Pin-pon

???, afternoon, one of Tadao's apartments.

Inside a half-closed room, Tadao was sited on the floor that was made of traditional tatamis. Apparently, that room had been made to resemble a traditional Japanese room. The walls were also covered with Fusuma that had few painting of Sakuras and sea waves drawn in old style, and between them a small Samurai was holding his Naginata like he was going to follow the wind before him. One of the walls wasn't a wall but a big windows wall that overlooked most of the town.

That room was Tadao's meditation room/dojo, so it was sound-proofed and the Fusumas blocked any source of light from outside. Tadao was also wearing a black yukata without haori and wooden slippers less high than usual.

Now, he was meditating on the simulations he played during his 'training' in his Soul World. It was a mental training to cover flaws in his newborn combat style. In fact, he was sweating a lot in that moment due to a extreme concentration. The flow of time was unknown to anyone inside and Tadao was inside since three hours ago but for him it was like 20 hours has passed.

Suddenly, he gasped and opened his eyes. It seemed he died another time in his mental battle, something unpleasant for anybody.

Then, he stood up and went out from that room because he got a premonition someone would call him on his phone. Before him there was minimalist room with only a low table and a purple rotary phone placed on. Never underestimate the gut feelings of a intent user able to feel the human collective consciousness. In fact...

'Rin-!'

'Ping'

"Here Usui Tadao, who is calling?... I'm shocked you really called me... He finally fled... What I mean for 'finally'? Knowing you, he fled after you kicked him out right?... It's commercial secrecy, so get over it... Hey, it's not entirely my fault, nii-san-." (Tadao)

"Who is your nii-san!" (???)

Immediately, Tadao moved away his phone from his ear and a male voice could be heard from the other side, though it was more like a shout. It seemed the other person didn't want Tadao considerate him as his big brother. Only when he was sure the shout ended, he got closer to his phone.

"Calm now?... Mmmhh, I think I know where he is now, but it's better for you leave him for few days, he need cool down his head in this moment... Ehi ehi ehi, he isn't at my home, wai-... Sigh, I hope he don't come here with Jonathan (a double-barrel)." (Tadao)

The person who called Tadao turned off unilaterally the call. He was Masahiro Hyōdō, Satsuki's brother and has a family with a child. Tadao met him time ago during a his 'investigation' on Maid Latte, and searching the manager's private life he got find out by her brother. He was senior at NPA (National Police Agency) with a steady career. Fortunately, he let him go because Tadao was a underage, so he only warned Tadao only to get 'closer' later on.

Masahiro's opinion on Tadao was 'a sweet-tongued rascal who doesn't have common sense'. However, Satsuki didn't know about Tadao because her brother hid it perfectly. She has been pampered by their parents since childhood and her brother wasn't a exception.

Wondering if Masahiro will be able to to find a free day in his intense worksheet before he found his runaway child, Tadao went in the shower after undressed his yukata. His toned body could be seen on the mirror.

Tadao trained his body since he was 12 and aimed for flexible figure, not a toned one. The inconvenience of a male human was the testosterone production rate. However, he has been able to obtain a flexible and toned body at same time after some hardship. He got a body that could hide his muscles when relaxed and show his toned body stressed, a very useful option to deceive any observer.

After his shower, he went out from that place and headed to another his apartment on that floor. All the apartments on the same floor of Takumi's had been bought by him and each of them had a respective 'function'. That is a story for another time.

Now, he entered in his 'normal residence' where there were his daily stuffs were placed like school stuffs, hobby stuffs, kitchen utensils, PC etc.

Then, Tadao went in his bedroom to do homework. He could create a clone that would do that in his place, but the first incarnation ordered Tadao to do himself his duties. He said, "only recognizing your struggle you'll grow up" or something. In his 'family', the first incarnation was known to be a great teacher, in his birth world he had some disciples with great abilities and wisdom, with only a black sheep.

Now, he was also giving some tips to give to Takumi, since his cousin was buy with his part-time job at Maid Latte.

There's no better view for a butler than see own master satisficed anytime, so Tadao would be happy if he could be useful to Takumi. He was satisficed with his actual life. No tragedy, no drama, no clique, no ROB, no deadly enemy, no real danger, no apocalypse and no hate.

None between the incarnations could fully understand Tadao who could fully understand everyone. Such ironic fate for someone freed from the strings of fate. Even if David paid so much to reach that goal, in the end the result was a twisted and empty human who could feel other people's emotions.

Who can guess if he can became 'human' or just a cold machine...

***

The next day, evening, Tadao's apartment, normal residence.

A entire afternoon of homework later, Tadao could finally cook the dinner for Takumi who came back with the usual schedule. After the dinner as Tadao was washing the the dishes, Takumi told him about manager's niece who took refuge at her aunt's house after kicked out from her home by her father that day.

Tadao just shook his head and said "what a cold boy you are" and went back to his apartment, leaving a baffled Takumi behind.

Before sleep time, Tadao took out two stacks of slips of paper, one white and other yellow, and a bowl of liquid cinnabar mixed with a bit of his blood and two painting brush, one thin and other thick with thin tip.

It was time for his daily Onmyoji training. Because the modern exorcism techniques were also influenced from globalization, he had to practice with Daoism too. He placed neatly his tools and put the white slips of paper before on the table of the living room. Afterwards, Tadao slowly wrote down the characters of 'protection', 'divination' and 'summoning' accompanied by more smaller characters that resembled celtic runes but at same different.

Making Talismans helped him channel his spiritual energy outwards and control his flow of energy without breaking the object (painting brush). Every inch of the ink was infused with spiritual energy and Tadao had to channel, control, distribute, stabilize and seal such energy onto those slips of paper.

After finished the Ofudas and put them in a leather card case, he began with yellow slips of paper. The Daoism was kind different from Onmyōdō, though they shared the same origin. It was more based on communication with world/heaven/Dao itself to create miracles, which Tadao has poor talents due to the characteristic of his soul.

Make Fulu was more difficult for Tadao, but he could still do that thanks to his connection with human collective consciousness which could be considered as a Dao. When it was almost eleven o'clock, Tadao put the completed Fulu in a small wood box with other Fulu. It was made of Agar Wood due to its property of contain, hide and preserve mystical energy.

***

2 hours later, night, Tadao's apartment, normal residence.

Now it was sleep time, however, Tadao was drawing something on the floor of his bedroom with... red liquid, maybe blood? From a fast look, that something resembled piled magic circles and magic structure linked to 7 gems covered with blood. A old tsuba was lied in the center of such magic ritual. The furniture were all moved to the living room previously, and the magic circles were covering most of the floor, even a part of walls and ceiling.

If David saw that scene, he would be shocked before went in rampage because Tadao specialized in Exorcism, not Magic or magic rituals. Only the Second Incarnation, Adeline, owned knowledge of magic rituals between all four incarnations.

In fact, in that moment, Tadao was still in Library, David was simulating the model of a... floating island, and the first incarnation was still meditating in his 'room'.

Secretly, Adelina took the authority on Tadao's body and was making something she didn't want David know for the moment.

At the moment, 'Tadao's eyes' were 'glowing' red and the pupils have a different shape and color. They had became two dark turquoise slit pupils with two little circles at the ends and a 'normal' red pupil in the middle. 'His' also changed and made 'him' look more feminine.

'He' was calibrating 'his' rituals because she was going to connect to another superior entity/object. It was almost time to start the ritual. Adelina took 12 years to condense enough magic power into those gems. There was a low level of mana in that world and Tadao's body wasn't adapt to manipulate it.

After all, how could 'he' simply summon a being under 'Their' nose? So 'he' prepared three rituals in three different worlds to deceive Them. Furthermore, this world was far away from the Mana Domain where was the Nasuverse and the Root. In fact now, 'he' was in a world within the Spiritual Energy Domain, but enough near the border to the Underway Domain, next to the Mana Domain.

With last preparation made, Adelina took a short break before began exert control over the mana in the gems. He raised both 'his' hand and the palms pointed to the tsuba in the center of the room. The magic circles began glowing gradually.

"Sisters, we can go." A spiritual transmission have been sent to two distant world. It arrived almost instantly to two entities in those worlds.

However, the moment 'he' began the ritual, three people alerted by the unnatural concentration onto Tadao's body.

***

???, David's laboratory, design room.

"?!" (David)

Floating above the peak of a mountain, David was trying his new raw creation before the screen showed an [Red Alert, 8 level].

'That old sh*thead want really be beaten hard huh!' (David)

[Teleport, control room]

The sentence on the screen before him changed and he has been teleported away from the design room. Everything around disappeared and the light turned off.

***

???, control room.

In the white room with a white Nap Pod, David suddenly appeared and gave an order with furious tone. Tadao appeared a second later late behind David.

"System, Outside Vision!" (David)

A big screen appeared above the Nap Pod where a red-haired woman with a white full-face mask was 'sleeping'. On the big screen, the image of Tadao's room with intricate magic circles became gradually clear.

"That-" (Tadao)

"No worry. Tadao, 'sleep' next to her. David calm down and watch." (???)

A sudden voice rang inside Tadao and David's head and stopped them, with David who was going to connect his voice to the [User] of Tadao's body, the [Vessel].

"Big Bro! We're going to be found by those Old Geezers!" (David)

"No need, I'll help."(???)

"Fu*************k!" (David)

David cursed as much as he could but most of them were inside his mind, otherwise the first Incarnation will cut his senses like the last time. It had become his hidden trauma.

Meanwhile, Tadao headed quickly in the Nap Pod and lied next to that red-haired woman.

[Synchronization of the Host and User]

[1%... 30%... 87%]

[Complete]

[Plunge On]

***

Night, Tadao's apartment, normal residence, bedroom.

Tadao just awakened his consciousness in his real body. He found out he was about to chant a magic spell under Adelina control.

"Ta-chan, just relax and enjoy this moment. It's my present for you." (???)

A sweet female voice that could charm any man rang inside his head. Adelina had still most of the authority on his body, so couldn't do anything. Tadao quickly gave up and followed her instructions.

"So, it's showtime, I think?" (Tadao)

"Pin-pon!" (Adelina)

Meanwhile, David was already connected with the Real World through a monitor in the control room, so he could hear anything they said. He wanted punch Adelina right now.

Suddenly, the light of the magic circles became more intense. That meant that the link to Nasuverse was done. "Chant after me" ordered Adelina as Tadao regained the control on his head and neck.

""Embodiment of steel, overcome the One, surpass your limit

Reached the Emptiness, the vibrant flowers ceased

I'm a companion in your travel

The time is my friend, the worlds are my homes

One, ten, hundred, thousand, infinity paths

I lost,

I won,

I live,

be yourself, be your core, be my weapon

My will is ------------, Kirin (Guardian) is my other Name

Could the cage of madness be one with yourself, could my heart its cage

Thou, the one who reached the infinity, the one who reached your true end

From life, to Death, to me

I call you upon my name --------, Kyomu no Hana (Flower of nothingness)!"" (Tadao, Adelina)

A tattoo began appeared on Tadao's back, something familiar came up in both Tadao and David's mind and a 'oh s**t' appeared inadvertently.