~Two Hours Later~

Reiki was running down the empty street, in the corner of his eye he could see the tall buildings all lit up. The mana around Reiki was constantly expanding and compressing from his breathing, with a single exhale the leaves of the nearest trees visibly moved around him. Reiki thought. I’d rather have a face mask on than breathe like this during training… His clothes were drenched in sweat as it stuck to him, with a deep inhale from his nose the leaves of the trees were being pulled in his general direction. Reiki went back to running down the street, he continued his train of thought. I feel lightheaded…

~One Hour Later~

Reiki was back at his older sister’s house as he was in the middle of doing a push-up, his chest was a few inches away from the ground as he inhaled through his nose. The mana around him compressed, he slowly extended his arms and exhaled as the mana in the area expanded. Through gritted teeth, Reiki said. “Fifty-six.” His upper body slowly went back down as he repeated the process.

~Half An Hour Later~

Reiki stood on both of his feet, his body hunched forward as he placed his hands on his knees to keep himself up. He thought. … I might actually pass out… He was panting as the mana around him was completely still. He took a deep breath as he stood straight up, stretched both his arms in front of him, and corrected his footing. Reiki inhaled as the mana around him compressed, he squatted down and exhaled as the mana near him expanded. He slowly raised back up from the squat and said. “One.”

~Two Hours Later~

Reiki was leaning on the house while standing on a puddle of his own sweat, he thought. I can feel my own heart escaping through my throat… His breathing was heavy as he took out a tattered pouch from his pocket, from his head Ender’s said. [You’re not breathing properly.] Reiki slowly took out a large and heavy greatsword from the pouch, he thought. Give me a minute… He carried the entire greatsword with one hand and placed it on the ground and took out another one from the pouch.

He leaned down, grabbed the greatsword on the ground with his left hand, and took a few steps to move away from the wall. He positioned both his hands in front of him with a greatsword in each hand, Reiki had an iron grip on the swords as all the muscles in his hands were visibly tense. He inhaled from his nose as the mana around him compressed, he swung the greatsword in his right vertical and exhaled. The mana in the air expanded, Reiki thought. One… Just three hundred swings on each sword left…

~Three Hours Later~

Both the greatswords were on the ground as Reiki's breathing was completely erratic, on some of his exhales the mana around him would expand. He was hunched down while squatting on the ground, with one hand on his chest Reiki felt his heartbeat going wild. He thought. One hundred forty-five BPM… He moved his gaze onto the greatswords on the ground and continued his train of thought. … Now I have to put these back inside… He didn’t notice something black was growing from his back as it grabbed both the greatswords on the ground.

The two greatswords were lifted by the black entity that was coming from his back with ease, Reiki leaned back and said. “Thanks, Q.” Q reached into his pocket and took out the tattered pouch as she stuffed the two swords back in, and placed the pouch back in his pocket. Reiki closed his eyes as the sun started rising on the horizon, he thought. I finished late today… He slowly stood up as his legs slightly wobbled, he tried to calm his breathing down by taking deep breaths as the mana around him was still.

After a few deep breaths when Reiki inhaled the mana around him compressed, he thought. Time to clean up and make breakfast.

~Twenty Minutes Later~

Ketsueki was sitting at the new dining table her friend bought as she stared at the meticulously prepared food. Shiro walked down the staircase, with her eyes barely open as she slowly trotted her way to the table. Ketsueki watched her little sister from the corner of her eye as she saw Shiro hit her head on the table. Shiro placed her hands on the area she was hit, she opened her teary eyes as she stared at the table. Ketsueki had a concerned look on her face and said. “Shiro, are you okay?”

Shiro made her way to the empty seat next to her older sister and sat on it, rubbing her forehead and said. “Yes, Onee-chan. I’m okay…” The two of them clasped their hands together and spoke in unison. “Itadakimasu.” They picked up her pair of chopsticks and started eating while Shiro glanced around the room. She looked up to her as Ketsueki let out a chuckle and said. “Reiki’s putting the finishing touches on our lunch.” From the direction of the kitchen, Reiki was carrying four boxes of bento in one hand and a spoon along with a small bowl of ice cream with a single scoop in the other.

He placed the bentos on the table and quickly stopped stacking the bentos on top of each other, Reiki put the small bowl of ice cream in front of his little sister. He said. “Shiro, here's something to help the pain go away.” Shiro’s eyes lit up like stars as she stared at the scoop of ice cream, she brightly smiled at her older brother and said. “Thank you, Onii-chan.” Ketsueki was in the middle of chewing as she glanced at the ice cream Reiki gave her. She gulped down a mouthful of food and said. “Where’s mine?”

Reiki sat next to the rice cooker he placed on one of the chairs, he clasped his hands together and said. “Itadakimasu. Hit your head on the table, I’ll give you ice cream.” Reiki picked up his pair of chopsticks as he glanced at the new flatscreen mounted on the wall and the new table they were eating on, he said. “... Onee-chan… Where did we get the new table and TV?” Shiro had a hint of confusion on her face while chewing. Ketsueki picked up her glass of water and took a sip, she said. “Namida bought it.” Reiki’s brows furrowed in confusion, a few seconds passed as they ate in silence.

Reiki gulped down a mouthful of food and said. “Onee-chan, when did you start accepting gifts from guys?” Ketsueki was in the middle of chewing as she barely managed to suppress her laughter as her shoulders visibly trembled from holding back. Shiro moved her gaze onto her older brother and said. “Onii-chan, how did you know I hit my head?” Reiki quickly emptied his bowl of rice, he pressed the button on the rice cooker, as the lid opened revealing freshly cooked rice. He picked up the rice paddle on the side of the rice cooker and started placing a large amount of rice into his bowl.

Reiki said. “Two things. One, you’re the same height as the table. Two, the area where you hit your head on the table is still a bit red.” Shiro used her left hand to rub her forehead while Ketsueki took a sip of her miso soup and said. “... Namida told me to take it as payment.” Reiki’s bowl had another mountain of rice, he picked up his chopsticks, reached for a couple of pieces of pan-seared salmon, and put it on his plate.

He said. “Payment for what?” Shiro blew on her hot bowl of miso soup a few times while Ketsueki grabbed another piece of salmon with her chopsticks and placed it on her plate. She said. “Judging by how… Verbal? Namida’s mother has been about our visit. We should be able to drop by in a day or two.” Reiki used his chopstick to separate the crispy skin of the salmon, he said. “She paid you these two items to visit her home?” He placed the salmon meat on top of his rice and thought. Makes me wonder what kind of family she has.

Reiki shoved a mouthful of rice that was topped with some salmon into his mouth while Ketsueki thought. … I’m reluctant to go back to her house with that judgemental stare of her mother and grandmother… She said. “Namida recently told me this, she somehow got permission for you to use their kitchen.” Shiro blew on her hot bowl of miso soup one more time as she carefully took a small sip and burned the tip of her tongue. She thought. Hot! Shiro placed her bowl and chopsticks on the table, she quickly reached for the spoon along with the small bowl of ice cream to ease the burn on her tongue.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Reiki took a sip from his miso soup bowl to help push down the food in his mouth, he said. “She wants me to cook? Ok, I would’ve done it for free.” He used his chopsticks to put some salmon onto his mountain of rice while his gaze wandered to Shiro. Reiki said. “Shiro, are you okay?” Shiro used her spoon to scoop more ice cream and said. “I burned the tip of my tongue, but on the bright side I can still taste lunch later.”

Reiki stared at his little sister for a couple of seconds, he said. “Want me to make the soup on a lower heat next time?” Ketsueki ate a couple pieces of pickled vegetables, she thought. Should I tell him what kind of family it is?... Shiro shook her head sideways and said. “No, I wanna get used to it.” Reiki smiled at his little sister, he said. “Okay, make sure to be careful.” He ate another mouthful of rice that had some salmon on top of it.

~Forty Minutes Later~

Shiro was wearing her school uniform as she finished putting on her leather shoes while Ketsueki was wearing a baggy jacket over her shirt while letting out a small yawn. She covered her mouth with one of her hands and said. “Bentos.” Shiro tapped on the pocket of her uniform and said. “In my pouch and the extra key you gave me, Onee-chan.” Ketsueki nodded as Reiki made his way to the front door while wiping some water on his hands using the side of his shirt. Ketsueki glanced at him and said. “You better attend school today, Reiki.”

He let out a wry chuckle and said. “I-I will, Onee-chan.” Reiki thought. If there is a god he’ll send a meteor to destroy that building. Ketsueki waved her hand as the door leading out opened by itself, she said. “Let’s go, Shiro.” Shiro grabbed her older sister's hand as the two of them left Reiki in the house as the door closed itself. He scratched the back of his head and thought. Kireina can handle Onee-chans phone call… I guess I can drop by Arashi’s place so we can spar in the ring for a round or two. Reiki made his way to the shoe compartment and slid it open.

He quickly took out his sports shoes and started putting them on. Reiki squatted down to tie his shoelaces as he finished in a few seconds, he stood up and took a deep breath from his nose. The mana in his surroundings compressed as Reiki made his way to the door, he made sure to press the handle button and closed it behind him. He sharply exhaled as the mana outside was violently pushed back, Reiki looked up at the apartment complex next to his home and thought. … What kind of rich asshole builds an apartment all the way over here…

From his head, Ender let out a chuckle and said. [That’s a sentence I thought I’d never hear from someone who did it regularly.] Reiki was staring at all the side terraces, he thought. In my defense, it’s a new world. The only crime I’m guilty of is-. Ender interrupted him and said. [Breaking a handful of the Geneva Convention along with a few war crimes. I may not be well versed in this realm's laws, but even I can tell you’ve broken every single law that involves money and business.] Reiki started walking between the gap of his older sister's house and the apartment complex.

He thought. I’m not going to deny any of those. While looking up at the windows, he continued his train of thought. At the very least I stuck with my principles and never raped anyone or killed a child. Ender’s voice rang in his head, he said. [You just hire people to do it for you and I’m fairly sure you’ve killed teenagers somewhere around the age of sixteen to eighteen.] Reiki stopped walking as he saw Arashi’s closed window, he thought. One. That bitch cost me five hundred million worth of stocks, not the kind of money you’d see lying on the floor. Two. The group of guys were assholes who were planning to kidnap an innocent girl. As far as I’m concerned, every time I kill someone it makes the world a cleaner place.

He let out a sharp exhale as the mana around him was violently pushed away, Ender said. [Don’t you mean a better place?] Reiki let out a soft chuckle, he thought. No, me killing people does not make the problems vanish. It gives me a chance to ‘clean’ before others get a chance to throw garbage on the floor or get my hands dirty to look for a hidden stain. Previous or current both worlds are a lot more filthier than people can ever imagine, me cleaning up messes does not mean people should praise me. I expect to be ridiculed and detested for it.

He let out a slow exhale as the mana in his surroundings was slowly shoved away from him, Reiki continued his train of thought. Without a single moment of hesitation, I would kill more people just for the fact it helps me forget about not being able to save both Ketsueki and Shiro when going to sleep.

『Flash Has Been Activated. Mana Cost: 6,250.』

________________________________________________________________________________

Arashi’s Apartment

Asami was sitting on the couch while Arashi was behind the couch as she rested her elbow on the backrest along with her large chest on the couch. Arashi said. “Can’t you do this one small thing for me Asami? Reiki won’t spar with me if I ask him.” Asami glanced at her from the corner of her eye and said. “Oh, I wonder why? Can you tell me the reason?” Arashi carefully hit the couch a couple of times with the palm of her hand.

She said. “You know why, you stopped me from shattering his hand.” The two of them noticed the mana in the air being pulled in a single direction. Arashi and Asami turned their heads to where the mana was being drawn to as they saw Reiki standing by the window, he said. “Hello, ladies. Got any food for me?” The two of them watched as the mana was headed toward the young boy, Reiki exhaled through his nose as they felt the mana get pushed past them. He said. “... Did I come at a bad time?”

Arashi was about to say something but was beaten by Asami who spoke first. Asami said. “Reiki… What kind of mana cultivation method is that?” Reiki’s brows furrowed in confusion, he said. “Cultivation?” Arashi’s gaze was on the mana around him that was constantly moving from his breathing, she said. “Technique, cultivation, method. Each unique name it’s called comes from a different class or country, they all mean the same thing. Like how many names the bag of holding has.” Reiki made his way to the couch and sat down, he shook his head and said. “In that case, I’m not using anything. Just breathing.”

Arashi had a doubtful look on her face, she thought. With the amount of mana moving, no one is dumb enough to think it’s not a breathing technique. Asami looked at him with narrowed eyes as she observed the flow of the mana, she took out a large sealed bag of unshelled pistachio. She placed the bag on Reiki’s lap and said. “Give me your hand for a second.” Reiki glanced at the bag, he thought. No brand. He said. “Deal.” He extended his right to her, Asami’s pupils faintly glowed as she placed an index finger on his wrist.

Asami watched Reiki’s mana move inside his body, she thought. … What the... She moved her finger away from his wrist and said. “Thanks…” Reiki opened the bag of pistachio nuts, he said. “Believe me now?” Asami stared at him for a couple of seconds, she said. “... So this is supposed to be breathing?...” Reiki shoved a handful of nuts into his mouth and nodded while the doubt on Arashi’s face instantly vanished. She said. “You are lying.” With her pupils faintly glowing Arashi was suddenly sitting on the couch on Reiki’s left as she placed a finger on the vein of his throat.

Arashi reflexively pulled her hand away, she thought. That was supposed to be stable mana in his body?! She moved her gaze onto Asami as she gave her a nod. Asami said. “Reiki, How long have you… Started breathing this way?” Reiki gulped down a mouthful of food, he said. “I started around after dinner yesterday so… Approaching twelve hours give or take.” He ate another handful of nuts while Asami had a pondering look on her face as she looked like she was about to burn a hole through the TV.

Arashi stared at him with narrowed eyes, she said. “You don’t happen to have a high affinity with lightning, do you?” He gulped down a mouthful of pistachio and said. “Nope.” Arashi’s expression slowly turned into one of confusion, she thought. How is he even alive right now? The mana of the most powerful lightning mage I know doesn’t move nearly as fast as his… From the corner of her eye, she saw Reiki eating more nuts as Arashi’s right hand blurred as she stole a handful and ate them one by one with her left hand. Arashi continued her train of thought. I’m out of ideas.

Asami’s pupils slowly glowed a faint light blue, she turned her head onto Reiki and said. “Reiki, can you inhale as deep as you can for me?” Reiki was in the middle of chewing as he gave her a nod. He inhaled through his nose as some of Arashi’s hair moved as she felt a gust of wind from the mana in the room suddenly heading toward him. Reiki ate more pistachio as he exhaled using his nose as the mana in the atmosphere was pushed back, a few strands of hair blocked Asami’s eyes as she casually moved it behind her ear.

Asami thought. … Now I understand… Assimilation. Reiki gulped down a mouthful of nuts as he let out a sharp exhale as the mana in the room was shoved away from him. Asami said. “Reiki, if I taught you a different cultivation method-.” Before she could even finish Reiki interrupted her and said. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.” Arashi thought. Oh, I need to see her expression. She glanced at Asami from the corner of her eye while taking another handful of pistachio from the bag on Reiki’s lap.

Asami was stunned for a couple of seconds as she stared at him while Arashi hid the smirk on her face by turning her upper body to the left. Arashi thought. I wish I had a hidden camera installed. I could’ve been a millionaire from selling that expression to everyone on the mainland. With a wave of Asami’s hand, a see-through mana hand appeared in the air. Reiki saw it and thought. I know where this is going. Arashi ate the rest of the pistachio in her hand as the mana hand in the air karate-chopped the top of her head.

Arashi was in the middle of chewing as she nearly bit her tongue, she placed both her hands on top of her head as she leaned on the backrest of the couch. For a split second her pupils changed into yellow before instantly turning back to ocean blue. Arashi thought. Fucking bitch! I could’ve bit my tongue! Asami said. “Since you’ve already told me your answer. Let’s just leave it at that…” She glanced at Arashi who was still in the middle of chewing while rubbing the top of her head. Asami continued. “She also wants to spar with you again. Something about getting even? I was only half listening during that conversation.”