Mellard: Girls Should Like Girls

A power that allowed one to strongly perceive the presence of living beings: Observation Haki.

By acquiring and improving Observation Haki, one could clearly sense the positions and numbers of living beings outside one's field of vision, even the actions they would take in the very next instant.

And since living beings included humans, anyone possessing Observation Haki held an enormous advantage in anticipating their enemies.

Brad remembered the rough theory behind Observation Haki: "a power that allows one to strongly perceive the presence of living beings." But he preferred to understand it as an extension beyond the five senses—a sixth extrasensory perception apart from sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. It required powerful mental strength as its driving force, transforming into invisible waves emitted under conscious direction, searching for similar waves unconsciously released by living beings, then feeding the information back to the brain for processing. In the end, it yielded information such as "the positions and numbers of living beings, even the actions they would take in the very next instant."

So Brad shut off humanity's most relied-upon sense, vision. Before long, he shut off his hearing as well. Using the pain of stumbling and crashing into things to keep stimulating fluctuations in his mental strength, he forced himself to desperately desire awareness of his surroundings even without sight or hearing, so that he would no longer have to endure injury. Only a sixth extrasensory perception could accomplish that.

Though the method looked like nonsense, Brad had a certain degree of confidence that it could awaken his Observation Haki. That confidence came from his unusually powerful mental strength, forged through his dual fusion.

Yet during his Observation Haki training, what Brad confirmed first was that perhaps he would never go bald. Every day, he persisted with one hundred sit-ups, one hundred push-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run. He adapted quickly, and the routine became so easy that he had to add more training. Though he was deeply disappointed, he truly realized that his body was gifted.

Thus, Gozuki, the instructor responsible for developing the physical fitness and combat skills of rookie agent reserves, called a halt to Brad's individual training and had him join the group sessions... They were still basic physical conditioning, but now included preliminary instruction in fighting techniques, mixed in with the lessons of other instructors.

"Good job, kid. Starting tomorrow, you'll be living at the academy. Tell your family tonight," Gozuki said, outwardly welcoming Brad into the ranks with his usual stern expression and a casual instruction. Inwardly, though, he clicked his tongue in amazement. There are especially many monsters this year!

Tornado possessed an inexplicable power she had been born with. She was practically destined to stand at the peak of the world's pyramid of individual strength—a monster among monsters. So long as her sister remained her bond, she would undoubtedly become a member of the Holy Shield.

Esdeath was the princess of the Barutes Clan, renowned for their powerful bloodline. They lived on the desolate ice plains at the northernmost reaches of the North Blue, making their living by hunting Super Dangerous Beast monsters. She was also currently the Barutes Clan's sole surviving member, an unparalleled battle maniac. More than once, Gozuki had privately felt that the Marines or the Holy Land Guard would be a more suitable destination for her than Cipher Pol.

Melard Auberg had inherited her family's secret art for controlling special insect-type Super Dangerous Beast monsters. That alone made her extraordinary, not to mention that she was a born assassin.

And now there was Brad Hyman, another one with outstanding aptitude. Compared with the other three, Gozuki believed Brad's only advantage for now was his age, which meant more untapped potential.

Brad nodded. "Yes, Instructor Gozuki."

"Why are your eyes covered? You can't see at all. There are many things you need to observe with your eyes," Gozuki said with a frown.

Brad lied with a straight face. "My eyes are injured. They're still being treated."

"..." Gozuki fell silent.

The rookie agent reserves consisted of orphans and descendants of Cipher Pol agents. The descendants of Cipher Pol agents in particular often possessed certain unique "assets" inherited from their families in addition to their agent academy education. Melard was a typical example. Such matters were not to be casually pried into. Understanding the taboo behind that rule, Gozuki assumed Brad was one of those children and stopped asking.

"Break time's over!"

"Slackers, keep practicing straight punches!"

Gozuki shouted loudly.

With Mosquito Girl and Tornado's help, Brad found a suitable spot, learned the proper stance for a straight punch, put in his earplugs, and threw himself into training without hesitation.

"Justice must become strong! It must become even stronger!"

"Punch! Punch! No stopping!"

"You will be the messengers of justice, God's representatives in the human world! The slightest weakness will not be tolerated!"

"..."

As the trainees practiced, Gozuki tirelessly repeated the same fixed lines over and over, seemingly to urge them on.

Brad, faintly hearing Gozuki's roars, felt more deeply that the World Government's brainwashing efforts had already begun to unfold.

Not far away.

"Damn it! Acting all surrounded by girls, you bastard!" Melard muttered under her breath while throwing straight punches and shooting sidelong glances at Brad. Well, at Mosquito Girl and Tornado. "One's an incredibly beautiful, rare demi-human Super Dangerous Beast, and the other is an unbelievably cute Tornado~~~ They're actually playing with a boy! No matter how good-looking that boy is, it's unacceptable! Girls should play with girls, and girls should like girls!"

"You'd better shut up. You're distracting me, perverted Melard," Esdeath said, her gaze sharp as an eagle's. "If you're willing to fight me seriously, I'll forgive you."

Melard rolled her big eyes and gave an awkward smile, miming the act of zipping her mouth shut. Then she sneakily glanced at Esdeath again and again, occasionally revealing... a lewd smile, as though savoring some endlessly memorable recollection while constantly licking the corner of her lips.

Before long.

Melard shifted her attention back to Brad. The smile gradually faded from her languidly beautiful features as she recalled what had happened several days ago.

Pinned beneath Tornado's foot, Melard initially had not cared in the slightest about her swollen cheeks. Ignoring Tornado's warning not to hurt Brad, she had eagerly tried to peek beneath Tornado's skirt, until—

"You still won't give up! To be safe, it's better to kill you."

From Tornado's expression, Melard could tell that this was no empty threat. At last, she became afraid.

Before Melard could beg for mercy, Brad stopped her. "Tornado, forget it."

Four simple words saved Melard's life. But that was exactly what made her even more upset. The queen in her heart—noble, powerful, willful, proud, and utterly self-centered—had actually listened to someone else?

How was that possible?

Why him?

Absolutely not!

The jealousy of watching her idol's persona collapse, combined with the feeling that her precious cabbage had been defiled by a pig, twisted Melard's face beyond recognition—plasmolyzed, Gaussian-blurred...

Kill him! Melard gritted her teeth inwardly.

At that moment.

"Malice, killing intent... Who is it?"

Everything around him changed. The trainees' breathing, emotions, and movements suddenly became crystal clear to Brad, as if enlightenment had dawned upon him.

A few short seconds later.

Bang!

"Brad? Hey!"

"Brad!"

"..."

PS: Melard: Me, Melard, a winner in life. Vote! ╭(╯^╰)╮