The next day, in the afternoon.
Under a bridge where few people ever went.
Fumiya Jin glanced around, made sure no one was there, and then drew his tachi, preparing to test his newly acquired skill.
The reason he'd chosen to switch to this spot was, of course, because the sword marks he'd left in that little park before were too conspicuous. If he went back, it would be bad if he got caught for destroying public property. Not good at all.
At this moment, Fumiya Jin gripped his tachi and began to execute an Iai slash towards the water's surface...
At a normal speed, charging a 1.0 slash would take about three seconds.
This time, however, he activated "Sharpness Combustion" the moment he began charging.
"Cling—"
Almost instantly, the tachi in Fumiya Jin's hands flashed with a blue light.
The charge was complete!
He immediately unleashed the 1.0 slash diagonally downwards at the water's surface.
"Swish—Swish—"
A cross-shaped slash was formed almost instantaneously. Two blue arcs of sharpness cut forward.
They immediately sliced into the water's surface, carving a cross-shaped trench in the water...
...
Of course, the trench was quickly filled by the surrounding water.
But Fumiya Jin could feel that the power of this strike wasn't diminished in any way compared to a truly charged Iai slash 1.0.
"So it really is an instant cast, huh?" Fumiya Jin was slightly excited.
Then, he checked his Controllable Sharpness gauge in his mind...
It had consumed about a tenth of the bar, dropping from nearly full to somewhere in the high eighties.
And based on Fumiya Jin's previous estimates after obtaining Sharpness points... a full Orange Sharpness gauge was probably about 100 points of Controllable Sharpness.
Previously, it was 20 to go from no Sharpness to Red, and 50 to go from Red to Orange.
Therefore, instantly casting a 1.0 slash consumed about 10 points of Controllable Sharpness.
"The cost really isn't low..." Fumiya Jin sighed.
If a 1.0 slash, which only needed 3 seconds to charge, cost 10 points.
Then a 2.0 slash, which took over 10 seconds, would conservatively cost at least thirty or forty points.
As for the 3.0 slash he had yet to unleash... wouldn't that cost nearly a hundred points?
And there was another crucial point—after consuming Sharpness, even though the move itself would still benefit from the current sharpness level, the subsequent deduction of Sharpness points would likely cause the weapon's sharpness level to drop.
In other words, he could start with Orange Sharpness, but after a few Iai slashes, it would revert to Red Sharpness, and a few more would revert it to no Sharpness—back to a blunt weapon state! Wouldn't that be a disaster?
So, the cost of an instant charged attack was quite high.
If he wanted to use it as a regular combat tool, he would need...
Sharpness.
A massive amount of Sharpness.
More, more...
Fumiya Jin sheathed his tachi and looked toward the distant sky.
His previous pace of collecting Sharpness had been too slow, too passive.
After all, his own personality was too calm, too decent. Unless an opportunity presented itself, he rarely went out of his way to act like a scoundrel or be shameless.
For the future of his Samsara Squad, so they could become stronger, to better protect the girls he cherished... Did he really have to try harder?
As he thought this, Fumiya Jin's gaze gradually hardened with resolve.
This isn't for me, it's for everyone!
If I don't descend into hell, who will?
...
Back at his front door.
The figure he was expecting hadn't appeared yet.
But Fumiya Jin wasn't in a hurry. He opened the door, stepped into the entryway, and changed his shoes.
Shiina Mashiro's shoes were still by the entrance. It was clear this little freeloader kitten had no intention of leaving.
He had no idea what was up with her family, letting a girl so naive and delectable wander around outside on her own.
Fumiya Jin walked into the living room and saw no one. Even the things on the table didn't show any signs of having been moved.
So he went upstairs to Shiina Mashiro's guest room and opened the door... and was slightly surprised.
He saw Shiina Mashiro lying on the bed, leaning against the headboard, holding a digital tablet and drawing.
When the door opened, she did him the courtesy of looking up at Fumiya Jin for a moment before lowering her head to continue drawing.
If that were all, it wouldn't have been surprising.
After all, Shiina Mashiro had always been this aloof.
The problem was... what she was wearing was not quite right.
At this moment, she wore fluffy white cat ears on her head, a pink spaghetti-strap dress, and a pair of white over-the-knee socks on her fair, slender legs.
Because she was sitting leaning against the headboard, her legs were slightly bent and resting on the bed.
Her two delicate, petite, white-stockinged feet had their toes lightly touching, swaying unconsciously as the girl focused on her drawing, making them exceptionally eye-catching.
"These clothes..."
Fumiya Jin felt they looked familiar, as if he'd seen them somewhere.
He glanced around and quickly understood.
He saw an open cardboard box placed against the wall not far from the door.
Inside the box, a few transparent bags had been opened, but more than half of them were still neatly sealed inside.
Weren't these the clothes he'd ordered online?
The delivery was faster than he expected, arriving in just a day?
"You brought the package up?" Fumiya Jin raised an eyebrow. "Why are you wearing it?"
Hearing this, Shiina Mashiro looked up, her expression matter-of-fact. "You said you were buying me clothes... Weren't these for me?"
Fumiya Jin was slightly taken aback.
Well, when you put it that way...
Yesterday, when Kei-chan caught him admiring the moon, he had indeed said something like, "I'm measuring her body so I can buy her clothes."
But he'd just said it offhandedly at the time. He hadn't expected Shiina Mashiro to take him seriously.
"Emmm... I guess it's not wrong for you to interpret it that way," Fumiya Jin considered for a moment.
He'd bought several sets anyway, so letting Mashiro wear one didn't seem like a big deal.
Besides...
The outfit actually suited her surprisingly well.
After all, Miss Shiina herself had a very unique aura—languid, aloof, exuding the air of a cool, detached cat.
And her figure was quite slender and delicate, inspiring a desire to protect her, like a little kitten.
Combining these two aspects... the outfit was a perfect match for her.
Not to mention her legs were thin and beautiful, her feet small and cute, and her compatibility with the white thigh-highs was maxed out.
As Fumiya Jin watched, he felt a strange impulse.
He wanted...
to farm some shamelessness points and contribute to the future of his Samsara Squad!
Thinking this, Fumiya Jin's eyes instantly filled with determination.
He gently closed the door, walked to the side of the girl's bed, slipped off his slippers, and climbed onto the bed, coming to her side.
He first glanced down at her digital tablet.
She was drawing an illustration, likely for Your Name.
"Not bad," Fumiya Jin praised her.
"Mm," the girl responded flatly, not even turning her head.
She had no reaction to Fumiya Jin climbing onto the bed and suddenly getting close, as if she didn't care at all.
Her eyes were focused intently on the drawing, and the stylus in her hand never stopped moving.
But a few seconds later...
Suddenly.
Her pen paused slightly.
_____
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