she activates her special physique, it causes a distortion of her rationality.

Instead, they possess keen insight and almost instinctive fighting skills.

There was also an inexplicable murderous aura and madness emanating from somewhere.

This looks a bit like a berserker.

But Ayase wouldn't lose her mind to the point of being completely irrational.

She is still capable of thinking.

Shuya seen real berserkers; their rationality was completely uncontrollable, and no amount of training could help.

Ayase, on the other hand, is able to develop her rationality through training.

I've practiced for several years but haven't made much progress.

... It seems that the more she practices, the stranger it gets, or perhaps that's just her constitution.

At first, Ayase only knew how to pounce and kill, but then slowly her eyes regained a little light from their absolute emptiness.

Recently, he has been able to recognize Shuya saying his name and making strange "hehehe" laughs.

In short Ayase's constitution is very unfortunate.

There's nothing better than having a constitution that's out of your control.

Especially for someone like Ayase, whose physique possesses sufficient lethality, it could be fatal to an ordinary person.

The conditions for her to activate her physical constitution are extremely simple; it will erupt as long as she receives a certain level of stimulation.

Ayase was aware of the dangers of this physical condition, which is why she diligently practiced martial arts in order to master it as soon as possible.

Otherwise, you never know when you might accidentally kill your friends and family.

After a fierce battle, Ayase was exhausted.

She looked at Shuya and said, "As expected of Shuya- senpai who defeated the Supreme God back then, you're truly amazing!"

"Don't do that, I haven't caused trouble for many years."

Shuya waved his hand.

"Besides, my level is far from strong enough..."

He was disheartened and waved his hand, saying, "Ayase- chan, go take a shower, don't worry about me."

"Yes, senior."

Ayase bent down and walked towards Shuya's bathroom.

She was covered in sweat and needed to take a shower, otherwise she would feel too uncomfortable.

She trusted Shuya completely and always felt at ease taking baths at his house.

Shuya gathered up the First Snow and stood in the garden, gazing at the sky in a daze.

Ayase praised his strength.

But he knew that this level of strength was simply...

He closed his eyes, and it seemed as if he saw a gun barrel, devoid of any smoke or fire, flash by, piercing him and lifting him high into the air.

Shuya clutched his chest.

The physical wounds have long since healed.

But the allure of that shot is unforgettable.

He was lost in thought about the battle years ago, trying once again to decipher that shot.

He's been thinking about it for six years and still hasn't come to a conclusion.

Shuya didn't return to the living room until Ayase finished showering and changed into her revealing outfit.

It's still early; Shuya's family doesn't start dinner until 7 PM.

Ayase expertly brewed some tea and then started doing her homework in the living room.

Shuya influenced by her and started doing his Chinese homework.

He never does any other homework.

He had good grades, so the teachers didn't bother with him, except for Shizuka Hiratsuka, who constantly teased him.

Unfortunately, she became close to Hanazawa Sakura.

Shuya had no choice but to force himself to do his homework.

He finished quickly, and after resolving some of Ayase's questions about her studies, it was almost lunchtime.

Ayase is a good cook; she honed her skills with him and Tsuruko.

After finishing her meal, Ayase didn't stay long at Shuya's place. She dutifully followed the house's curfew, said goodbye to Shuya, and left.

Shuya saw her off at the door, watching her leave using her light-footed skill.

He looked at Ayase as if he were seeing the days when he was learning martial arts from Li Shuhong.

Then Shuya returned home and began checking the scripts for the animations and games that needed to be dubbed.

Then he started reading the latest light novels to decide whether to take the job.

Given his fame, many jobs are specifically requested from him, and whether he accepts them or not is up to him.

Section 341, page 323: Not difficult.

Faced with these nominations, Maeda Saori would dutifully provide Shuya with a pile of relevant information for him to choose from.

Shuya's time is ultimately limited, and he's currently in a period of inactivity, so he doesn't want to take on too much work. This means he needs to make a choice.

Finding works that interest him is a regular part of his work.

Shuya then spent more than two hours looking at toilet paper, and the more he looked, the more his head ached.

What kind of crap is that?

Unfortunately, there's been an increasing number of poorly modified/lightly modified versions lately.

More job opportunities might be a good thing for the voice acting industry, but it doesn't benefit Shuya; instead, it increases the workload he has to choose from.

Shuya read for a while longer, but he couldn't take it anymore; there were hardly any novels he could actually read.

The quality of an animation adapted from such a source material is predictable.

How many more years will this industry-standard pill last?

To be fair, dubbing for this kind of animation isn't difficult, and it's quite enjoyable to make some easy money.

"Hmm, let's see what jobs Haruno and Hyakka- chan get, and then we'll choose based on what they do."

Shuya lazy to look at the toilet paper anymore, so he threw it aside and dragged his throbbing head to bed.

The night passed in silence.

The next day at school, Shuya overheard people discussing something before the morning assembly and learned that:

"Oh no, we have a cooking class today."

Cooking class refers to the "cooking practice" within the "Home Cooking" program.

Simply put, it's about teaching how to cook.

This lesson requires students to be divided into small groups.

Shuya be difficult; not only would people from other groups be hesitant to ask him for help, but he also wouldn't want to join an unfamiliar group.

He felt uncomfortable, and no one else dared to speak. They could only silently continue cooking, which was incredibly awkward.