Unlimited Ambition

“Sasaki, things aren’t as you think—actually—” I couldn’t finish my sentence. Sasaki had a bad misunderstanding about me and Haruhi—well, it wasn’t exactly a misunderstanding. In a sense, I was indeed left behind because of the dimensional power within Haruhi—but… anyway…

Forget it, I absolutely can't say that out loud, and even if I did, it's uncertain whether Sasaki would believe me. She might even think it's the power of another dimension—and even if she did believe it, things wouldn't turn out well. Sasaki might completely turn to the dark side and pull out a hatchet to chop off my head.

"Of course, I won't blame Kasuga, much less resent her because of this." Sasaki continued to lie through his teeth: "I just want to compete with her in a fair enough environment, that's all."

"But--"

I couldn't say anything in the end. Sasaki hugged me and whispered in my ear, "I won't give up on you." Then he shed tears.

At times like this, holding her is probably the only thing I can do. That's all I can do...

I sighed almost imperceptibly, then hugged her. This earned me an even more intense response from Sasaki—it would be a shame to do nothing at this point—so I kissed her, then pushed her to the ground and began unbuttoning her clothes…

Two hours later—no, that's not how it should be calculated, since time has already stopped, and props like watches are completely useless, so this is just my subjective time.

Sasaki lay in my arms, looking very happy.

"I...I'm sorry." I felt a little regretful: "It's my first time doing something like this, I should have done it in a more appropriate place..."

"It's nothing. To me, nothing matters except you, Kyon. As long as you're by my side, that's enough." Sasaki said, then chuckled, "Speaking of which, you really are heartless. You haven't even called me once in all this time, though I'm the same way."

"How could that be—I called you every day for the first few months, but you just didn't answer," I complained.

"It seems like that's true." Sasaki chuckled. "During that time, I acted like an idiot, locking myself in my room, turning off my phone, and not going to class."

"……Feel sorry."

“No, it’s not your fault at all. I can only blame myself for being stupid.” Sasaki moved closer to me and then said, “But now I understand that happiness can only be achieved through one’s own efforts. Complaining and blaming others is not the way to go. Moreover, this newfound strength has given me a lot of confidence.”

The last one is the main reason, isn't it? Listening to Sasaki's words, I became even more worried and reminded him, "Don't overuse that power."

"Why?" Sasaki asked curiously.

“Because—” I explained the consequences of ordinary people using dimensional power: “So, don’t overuse this power. Just like Haruhi, she’s already experiencing some problems. Fortunately, it’s not too serious yet, and it’s not too late to remedy the situation.”

"Is that so?" Sasaki looked at me with a skeptical expression.

“It’s absolutely true.” I nodded solemnly.

Unexpectedly, Sasaki laughed and said, "Kyon, the way you're being so serious makes you look so fake."

"Don't laugh, I'm very serious!" I felt a little embarrassed after she said that.

"I don't care." After laughing enough, Sasaki said, "Anything is fine, whether it's dimensional power or a demon's contract. As long as I can have you, I don't care. Any price is worth it."

"...What have I done to deserve this?" I said with a wry smile. "Since you're unwilling to give up this power, then let me teach you something."

"What?" Sasaki asked curiously.

"That's right, a way to enhance one's own strength, making it easier to use this power and reducing damage," I said. Then I helped her up: "Alright, there's not enough time today. Starting tomorrow, I'll set aside at least one hour every day—"

"--don't want!"

Unexpectedly, Sasaki nodded in agreement.

"An hour... isn't that a bit too short?" Sasaki said with a pitiful expression.

"Okay, two hours... I'll try."

I have a slight headache.

"It sounds like you're having an affair." Sasaki pouted in dissatisfaction: "I'm clearly on the same level as Kasuga."

"If you don't mind, you can come with us. Haruhi will be happy to see friends she hasn't seen in a long time."

"Although it sounds good, please allow me to decline."

"why?"

"..."

"Okay, okay, don't look at me with those sad eyes."

Although he said it all right, deep down he still had bad feelings towards Haruhi... Women are such a troublesome thing.

After that, Sasaki and I temporarily parted ways. The subspace shattered, and I returned to the real world once again.

"If you don't come on time, I'll keep calling you." Sasaki threatened half-jokingly at the end, then turned and walked away with a flourish.

So, I made a dimensional leap and returned to the outside of my classroom at Beigao High School, and then happily went inside.

The timing was just shortly after the first class ended. Counting from the start of morning self-study, it's been about an hour.

"What did you go to do?" Chunri said with dissatisfaction. "You skipped the whole class and disappeared during morning self-study. I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Sorry, I didn't eat enough this morning, so I went to the convenience store outside to fill my stomach." I casually made up this lie.

"Is that so? Next time something like this happens, you'd better tell me first." Haruhi, unsuspecting, easily fell for his trick. She just seemed a little hesitant.

"Is there anything else?" I asked.

"...Um, are you full? If not, I have some extra bento boxes here."

"no need."

"...Is that so? It's rare for someone to be so kind as to share with you—it's definitely not made just for you. You must remember that well, or I'll beat you up if you dare to tell anyone."

As Chunri said this, she took a bento box out of her schoolbag and forcefully stuffed it into my hand.

"...Is it okay if we eat it all?" I asked.

"Of course, no problem."

"So what do you eat in the spring?"

"I prepared two copies—"

Springtime realized she'd let something slip. Her face flushed, and she ran out. She didn't return until the second period started.

"This really... makes me a little embarrassed." I said this while swallowing large mouthfuls of the bento box specially made by Kasuga. Speaking of which, Kasuga's cooking skills are really good. It's like she's had a special training... Could this also be thanks to the power of the other dimension?

Chapter Forty: The So-Called Boss

I'm uneasy, really uneasy. My peaceful life—going to school, coming home, and fooling around with Haruhi—has been disrupted by a tiny change: I have to be in Sasaki's room between midnight and dawn, teaching her how to use magic, just like I teach Haruhi. Usually, this is the only time we see each other during the day.

To be honest, compared to Haruhi, whose changeable personality and tendency to daydream caused me a lot of headaches, Sasaki was more like a good student. She remembered everything I said and often asked excellent questions—though these questions might seem childish and laughable to some mature magicians, they were quite remarkable for someone who had only been free of magic for two weeks.

Therefore, even though I spent more time with Haruhi and taught her more diligently and as hard as I could—after all, Haruhi's health was a bit worse—Sasaki still quickly surpassed Haruhi's progress.

“You are excellent. It is my honor to teach a student like you.” I have said this to Sasaki more than once.

"Is it true?" Sasaki didn't seem too confident, his tone filled with uncertainty and doubt.

"Of course," I said with certainty.

"Then, how about giving me a little reward?"

The conversation was basically over at this point, and what followed was mostly done in bed.

This is why Sasaki has been suffering from sleep deprivation for the past few days. Her parents have expressed some concern as well. However, they haven't considered any possible explanation, since supernatural abilities like dimensional leaps and soundproof barriers are things most people wouldn't think of.

"Take care and get some rest," Sasaki's parents said more than once. Sasaki, however, just brushed them off.

This situation should end after a while, once I've fully mastered meditation. Judging from Sasaki's progress, it should only take two to three days.

On the contrary, Chunri's condition was not optimistic. After the initial excitement, her enthusiasm quickly cooled. She was no longer so interested in these easily obtained magic books and items. Perhaps for her, having fun was the most important thing, and such boring training was simply too unimaginable for her.

Because of this, I've argued with her more than once. Unlike before, where no matter how willful she was, nothing serious would happen. But this time, it's a matter of her life! How can I be so indifferent?!

I got angry and said a little too much—of course, it was for Kasuga's own good—but she didn't seem to appreciate it. As a result, our relationship cooled down again these past few days, and we've gone back into a cold war.

Well, this has happened before, and we usually make up in a few days.

That's what I was thinking. At the same time, I decided that unless Haruhi apologized to me first, I would absolutely not reconcile with her. As for the problem of the dimensional power erosion, I'd just reluctantly help her recover her health late at night.

And so, about three more days passed, and Chunri's complexion gradually improved. When she saw me, she hesitated, wanting to speak several times but holding back. It seemed that in just a few more days, she would achieve her goal.

So, I didn't go to the SOS Brigade that day. I went straight home, planning to spend the afternoon playing with my sister, then put her to sleep. After that, I planned to climb over the wall to check on Haruhi's health at her house.

"Kyon! Come over here!" Just as I was about to leave, Mikuru's voice came from behind me.

What's going on? Is she here to persuade me to make up with Kasuga too? Seriously... If there's anything wrong with this strategy, it's that the workload for Kasuga's huge following has increased dramatically. I'm talking about that group of guys in the "organization" led by Tsuruya-senpai.

Because of spring's low spirits, anger, and helplessness, subspaces continued to emerge, with countless pure energy entities clamoring for world destruction. The superpowered individuals belonging to the organization were suffering terribly. Working in shifts 24 hours a day, they were exhausted like dead dogs.

Therefore, Tsuruya-senpai has mentioned it to me, both openly and subtly, many times. She's tried her best to persuade me and Kasuga to reconcile. But I haven't agreed to anything. In the end, it was Tsuruya-senpai who was convinced by me.

"Please, Kyon, at least give me some face..." Tsuruya-senpai pitifully grabbed my arm and shook it from side to side.

"Senpai Tsuruya, tell me, is it better to have temporary relief, or to maintain peace for decades?" I asked, seeing that this wasn't a solution.

"...But our staff are already exhausted."

"Believe me, just hang in there for a few more days. You don't want your god to die because of you, do you? Aren't you believers? What's a little sacrifice?"

"Who are the believers?!"

Although in the end, Tsuruya-senpai lost her temper in a fit of embarrassment, she had promised me beforehand to "hold on for a few more days," until Kasuga gave in to me.

Do you think I have it easy? I had to get out of bed in the middle of the night and then painstakingly groom Chunri. I was exhausted too, but I didn't say a word (you pervert, you're enjoying yourself, so naturally you won't say anything).

In addition, Yuki also expressed some concerns to me. Of course, from another perspective.

Yuki is now completely mine, body and soul (that sounds wicked). Therefore, it's natural for her to think of me. As a loyal bodyguard, Yuki is extremely competent. If I hadn't stopped her, Sasaki would be dead by now.

“That woman is dangerous.” Lately, Yuki had practically made this her mantra: “She has the power to kill you. Likewise, she has the motive to kill you. Fortunately, she’s quite vulnerable. Therefore, she can be easily eliminated—”

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying, but please don't kill Sasaki. I mean it."

Is this also an order?

"Is it okay to make a request?"

“If it’s not an order, I will ignore it.”

“…Okay, that’s an order.”

"...But that woman is really dangerous."

“I know, but I owe her. And I don’t think Sasaki would be stupid enough to kill me.”

"Foolish," Yuki muttered under her breath.

"Maybe." I shrugged, looking indifferent.

After that, the first thing Yuki said to me when we met wasn't "Hello," "Have you eaten?" or "How do I look?" but rather, "That woman is dangerous."