After another grueling day of training, Shinji Akagi decided to hit the hot springs right after dinner.
Don't let the Jashin Cult fool you. Sure, they were all terrifying, bloodthirsty maniacs with zero regard for human life. But when it came to personal enjoyment and luxury? These psychopathic butchers absolutely never shortchanged themselves.
Right behind their massive hidden base was a sprawling, open-air hot spring facility.
However, Shinji had zero interest in soaking in the same water as a bunch of murderous cultists. So, he took a detour and headed for a much smaller, secluded, and highly hidden hot spring pool further up the mountain.
But when he finally arrived, the person already sitting in the water caught him completely off guard.
"Idiot Hidan?"
"Bastard Shinji?!"
Talk about enemies on a narrow road...
Shinji clicked his tongue. He looked at Hidan, who was staring back at him from the water like he'd just seen a ghost. Even though Shinji felt deeply annoyed, he didn't immediately turn around and leave.
If he walked away now, it was a guarantee that Hidan would interpret it as: 'Ha! He got scared and ran away!' That would only fuel the idiot's rampant arrogance.
And that fundamentally violated the core principles of his PUA strategy.
First, he had to force Hidan into a state of self-doubt and paranoia. Only after breaking him down could he start offering little crumbs of positive reinforcement.
If he repeated that cycle enough times, he'd eventually see results.
So, operating on the principle of 'Well, I'm already here,' Shinji completely ignored Hidan. He quickly stripped off his clothes, stepped into the water, and sat down at the absolute furthest point away from him.
Then, he let out a long, comfortable sigh of relief.
Watching Shinji enter the water and slowly close his eyes, Hidan also seemed to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
At first, he had genuinely thought Shinji came here specifically to start trouble. After all, he had personally experienced exactly how "terrifying" the bastard could be.
But looking at it now, it seemed it was just a coincidence. He had been overly paranoid.
Is this guy really just here for a soak? Tch. What terrible luck! Of all the places, I had to run into him here... Hidan thought to himself, thoroughly annoyed.
Especially when he realized that he had specifically sneaked off to this remote pool at this exact time, only to still run into this hateful bastard! It just made him even more pissed off!
The more he tolerated it, the angrier he got. The more he backed down, the more it felt like a loss.
Should they fight again?
There was really no point. The two of them beat the crap out of each other every single day; one more fight wouldn't change anything.
Besides, even if he somehow managed to win, it would be almost impossible to actually chase Shinji away.
More importantly, his plan to "enjoy a nice, relaxing soak" would be completely ruined!
So, was there any other way to win back some face and assert dominance?
Hidan thought about it for a moment, and suddenly, a brilliant idea sparked in his mind.
Right now, if I can stay in this water longer than that bastard, won't that mathematically prove that I, the great Hidan, am superior?! Hidan's eyes instantly lit up. Without bothering to inform Shinji, he unilaterally decided to initiate this completely nonsensical showdown.
Whoever taps out first is a little bitch! Hidan grinned wickedly. Even his tense muscles completely relaxed. It was a classic "spiritual victory" method.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Shinji opened his eyes, looking completely bewildered.
Why is this guy... staring at me with such a creepy, sleazy look in his eyes? Shinji frowned slightly. Don't tell me this idiot swings that way? A chill ran down his spine, and he nearly got goosebumps.
Ugh, why am I even bothering with this moron? Forget it, I'm out of here. Just as Shinji couldn't take Hidan's "passionate" stare any longer and was preparing to get up and leave, his bizarre System suddenly triggered a new mission!
He froze for a few seconds before opening his interface to check the notification.
[Mission-Bound Character 'Hidan' has issued a challenge!]
[Mission: The Hot Spring God of War]
[Objective: Endure the hot spring for a longer duration than Hidan.]
[Reward: Cursed Treasure Map x1, Cursed Soul Points x500, Bond Value +20]
[Accept? (Y/N)] ...
Motherfucker! Even though there was already a precedent for this kind of bullshit, Shinji still had an endless amount of complaints threatening to burst out of him!
Draw my fucking sword?! Are we having a sword fight in the bathhouse right now?! Believe it or not, the censorship gods will descend from the heavens and obliterate you in seconds! And seriously, what the hell was going on inside that idiot Hidan's brain?
Did he think this was a public bathhouse challenge? Or a sauna endurance contest?
Just to satisfy his bizarre, fragile male ego, he was willing to sit here until he literally boiled alive rather than get out first? He had to prove he was better?!
Are we five years old?!
[Accept? (Y/N)]
[Yes!]
Shinji accepted the mission without a microsecond of hesitation, perfectly demonstrating the Law of True Fragrance.
Complaining was one thing, but doing the mission was another. After all, he would never turn his nose up at free rewards, no matter how small!
Ah, Hidan. You truly are daddy's good boy! Shinji sighed internally.
This wasn't the first time he had managed to fleece Hidan for rewards. In fact, this trash System absolutely refused to trigger missions on literally anyone else.
Infuriating, right?
So, even though he knew it wasn't wise to pluck all the wool from a single sheep, he had no other choice. He would just have to let Hidan experience the 'Pain of the World' a little early.
With that, Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.
He was fully committed now. He was going to soak in this hot spring until the end of time, and no one was going to convince him otherwise!
Meanwhile, Hidan was secretly digging his heels in, fully intending to outlast his rival.
And so, the two of them inexplicably entered into a brutal battle of willpower!
Time ticked by...
...
It wasn't until the next morning, when Cult Leader Takiki arrived at the training hall, that he strangely realized neither Hidan nor Shinji was present.
"Where are Hidan and Shinji? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Cult Leader Takiki asked expressionlessly.
A cultist standing nearby hesitated awkwardly before replying, "Those two... are soaking in the hot springs."
"Hmm? What time is it? Why are they soaking in the hot springs first thing in the morning? Hurry up and go fetch them!"
"That's not exactly it, Cult Leader. Actually... they've been soaking in there since last night. I sent someone to fetch them a while ago, but from the looks of it, it seems those two are having another standoff. Neither of them is willing to be the first one to get out."
"Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!"
Cult Leader Takiki finally looked genuinely annoyed. He turned on his heel and marched outside, intending to see exactly what kind of ridiculous stunt these two troublemakers were pulling this time!
When he finally reached the remote hot spring, he realized a large crowd of cultists had already gathered.
Evidently, the news that these two lunatics had been boiling themselves in the hot spring for an entire night without coming out had spread, and everyone had rushed over to watch the spectacle.
"What in the world are you two doing? Why aren't you in the training hall?"
Cult Leader Takiki pushed his way through the crowd, walked up to the edge of the pool, and demanded an answer.
Honestly, being completely naked and stared at by a massive crowd of people required an incredibly thick skin and immense psychological fortitude. An average person would have caved instantly.
But clearly, neither Shinji nor Hidan were the type to give a damn about what other people thought.
One was doing it for the mission rewards. The other simply refused to lose.
So, even with the Cult Leader personally intervening and demanding they leave, neither boy made a move to get out of the water.
They both had an [Immortal Body] anyway. They could stall this out forever!