Eroge? Bad Ends? Betrayal? I’m Just Here to Suplex Monsters through Buildings.

From the Top Rope (3.4)

…

Neo San Kyoto, Cathay Drive, 11PM PST.

…

Apparently, with whatever happened to me, I had to deal with something new.

A combination between bloodlust and being in the zone.

While I never experienced being in the zone in my previous life, it was easy enough in this one. Born and bred to be a fighter, trained from the moment I could walk, being in the zone was a matter of survival. Higher brain function turns off, the body takes care of exercise, and the brain turns back on mid-bite of the next meal or when someone talks to you. We were taught to not fall for it in battle, to stay thinking, and to never consider battle as just exercise, because physical prowess and sheer instinct didn’t guarantee victory.

However, after hitting the first bounty for the night, I didn’t realize I’d destroyed the guy save for his head until after the fight was over.

Or, rather, until the massacre was over.

“Well, shit.” I looked around the little inlet in the alleyway. An abandoned parking area in the middle of several buildings. I evaluated the situation, took in the fact that they had some guns, and jumped in after determining how many there were. I had some rocks ready to throw, had a plan to bulldoze through them, and leapt into the fight. Next thing that I know? The mooks were pasty, blood was splattered across the ground and walls, and I held the head of my target. “That’s something.”

It was like my body just went on autopilot and smashed through the small group like it was nothing. Vaguely, I had been aware of the minor threats. I recalled making some decisions, like throwing a pebble or two to smash through the guns raised in my direction. Besides that? It was my hands going through people like wet tissue paper and bones crunching apart like crackers when I gripped them tight.

Taking the bounty’s head off was like prying the lid off an airtight jar.

I’m going to need a lot of training to deal with this.

Or, maybe, if I planned on taking them alive, it won’t work that way?

Hm.

As I thought about it, I went ahead and gathered their guns and any cash that they had on hand. Phones—I didn’t touch them since they could be tracked. After going through all the muck and blood, I got a jacket and wrapped the head up in it before leaping up onto the nearest rooftop and heading over to my next destination.

Then, I was just there looming over my potential targets.

Fucking hell, I just entered the zone just like that.

I could remember travelling, keeping out of sight instinctively, and leaving no trace thanks to my training.

However, everything else was beneath my notice.

But remembering brought everything swiftly to clarity.

This is going to take some getting used to, but I have no doubt that it is going to be an asset.

If I don’t get myself killed while getting used to it, but that was the point of all these small bounties.

With the two of us halving the bounties and the average being fifty thousand, I needed twenty bounties to hit half a million, and she’d need more to have some capital after the debt.

Plenty of time and opportunities to understand my new body.

…

Interlude: Asakura Hiyo, the Fiery Blade

…

Catherine, surprisingly, decided to remain with the clan as a retainer, while Alecia decided to attend school. Leona remained with Lady Hiyo in the mirror realm to search for a method to regain a human body.

Meanwhile, my return was a quiet affair with a rise in reputation rather than a fall.

My sudden disappearance was not due to forced pregnancy but due to me hunting down Daichi after feigning death. Then, in the process of that, I fought against devils and succeeded in banishing one. Mother said that the council of elders were the only ones who knew the complete truth, while what was disseminated was for the entirety of the clan.

After months of hiding, fighting, and killing, I was back to my regular life.

Training and working to finish the last of my classes before I was considered truly fully fledged and a master in my own right.

It was strange, like wearing clothes meant for another person.

Meeting with Alecia and Catherine, though, made things feel a bit more normal.

“Oi, over here.” Catherine waved me over. We were at the academy campus today. Ninja clans sent many of their aspirant agents to us. Every year more came, as more survived to reproduce, and slowly but surely humanity was gaining more capable defenders. “Hm, it’s still odd to be seeing you out of that skintight fetish gear you always wear.”

Since I was in my final year, I was allowed to dress as I wished. I chose a pencil skirt, modest heels, a dress shirt, and a jacket. An outfit that had me confused more than once as part of the staff. Most of my peers chose their battle gear, since they needed to grow used to wearing it for very long periods.

“Battle attire is the very height of alchemical and scientific fabrics. The protection it offers and its lightweight are without compare.” I informed Catherine, and she gave a snort. She was a magic teacher and planned on staying for several decades. Europe hoarded their magic users jealously, so Mother was more than happy to give her the position when asked. Already, Catherine was swamped with classes. Some of my peers planned on staying another year, despite the tuition, to attend just her classes. “Though I will not lie, I sometimes wish that it concealed more.”

“It’s basically shiny body paint in different colors. Latex at best.” Catherine sipped a dark brew with foam at the top and was eating a hearty meal of gravy, mashed potatoes, and sausage. Since her true nature was revealed, she didn’t cover herself with a glamour. Instead, there was an ephemeral, fae-like half-succubus with platinum hair and elvish features in the dining hall. One that wore a wrinkled dress shirt with a half-done tie in baggy pants with a cigarette pack for all to see in her shirt pocket. “And, you have all the first-years wearing high-waisted leotards. Even the lads. It’s a wonder how none of the girls are pregnant.”

“Lust suppression is one of the most important arts studied here. In this controlled environment, they receive score deductions for acting upon their lust. Better to train their tolerance here than at the hands of our foes.” Several decades ago, the uniforms and our practices were considered debauched. Many jested that we were preparing our next generation to be toys for our opponents. Then, while they continued to suffer fifty percent attrition rates, we cut ours down by half. “We also provide plenty of contraceptives and encourage healthy relations outside of school hours. Anyone trying to use status or other coercion methods is harshly dealt with. We lose almost ten percent of our male students every year due to that, but those who graduate are not beholden to their desires.”

“So, it looks like some rich fart’s delusional paradise because most guys can’t keep it in their pants. That’s hilarious.” Catherine snorted and looked over to Alecia. “Looks like you didn’t need to beat up those guys who tried to pressure you for being a vampire, little lady.”

I looked at Alecia with a raised brow.

“Some of my year tried to ostracize me and demand compensation for being inhuman. I taught them that they require power and not influence to do what they wish with me.” Her words were clipped, and she sat primly in the first-year battle gear. The pure white of the sleeved leotard with the collar and bow almost melded to her skin. “Defeating them handily earned the respect of my fellow gender. They include me, if only to see those who made those attempts fail.”

I was tempted to let it lie, to allow her to have her run of those miscreants, but we had policies in place.

It was better to not have the first years contend against such fools.

“Give me their names. They are not fit for this school.” I told Alecia simply. When she raised an eyebrow, I shook my head. “It is not a matter of me doubting your skill or ability. Such people cannot be allowed to fester here.”

“Very well. I shall provide their names. If they had tried again, which they certainly would have, I was prepared to cripple them for life.” Alecia declared before rattling off three names. I frowned. They were outskirt clans, those who tread the line between us and the rogues. Their accepted members the last four years were fine, and we had decreased sights on them for that reason. The sudden rise in activity right in the year I was supposed to be abducted and Daichi’s betrayal? There were too many coincidences. “You believe that their sudden actions are out of the ordinary?”

“Worse. In the last four years, their clans were fine. This year, with all that occurred, they suddenly start acting like this? When I was supposed to be gone, our security was compromised, and everything else happened?” I glanced around the dining hall. One moment I seemed normal, then when my heart began to race, I saw Daichi. His smile, his eyes, his hair, and other features formed on one person to another. He had many friends in school and even had a club where he gathered ‘like-minded’ men. They had been investigated, and no traces were found on them, but what if that was just a smokescreen for the incoming waves after his betrayal? “I will have them leave the school, and their clans followed.”

Catherine gave a low whistle at my words.

“Sounds like it’ll cause a bit of a political shitshow, but I guess your family has that sort of thing handled.” Catherine muttered while Alecia picked at her meal. She was eating a very rare steak and had a blood bag on her plate that lay with a straw stuck at its top. It was concealed to look like a large nutritional jelly bag, but the scent of blood drifted from it whenever she opened the top to drink. “You think these clans have anything to do with my mother or other hellish forces? Or, just working with your usual enemies.”

“I’ll tell you as soon as I find out.” I raised my phone. I acted already by telling Mother and relaying information. She greenlit the boys Alecia named getting kicked out immediately and for their clans to be investigated. Just to be safe, she was also going to inform our rival schools across the country and the world. With that settled, I looked at my own tray of food. A large salad with grilled fish laden upon it, along with a side of soup and sashimi. Catherine, as always, looked perturbed at the raw fish. I began to eat. “How have you both been settling in besides?”

I ate steadily while Catherine explained.

“The amount of talent you have gathered here would make any school back on the Isle green with envy. One graduating generation would have them jumping in joy. You’ve been churning them out for more than a decade. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll be sending how you do things back home.” I gave a nod at her praise and inquiry. It was an answer to both. We already had our data to validate our methods at the ready, as well as the methods themselves written out so that they could be applied and followed. The more people defending humanity, the better. “But I have to admit, none of them compare to Keita.”

Catherine’s casual referral to him almost had me choke on my bite of food, while I felt my eyes turn towards Alecia.

Her calm mood faltered for a moment, but she composed herself and glared at Catherine.

Catherine, who promptly stuck out her tongue and pulled down an eyelid to leer at her.

I sighed and stopped eating.

“What exactly is going on?”

“Little Miss Blood Fury doesn’t want to speak to your therapists. Thinks it’s beneath her, even though she’s handling a lot.” Catherine confessed and resisted looking away as Alecia kept glaring at her. “I’ve said my piece, little lady. Your turn to convince your guardians you don’t need help.”

Catherine hummed and looked away, while I focused my gaze on Alecia.

“I… I do not trust these therapists of yours. They are bound by mortal oaths. Should they share my concerns, weaknesses, and fears, they will not suffer any consequence beyond losing their jobs.” I blinked as her stance on the matter seemed more satisfactory than I anticipated. I thought that it was a matter of pride. “I would like to speak of such matters with Lady Hiyo. Can you ask her for times when she will be able to listen?”

“I will, and I’ll ask Mother to look into having our therapists be as bound as our physicians and nurses.” They were a new addition to our structure and still experimental. Though we hired the best that came from mortal schools, Mother wanted retired kunoichi or shinobi to take the mantle, as they would better understand the pains of those enduring the lifestyle. They were studying and soon to graduate with degrees and licenses. Thus, our current therapists were temporary and not bound. “My apologies; they’re temporary and will be replaced with supporters who know the difficulties of ninja lives.”

Alecia seemed pleased with this information, then her phone buzzed just as my request suddenly received a thumbs up from Lady Hiyo.

“It seems she is free in the afternoon quite often. I will speak with her then.” Alecia stated simply before rising and bowing. I hadn’t even noticed, but she finished her meal already. “I am off to class. Shall we meet again on the morrow?”

“I’d like that, please; if you find any difficulty, inform me right away. I’m looking for any breaches of our security.” Daichi was out there. He escaped since we defeated Catherine’s mother as the higher priority target. If he was out there, still alive and plying his trade, we needed to be vigilant. “Now, Catherine, don’t think I didn’t notice you not saying a thing about yourself.”

I looked over at her. Her plate was empty, and she was moving to leave but sighed and stopped.

“Doing well as a teacher. No one’s hitting on me. Everyone just wants to learn magic.” She sighed with practiced theatrics. “No one wants a hag like me to screw silly, since they won’t survive. My one and only shot blew himself up before he became legal and strong enough to do it. Sucks to be me.”

With that she gave me a wave, put her tray away, and moved to the smoking area.

A half-succubus filled with lust and need abstaining due to not having a strong enough partner to pair with.

No wonder she hated her mother so much.

She was living a life constantly fighting her instincts and desires.