9 A Kindred Spirit

'Issei, I swear to god, you better not be inviting this girl to cultivate just because she's the first female that you've talked to in over seventy-five years.'

'Of course, not Ddraig. That's only like, ten percent of my reason.' Issei unflinchingly lied to the heavenly dragon. In truth, it was at last forty percent of the reason why. 'Besides, from what I can tell, she seems like a nice enough girl. I also feel this strange sort of kinship with her.'

Ddraig let out an exasperated sigh.

Issei had always been impulsive. He jumped into things without a second thought, and more often than not trusted his gut instinct over his rational mind. In fact, it was this sort of impulsiveness that often got the duo into trouble.

As much as Issei liked to believe that the Immortal World had been strictly out to get him purely because they were unconditionally evil, half of the time, it had been Issei's own damn fault. After all, someone with a more cautious and rational personality would not have attracted so much animosity, even within a world full of crazies.

And now, even back on Earth, he was making the same type of impulsive decision. Still, in this one regard, he felt that Issei's gut instincts were somewhat correct.

The young man might not know where the feeling of kinship was coming from, but Ddraig was a bit more observant than his single-minded compatriot. He had noticed quite some time ago that the girl was frighteningly similar to Issei. Case in point, she had been ogling his host throughout most of their interaction.

In the weeks since he restarted his cultivation, Issei had developed a well-built physique that was comparable to a comic-book superhero. His overall appearance had also undergone a qualitative change. In the past, Issei was considered a little bit above average. Now though, after expelling the worldly impurities from his body, Issei was definitely in the upper echelons of handsome.

In short, cultivation transformed Issei from a loveable pervert into an upstanding young man whose features appeared as if they had been sculpted straight from marble.

The only thing that really ruined his appearance was the lecherous expression that Issei sometimes put on whenever he thought about something perverted.

Aika Kiryuu was definitely very appreciative of these things. Well, probably more than just appreciative. The girl not only ogled Issei's overall appearance, but she also threw very salacious looks towards Issei's crotch. Ddraig did not know what she had seen (nor did he want to), but it was apparently something good, as whenever Issei wasn't looking, Aika would sport an expression that was eerily similar to Issei's own lecherous smiles.

In other words, the girl was a massive pervert.

"Plus, that not all." Issei continued, unaware of Ddraig's little diatribe. "She possesses a physique."

"Really? Are you certain?" This time, Ddraig was truly surprised. Since most of his soul was kept confined to the Boosted Gear, he had trouble perceiving things such as Cultivation Realms and hidden physiques.

A hidden physique could be likened to a person's inborn talent for cultivation.

All those in possession of a hidden physique tend to be regarded as natural geniuses by the wider Immortal World, and for good reason too. Physiques are an irreplicable advantage. A regular cultivator could work months or even years trying to learn a martial skill, and it would not even come close to a tenth of what a physique holder can already naturally do.

Of course, hidden physiques are not all created equal. Some are greater than others and each one tends to center around one specific ability or attribute. For example, the External Yang Physique predisposes its holder to yang-type techniques, while the Golden Arhat Body Physique grants its holder incredible strength and defensive prowess.

Regardless of the type though, nearly every physique holder is predisposed for cultivation.

"I'm almost ninety percent certain." Issei answered, "and it's something pretty special too. If my hypothesis is correct, then Aika possesses a hyper-specialized hidden physique."

Generally, physiques fell into either one of two types: hyper-specialized and full-body.

Most hidden physiques were classified as full-body. Full-body physiques refer to physiques that generally affected the entirety of the holder's body. In contrast, Hyper-specialized physiques were physiques that centered around one or two parts of the body. The latter type was significantly rarer than the former.

An example of a hyper-specialized physique would be the Myriad Glabella Physique. This was a physique that greatly enhanced its holder's mental capabilities. It also made its holder telekinetic, even before cultivation.

Between both full-body physiques and hyper-specialized physiques, there was no one consensus as to which is better. Generally, both types have their own advantages and disadvantages. In the end, it ultimately came down to the cultivator.

Issei theorized that Aika was a hyper-specialized physique holder and that her physique centered around her eyes.

"A cultivator?" The girl in question asked aloud. She was a bit shocked by Issei's sudden offer. "You want to turn me into a magical martial artist? Like what you are? Really?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded his head.

For the past few weeks now, Issei had been mulling over his plans on how to deal with the supernatural world. One of the things that he wanted was a backer. Issei was iffy about joining a pre-existing faction, so he had been leaning towards the idea of creating his own. After encountering Aika, experiencing a weird feeling of kinship with her, and discovering her latent talent for cultivation, he finally came to a decision.

"I've actually been thinking about making my own Sect for a while now. To do that, I need members." He explained.

"What's a Sect?" She asked, still a bit unfamiliar with some of the terms that Issei threw around. She determined to do more research later on.

"Well… think of it as a martial arts dojo, but one that you live in and swear your undying loyalty to."

"That sounds a bit extreme…" Aika hesitated, "… and also very cultish."

"Er… I won't deny that some Sects can indeed seem cult-like, but mine won't be like that. Instead, it'll be more like…" He tried to think of a suitable comparison, something that would hopefully not drive away his first recruit. "Have you ever played MMORPGs before?"

"Uh, yeah sure. I occasionally play those types of games, though not often. Why?" She titled her head, confused by the sudden question.

"Well, my Sect's kind of like an RPG guild."

"Oh, now that I can understand." She nodded her head, a bit relieved to find out that she wasn't being recruited into a twisted sex cult. Still, Issei's offer was a bit suspicious. "It's a good offer, but I have to ask: why? Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm pretty sure you've got some ulterior motive for recruiting me."

Issei's inwardly clicked his tongue.

Aika was a sharp woman. The more he conversed with her, the more he came to realize this. The truth about her unique physique also began to reveal itself. From observing her outward disposition, inspecting her inner body, and even scrutinizing her appearance, Issei determined that her physique was probably something centered around truth discernment.

With enough training, Aika could function quite well as a human lie detector. She could probably even discern the hidden truths of individuals that not even they themselves were aware of.

She was a bit of a terrifying concept for most teenage boys. After all, with her unique ability, she could sniff out any hidden porn stash with laughable ease.

For a person like this, it was always best to be straightforward.

With determination burning in his heart, Issei shot up and suddenly grabbed Aika's shoulders. The girl let out an admittedly cute yelp, but he tried his best to ignore it.

Issei stared resolutely into her golden-amber eyes.

"Aika… I have a dream."

She blinked in surprise. A very strange atmosphere was forming around the two.

'Is he… is he about to give a speech?' she questioned incredulously.

"It is a dream that I have carried with me since I was but a small child." Issei continued, deep emotion laced through each and every one of his words. "It is a dream that many have strived for, but so few have ever actually achieved. It is a dream that is looked down on by others as 'childish' or 'petty, a dream that will most likely set me on a path of great hardship and ire… but even still!"

He suddenly shouted. Aika was taken aback, while Ddraig simply rolled his eyes from inside the Boosted Gear. He had heard this speech one too many times.

"I am prepared. I have been prepared for a long time. I have steeled my heart and tempered my will. The spirit of boundless human tenacity flows through my veins! The very world may be against my dreams, but that does not matter! If a future where I don't achieve my dream is destined to pass, then I'll just smash through that shitty future and build a new one on my own! Regardless of what may come my way, regardless of how society may treat me, I will keep moving forward! To strive for that distant utopia, to pave a future full of love and happiness, to achieve my dream, I am willing to stake my very life and soul on it!"

"What… what is your dream?" She asked, practically in awe at Issei's impassioned speech.

"I want to be a harem king!" He declared loud and proud.

Aika stared at him. She stared at him, blinked, and then broke down in a fit of laughter.

"O-oi! Don't laugh at my sincere and honest dream!" Issei shouted indignantly, his cheeks reddening. How dare this girl!? He had just poured his everything into that speech, and this was her response? Talk about rude!

"S-sorry, but are you serious?" She tried containing her laughter, but her body simply would not cooperate. "You want to become a harem king? That's your big dream?"

"I am dead serious. It's not that I want to become one, it's that I will become one no matter what."

"And how many girls does Mr. Harem King have now?" She smirked, a hint of teasing leaking through her voice. "Two? Three? Maybe you've already hit double digits?"

Issei's cheeks grew even redder than before. He mumbled something underneath his breath.

"What was that?" Aika leaned towards him, straining her ears.

"I said I still don't have anyone, okay!? Geeze, quit ribbing on my dream already." He bemoaned, already regretting his earlier decision to confess his dream to this girl. Ddraig making fun of him was one thing, young masters laughing at him was another, but getting teased/mocked by a cute girl? That shit hit different.

"Oho?" She smirked a predatory smirk. For a second, Issei felt like a baby bird trapped in a room full of one hundred starving kittens. "Then, I guess you were hoping to make me your number one, huh?"

"I, t-that is, my intentions were t-to…" Issei stuttered incomprehensively.

The air was getting hot, sweat was beginning to trickle down his brow.

On a conscious level, he knew he was getting flustered. Unfortunately, Issei could do nothing about his body's natural reaction to a girl's coquettish attitude. Things only got worse when Aika suddenly leaned forward. The tip of her nose was less than an inch away from his own. Her eyes filled his entire vision, but in his mind's eye, he could still see that teasing smirk.

Issei was lost.

Could you blame him? He had lived for more than three hundred years, but when put into perspective, he didn't really get a whole lot of time to mature. The majority of that time was spent in closed-door cultivation. When he wasn't cultivating, Issei was either fighting for his life or running away. There was absolutely zero opportunity for him to experience life and properly mature.

Even worse was the total amount of time that he had spent interacting with females was sparse and few. If he was being honest, less than thirty minutes of his time in the Immortal World was spent talking to girls.

He was definitely not prepared for such a straightforward person.

What was he supposed to do now?

'Partner, steady yourself!' The words of his savior, the heavenly dragon Ddraig suddenly echoed through his head. 'If you really want to achieve your dream, then you must fight for it! Don't let this vixen defeat you! You're the host of the Red Dragon of Domination, so go dominate!'

Despite how frequently Ddraig complained about Issei's various eccentricities, the two could be considered best friends. As such, even if cared little for it, Ddraig would still support Issei in fulfilling his dream.

'Ddraig's right. I can't lose here, not to her!'

Issei took a deep breath and steadied his heart. Years of deadly battles and life-or-death encounters all led up to this one moment. The flush in his cheeks quickly vanished. The flustered expression was wiped clean, replaced by a look of steely resolve.

Aika was caught off guard by the sudden change. For a moment, she hesitated.

Unfortunately, that was all the opportunity that he needed. Issei pounced.

'For this type of devilish woman who can see through lies as easily as breathing, the greatest form of attack is always the full-frontal truth!'

"That's right." He spoke, his voice calm and steady. "Kiryuu Aika, you are the first girl that I want in my harem. So, from here on out prepare yourself, because I'm going to make you fall in love with me."

It was Aika's turn to feel flustered. Her face practically lit up like a boiled lobster, even her glasses were beginning to fog up.

For once, Aika was left speechless. She simply did not know what to say.

It wasn't as if she had never been confessed to before. She may not have been the prettiest girl in her class, but she was still considered fairly attractive. Her status as the 'studious girl with glasses' also gave guys the confidence to pursue her. To them, she was nothing but an easy target.

Of course, she had always rejected them, mainly because their confessions rang hollow. She could practically feel their ulterior motives oozing out of their voices.

So, she had experience with being confessed to, but this time… this confession was different.

Issei clearly had his own ulterior motives. Heck, he was probably worse than all the guys in her class, considering the fact that he had openly declared that he wouldn't just settle for one girl, but multiple. Still, despite all that, Aika found something about him that was different.

It was honesty.

For all of his faults, Issei was honest, maybe even stupidly so. For a girl like her, that was exceptionally dangerous.

Aika's heart fluttered.

"I… I…" The words wouldn't come out. She felt as if her chest was about to explode.

Before she could do anything dumb and agree impulsively to this stupidly honest man, she suddenly pushed him away and quickly shouted. "Wait, wait, wait! Time out!"

"Huh?" Issei was caught off guard by this. He instinctively leaned back away from her.

Aika took a moment to compose herself before she said, "I, I agree to being a cultivator. So, you better be prepared to teach me something good, okay?"

"Uh, yeah sure." Issei tried blinking away the confusion. Nope, still there.

"I don't know when you want to start, but here…" She quickly took out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen from her skirt pocket. Looking closely, the paper was actually a receipt. She scribbled something down on it before she handed the paper to Issei.

"Here, it's my n-number. Just text me or something when you want to start."

"Right…" Although he was still in a bit of a daze, a part of him was inwardly ecstatic at receiving his first phone number from a girl that wasn't his mother.

"T-then, good night." With that, Kiryuu suddenly stood up. Before Issei could stop her, she quickly began walking away.

After ten steps forward, she abruptly stopped and tilted her head to the side. One singular eye glanced back at him. Her lips parted as if to speak, but her voice came out in a quiet whisper.

To most other people, it would have been impossible to hear, but to a cultivator's enhanced senses, her words rang loud and clear.

"If you really want me to be a part of your harem… then you're going to have to try harder than that."

With her final piece spoken, she quickly turned back around and walked away. Issei watched her back slowly shrink before she turned a corner and disappeared completely from view.

Issei stood rooted to his spot for who knows how long. Eventually, a goofy smile stretched his lips. It had not been an outright agreement, but she hadn't rejected him either. If anything, her words had been a tacit approval to court her.

He was now one step closer to his dream.