The Unfamiliar Boy and the Winged Woman VIII

–After School–

Issei and Ayaka made their way to the Kendo club again today.

At first, the girls were skeptical of Ayaka and Issei when they first arrived, the day before yesterday.

However, the boys didn't even notice the girls around them. They were completely focused on each other.

Ayaka and Issei faced off once again, with Ayaka's expressionless gaze and Issei's focused determination.

For the past two days, Ayaka had been relentlessly defeating Issei in their training sessions. Issei would often end up in tears with a single misstep, as Ayaka showed no mercy.

The girls from the Kendo club paused their practice to watch the two boys.

Ayaka caught their attention the most, not because of his looks, but because of his strength. He displayed exceptional speed, effortlessly surpassing their eyes' ability to follow his movements.

However, Issei was adapting to Ayaka's incredible speed. Even if only for a moment, he could block and counterattack.

Issei locked his gaze on Ayaka, who shifted his leg slightly forward. 'He's coming.' All hairs on Issei's body stood up.

In an instant, Ayaka appeared in front of Issei, swinging his shinai downward. Issei narrowly dodged to the side with great difficulty and retaliated by swinging his sword towards Ayaka's stomach, taking advantage of Ayaka's sword still being on the ground.

Ayaka sighed as he maneuverer his body, effortlessly blocking Issei's shinai. "What the-" Issei exclaimed in surprise.

"Did you see that move?" one of the Kendo girls questioned.

"How did his body move like that?" another girl added, bewildered.

Issei jumped back, trying to make sense of what just happened. "Hey man, I thought you had a weak physique. How are you able to perform such movements?" Issei asked, completely stunned.

Ayaka sighed again, as he held his shinai downwards, "You see, for normal humans who haven't transcended their limits, no matter how much they train, there's one thing they can't overcome," Ayaka explained.

"And what's that?" Issei inquired. The kendo girls too, listened in.

"Reaction time," Ayaka replied. "It's the time it takes to "perceive," "understand," and "respond" to a series of actions. For most people, like the Kendo girls, it's around 0.3 seconds."

"But for me, it's far less than that," Ayaka continued. Issei and the Kendo girls exchanged surprised glances.

"Before you can make a move, I can make three to five, or maybe even more," Ayaka revealed. "With that speed, I can dodge attacks that are normally impossible to avoid."

Upon hearing this revelation, Issei couldn't help but think to himself, "That guy is a demon." The Kendo girls were even more stunned than Issei. Ayaka's words rang true, and Issei started to feel a little intimidated.

"Don't get intimidated now, Issei," Ayaka's voice suddenly resounded behind Issei as he swung his shinai backwards. However, to Issei's surprise, Ayaka wasn't there anymore.

Confused, Issei turned around to look at where Ayaka was supposed to be, but his dragon instinct kicked in, warning him of danger. Before he could react, Ayaka's back was pressed against Issei's back.

Like a certain Jujutsu soccer once did.

"This is why I tell you not to rely on your eyes alone," Ayaka stated calmly. And with that, he landed a strike with his shinai on Issei's head.

.

–Later–

Ayaka sat down in his room, dismissing Issei for the day. "Hm?" Suddenly, he noticed movement near the window and approached it, opening it.

A small paper flew inside, taking the shape of a small humanoid paper figure. It was a Shikigami, one of Ayaka's artificial familiars created from manipulated artificial spirits.

Although they could be used in combat, Ayaka preferred not to, as they reminded him of his past failures.

"Shiki, report."

Shiki vibrated in response, its paper form rustling. It seemed to be gathering information. "I see, huh? Those guys have made their move. The five principal clans are pressuring the old clan leader and the rest."

Ayaka leaned against the window, his expression thoughtful. Shiki continued to vibrate, indicating there was more to the report.

"If not for the old clan leader, that old man would have made irrational choices." Ayaka mused, particularly not moved by the news

Shiki vibrated again, relaying its knowledge to Ayaka. Who nodded to his familiar, "I know, if other's catch wind of my Maya's abilities, they'd undoubtably go after her"

As he spoke, Ayaka's eyes scanned the room. "The clan has gotten quite chaotic after my departure, not that I'm surprised."

Although Ayaka appeared aloof and detached, there was one person from his past that held a special place in his heart—his little sister, Kamika Maya.

Despite the strict expectations of their clan, Maya genuinely cared for and admired Ayaka, even if they didn't show it.

[Ren_Hwa: no bullshit happening here, MC merely cares for his little sis, like any good older brother would do]

As Ayaka reflected on his departure from the Kamika clan, a sense of irony washed over him. It was after he left that the clan began to crumble.

He had been the one handling conflicts, spies, and protecting the clan from the influence of the five principal clans.

In fact, Ayaka played a significant role in the creation of the Utsusemi Agency, it was already in the creation phase, however, they still lacked the power.

By manipulating individuals like Hanezu Himejima and other rebels, who held deep-seated resentment towards the five clans.

Ayaka orchestrated a plan to pressure the five principal clans, giving them research materials to formulating the Four Fiends Project with the Independent-Avatar Sacred Gears as their base.

That was precisely why Ayaka was interested in Issei when he saw him, and the exact same reason he wants to meet Ajuka.

"Maya could take care of things better than I did, if only the blockheads would let her. Afterall, her powers-"

Sighing, Ayaka rested his head on the bed, as the small humanoid paper disappeared into thin air. "When I'm done with Raynare, I would head back to check on things with the Utsusemi."