Shinkaidan Mansion—-
Everyone watched as Han stood there, dumbfounded. He waved his hand in the air, his eyes frantic. "Come on! Work! Why won't you work?"
Seshina analyzed Han, who slapped his palm. "Odd. I've never heard of Jugen not working before…not unless a dungeon's rules affect it."
"Just…give it a second! Jugen-Kōbisha: Hexagon Cube!"
Nothing occurred. The kids all shared a look, while Omariro remained deadly quiet. Han tried again and again, but his Jugen remained ineffective. The boy collapsed to the ground.
"Ugh, damn it…stupid thing won't work! Why now?"
Seshina put a hand on his back. "Has anything like this occurred before?"
Han shook his head. "No. Ever since I acquired this skill, it's always summoned when I call it. The only way it wouldn't work is…"
Seshina lifted an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"N—nevermind. Maybe this skill's just bugged. I'll try my second one."
Han calmed himself down. "Jugen-Kōbisha: Tekubi Sōchaku Kyūbu!"
Yet again, nothing happened.
"Oh, COME ON!"
Han flicked his wrists, but no watches appeared. Seshina took an arm in hand and examined it. "Your soul appears to be…irregular. I can't sense any trace of Jugen inside of you."
"Friend Han has no Jugen?" Sōshin questioned. "But that's impossible, isn't it?"
"It should be. Stripping a person of their Jugen requires special skills. It is not something one can do so casually."
"Are you sure it's not just some glitch?" Han wondered. "Or a mistake? A reading error, right?"
Seshina shook her head. "I do apologize, but you appear…just like any normal human. Powerless."
Han stepped back, his face in stunned surprise. "No…that can't be right…it's a joke…a dream…"
Seshina clasped her hands together. "Don't worry! With every problem lies a solution! Why don't we try to fix yours?"
She turned back towards the kids. "Children, I'd like you to continue practicing with Omariro here while I work on Han, okay?"
Before she could get a response, she grabbed Han by the arm and led him out of the room. Rika gave a look that almost resembled pity.
"You almost have to feel bad for him," Rika remarked. "No Jugen? Wow. I couldn't even imagine what that'd be like."
"Maybe that's just the weight of his actions catching up with him," Nonoka shrugged. "On the bright side, not like he can pull any more stunts."
"It'll come back, right?" Rei asked. "Doesn't Jugen always come back?"
"Who knows?" Zaria replied. "With everything he's done to himself, we can't be sure what's going on inside his body."
Sōshin approached Omariro. "Do you think Friend Han is going to be okay, Friend Omariro?"
"Boy has troubles," Omariro answered. "Only boy can resolve. Children must not concern themselves with troubles."
He tapped his staff on the ground. "Come. Must train now."
"How long do we have to continue this training?" Rika inquired. "I'm a bit sore now…"
"Children will train until nightfall. Will not leave sooner."
"Aww…" the kids groaned.
Zaria looked at them, shrugging. "I'm ready, Master!"
Omariro watched over them as they continued practicing their skills. Rei and Nonoka were practicing together, with the latter using her abilities to increase the size of Rei's moonlight beams. After one attempt, Nonoka fell and passed out.
"Oh!" Rei gasped. "I think she's unconscious, Master!"
Omariro grunted.
Zaria set up a training dummy, forming her spear and attempting to extend it from afar. A small purple spear tip emerged from the top, partially closing the gap between Zaria and the dummy.
"Getting closer," she thought. "Needa make progress, like, ASAP!"
Rika summoned two more sigils, letting them float above her hands.
〈Sigil Created: Vitality.〉
〈Sigil Created: Life Steal.〉
She merged them, and a large sigil fell from between her hands.
〈Sigil Created: Reaper. User can continuously sap strength from *all* nearby opponents and use it to recover health. Charges: *1.*〉
"That is so OP!" Rika bragged. "You see this, everyone? I'm leveling up before we even enter the dungeon!"
Sōshin walked over to her. "Great, Big Sis Rika! Can I try my Jugen on you?"
"Uh, no thank you. Why don't you try Friend Zaria? She's dying for a partner."
Zaria made an X with her arms. "Nonoka's probably open to it. She's always moving fast anyway."
Nonoka weakly made a thumbs-down gesture before her arm collapsed back to the floor. Rei looked around before volunteering. "I'll help you, Sōshin!"
"Great! Stand very still, Friend Rei!"
He touched her forehead. "Jugen-Sōunsha: Jiritsu Sharyō Henkei!"
Rei's body began to shake, and wheels formed from her feet as Sōshin caused her to speed around the room. A gust of air whistled over Omariro's head, who paid it no mind.
Sōshin continued dragging Rei's body around the dojo until she slammed headfirst into Zaria. "Oops! Sorry, Friends!"
"Ow…"
Omariro's eyes lingered on the kids, and suddenly, their bodies began to shift, changing into Shion, Mirei, Itsuki, Ichika, and all the other students.
"Hmm?"
Itsuki walked forward, bowing. "Master. How wonderful it is to see you in good health. Are you going to teach us more of your secrets?"
Ichika joined him. "Maybe we can learn a little more about who you are, really?"
Rin's arms wrapped around his neck. "Omariro Nyugawa. That's not your real name, is it?"
Renka's eyes pierced right through him. "Destroyer…"
The dojo shifted into that of a burning city, with the bodies of children, parents, and beasts scattered across the ground.
"Destroyer…"
〈Destroyer…〉
"Master? Erm, Master?"
Omariro's eyes opened, and he noticed Zaria standing in front of him. "Girl."
"Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to know, do you think I'm getting better?"
She spun her spear in her hand, thrusting it forward at one of the dummies. A purple blade extended, nearly reaching the dummy.
"Girl has improved," Omariro commended. "Must keep working."
"Sure will, Master! Thanks!"
Omariro continued watching the kids, his mind drifting in the process.
Meanwhile—-
Seshina was sitting with Han in the living room, holding both his hands inside hers. "Now, we need to find out the cause of your missing Jugen. Are you feeling emotionally overwhelmed?"
Han shook his head. "Not particularly. But even when I was, it's not like it disappeared completely, it just became harder to control."
"And there's no more corruption inside you, correct?"
"Yeah, Mr. Nyugawa handled it all after the Civil War incident. But even with that, I still never entirely lost my Jugen."
She pressed a finger to his forehead. "Let us try this. Jugen-Mahōshi: Tamashii no Kakudai."
Han's body glowed a soft grayish-black color, and he felt a calming effect inside his mind. "I feel…light."
"Try summoning the cube now."
Han opened up his palm, but yet again, nothing came of it. "No dice."
Seshina stood up, pacing for a moment. "This issue must stem from deeper than your soul. Could you tell me a bit more about when you first manifested your abilities?"
Han scratched his head. "Uh, well…I haven't been totally honest."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"I've only told Mr. Nyugawa this in the past, since the girls wouldn't hear me out and Sōshin, you know, he's too young, but this Jugen, it's not mine."
Seshina lifted an eyebrow. "What?"
"It comes from my friend, Kiyoshi Takatsukasa. He was an unlicensed Kaitansha that explored dungeons for a time, up until he stumbled onto Floor 10,000 and got himself killed."
Han looked at the ground. "Then before he died, he gave me his cube. My original Jugen skill, Eikyū Jubaku, allows me to permanently replace my skill with that of someone else's. But only once."
Seshina remained silent for a long time before responding. "Inheriting skills is something incredibly rare and largely unknown. Seeing as this is not your original class, it's no wonder you're having these side effects with your Jugen. After all, those dealings in the Kagoshima Dungeon and the Civil War would have no doubt put your body through further stress than healthy."
"I know…"
"As for your friend, I can't say his name is familiar, but it's worth looking into his background to see if that could provide any solutions."
"I…have a question."
"Yes?"
"To make money from dungeon exploration, do you have to have a license?"
Seshina nodded. "Without you in the system, there's nowhere for the funds to go."
"Wait," Han thought. "Then that would mean that…he's been lying to me?"
Seshina narrowed her eyes. "What? Do you have something to tell me?"
"N—no. Just wondering."
She placed a hand on her hip. "Alright then. I can try a few more solutions, but I'm not certain if any of them will help."
"It's fine. Anything's welcome at this point."
Dojo—-
The kids continued their practice, with Omariro in the center of it all. Zaria aimed a thrust at Rei, who used her shield to block.
Nonoka used all her energy to buff Sōshin, allowing him to run across the room fast enough to leave skid marks in the walls. Rika stood beside Omariro holding her sigil in her hand.
"This thing's so beautiful," she muttered. "I don't wanna let it go…"
"Come on, Rika!" Zaria insisted. "Join us in practice!"
"No! I'm not a fighter, remember?"
Nonoka grabbed a wooden staff off a nearby rack and flung it at Rika. "Think fast!"
"Eek!"
Rika quickly crushed the sigil in her hand just as the stick hit her. Immediately, all the kids dropped to the ground, with strange purple lines attaching from Rika's body into theirs.
"Uh, guys? Are you okay?"
A line had attached to Omariro's body as well, but he formed his blade and severed it immediately.
"Girl drains energy," Omariro noted. "Must stop."
"Sorry, sorry!"
She flung her arms around, and the connection severed, leaving the kids on the ground, exhausted. Rika gave them an awkward smile. "At least we know it works, right?"
"Maybe too well…" Nonoka moaned.
Zaria sat up, coughing. "Master? Are we ready for Kitakyushu yet?"
"Children will die."
"Master!" Rika interrupted. "You're supposed to have confidence in us!"
"Dungeon is one of hardest trials to ever exist. Dungeon will rip unprepared children to pieces at slightest mistake."
"Have you ever been inside?" Nonoka asked.
He gave her a nod. "Twice. Once alone. Once with students. Boy and girl."
Nonoka tilted her head. "Oh? Who were they? Mirei and Shion?"
"No. Children should never meet them. Dangerous. Like dungeon."
"But they survived, right?"
"Children made it out by skin of teeth."
"Well, we need to get stronger, like fast, sir," Zaria told him. "Are you sure we aren't ready to kick some dungeon ass?"
"Plus, we'll have you with us, Mr. Omariro!" Rei pointed out. "You're the strongest!"
Omariro grunted in response, but a knock at his door caught his attention. "Intruder."
Zaria got up. "I'll get it!"
She headed for the door, where Shino was waiting. "Shino? Ahem. Why are you here?"
"Well, is this a bad time?"
"Nah, not really. Why?"
"My Kaidanchō, along with the others, they wanna know if you guys are coming with us to Kitakyushu. Since it's so dangerous, most of the younger members would feel more comfortable with Mr. Nyugawa around."
"We are in the process of tryna to convince him to let us go, so…"
"Awesome!" she replied. "Only issue is…you've gotta start heading there. Like now."
"What?"
"It's about to close again. We've got less than a day to enter, level up, and clear it. Or we'll lose it again for the next five years."
Zaria slapped her forehead. "Great…"
Shino handed Zaria a letter. "This is from HQ. It'll allow you guys permission from the Director to enter Kitakyushu. Everyone is to be there within the next six hours. They want us inside before dusk."
Zaria took the letter, and as Shino walked away, she noticed Han sitting inside the living room, before turning away with a scowl on her face.
"Bye, Zaria."
"Bye."
Zaria walked back into the dojo, handing the letter to Omariro. "Sir, I've got some good and some kinda bad news."
"Speak clear."
"So, the dungeon is about to close…and they want us inside within the next six hours."
Omariro looked at her.
"Isn't this good, though? Now you don't have to worry about training us for weeks straight on end!"
Omariro stood from his spot, supporting himself with his stick. "Children have played with fire. Are children ready for consequences?"
They all nodded. "Yes, sir!"
"Then children will have to face burns. Preparations must be made."
Omariro teleported away.
"Do you all think we can really handle what's inside?" Rika worried. "I'm starting to kinda get second thoughts."
"We must," Zaria declared. "For both our sake, and Masters."
——