2 A Swordswoman and Making Progress

I went to stand to greet her - after all, strong people should be shown a certain level of respect. But Ddraig spoke up, stopping me.

[She's strong. Her Senjutsu is, quite frankly, absurdly strong for a human,] he trailed off into a frustrated hum before continuing, [Her Ki is tainted with murderous thoughts as well. She wishes to hurt people, to kill them. She is also ashamed of this side to herself and it's causing quite the split on her mental health.]

'...I'm surprised you can get that much off a simple look, Ddraig. Even more surprised you know what mental health is,' I chuckled mentally, feeling the indignation pouring off of my new partner in crime.

Ddraig huffed, [Of course I know about mental health. Psychological attacks can be just as devastating as physical ones. So, I studied humans and the other supernatural races for a few centuries - my insight on how these races work is probably one of the best out there.]

'Hmm, good to know,' I said, finding it surprisingly funny that the dragon in my head could second as a therapist if he wanted to. The thought of Ddraig with mini-spectacles hanging off the edge of his snout while talking to someone lying down on a couch filled my mind and I restrained myself from laughing as the purple-haired beauty arrived next to me.

I looked up at her, scanning over her body - obviously because she had an absolute bombshell of a body, sure, but also because I could sense the power hidden in her toned frame.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met, I'm Saeko Busujima, President of the Kendo Club," she gave me a rather traditional bow, showing her ties to tradition born from her family no doubt, "I'm also the class rep, so, if you need anything you can come to me and I'm sure I can fulfill your needs," she said, and I didn't miss the double entendre alongside a flash of something in her light blue eyes which travelled up and down my body just as mine did to hers moments ago.

Nodding, I gave a reply, "Issei Hyoudou. I'd like to say I'm new but I've been here for a few months and yet I've not seen you once, Busujima-san. If you have such important positions, how come I haven't seen you?" I asked her curiously and as polite as I could manage.

Thankfully, she didn't get upset with the way I worded the question and instead seemed energized by my interest, "Oh, well, I've been touring Japan over the last two months. Kendo tournaments and such. That should explain why you haven't seen me around - I'd have surely came up to you already if I'd been here the day you transferred," she smiled, her pink glossy lips spreading into a ravishing smile.

...There was no doubt in my mind that there was interest and attraction between the two of us. Alas, however, that would have to wait. For now, at least.

"Have any fun?" I asked, smirking as I already knew the answer. If these were ordinary Kendo tournaments, she'd have been bored out of her mind. I remember the times this body entered normal martial arts tournaments - they were mind-numbingly boring.

The only way you could ever have fun in those tournaments was if you ran into someone like us, and I'd been all over Japan, to nearly every tournament I could enter, and I'd not found a single abnormal human like myself. So I can only guess it was the same for Saeko and people like us were truly rare.

A flash of frustration went through her pretty eyes before she gave a wry grin, "It was...a learning experience. At least I gained some money out of it," she said, though I could easily see she cared very little for the monetary gain winning gave her.

She wanted a proper fight, not money.

"If you wish, we can spar after school. I've been meaning to find a strong opponent and you're strong," I ran my hand through my wild mane of hair, scratching at my scalp as I spoke and got straight to the point - there was no need to beat around the bush. Saeko seemed surprised at the offer and a flash of suspicion entered her expression, but I squashed that as soon as it appeared, "Do you think I'm not strong enough to spar with you, Busujima-san?" I asked before placing my hand palm down on the desk.

Her suspicion was based on whether I was strong enough to spar her. She probably had a feeling I was strong...but she obviously didn't trust her instincts fully just yet.

So, I had to prove myself.

The next second, I exerted myself, pressing down with a sizable amount of strength before stopping and pulling my hand back from the thick desk: A vivid handprint was left. Yet, oddly enough, the rest of the desk was fine.

My explosive strength and the speed at which my muscles can contract is as far away from a normal human's as an ant's strength is to a normal human. But not just that, my control is just as absurd.

Even with no real training, my natural abilities put me on the same level as people who spend decades and decades training their control over their own strength. If I were to actually put in effort like I was planning to? Who knows what my limits will be.

Saeko looked to the desk, a subtle shock working it's way across her face before disappearing and being replaced with a not-so subtle excitement.

Her pink lips trembled ever so slightly, her bountiful breasts doing just the same thing. Images of our fight no doubt going through her head and leaving her in a genuinely excited state.

What a woman.

I cared not that she had Senjutsu, or that it was apparently absurdly strong for a Human. Nor did I care that she wished to hurt people and kill them - what kind of man, no, what kind of fighter would I be if I let that deter me from a fight? A cowardly one, of course. If she wanted to hurt me, she'd better be prepared to get hurt back ten times as viciously.

I restrained the utterly demonic smile that threatened to split my face in two before it could even appear. I didn't want to scare anyone, after all.

"Is that good enough, Busujima-san?" I asked, an amused smile on my face.

She nodded before her words could even make their way out of her mouth but she spoke nonetheless, "Yes. Yes, it is. I'll see you after school in the Kendo club room," she said, a little bit breathless, before she turned and walked away.

A scent hit my nose and my amused smile continued onward - she was a little wet after seeing my strength. No doubt also because of my Hanma bloodline.

Women are attracted to strength. It's the basics of the basics. Strength signifies a worthy mate.

And who could possibly compare to me from a genetic standpoint? A Hanma AND a Hero? Plus the holder of a Longinus which holds one of the two Heavenly Dragons?

Chuckling slightly to myself, I pushed Saeko's sexual arousal out of my mind as I leaned forward, resting my chin on my propped up hands - I went back to thinking about ways to train my body and achieve further strength. This body had so much untapped potential it felt like a crime that the past Issei hadn't seriously trained for even a single second.

Well, we'll soon change that~

. . .

Stretching my arms, I felt the joints crack, filling me with satisfaction as I warmed up the muscles throughout my body with a bit of light exercise.

Saeko was doing the same thing, swinging a bokken in a deliberately slow manner.

Speaking of her, she'd changed out of her school clothes before I arrived and was now wearing a hakama and an assortment of other traditional clothing, including white tabi - basically divided socks. They're used for when you wanna wear sandals and socks.

...Pretty heretical but whatever.

Either way, because everything was in an anime-style, even in the baggy clothes, Saeko looked absolutely wonderful. The 'baggy' clothes still couldn't hide her prodigious bust or her wide hips or her bubble butt. Anime really shits on tradition, huh? Turning such an outfit into something so sexy should be illegal...but I'm glad it isn't!

[Are you sure about this, Issei?] Ddraig asked for the umpteenth time and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes because Saeko was glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

'Yes, I'm sure,' I gave a concise answer, 'What are you worried about anyway? It's unlike you to be so timid.'

That seemed to rub him the wrong way, [I'm not being timid!] he growled, seeming genuinely angry, [I'm just being the voice of reason you muscle-bound fighting maniac,] he huffed, his tone harsh. But when he continued, his voice was much calmer, [But she can sense the utterly monstrous amount of Ki and Mana you hold within yourself. If she thinks you can control it, this 'spar' may evolve into something you can't handle as you are and you will be injured.]

'Injured?' I asked, exasperated, 'Ddraig, my friend, ol' buddy ol' pal, I doubt I'd be injured if a car ran me over. I have full knowledge of what someone with Senjutsu is capable of but I doubt she'd use anything of the lethal variant while we're on school grounds. Even if she did, I'm sure I can survive one attack before telling her to stop. If I feel the need anyway...I want to see how raw power measure up against metaphysical energies like Ki.'

I heard Ddraig sigh but he didn't say anything else. I did feel him prepare to boost my power at anytime, however.

A nice sentiment, but an unneeded one.

I came out of my thoughts and conversation just in time, as Saeko turned to me, a light flush to her face which signaled that she was fully warmed up.

"Are you ready, Hyoudou-kun?" she asked, a quaint smile on her face.

Nodding, I placed my bare foot on the mat in the center of the room, "Yes, I'm ready. A pure fight with just physical power?" I asked, gaining a surprised look from her.

She motioned to herself, "...You know about 'that' side of things?" she asked, referring to the supernatural. I gave a nod and she actually let out a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you admitted it so readily, Hyoudou-kun. I was beginning to think you were asking for a duel for some ulterior motive and that's why you didn't address my Senjutsu. But it turns out you were just being polite. I feel embarrassed for all that I thought now," she admitted, a faint blush darkening the flush that was sprinkled across her unblemished cheeks.

"It was hardly the place to bring up the supernatural," I shrugged - we'd been in a classroom, after all - before smiling wide, "I'm new to the world of the supernatural, so let's just use our physical bodies and technique. Deal?" I asked, once more. This time, she smiled widely.

"Of course. Even if I wished for more, we couldn't do it at school," she confirmed, causing me to smirk.

'Told you so, Ddraig.'

[...] he was silent but that already spoke louder than any words he could've used to rebuke or grumble with.

Cracking my knuckles, I stepped further into the center of the club room. It was quite a large one, but that made sense - it was converted from two unused classrooms and it was used by dozens of students, so it was bound to be made as spacious as possible. The mats that spanned from one side to another were different in places. Specifically around the edge of the room, there was a softer mat, and toward the center, the mat was harder, firmer.

The mat around the edge was for observers while the mat in the center was for fights.

The mat in the center was a rectangle, about four or five meters long and three meters across. A decent size for a kendo match.

As soon as she stepped onto the mat, Saeko's whole aura changed. I didn't need Senjutsu to sense it. She was just suddenly different. Sharp, like an unsheathed sword. It was a dangerous aura. It sent tingles and goosebumps across my skin.

She held her bokken in front of her, both hands on the handle, holding it tight enough to turn her knuckles bone white.

I just walked forward, my hands at my sides.

How to open the fight...Hm, that would be a decent start. Would take away her reach advantage. How did Baki do it again? Relaxing the legs...right?

I stopped, crouching somewhat as I let the tension sap away from my legs. I completely relaxed them, using that superior muscle control I was talking about earlier. With no strength to support my weight, I began to fall to the ground but I ignored that - instead, I focused. Harder than I'd ever focused on anything in either of my lives. I pushed the relaxation of my leg muscles even further, making them feel like they were melting, unraveling. Like loosening a guitar string.

Time slowed down so that my falling was going at a snail's pace. Still, Saeko's eyes widen slightly in shock as she saw me falling - her reaction speed and perception are indeed quite high.

Still, I focused. Harder. Deeper.

The forced relaxation continued until I felt like my muscles were sloshing around in my legs, only kept in there by the skin surrounding them. My instincts, roared to life, telling me I'd done enough. I'd unlocked the secret.

...This bloodline of mine is monstrously talented, isn't it? First try, no prior training...and yet I succeed. So many people would cry blood after finding this out.

Not that they would for a while, anyway.

My concentration and focus reached a level beyond what I thought possible, and that's when I flexed my leg muscles. They snapped back into place with ridiculous force and momentum and I pushed off the mat below me and simply...appeared in front of Saeko. Her eyes widened in surprise but also in joy as she lifted her bokken to block the axe kick I sent down toward her.

Could I be classified as a Hanma if I didn't try an axe kick at least once? The answer would be no. I'd be a fake Hanma. A shitty one.

What had I just done? Cockroach dash. The ability to accelerate instantly, to your top speed.

A rather potent ability, one which would allow me to take people by surprise in the future just like I had Saeko. The drawback of relaxing my muscles and falling would soon disappear if I practiced and perfected it as well. I might even be able to improve it with the use of energy in tandem with physical prowess.

The very thought filled me with excitement and a thrill for the future but right now I had to focus on the fight at hand instead of the future.

My heel connected with the wooden sword, which surprisingly didn't shatter on impact - no doubt due to Senjutsu - and Saeko replied to my attack with a blindingly fast slash after pushing against my heel and throwing me off balance.

Both her push and slash were filled with a heaviness that belied her slim arms but that only made it better. I'd be disappointed if her only strength was technique and Senjutsu.

My other foot still on the ground, I pushed against it and in a display of brilliant gymnastic talent, I back flipped over the slash, landing gracefully and shot back toward Saeko, a brutal knee aimed at her core. Her balance wouldn't allow her to dodge - or at least it shouldn't have. Because she dodged the knee, pivoting twice and appearing at my side where she sent an equally brutal thrust toward my ribs.

A happy smile spread across my face - she was better than I'd ever hoped she'd be.

I slammed my elbow down on the bokken, slamming it downward and toward the ground. Saeko, her eyes wide in shock at my strength, couldn't stop the sword from it's descent and was woefully unprepared for the spinning heel kick I sent toward her.

The momentum and power of the kick was so much that I was sure it's break a boulder in half, easily. The very air itself screamed and roared, being torn asunder and split in half as my leg moved.

All Saeko could manage was a hasty block, holding on for dear life as the kick hit her bokken.

The collision sounded more like two metal blocks clashing than a foot made of flesh impacting a wooden sword but that was a testament to both of our strengths, I guess. Saeko held on, her sword not moving toward her at all, but the kinetic energy couldn't just dissipate into nothing, so she was sent skidding across the floor for a few meters.

I settled back into a neutral stance, turning to look at Saeko was standing up herself. Her eyes were ablaze with battle lust - it only made her look that much more gorgeous. I was quickly becoming enamored with her and I soon decided something:

I'd make her mine. Body, soul and mind. All mine.

Strong men need strong women. They go hand in hand. And I could tell there was more to Saeko than what she was showing right now.

I had a slight edge in terms of pure physical ability but her technique was much more refined and versatile. Her Senjutsu would no doubt be stronger than her physical prowess as well. But still, there was more to her than just that--

[She has a Sacred Gear, partner. I don't know which one...but it's strong. Might be Longinus,] Ddraig, perhaps sensing my thoughts, spoke up and it made all suddenly made sense.

She had a Sacred Gear and that's why she smelled strong to me. Maybe I'm a walking Sacred Gear sensor? Besides that, though, I could tell she had more untapped potential to excavate. She just needed the right training and the right pressure to advance onward. I could easily fill in for the latter.

Saeko took a deep breath, pulling her sword up and settling into a stance, "How about we finish this in one move?" she asked, her voice light but filled with a vivid and almost palpable excitement, "I know I said I wouldn't use Senjutsu at the school...but one attack won't hurt. Beside, this room has been enhanced with Senjutsu by me, so I don't see it breaking," she informed me before her gaze got much more serious, "I won't aim for a death blow but you could get injured. Pull out now if you don't want that."

I could sense Ddraig urging me to just back off and go train but I scoffed at the very thought of running from such a thrilling fight.

"Pull out of this fight? Never. I haven't had such fun in ages," I grinned savagely, a smile soon mirrored by Saeko as I continued, "Same goes for you. If you get injured, it's on you, Busujima-san," I warned her. I was really gonna go all-out in this one attack.

Saeko tightened her grip on the bokken and her eyes sharpened - that was answer enough.

Doing the cockroach dash once more, I shot forward toward her. Already my efficiency and speed with the technique had improved. The time getting to the liquid relaxation stage and then snapping it back was much quicker than the first and last time I'd done it. The speed was increased as well due to me going all out.

Saeko wasn't one to be left behind, however, and shot forward with her own special footwork, no doubt backed by Senjutsu.

Her bokken glowed with a blue light, icy blue mist pouring out of the blade and surrounding it.

Danger. Absolute danger. That mist...that mist made every cell in my body shrieked. Every hair standing on end. And my reaction? My smile got even wider, stretching so much that my jaw and cheeks began to hurt.

This was it. This feeling. It was like a drug. One I was already addicted to without even knowing it. One I'd never be able to get enough of.

I called forth Ddraig, the Boosted Gear appearing on my left hand, stretching all the way up my forearm. Due to my overall body size, the gauntlet actually looked normal sized on me. Still a bit too gaudy for my tastes.

[Boost!]

The emerald gem in the center of the gauntlet lit up, a very audible voice saying 'boost' as I felt a flood of power, strength, speed and durability fill me. All at the cost of some of my stamina.

Interesting.

My muscles bulged, flexing to their limits as I threw out a punch with my now armored hand. Saeko's aura flared, the same icy mist from her sword beginning to pour out of her eyes and body as well. This was her Ki mixed with...something. Still, those thoughts left my head as pushed my fist, trying to make it quicker, fill it with a little more strength, a little more momentum as it was about to impact Saeko's bokken.

Saeko's thrust met my punch and...well, big boom. A genuinely calamitous bang, followed by a visible shockwave that shook the surrounding walls and panes of glass.

True to what she said, however, none of it broke. Senjutsu empowered materials were quite tough, it seemed. I'd have to experiment with that in the future once I gained control over my Ki.

Both of us, due to the laws of physics (though I'm surprised they even exist in this Universe), were sent recoiling backward, feet skidding across the ground, digging into the mats below. We were quite evenly matched - her Ki and Senjutsu and my boosted raw strength. We both came to a stop as we hit opposite walls, yet our eyes had never left the other person's.

I smiled, she mirrored it.

"You said you're new to the supernatural world?" she asked, disbelief flooding her tone, "I find that hard to believe yet I know you're telling the truth. What an annoying thing," she joked, sounding more annoyed that she actually did, no doubt.

She threw her bokken to the side, the wood cracking apart before exploding into splinters. No doubt because she'd used that mist energy and because of the force of my punch.

The bokken couldn't handle it, I guess.

Dispelling the Boosted Gear, I stretched, feeling a faint discomfort in my left arm - the arm that came into contact with her last attack, "We should do this more often. It's hard to find anyone worthy of fighting who actually wants to fight. I feel like I've found a kindred spirit in you, Busujima-san."

"Please, just call me Saeko. You've earned the right and I feel like I know you a little better after that fight," she smiled, that same scent reaching my nose again. She was drenched, no doubt. What a peculiar woman.

Smiling in amusement, I replied, "Then please, call me Issei," I didn't really care for the Japanese formality of calling people surnames anyway. As a westerner, it just felt odd to me.

Realization dawned on me, "Though, if I can be so forward, would you be able to teach me about Senjutsu? It's very fascinating to me," I asked, grinning as I made my way forward toward her and toward where I'd put my shoes, socks, blazer and school bag.

"Of course, Issei," she smiled, seeming excited about teaching me - or spending more time with me, I'm unsure, "I can give you a rundown on it tomorrow after school if you want?"

I nodded, bending down and putting on my socks and shoes before pulling my blazer over my torso. Picking up my bag, I looked to Saeko before remembering something and pulling out my phone - an old fashioned flip phone. Man, what a throwback...I remember when I had one of these back in my old life.

Nonetheless, I gestured to my phone as I spoke, "Do you want to exchange contact details with me? It'd be nice to have your information so we can talk."

Saeko's eyebrow quirked upward, a teasing expression coming across her face, "Are you hitting on me, Issei?" she teased, not sounding very against the idea. In fact, that wet scent hit my nose with even more strength due to how close I was to her.

"Of course," I nodded, a confident grin marking my face, "If I don't snap you up now, who knows if you'll still be available in the foreseeable future?"

The lack of embarrassment and the utter honesty and sincerity of what I said caused Saeko to pause for a moment.

A red blush worked it's way over her cheeks and up to her ears, her kissable lips curving into a smile that was halfway between sultry and bashful, "How forward of you," she sounded like she was chiding me but she still took my phone, flipped it open and put her contact details into my phone, so you know, obviously it was the right decision.

Getting my phone back, I slipped it back into my bag and then bade farewell to her.

I had no doubt what she'd be doing once I left. The arousal was practically rolling off of her in waves. Still, a woman who's strong, has potential and knows what she wants...is a brilliant woman.

Smiling to myself, I whistled to myself as I walked through the school halls. My destination?

A nearby forest so I could train a little. Ddraig did say he had methods for energy control, after all, and I was nothing if not diligent.