[240] Encountering Problems After Problems

Chapter 240: Encountering Problems After Problems

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The Hoshino household felt almost like a different world as we slipped into it through a portal I had opened. The familiar scent of home greeted me as I stepped out into the courtyard, Ai and Ranefer at my side. I could hear the faint chatter from around the house, coming from the exorcist girls and the tiger cubs. 

Quetzalcoatl shifted beside me, her chains clinking softly as she stretched her arms out. "Cutie, undo these, would you?" She raised her wrists, bound by the divine restraints Tezcatlipoca had slapped on her. 

Her tone was casual, but I could sense the frustration behind her words. I guessed she hated being shackled, even if she didn't say it out loud.

"Yeah, hold on," I replied, placing my hand on it and reaching into my Void Storage. Undoing divine restraints wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but this wasn't my first time dealing with this sort of thing. With some effort, I pulled the chains into my storage, feeling my Qi drain. It was not enough to be a problem, but it was still a lot.

Once free, Quku let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms above her head like she didn't have a care in the world. "Ahh, finally," she muttered and then looked around, turning to face me. "So, what's next? The world's going to hell, and we're about to see some crazy shit out there. What's your plan? You did promise to make me stronger, so I wanna move my fists already."

I frowned slightly, considering her words. She wasn't wrong. Because of the Icons that descended recently, the gods started getting serious about their power plays. I had a bunch of enemies among those said gods. I had to establish myself as a strong force to keep them at bay. I couldn't spend every day fighting one pantheon after the other, so it was high time I took this sect seriously.

"The next step is to establish a name," I said, looking at her and then the other two women. "Not for me, but for the Sect."

Truthfully, my name had spread far enough. Killing Thor, pissing off multiple pantheons, wrecking half of Vedas in one night—I'd made my point. But that wasn't enough. A single person's name alone wouldn't secure the future I was building. 

My Sect needed to rise, and that meant gaining more power, more allies, and more influence. To begin with, Nexus of Eternity wasn't just about surviving; it was about creating something that could stand the test of time. Something… bigger than me.

Well, my name, I mean. I doubted there could be anything bigger than me.

I envisioned a Sect that could rival the gods and their pantheons, with people like Ranefer and Quetzalcoatl already behind it. I wasn't stupid—I knew we'd have to fight our way to the top, and that was why we'd need even more people.

Quku raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. "A former Chief God on your payroll already, isn't that enough name backing this sect thingy?"

"Well, it helps," I chuckled, "but I need more. More like you." She scoffed, amused that I wasn't satisfied with having a literal chief god on retainer. But that was the minimum kind of influence I needed to have if I wanted to survive in the coming storm.

"You already got more," Ranefer, lounging casually beside us, chimed in with a sly grin. "Don't forget the super satan you've got hanging around~ I'm probably stronger than her at this point," she looked at Quetzalcoatl who grinned with her sharp teeth.

I looked between the two, making sure they didn't break into a fight. Regardless, she was right that I did have some heavy hitters already, but I really needed more. I had a few elders in the sect, namely Ai, Ranefer, and now Quetzalcoatl—but they weren't enough. At least double this number would do.

But before I could add something, Ranefer's gaze turned more serious. "Speaking of which, don't you think I should head back to the Underworld? My people probably need me there with everything going on."

She had a point. As much as I wanted to keep my allies close, the Underworld was in chaos. Egypt's Ogdoad wasn't a weak pantheon. Serafall and the other Satans were probably doing their best to hold things together, but they couldn't be everywhere at once.

"You're right," I admitted, nodding. "But it's dangerous down there. You sure you want to go back now?"

Her gaze flicked to me, and she sighed dramatically. "Ahhh, I really should, but I don't really want to…" She paused, her eyes locking onto mine. "Unless you're planning to come with me?"

"...." I considered it for a moment. The idea of visiting the Underworld didn't seem as meaningless as it might have in the past. Serafall could use help. I owed her at least that much for helping me during hard times. But… 

"As much as I'd like to, I can't," I said after a moment. "I've got enough on my plate here, Japan is dangerous. And I'm pretty sure Sera and Sirzechs would be happy to have me keep their sisters safe, too. Oh, and I pissed off the Norse yesterday. Pretty sure they're going to be knocking on my door any day now."

"You did what? You didn't tell me," Ai, who had been quiet this whole time, looked at me shocked. I shrugged. 

Ranefer let out a nervous laugh. "Odin's going to smash our front door down? Sounds… fun."

Ai shot her a look when she said 'our,' but didn't say anything. She turned to glare at me, and I cleared my throat. "So yeah… I'll be staying in Japan for a while," I added. "Besides, I've got some personal things to handle. Akane messaged me earlier. She wants to meet."

Ai frowned upon hearing that part. Her gaze softened. I could tell she understood what that meeting meant. She might have even known this would happen given the situation between me and Akane.

"It's fine," Ai finally said, patting the back of my head. "You should go see her. But call the others back first. Mem-Cho's been dying to meet Quetzalcoatl, you know."

I nodded, appreciating how easily my mother understood things. She didn't need a long explanation to know what was going on in my head. I'd deal with Akane soon enough, but first, I had to make sure things were stable here.

"I was wondering why my Memmy hadn't gone to save me~" Quetzalcoatl made a dramatic sound, falling onto a couch.

"I'll go meet the girls," I ignored her and said, pushing off the ground and flying up into the sky. Ai and Ranefer waved me off while Quku just stretched out lazily, already making herself comfortable in my home.

The flight to Kuoh didn't take long, and thankfully, the place was still in one piece. No surprise attacks, no gods crashing the gates. I found the girls where I expected them—Mem-Cho, Ruby, and Tsubasa—working to keep the area secure with the devil girls around them. 

They were doing their job, and it felt good to know that I could rely on them.

****

Later.

Akane Kurokawa sat quietly in the corner of the café, her hands cradling a warm cup of coffee. The bitter scent of the liquid filled the air, but she barely noticed it. Her eyes were glued to the empty seat across from her, her mind wandering far from the café. 

It had been months since she'd seen him, and the last few weeks had felt like years. He hadn't bothered to reach out, not even when she knew he was back. She had to reach out to him first, as always…

A faint chime echoed through the café as the door opened. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up, keeping her expression in check.

[Image Here]

She caught sight of him entering. At least he's not late, she thought and took a slow sip, forcing herself to stay calm. It wasn't like she'd prepared for a confrontation, but after all this time, she at least wanted some answers.

Aqua stepped inside, making heads turn as people gossiped. "Damn, his girlfriend is lucky," some girl said, and Akane almost laughed. Was she really lucky when he didn't meet her for months?

Aqua's eyes scanned the room before they landed on her. Akane was surprised to see that for a second, he hesitated—something she hadn't seen from him before. Then, with a subtle nod, he made his way over, sliding into the chair across from her. He placed his phone on the table between them.

"Akane," he greeted, his voice low, almost unsure. That was rare.

"Yeah," she responded, her tone neutral. She sounded a little frustrated and she didn't bother hiding that.

They sat in silence for a few beats, neither quite knowing how to bridge the gap that had grown between them. The tension was… odd. Akane didn't think it'd be like this someday with the man that she fell in love with. She took a sip of her coffee, her eyes drifting to the window to avoid the awkwardness hanging over them.

"Hello, Sir," just as it felt like the silence might suffocate them, a waiter arrived with menus, breaking the ice as he took Aqua's order.

After the waiter left, Aqua leaned back in his chair after ordering, his fingers tapping idly on the edge of the table as he turned his attention back to her. "I heard about your recent project," he said, attempting to sound casual. "Tokyo Blade, right? I heard that Kana's acting in it too."

Akane sighed softly. "Is it because Kana's in it that you even know about it, Aqua?"

The acquisition hung in the air, putting a stop to the fragile attempt at normalcy that he was playing at. His fingers stopped. Aqua paused, and for a moment, he didn't have a response. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. 

Thankfully, the server returned with his coffee, which gave him a moment to collect himself. He took a slow sip, clearing his throat as he thought.

Akane watched him carefully, her frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. She could see how uncomfortable he was, but that only irritated her more. Why is this so hard for him? She wanted to yell, but instead, she sighed again, deciding just to be upfront. "Look," she began, her voice quieter, "I understand you're busy… I do. But can't you at least tell me when you're leaving? Or when you're coming back? Do I not deserve to not that much?"

Aqua shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I… I did tell you before I left."

"On text. You vanished for a whole month, Aqua," She stared at him, her eyes narrow. "You said it'd be a few days, maybe a week at most. And then nothing. You vanished. No texts, no calls. You just vanish, and I'm left waiting here like an idiot. If it was going to be that long, you could have just… teleported here for a minute to say goodbye. It's not that hard for someone like you."

Aqua didn't have anything to say to that. 

He wanted to defend himself, to explain how the situation had spiraled out of control—how the world itself was changing, and he couldn't afford distractions. But the truth was, she wasn't wrong. It wouldn't have been hard to teleport and say goodbye for a minute. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, before finally speaking.

"You're right. I messed up big time," he admitted, his voice quiet. He let the words settle between them before continuing. "If… you want to break up, I understand. It's unfair not to give you time when I call myself your boyfriend. I know I've been horrible to you, and if you're tired of it, I won't hold it against you. I'm sorry."

Akane frowned, looking away from him. Aqua shifted in his seat, unsure of what her reaction meant. Did I say the wrong thing?

A tense silence stretched on until she finally spoke, her voice tinged with annoyance. "I didn't ask to meet you to break up, Aqua," she said, her tone sharp. "That's… disrespectful. Do you really think so little of me?"

He blinked but didn't say anything. He opened his mouth to respond, but she wasn't done. "I just wanted to hear you apologize. And it seems like you do understand how you've been acting," she continued, her eyes locking onto his. "All I'm asking is for a little bit of your time. Is that too much? I see Mem-Cho posting photos of you surrounded by girls, having fun, but… I'm always waiting."

"...."

"Always waiting for you to text, but you never do. I feel like I'm invisible. I just want you to fix that behavior. Is it that hard?"

Her voice softened by the time she finished. Aqua's gaze looked guilty now. He hadn't realized just how much he'd hurt the poor girl. 

For someone as old as he was, it was so easy to get caught up in the chaos of gods, pantheons, and power struggles and forget about the people who mattered in the mortal world. 

If he couldn't manage time for both, he should never have put his feet on both boats.

He stared down at his coffee cup for a moment, letting the silence hang before finally nodding. "You're right. I should have known better," he said quietly. She didn't want to break up, he realized what he wanted. So he could act like that. With a small smile, he stood up, extending a hand toward her. "Will you give me a chance to make it up to you?"

"Ah…" Akane looked at his hand for a moment, her expression softening. Slowly, she reached out and took it, a small smile tugging at her lips. But just as the moment started to feel lighter, Aqua's phone buzzed on the table. 

The name Mai Senpai flashed across the screen.

Aqua glanced at Akane, a little sheepish, but she just shrugged. "It's just her. Take it." He nodded, swiping to answer and putting it on speaker.

"Aqua," came Mai's voice, hesitant on the other end of the line. "Can you come to Kyoto for a bit? There's… some trouble with the Yokai." In the background, the sounds of explosions echoed, and her voice trembled slightly. "...Some serious trouble."

Aqua's eyebrows slowly rose as he looked at Akane. The poor girl let out a long, exasperated sigh, covering her face with her hands. It was as if the world wanted to keep him away from her.

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Author Note: Probably the last chapter of the week. Sorry! If not, the next chapter will be on Thursday. Hope you've enjoyed the chapter.

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