Fumio had followed him with the intention of speaking to him once they reached a secluded area.
Luckily, he knew how to track Goto's stepson's phone through Kohaku's computers.
Even though he himself had suffered greatly, as an adult and their teacher, the [mage] felt it was his duty to be a support for his students.
Of all of them, Hajime worried him the most.
Unlike the others, he couldn't let off steam while he was at home.
The boy had to wear a mask, pretending everything was fine, even though he was on the verge of breaking down.
It was exhausting and unhealthy.
Luckily, Fumio had spotted the teenager leaving the house the morning after his arrival.
His phone was turned off, so the man decided to track him through his own device (thanks to Kohaku's foresight in planning for such an event), and talk to him in person.
It was a solid plan — until a doubt crept into Fumio's mind.
("The direction he's taking... could it be...? No, that's impossible.")
The [mage] desperately wanted it to be impossible. It had to be a mere coincidence that Hajime was heading toward the district where that woman lived.
And even if he was, maybe he was just going to see his friend Kaede, looking for some comfort.
Fumio convinced himself of that, and told himself he could speak to Goto's stepson another time.
But the instinctive part of the man forced him to follow the boy anyway, just to be sure.
When it was Veronica who opened the door to Hajime, Fumio still had a sliver of hope.
A hope that died pathetically when the woman waved at him with a bright smile on her face.
Anger took control of the man's heart, and he forced himself to stay calm, so as not to attract attention, before walking away.
("I should've asked who trained him before going to the Eastern District... damn it!")
His mind filled with concern, Fumio returned to the bunker, unsure how to handle the information he had just uncovered.
************************
Meanwhile, Veronica had started manipulating her apprentice a bit more.
" It's your fault. "(Veronica)
"Huh?"
" Everything that happened to you... is your fault." Veronica
The boy
had told her a few things — both to vent and to receive training that could prevent him from ending up in a similar situation again.
It still burned him, the idea that Kugutsu could destroy everything he cared about in the blink of an eye.
"I didn't come here to…!" (Hajime)
" If you came to me for compassion, apprentice, then I clearly haven't taught you enough common sense. You see, everything that happened was thanks to you and your comrades. I just hope the experience taught you that you need to learn from every source, to be ready for moments like that." (Veronica )
" Tsk. Nice way of saying I should come here more often." (Hajime)
"If that's how you want to interpret my words, go ahead. But remember ,I can teach you things your other teacher couldn't even imagine." (Veronica )
Hajime clenched his teeth in anger, but said nothing else, accepting his shishou's words as an undeniable truth.
"So, where do you want to start, to improve yourself?" (Veronica)
"I need more power! And new [spells], I can't let......." (Hajime)
Whatever Hajime, Goto's stepson, was about to say next, never left his mouth. He stopped as soon as he noticed the disappointed look on the [Omega Witch] standing in front of him.
"So much potential... such a waste, no sign of a brain at all..." (Veronica)
"Stop mocking me!" (Hajime)
"Heh, I don't think I will."
Hajime clenched his teeth and fists in anger, trying to calm down and begin something he knew he wouldn't finish.
With a deep sigh, he tried reasoning with the 40-year-old.
"What did I say wrong, Veronica-shishou?"
Of course, Veronica didn't believe for a second the boy's calm and respectful tone. In fact, she had to hold back laughter at his feeble attempt to get what he wanted from her.
"Ah, trying to butter me up now? You should've thought of that before losing your temper." (Veronica)
"I know... that's why I'm here. I can't afford to keep making the same mistakes." (Hajime)
"Finally, we're getting somewhere."
The woman stood up, moving behind the teenager and placing her hands on his shoulders.
"You're too angry, Hajime-chan. If you can't control your anger, you'll never progress beyond this point. You should've realized it by now, but I'll say it anyway: your [Grimoire], like mine, can suppress and dampen your emotions. If you want, it can do so right now. That's how we normal humans manage the power we receive — without losing our minds." (Veronica)
"H-How do I do that?" (Hajime)
"Close your eyes and picture an open faucet, connected to a leaking fountain."
Even though he felt like he was being manipulated by a monster, Hajime decided to follow his master's words.
"Slowly, close the faucet. But not all the way — we don't want you to lose your humanity, right?"
The woman's playful voice betrayed the gravity of what could happen if the 17-year-old shut the "faucet" completely. Even she didn't want to take it that far.
"I-I feel better now. Calmer, though I'm still angry and frustrated." (Hajime)
"Keep your mind focused on the faucet. Now tell me: where do you want to start, to improve?" (Veronica)
"I have no idea. I need all the powers of my [Grimoire] to..."
"Wrong answer. You need to master what you already have. Don't go chasing powers that would kill you if you can't control them."
"I don't get it. I already know how to use [physical enhancement] to..."
"Have you ever used it — or rather, focused it — on specific points, instead of just your bones, muscles, and tendons?"
"No, it seems pointless to..."
"Sigh So naive. If you enhance your sight, your smell, and your hearing, you could detect an ambush before you even walk into it. If you focused all your power into a single arm, you could take the head off a [mage] much stronger than you."
Hajime stopped to think. He couldn't deny he had thought about using his power in different ways.
It was like a new world had opened up to him — one with infinite possibilities.
"(It's true... I've never thought about varying how I use my [magic]... my body, my blood... there's so much I can still experiment with...)" (Hajime)
"From your silence, I can tell you're considering your options. You're one step closer to reaching my level, Hajime-chan." (Veronica)
"...........How much farther do I have to go, to kill Goto one-on-one?"
The [Omega Witch] actually took a moment to think before answering. She had a clear estimate of Goto's capabilities — and knew her student's well. In just a few seconds, she already had a picture of the power gap between them.
"Hmm... I'd say at least another thousand steps. It would take you decades to surpass him — assuming, of course, that you want to beat him honorably and all that crap." (Veronica)
"Scoff He doesn't deserve anything of the sort." (Hajime)
"Even if you wanted to assassinate him when his guards aren't around, it would take you years of training — and a hell of a lot of luck — to catch him off guard. That's not something you should be thinking about at your current level." (Veronica)
"I understand........."
"Good. Enough talk. It's time to train. I've been waiting a long time for your return. I missed our lessons."
Veronica took her hands off Hajime's shoulders and started walking toward the entrance of the secret room under the house.
She didn't even bother checking if Goto's stepson was following. She already knew the answer.
"I bet what you really missed were my pain faces more than the training itself." (Hajime)
The [Omega Witch] just laughed, not bothering to answer his remark.
"Shall we begin?" said Veronica.
" Gladly" Hajime replied.
Hajime began venting all his anger, throwing everything he had at Veronica in an attempt to land even a single hit. But it was pointless — with expert movements, Veronica dodged all his attacks, then tapped his chest with her index finger, causing him to spit blood and saliva from internal damage.
" Kkhhh!"
"You're full of rage and fighting blindly. That's not what I taught you. Maybe those drugs they gave you fried your brain?"
"HAAAAA! "
With a shout from the depths of his lungs, Hajime activated the technique that allowed him to surpass his limits, throwing faster and faster punches and kicks at Veronica.
"Nope. Not good enough. You need to be less... predictable — she said."
She dodged everything with ease — but then, the small droplets of blood that had fallen to the floor allowed Hajime to create three blood needles, which he sent flying toward the back of her head.
It looked like they hit — but her body vanished a second later.
" What?!"
"It's an afterimage."
A female voice whispered in Hajime's ear — and then a palm strike to his back sent him crashing to the other side of the training hall.
"Come on, I know you've got more in you."
The boy slowly stood up after the blow, taking several seconds to straighten himself properly.
"W-What was that?"
Hajime was incredibly shocked ,and frightened.
"Simple. I moved quickly, and at the same time used mana to create an afterimage. That way, I can confuse the enemy and strike from behind. Told you — I can teach you things your master can only dream of."
"A-Again…"
Said the silver-haired boy, and so they continued training for several hours until Hajime could finally return home, exhausted.
Meanwhile, back at the bunker, there was someone not at all happy about the relationship between Hajime and Omega-ranked Veronica White, known as the Scarlet Queen.
(Kamijo-san... what have you done? I just hope he doesn't become a monster like her. I can't tell Yukihime. Not yet.)
Fumio stood at a crossroads: should he keep this secret… or reveal it to the leaders of New Dawn?