Dragging Naoya Zenin into Training

When he woke again, a full day and night had passed. That fight had completely worn Naomitsu out.

"Nao! You can't do that again!"

Two adorable faces blocked Naomitsu's view as soon as he woke. The two little girls were Maki and Mai.

"Nao! If you do that again, I'll... I'll... I'll stop talking to you!"

Mai racked her brains for something harsh to say, but couldn't come up with a single threat. Even her final angry words sounded soft and utterly powerless.

"Okay, okay! Maki! Mai!"

Naomitsu stroked the hair of his two little older sisters, one with each hand. Under his touch, both girls finally stopped fussing and enjoyed it like kittens.

"Mai, stop pestering Nao. He just woke up. He still needs to rest."

Maki urged Mai to leave, yet made no move to leave herself.

"Hmph! You meanie! You're hugging Nao so tightly yourself, and you want me to leave!"

Seeing the two girls about to start arguing again, Naomitsu hurriedly let go of them. Using a trip to the bathroom as an excuse, he left the room.

Naomitsu had barely gone any distance when he ran straight into Naoya Zenin. The kid had his sleeves rolled up, brimming with enthusiasm, and grew wildly excited at the sight of him.

"Naomitsu! Fight me right now! I've made a huge breakthrough with my Projection Sorcery! This time, I'll definitely beat you and make you call me boss!"

Naomitsu was speechless. This brat had been calling him boss every day before. The moment he heard Naomitsu had come back injured, he switched right back to using his name.

"All right, all right. Come on."

Naomitsu smiled. He couldn't beat Toji Fushiguro, but surely he could beat this little brat.

Especially after those cursed spirits and Toji had brutally honed his reaction speed and combat experience over the past three days.

His moves were vicious now.

"Heh heh! Sneak attack!"

Naoya Zenin used the same old trick, only slightly faster than last time. He hadn't considered using a cursed tool, either, and still fought barehanded.

"Too slow! Too slow!"

Naoya Zenin darted around Naomitsu like a fly. Naomitsu kept his eyes fixed ahead the entire time, his body completely still.

"Now!"

Once again, the attack came from behind. When the fist was three inches from the back of his head, Naomitsu tilted his head aside to dodge it. Then, under Naoya Zenin's shocked gaze, he punched him in the lower abdomen.

"Owww..."

Naoya Zenin clutched his stomach with both hands, curled up on the floor, and writhed. Naomitsu's fist might have been small, but there was nothing small about the strength behind it.

"Haven't seen me for a few days, and you're already itching for a beating, huh? What are you supposed to call me?"

Naomitsu grabbed Naoya Zenin's blond hair and forced him to lift his head and look up at him.

"Boohoo... Boss, I was wrong."

Tears covered Naoya Zenin's face, and he admitted his mistake immediately. Inwardly, though, he was already plotting his next revenge.

Damn it! I'm the future heir to the Zenin Clan's leadership! How could I lose to a stupid little brat like him!

Naomitsu wasn't going to indulge this brat every time. Since he dared to challenge him, Naomitsu would have to collect a little interest.

"Since you're my underling, I can't let you stay this weak forever. I'll take you somewhere so you can get properly stronger."

"Stronger?" Naoya Zenin scratched his head.

Naomitsu continued sweet-talking him. "That's right. During the three days I was away, I was actually training with Toji Fushiguro in secret. Now I'll teach you what he taught me."

Naoya Zenin was skeptical. "Really? You're willing to teach me?"

With a smile that said it was all for Naoya's own good, Naomitsu nodded repeatedly. Through his smooth talk, he tricked Naoya Zenin into following him into the little bamboo grove.

"In a bit, you'll keep it occupied and use that to practice your Projection Sorcery. If you can't beat it, just leave the rest to me."

Naoya Zenin brushed aside his bangs, looking confident and composed.

"Don't worry. If even you could pass Toji's test, boss, how could I possibly fail? Get ready to witness the rise of a god!"

With someone working for him for free, Naomitsu couldn't exactly complain. After another round of flattery and coaxing, he began the summoning ritual to tame his shikigami.

The fourth shikigami! Nue!

Nue was a flying bird that attacked by tearing into its opponents with sharp talons. Once tamed, Nue could carry people through the air, making Nue one of Naomitsu's favorite shikigami.

Now, Naomitsu was enjoying the fight between Nue and Naoya Zenin.

Bird and boy were both fast. Naoya Zenin had Projection Sorcery, while Nue had the aerial advantage. Neither could overcome the other anytime soon.

"Damn it! Come down here if you've got the guts!"

Naoya Zenin was still too inexperienced with Projection Sorcery, and his control over cursed energy wasn't precise enough, so he couldn't stay airborne.

As a result, he could only keep dodging Nue's attacks.

"Naoya, focus your cursed energy in your feet. Bring Nue down first."

Naomitsu still wanted to tame Nue. Seeing Naoya Zenin fail to gain the upper hand for so long, he couldn't help offering a reminder.

"I know!"

Naoya Zenin wasn't particularly strong, but he certainly was arrogant. His aptitude was good, though, and after hearing Naomitsu's advice, he soon gained the advantage.

"Now!"

After pulling off three perfect dodges in succession, Naoya Zenin seized the moment when Nue landed.

A punch with every ounce of his strength!

The moment Naoya Zenin's fist touched Nue, the bird's movements froze, preventing Nue from taking flight again.

Oh, crap. The kid actually mastered it. At that speed, even my eyes can't track his movements.

Before, Naoya Zenin had been so inexperienced with Projection Sorcery that Naomitsu could track him. Now, though, he could no longer make out his movements.

Forget it. I'll tame the shikigami first. This is the perfect moment. I can't waste this chance.

Nearby, Nue was frozen in place, while Naoya Zenin had collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. This was the ideal moment to complete the taming ritual.

Just as he had the previous times, Naomitsu, still at full strength, used his cursed energy to defeat and subdue Nue, completing the ritual effortlessly.

The fourth shikigami! Successfully tamed!

After the ritual was complete, Nue turned into a shadow and was recalled by Naomitsu. A surge of cursed energy returned to his body.

From this, Naomitsu also reached a conclusion. Summoning Nue cost [1000] points of cursed energy. That placed the cost among the highest of his four shikigami.

"Get up, brat."

Naoya Zenin lay on the ground in a sorry state. Only when he heard Naomitsu call him did he slowly climb to his feet.

"Boss! You fought something like that for three days and nights?"

Naomitsu was speechless. "Not this one. Hundreds of cursed spirits. That bastard Toji nearly got me killed."

Naoya Zenin hunched up and snickered furtively. He had finally gotten to see Naomitsu suffer a setback. It seemed he wasn't the only one afraid of Toji; even his boss had been put in his place.

"Next time I see that guy, I'll have to squeeze a hefty sum out of him."

At this point, Toji hadn't yet accepted the Bounty Mission, so he wasn't focused on dealing with Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.

If he were considering how to deal with Suguru Geto, that bastard Toji would surely come back to "borrow" the Soul Liberation Blade, cautious as he was.

After their brief time together, Naomitsu knew that, apart from how he treated his family, the man was capable of almost limitless malice toward everyone else.