Chapter 187: Student Cid, You Wouldn't Want Your Identity Exposed, Right?
"We're back, Alpha."
After formally accepting the employment offer from the Kagenou family, Mahiro returned to the inn where he was staying.
Though Baron Kagenou and his wife had insisted he stay at their mansion, he politely declined.
After all, he was somewhat worried about leaving Alpha alone at home.
But the moment he returned to the inn and pushed open the door, he saw Alpha fiddling with the Slime Teigu he had given her.
"Mahiro, you're back... Ah!"
Alpha was delighted to see Mahiro and immediately trotted over to greet him.
However, after just two steps, she tripped over the slime dress that hadn't been transformed and put away in time, tumbling to the ground with a thud.
"Are you okay?"
Mahiro stepped forward, helped the petite elf girl to her feet, and guided her to sit on a wooden chair.
"I-I'm fine."
Tears glistened in Alpha's eyes, her nose was red from the fall, and she looked somewhat dejected.
Her expression made him chuckle softly as he comforted her:
"There, there, no need to be in such a hurry. Take your time. I believe with your talent, you'll master this power sooner or later."
Perhaps he had modified the slime too excessively, combined with the Enhancement Drug injection, making it impossible for Alpha to instantly control the slime's transformations as she could in the original storyline.
But this was rather endearing—he never expected the little Alpha to have such an adorably clumsy side.
"No!"
Alpha refuted his words, "I know very well that our enemies are powerful, so I must enhance my combat capabilities as quickly as possible."
"There's no need to rush right this moment. I will teach you all the combat techniques, so don't worry."
"That's right, this humble one can attest to that—our master's teaching abilities are truly exceptional."
Mahiro and Yukime took turns comforting Alpha.
Although, Yukime's words were more about praising Mahiro.
"Not only that, relying solely on the three of us is far from enough. We need to expand our numbers."
"Eh?"
Alpha's sudden proposal caught him slightly off guard.
"I think we should find other descendants of heroes before the cult does and unite them to prevent them from falling into the cult's hands!"
"Moreover, while expanding our organization, we also need a hidden base..."
Mahiro: "..."
Somehow, this girl seems full of motivation...
Was Alpha always this passionate?
But now that I think about it, she really is like that...
"Ah, most importantly, we need operational funds—a large amount of operational funds..."
Just as Alpha was meticulously listing the plans for what needed to be done next, Mahiro suddenly reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him.
"Alpha, I believe you can handle all these matters, right?"
"Ah? Mm... I can." Alpha nodded solemnly.
"Good, then I'll leave everything to you."
With that, Mahiro casually waved his hand, and a treasure chest instantly landed on the floor. When opened, it was filled to the brim with gleaming gold coins and gemstones.
All of it was loot confiscated from bandits.
"These funds are at your complete disposal—whether for scouting bases or operational expenses, allocate them as you see fit."
The implication was clear: he intended to be a hands-off supervisor.
Was he joking? Expecting me to single-handedly build an organization from scratch?
Setting aside whether I'm suited for such a task, it's an exhausting endeavor. Wouldn't it be better to entrust it entirely to someone more capable?
But in Alpha's eyes, this was an expression of trust and a test from him.
This must be Mahiro testing my abilities, right?
Alpha couldn't help but think this way.
And when it came to trust, Yukime felt the same.
Like now, she felt she wasn't fully trusted and gazed pitifully at Mahiro.
Her pleading eyes seemed to say—
Master, look at me! Whatever that elf can do, I can do too!
...
Early the next morning.
As agreed the day before, he arrived early at the Kagenou residence for training.
It being the first day of lessons, the Kagenou siblings had already gathered near the forest outside the estate.
"You're quite early. Let me introduce myself—I'm Yotsuba Mahiro, and I'll be your instructor in swordsmanship from now on. Before we begin, if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"I'll go first."
Claire fixed her crimson eyes on Mahiro and stepped forward, saying: "I'm Claire Kagenou, daughter of the bald man you dueled yesterday. I want to know how you managed to appear in front of him so instantly and defeat him."
Her tone was deadly serious.
After yesterday's duel, she had reenacted the scene alone in the woods countless times.
But no matter how many times she analyzed it, she couldn't replicate such speed.
Was it due to a difference in magical power?
No—she hadn't sensed any magic from Mahiro whatsoever...
"It's pure physical strength," Mahiro replied with a slight smile.
"Impossible! That's not a speed achievable by the body alone!" Claire retorted immediately.
"Really? Don't be so absolute... You know, speed using magic can be even faster~"
As soon as he finished speaking—
Claire realized Mahiro had vanished.
Right before her eyes, without a sound or any warning!
"See? That's the speed magic can achieve. Even faster."
His voice suddenly came from behind her.
Then, she felt a light pressure on her shoulder—a hand resting there. Instinctively, she turned her head, only to have a finger gently tap her cheek.
Claire's pupils contracted sharply.
In an instant, she drew the sword at her waist and swung it backward—
But she hit nothing.
"My, my, Miss Claire, you've quite the temper. But your technique is lacking—you'll need to work harder."
"You unscrupulous teacher!"
Hearing his voice again from behind her, Claire's competitive spirit ignited.
She raised her sword and began chasing after Mahiro, swinging wildly.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't even touch the hem of Mahiro's clothes.
"My, my, is this the difference in strength? But then again, as my fated rival who is an Eminence in Shadow, how could he possibly be weak?"
Cid thought to himself.
He stood to the side with his arms crossed, wearing an innocent and harmless expression, naively watching Mahiro toy with Claire.
Soon, Claire's attacks came to a halt.
She was completely exhausted, gasping for breath, her entire body drenched as if she had just been fished out of water.
Beads of fragrant sweat trickled down her pale neck, across her collarbone, and finally disappeared into her clothing.
"What's wrong, already tired, Miss Claire?"
"...Damn unscrupulous teacher, is dodging all you can do?" Claire panted heavily, speaking indignantly.
But Mahiro remained unfazed, spreading his hands and saying, "Miss Claire, dodging is the most important and fundamental skill. If you don't know how to evade, how can you attack or counterattack others? Do you expect to decide every fight with the first strike?"
"Just like now, if this were a real battle, you would have died countless times already."
Mahiro reappeared behind Claire, the scent of the girl's increasingly intense body fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose as he whispered softly into her ear.
His gentle breath brushed against Claire's neck, causing her to blush slightly and her heart to tighten.
She immediately turned around and distanced herself from Mahiro, the exhaustion from moments ago completely gone.
"Hmm, not bad. Though still a bit immature, you should now understand the importance of evasion, right?"
Claire remained silent.
It was as if she were gathering her energy, her crimson eyes fixed intently on him.
Just as he thought the girl was preparing some ultimate move, Claire suddenly muttered softly, "...How can I become as fast as you?"
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I said, can you teach me this technique!"
"Heh." Mahiro smiled faintly. "Miss Claire, this doesn't sound like the attitude of someone asking for a favor. Although your parents are paying me for tutoring, that money is essentially for accompanying you and your brother in practice—it doesn't include anything else."
Claire glared at him slightly before bowing deeply and saying loudly:
"Teacher Mahiro, please teach me how to move quickly!"
She was extremely decisive.
So decisive that even Cid was momentarily stunned.
This was the first time he had ever seen Claire bow her head to someone.
Hmph, so this is my destined rival? To think you could make Claire submit—as expected of you!
Cid felt exhilarated. In fact, the stronger Mahiro demonstrated himself to be, the happier he became.
This was completely different from those bandits!
"Very well, since you've asked so sincerely, I might as well be merciful and teach you."
Claire's earnest and decisive attitude pleased Mahiro.
Although she didn't show the kind of "sincerity" that involved exposing her chest when asking for a favor, what was there to see in a little girl who hadn't even grown up properly?
If he wanted to see something, wouldn't it be better to go home and look at Alpha and Yukime?
Oh right, they don't seem fully developed either, so never mind...
During the teaching process, Claire couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"What?! We have to take off our shoes too?!"
"Of course, how else are you going to feel the flow of magic?" Mahiro shrugged helplessly. "Otherwise, you can take off all your clothes instead—pick one."
"You perverted teacher!"
Claire glared at him fiercely, but ultimately had no choice but to obediently remove her boots, followed by her white ankle socks, leaving only her smooth, delicate feet stepping on the cobblestone ground.
"...And then?"
"Then just stand there and carefully follow the movement of my hand."
Mahiro didn't forget to remind Cid, who was gazing at the scenery nearby.
"Oh right, Cid, you should observe carefully and learn well too."
"Yes~ Teacher Mahiro~" The reply was utterly lifeless.
But Mahiro couldn't be bothered to pay it any mind. After all, what he was teaching were basics, and this guy already knew it all.
"Listen carefully to what I say next. What determines a person's strength isn't primarily their Magic Power, but how they use it."
"If you cover your entire body with magic, you'll often end up wasting a lot of it unnecessarily."
"So, only use it when you need to."
As he spoke, Mahiro suddenly grabbed one of Claire's delicate feet in his hand.
She initially wanted to resist, but seeing how serious he looked, she refrained from struggling. Still, her body tensed up involuntarily.
"If you want to move, cover the soles of your feet with a layer of magic. This will achieve the same acceleration effect."
While explaining, Mahiro admired the delicate foot in his hand.
He had to admit, this was truly like something out of an anime.
A girl's feet were always small, soft, warm like jade, with rounded toes gleaming like translucent pearls under the sunlight.
Most importantly, there was no unpleasant odor!
At the same time, he slowly covered the sole of Claire's foot with magic.
This immediately made Claire let out a soft moan.
Mmm, it's going in...
The perverted teacher's magic is entering my body!
"If you want to deliver a slash, cover your entire arm with magic, then generate power from your waist, hips, and legs."
Mahiro stood up and gently stroked the girl's slender, pale arm, letting her feel the flow of magic.
Then, his hand slowly moved downward, resting on her petite hips and slender waist devoid of any excess fat, correcting her posture for generating power.
But the moment he touched her, Claire couldn't help but shout: "You bastard teacher, where are you touching?!"
"Don't move! I'm adjusting your posture."
Mahiro scolded her and continued to enjoy... no, to explain.
He had to admit, while Claire wasn't as voluptuous as Yukime, her figure felt surprisingly just right!
However, whether it was due to his scolding or not, Claire didn't resist again for the rest of the session.
By the time he finished explaining, it was unclear whether Claire had actually absorbed any of the lesson. The only thing certain was that her delicate body was trembling slightly, her fair face flushed with an unusual blush.
"Alright, let's review what I just taught you—"
"Cover your feet with magical energy, then stand on the water's surface. Let's see if your magical output remains stable or if you'll fall into the water."
Mahiro pointed to the gentle river nearby.
Although this was originally a chakra application method, in essence, whether it's magical energy or chakra, the usage is fundamentally the same—only the terminology differs.
"Claire, as the elder sister, you go first and demonstrate."
Claire remained silent, merely lowering her head and stepping onto the water's surface as instructed.
"Oh? Not bad at all. I didn't expect you to control magical energy with such proficiency."
Contrary to expectations, Claire didn't fall into the water but stood there perfectly steady.
This indicated her magical output was exceptionally smooth.
Otherwise, if the output were too high, it would explosively disrupt the water's surface tension causing a fall, while insufficient output would fail to support body weight with the same result.
"Now it's Cid's turn. Give it a try."
"Yes~"
With his usual innocent smile, Cid made "ehe ehe" sounds while clumsily stepping onto the water's surface.
Then.
With a decisive splash, he promptly fell into the river.
"Waaaah, help me teacher!"
Mahiro: "..."
Unbearable to watch.
Absolutely unbearable to watch. Could your acting be any worse?
At least shout something like "I can't swim" or something similar?
"Waaaah, I can't swim... glug glug!"
Mahiro remained unmoved, even somewhat amused, planning to let the guy soak a while longer since he enjoyed pretending so much.
Might as well let him get his fill of acting in one go.
Let's see how much river water that stomach can hold—could he drink the entire river dry like Kuafu!
Just as he thought this, a sharp whistling sound of cutting wind reached his ears.
Mahiro quickly snapped back to attention, looking up just in time to see a sharp blade coming straight at his face.
Calmly executing an evasion maneuver, Claire's swift slash passed before him, the parting wind sharp against his face.
"Miss Claire, what's the meaning of this?"
Mahiro couldn't resist teasing: "Just learned the basics and already planning to kill your teacher? That's quite a foolish move."
"Shut up and die, you perverted teacher!!!"
When her slash missed, Claire changed tactics, closing the distance to deliver a powerful whip kick.
Her thoroughly trained, slender yet taut jade-like leg shot toward his face with piercing intensity.
Result.
With a sharp smack, her ankle was caught in his hand.
"Good timing, but you're still too naive."
"Let me go."
Claire spoke coldly, but Mahiro paid no heed, instead slowly lowering his gaze as he chuckled: "Miss Claire, don't say I didn't warn you—next time you wear a skirt, especially a short one, avoid high-kick movements."
"Also, while black is a nice color that suits you well, it's not really appropriate for someone your age."
"Bastard!"
Mahiro released his grip, and Claire immediately withdrew her long leg, clutching her skirt tightly with both hands, her flushed cheeks radiating sheer humiliation and fury.
So overwhelmed with shame and anger that she completely forgot her younger brother was still submerged in the river...
No, perhaps she was doing it on purpose.
However, when she thought about attacking again, her instinct was to kick, but remembering her earlier posture and Mahiro's warning, she refrained from using her legs.
Instead, she focused entirely on swinging her longsword.
"..."
Cid continued struggling in the river, but when he realized no one was paying him any attention, he quietly surfaced.
Seeing the two engaged in combat on the riverbank, he silently climbed onto land, sat down with crossed arms, and quietly observed.
Cid wasn't particularly concerned about Mahiro teasing Claire.
After all, during their previous training sessions, he'd secretly teased his foolish older sister himself.
In fact, having someone who could openly keep this troublesome girl in check was rather convenient for him.
Though it must be said, Claire's stamina was truly impressive.
She had been swinging her sword from morning until evening without even stopping for lunch, demonstrating remarkable dedication.
Even the maid who came to call them for dinner, upon seeing the young lady's intense focus, didn't dare interrupt and quietly withdrew.
When Claire's parents learned about this, they were overjoyed.
They had finally found an excellent teacher capable of instructing Claire!
By evening, Claire sat at the dining table with her entire body aching, her arms almost too sore to lift, yet she still persevered through dinner.
After the day's training, she felt as if her whole body was about to fall apart.
"Damn that sadistic teacher! I'll make you pay someday!"
Claire viciously cut her steak as if the plate contained not beef, but Mahiro herself.
Yet, whenever she recalled the day's events, her face would involuntarily flush crimson, her scarlet eyes brimming with humiliated anger.
Since Claire was eating, what was Mahiro doing?
Naturally, he was preparing to leave the Kagenou residence and return to his inn to rest.
But before departing, he sought out Cid who was heading to dinner.
"Hey, Cid-kun."
"Ah, Mahiro-sensei."
Cid's face maintained that harmless, innocent smile as always.
"By the way sensei, did you need something from me?"
"Nothing much, just wanted to chat with you."
Mahiro waved his hand casually, leaning against the wall as he said: "I've been wondering—should I call you Cid Kagenou now, or would it be better to address you as Shadow?"
As he spoke, a teasing smile spread across his face.
Cid's eyes widened slightly before returning to normal, his lips curling into an identical smile.
"Heh heh heh, as expected of my destined rival."
Shedding his obedient facade and donning his chuunibyou persona once more, Cid lowered his voice in a dramatic laugh.
"My rival, what brings you here? Do you harbor some sinister scheme? Or have you grown impatient to confront me directly? Perhaps you seek to control Claire to defeat me indirectly?"
"Allow me to enlighten you—everything you've done is utterly futile! Come at me head-on with honor and try to defeat me!"
Ah, the chuunibyou syndrome.
Watching this ultimate chuunibyou teenager, Mahiro sighed helplessly and stepped forward to pat his shoulder.
"I haven't considered any of what you mentioned. I'm just thinking—if I were to tell your parents about this, or tell your sister Claire, how would they view you?"
"Student Cid Kagenou, you wouldn't want your identity as Shadow exposed before your family and the public, would you?"