"Oh? That's interesting…"
Aika's bedroom was quiet, save for the low crackle of Kousei's aura as it flared around his body. He sat cross-legged on the floor, a bowl of murky water before him. His hands were cupped around it, shoulders tense with concentration.
Focused on forcing more impurities into the water, Kousei only managed a distracted grunt in response. "Mnngh?"
His girlfriend was lying on her bed, flipping through 'Bestiary & General Supernatural' for the better part of an hour, humming and hawing at all the different species in the world.
"Found an interesting tidbit," she murmured, tracing a line of text with her finger. "Under the Youkai section, it specifically talks about how talented they are with life energy."
"Cool," Kousei breathed out, sweat beading on his temple.
He really was paying attention, but he wanted his Hatsu finished yesterday already.
"I didn't get to the cool part yet," Aika said with a deadpan expression. Then she shook her head. "Anyway, it seems like they're pretty much experts on Senjutsu. The ability to control the flow of life energy, both the user's own and the world's, whatever that means."
Kousei's aura flickered, and he redoubled his effort, still listening but not replying.
"Right under that, though… there's a note. The only known Senjutsu technique that can be learned without understanding in Senjutsu, is an ability called Touki."
His breathing hitched.
She read aloud, implication clear in her tone. "'When one's Ki overflows, it begins to leave the body, manifesting as a shroud of aura. This aura boosts all physical capabilities, improving offense, speed, and defense in one ability.'"
The Ren around Kousei snuffed out like a candle.
He slumped back, chest heaving, and stared at the sewage-like water. Then, slowly, he turned toward her.
Reaching out, he grabbed at the air like a child.
"Gimmie," he said, voice rough.
She giggled, but didn't tease him. She simply marked the page with her thumb and handed the heavy book over.
His eyes scanned the page as he took it, movements slow.
Apparently, his 'Reinforcement Magic' was already a recognized supernatural ability. He… honestly should've expected that, and he wasn't sure why he didn't.
The revelation was more grounding than panic-inducing. Humbling, but in a way that was good for him. He wasn't some anomaly working on an unseen energy. He was just… an idiot building upon the basic technique every Youkai in the book knew and probably moved on from.
"Guess I can't call it 'Reinforcement Magic'," he muttered, handing the book back. "It's just Touki."
Aika sat up, stretching her arms over her head. "You can still call it whatever you want. Senjutsu is a broad term, like 'Magic'. That description doesn't say anything about all that other stuff you're doing with it. As far as I'm concerned, this is your branch of Senjutsu."
He considered it. "Touki Magic, then? Like… the advanced version of Touki?"
She snorted. "Eh. Maybe 'Touki Arts'? Since it's still a physical power system. Like a martial art."
He hummed, mulling it over in his mind.
'Touki Art: Ten. Touki Art: Ren. Touki Art: Zetsu'
A smile touched his lips.
"I like it," he eventually said. His grimoire, er, Sacred Gear, materialized in a shimmer of golden motes. The words Reinforcement Magic blurred and reformed, replaced with Touki Arts.
It felt… right. Acknowledging the root ability, while claiming his own path with it.
"How's it going, by the way?" she added, nodding towards the murky water bowl.
His smile widened. "Really well, I think." He dismissed [Erudite Scholar]. "Turns out, writing down every single principle and technique in excruciating detail makes my talent with it skyrocket. I'm probably a one-in-ten-million talent, now."
She raised an eyebrow, likely not understanding why he specifically said those numbers, but he wasn't going to elaborate.
He'd filled pages with Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu. Then, after he was satisfied, he moved on to the advanced applications. 'Gyo' for a focused sight. 'In' to make his aura invisible. 'En' for a radar field. A completed 'Shu' to coat objects. 'Ko' for an all-or-nothing strike. 'Ken' for a greater defense. 'Ryu' for a far better control of his aura.
Then [Erudite Scholar] did the rest.
While he wasn't an expert in each technique, he could confidently pull them off without straining himself or struggling.
In just a few hours of knowing how his Sacred Gear worked, his control over his Touki was astronomically better than before.
"My most desired Hatsu might take a while to finish," he admitted. He'd told her about Hatsus, even if his only explanation was 'seen it in a manga once, it might work'. "But I have another design that uses purely my Conjuration affinity, so… I should have it nailed down within the week."
If he had [Erudite Scholar] alone, he would be… alright. It would turn him into a shittier, poor man's Batman.
But with his Touki Arts as an amplifier?
The world truly wasn't ready.
-=[DxD]=-
"Why are we in the forest, again?"
Tall trees surrounded them, filtering the late afternoon shadows into patterns on the mossy ground.
It had been multiple days since the Stray Devil incident at this point. And it was finally time to attempt something he'd been anticipating for a while.
"Didn't want you accidentally cracking the floorboards," Kousei replied, checking the grass for loose rocks or roots. "Figured we might as well get some scenery while we do this, too. You like the outdoors, right?"
"Don't try and change the subject, you're not nearly smooth enough for that," she snapped, then looked apologetic, hugging herself. "Sorry, sorry. I'm just nervous. I mean, I saw you poke a hole in concrete like it was wet paper with your 'Ren'. I really don't want you touching me while that thing is on."
He stopped checking the ground and walked over to her. Rubbing her back gently, he looked her in the eyes. "Relaaaax. My control is a hundred times better than it was even yesterday," he said reassuringly. "My Sacred Gear is cheating, remember?"
She gave a brittle smile, clearly appreciating the small humor even while still nervous.
Seeing that words wouldn't get through to her, he gently guided her to sit down on a soft patch of grass in the center of the clearing. He knelt behind her, placing a warm, steady hand flat against the center of her back.
"Just… breathe," he murmured, voice low. "Don't tense or do anything. Just in… and out…"
Their goal was clear.
The books Rias had given him laid out the simple hierarchy: Low-Class, Mid-Class, High-Class, and Ultimate-Class.
From what they could tell, to have any hope of being taken seriously as their own faction, they would have to be Ultimate-Class at the minimum. Thus, Project Haven gained an Objective Zero:
Become strong enough to not be stomped on.
And in lieu of that objective, Kousei intended to unlock Aika's Touki.
He focused, pulling out a steady, controlled stream of energy. Similar to Water Divination, he let his aura hover, attempting to spark her energy into existence with the flame of his own.
Nothing happened.
He frowned, concentrating harder. Yet still, nothing happened.
"Maybe… the fabric's interfering?" he mumbled, more to himself than to her. "Blocking the–"
Before he could finish the thought, Aika moved. In one motion, she yanked her shirt over her head, then reached back and unclasped her bra. She tossed both garments aside onto the grass, leaving her upper body bare.
Kousei blinked, his train of thought derailed. A faint blush crept up his neck, despite the fact he'd seen her naked multiple times at this point.
"I– that wasn't really necessary, but…" He shook his head, forcing his focus back. "Sure, okay."
He placed his hand directly on the skin of her back. Closing his eyes, he summoned Ren and pushed.
Yet still, nothing.
His life energy was definitely leaving his body, but it was like trying to pour water into a bucket with a hole in it.
"Interesting," he muttered.
"What's wrong?" Aika asked, voice still a bit tight.
"It's not working, but I'm not sure why not," he admitted. "I mean, it worked like this–"
"–in that manga you read?" Aika finished, a hint of exasperation in her tone. "Listen, babe. That manga, clearly, had good ideas. But this isn't whatever power system you're basing all of your information on. This is reality."
She… was right.
Kousei bit his lip, his frustration dimming as he considered that. Clearly, his understanding of Touki was middling at best, and he needed to find the difference between it and Nen.
The fact that Touki could be seen by mundane people was an indicator they were similar, but still different.
He considered everything he knew about Touki, mostly from the facts he learned in this life, and not the ones he learned from Hunter x Hunter.
The Bestiary's description came to mind. 'Touki… the physical manifestation of Ki as a shroud… an overflowing of life energy…'
Overflowing…?
That was it.
A new idea clicked into place.
"One more thing to try," he said. "Just… tell me if it hurts, okay?"
He placed his palm back on her skin. This time, he didn't just call upon Ren. He called upon another technique.
"Touki Art: Shu," he whispered.
A thin film of white aura seeped from his palm, wrapping around her body like a second skin. Unlike Nen, this world required an overwhelming amount of life energy before you could even summon it. As if there was some blockade stopping it from coming to the surface, and could only be summoned by pushing through with overwhelming force.
But once the 'door' was open, so to speak, then she could hopefully do it herself.
"This might feel weird," he said. "But try and bear with it."
Slowly, he began ramping up the enhancement. The white film on her skin brightened. He was using his power to fuel her own, amplifying her life energy up to eleven.
Aika gasped.
"K-Kousei…" she breathed, voice shaky.
"Almost there," he grunted, maintaining his intense focus. He could almost feel it, the pressure building up within her, slowly pushing against the door to reality. "If you can feel it… push."
And then it broke.
With a sound like a sigh of wind, a haze of pale, silvery white energy erupted from Aika's skin, rebuffing his own energy. It flickered unsteadily, not nearly as bright or as dense as Kousei's, but it was unmistakably hers.
"Whoa…" she breathed, staring down at her hands.
Kousei watched as all the nerves in her face and body slowly melted away, leaving only a pure, awe-struck wonder on her face.
He loved that look on her, too.
Then he watched it slowly morph into a familiar, mischievous look that he didn't hate, but knew he wouldn't like whatever she was about to.
"Aika, wait–"
It was too late. With a giggle that was pure delight, she pushed off the ground and launched.
The silvery aura flared around her as she soared upwards in a clean arc. Somehow, she landed with finesse on the thick branch of a nearby tree, ten feet up. She wobbled for a heart-stopping second, but then steadied herself.
Kousei gaped as she pushed off again, becoming a silver blur against the green canopy. Hopping from branch to branch, whooping with sheer joy as she did so.
The forest echoed with her laughter.
His eyes slowly drifted from her fading form to the discarded pile of clothes on the grass. Her bra resting on top of her crumpled shirt.
A slow, dawning horror washed over him.
His girlfriend, the love of his life, was currently tree-hopping through the forest like a character from Naruto.
Half-naked.
While her unstable, flickering Touki burned through her limited reserves like a wildfire.
With a sigh of profound, fond exasperation, Kousei bent down, scooped up her clothes, and stuffed them under his arm. His own Ren ignited around him in a burst of white blaze.
"You are such a pain in my ass, Aika!" he shouted into the trees, a grin breaking through his annoyance.
Then he pushed off, the ground cratering slightly as he shot into the canopy after his wayward, half-dressed, superpowered girlfriend.
-=[DxD]=-
Nearly a week had passed since their training and studying began.
The frantic chase through the forest days before had ended with a laughing, breathless Aika collapsing in his arms, her fledgling Touki completely spent. The subsequent 'don't do that ever again' lecture had been undermined by the fact he'd been grinning the whole time.
At one point, Kousei finished his Hatsu. It wasn't the main one, but it was useful, at least.
Aika had learned the basics, and had even grown fond of the advanced technique Gyo. Honestly, she might be somehow better at it than he was. The Water Divination test revealed she was a Manipulator, which she was not happy about.
Something about the name didn't sit right with her, but it was what it was.
Now, they stood in the echoing silence of something new.
The key to the luxurious apartment Rias had provided as compensation finally sat in Kousei's pocket. The door was open, revealing a place that was clean and polished, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a stunning, postcard-perfect view of Kuoh's skyline.
The afternoon sun streamed in, illuminating… absolutely nothing.
They stood in the entrance, a single box of Kousei's most essential belongings in his hand. Aika held a similar box with mostly more of Kousei's things, and a few contributions of her own.
The sheer scale of the emptiness was daunting.
Kousei hummed, scratching the back of his head as he looked around the barren living room. Somehow, he'd forgotten that apartments usually didn't come pre-furnished.
He looked down at Aika, who was not looking back up at him.
"Hey," he said, a bit of hope mixed with amusement in his voice. "You ever get good at The Sims? I saw you playing it that one time…"
Without looking away from the void of his apartment, she replied instantly, voice flat. "I am just as clinically, tragically shit at interior decorating as you are."
The hope died. Now he was just amused at the absurdity of it all.
Two supernaturally empowered teenagers, one of whom had defeated a monster days before. Who had managed to face down and negotiate with a literal Devil, and who had even developed powers likely never seen in this world…
Defeated and brought low by the idea of furnishing an apartment.
He let out a long, slow breath, the sound echoing in the empty apartment.
"Well," he muttered, voice as dry as dust. "...shit."