The bright moon hung high in the sky.
While Akira was still anticipating whether Busujima Saeko would feel the same as her real-life counterpart, the Hero Association headquarters was holding an emergency meeting regarding the Deep Sea Tribe's vanguard forces.
It wasn't an in-person gathering—many S-Class heroes were absent. But even an online call was enough to make the situation clear.
"The vanguard already includes about ten Ghost-level monsters. If the main force lands, the disaster level will likely exceed Ghost and reach Dragon-level."
Disaster levels correspond to monster threat levels.
A Ghost-level monster can disable or destroy an entire city's functions.
A Dragon-level monster, on the other hand, can devastate multiple towns. These threats are typically massive in size or possess large-scale attack capabilities, requiring joint suppression by S-Class heroes.
The destructive power was clearly on a different scale.
The commotion caused by the Deep Sea Tribe today had left the Hero Association's representative visibly worried.
"Are we being summoned just for this?"
S-Class Rank 5, Child Emperor, sounded somewhat exasperated: "Those are just messages from the vanguard themselves. There's an 80% chance they're exaggerating the so-called Deep Sea King's strength."
"After all, we haven't seen any Ghost-level monster with the ability to recover when in contact with water."
"And their weakness has already been exposed—out of water, their strength drops significantly. Even an A-Class hero can handle them."
Metal Knight spoke up: "Can I test a weapon I've recently developed?"
The representative broke into a cold sweat. "The coastal area is a wealthy district—property values easily exceed hundreds of millions. I'm afraid we cannot accommodate that request."
"If you ask me, there's nothing to fear from these Deep Sea Tribe members."
Tatsumaki pouted, arms crossed.
Seeing that everyone seemed to be taking the threat lightly, the representative pulled up the weather data.
"A typhoon has suddenly formed a few hundred kilometers off the coast of the super-rich district. According to the relevant department's calculations, it will make landfall tomorrow evening."
"The typhoon will bring heavy rainfall. If the Deep Sea King chooses to land at that time, we'll have a serious problem on our hands."
A silence fell over the conference room as they stared at the weather map.
"I never thought this national high school kendo competition would invite Atomic Samurai as a judge."
We have to prepare well for this.
Carrying a wooden sword, Busujima Saeko walked home.
She didn't take the bus—she walked the entire way. And this wasn't back to the villa.
It was back to her family's dojo. The distance wasn't particularly far.
The only problem was that she hadn't been able to practice properly with Akira today.
But then she remembered how their sparring sessions always ended up with them stripping each other. Her face flushed involuntarily.
She completely failed to notice that Akira was already following behind her.
Was [Existence Weakening (50%)] already this effective?
He was less than five meters away, and Busujima Saeko still hadn't noticed him?
Tsk~.
He wondered what it would be like at 75%.
Would everyone end up with StarCraft-level vision—blind even with their eyes wide open?
Akira held his head, feeling quite satisfied.
With this ability, he could go anywhere he wanted in the real world from now on.
The only downside was that he still lacked some supporting skills—which meant he couldn't do whatever he wanted just yet.
Suddenly, Busujima Saeko sped up and broke into a run.
Akira deliberately held back for a moment, only chasing after her once he heard the alert. He kept a steady distance of about twenty meters.
But Saeko clearly sensed something. At a corner, she suddenly spun around.
Fortunately, Akira had been extra cautious at blind spots like this. He immediately ducked behind a parked car.
He'd almost been caught red-handed.
Was it my imagination?
Saeko scanned the pedestrians, then lowered her wooden sword.
No—that feeling was still there.
Without hesitation, she ran.
As a martial artist, her stamina was exceptional. Even after sprinting all the way back to the Busujima family dojo, she was only slightly out of breath.
The other party is a master.
She had changed direction several times, and he had still kept up.
What's more, that strange sensation sometimes came from above—clearly not a normal person's ability.
Could it be a monster?
The Hero Association's stance on monsters was clear: as long as a monster didn't cause trouble, heroes wouldn't intervene.
So, in this seemingly peaceful city, many hidden dangers lurked beneath the surface.
She sat down at the entrance (genkan) and changed her shoes.
Then she rushed inside, retrieved the katana her father had collected, and returned to the dojo.
Calm mind. Clear spirit.
She took a deep breath and stood perfectly still.
Her eyes scanned in all directions. Her ears listened to every sound.
Her hand remained positioned at the exact distance needed to draw her sword in an instant.
Huh?
When did Busujima Saeko learn Iaijutsu?
Clinging to the rafters above, Akira found it very strange.
Is this the power of a purple boss?
She even has a combat system.
Interesting, interesting.
Was he on the "defeat CG" route now?
Complex gameplay. How entertaining.
Releasing his grip on the rafters, Akira dropped down from the roof and landed lightly. Thanks to the 50% [Existence Weakening], Busujima Saeko didn't recognize him immediately.
Her response was instant—a single Iaijutsu draw-and-slash.
The snow-white blade flashed toward him like a stream of light.
But Akira's sword techniques were already perfected. His Agility had reached 43.3. Even if Saeko's attack speed were several times faster, it would never touch so much as his clothes.
The moment the blade fell, Akira was already behind her.
Not bad.
She even had a bit of his own style. Just like what he'd taught the real Busujima Saeko.
Akira felt a flicker of confusion—then remembered that his sword techniques had been granted by the Eroge itself. It wasn't strange for a reskinned NPC to know some of them.
Still, it felt oddly out of character.
This was almost like sparring with the real Busujima Saeko.
Tsk~.
The thought of the real Saeko stirred an inexplicable anger in him.
Perhaps it was because this version was so similar—a true 100% simulation—that it gave him such a strong sense of déjà vu.
Hmph. A mere costume character dares to deceive the masses?
In a single move, Busujima Saeko was captured.
Akira didn't hesitate. No preparation. He went straight in.
She struggled desperately, body tensed, using every ounce of strength to push him away.
But her resistance didn't stop him. Instead, it only sharpened his interest.
With Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kirigaya Suguha, the power dynamic had been completely one-sided. The latter had been obedient as a loyal dog. There was no so-called desire for conquest.
But this—
This was different.
Busujima Saeko displayed it perfectly. Vividly.
Finally, Akira could distinguish the woman in front of him from the real Busujima Saeko.
Deeply humiliated, tears streamed silently down her face. The other party's speed had been too fast—so fast she hadn't even had time to see his face clearly.
So she bit her lip, refusing to make a sound. Her body went as rigid as wood.
Akira finally understood why people on TV always said: the more they resist, the more excited you get.
It was like someone accustomed to fine delicacies—once in a while, a bowl of instant noodles could taste just as good.
Tsk~.
So good.
The grip… so satisfying.