LIGHTNOVELONLINE 47. Forward
Making it home, Rei found an envelope next to some books on the kotatsu
"Hm? Mail? No...a letter from nee-san"
"Rei. As I said before, my assignment is now long-running. Unfortunately, you won't be seeing me much in the recent days. I don't want to be away so much, but what I'm doing here is very important. And hey, it's not as if I moved to another country so we'll still see each other. Just not as frequent as either of us would like. I'll filled the fridge with groceries so feel free to help yourself.
Take care
-Mabui
P.S. Me being gone is no excuse for you to just eat meat! I'd better see less and less of the vegetables I left for you in the fridge every time I'm home!"
"Ugh. Vegetables. Green is my least favorite color...I wonder...will she suspect anything if I throw them out?"
Rei seriously thought about doing it for a minute
{...Nah. I'll be an adult and just bite the bullet. I'd probably get caught anyway. Besides, I am still hungry}
Rei opened the old refrigerator in the kitchen and found it stuffed to the brim with food
"Jeez, she wasn't kidding. So...much...green. Whatever"
Grabbing a few carrots, he sat down by the kotatsu, grabbed one of the books on it, and starting reading
Munch!
"Hm. Yin is about controlling and creating form while Yang is about breathing life into form. Despite being opposites, these two elements are synergetic, when you strengthen one you strengthen the other. Hmm..."
Munch!
"Notitia."
No response
"Notitia! You there?!"
Nothing but silence in the house
{Where did that thing go off to now? Whatever, guess I'll have to figure this out on my own...as usual}
With no response from his "guide", Rei continued reading in peace. With only the sound of the fluttering pages to keep him company
"Yin covers the mind and Yang covers the body. I have a natural affinity for Yin and I've supplemented it with plenty of reading and meditation. But I haven't really worked on my Yang much despite increasing my chakra with the Ten-tails. Is that why I've been so hungry lately?"
{Increasing my mental abilities betters my Yin, increasing my physical abilities betters my Yang. I eat well, and I've worked out plenty but, the Yang comes from energy within the cells. However, I've increased my chakra unnaturally, so my body has yet to get a chance to adapt to the new energy I'm holding inside}
Rei looked at the food he was holding and frowned. Suddenly standing up with a facepalm
"Damn it! How could I be so stupid?! Most humans would die from absorbing such power from that monster at young age like mine. I grew complacent because I didn't suffer any immediate side effects! It's just like Notitia said, I still haven't fully awakened my Ōtsutsuki powers yet"
Putting the book down, Rei finished his food and grabbed some more before running to the back yard
"Increasing my chakra capacity IS important, but so is increasing the strength of my body. I'm gonna have to increase my workout routine!"
Rei immediately started exercising. With each routine he completed, he took a break, ate even more food, and worked out again
This process was repeated for the rest of the day
♦♦♦
The Next Morning
Rei was sitting down on an elevated platform waiting for his team...constipated
{Ugh}
"Guess I overdid it a bit"
[Hahahaha!]
"Oh, I see someone have finally decided to join us. Where the hell did you go anyway?"
[Hehehe, yeah sorry. After speaking with you yesterday, I became a little...fragmented]
{...I might as well not even question what that even means since I'll only get a roundabout answer anyway}
"I certainly could have used your help"
[I know, I was watching. Although I didn't say anything, I have to ask, how could a Ph.d like yourself overlook such an obvious mistake? Aren't you supposed to be a "genius"?]
"I AM a genius...in the field of physics and engineering. And you know what, I hate that"
[Hate what?]
"The ignorant assumption that someone with a Ph.d or high IQ can't possibly make an honest mistake. I mean what, did you expect all the doctors in the world to be flawless and always carry calm and composure wherever they go?"
[Uuuum...yeah, I guess]
"That shit only happens in comics and movies. Only an idiot would believe in such drivel. If I wasn't capable of making mistakes I wouldn't be in the situation I'm in now...damn it"
[Man! I'm sorry! What's up your bum?]
"Haaaah. I could barely sleep because of my stomach after I cleared out the fridge. Plus, I had to go shopping to refill it early this morning with a stomach ache to boot"
[That doesn't sound too bad]
"Have you forgotten how far the nearest grocery market is from my house?"
[...Ooooooohh...right...]
"I had to carry all that stuff with a bad stomach. Ugh, I feeling awful on the one day I can't afford to feel awful"
[Well...look at the bright side]
"The bright side?"
[Yeah! Considering the fact you didn't throw up despite eating enough for at least 10 fully grown men proves your "remade" body is doing its job. Right?]
Rei held out his hand
{...True. My stomach pains are decreasing at an inhuman rate, and my body feels much better than yesterday. The Ōtsutsuki cells inside me are already adapting to the change}
"The pain I feel is nothing compared to what I felt yesterday. It's amazing how I'm recovering so fast"
[You might even manifest some new abilites soon, so keep an-]
"Shhh"
[Huh?]
"Someone's coming"
Arriving at the same time was Suzu and Tai
"Hey Rei!" (Tai)
"H-hey" (Rei)
"?" (Tai)
"Hm? Are you alright?" (Suzu)
"Yeah...just ate something bad this morning but I'll be alright. Did you guys sleep well?"
Tai folded his arms and wore a confident grin
"It's been so long since I've slept so well" (Tai)
"Same" (Suzu)
"Good to hear, now that we're approaching a crossroads in our lives" (Rei)
"Yeah...but for some reason...I'm not worried. It's a strange feeling..." (Tai)
"...I know what you mean" (Rei)
"It's not strange at all" (Suzu)
"?" (Rei & Tai)
Suzu turned her head and spoke shyly
"We've just stopped waiting for change and decided to get it ourselves" (Suzu)
Rei and Tai smirked at her words
"A fine point Suzu" (Tai)
"Yes it was. In fact, it's exactly what I needed to-!" (Rei)
Rei suddenly turned his head
"What is it?" (Suzu)
"The guest of honor has arrived" (Rei)
Thwap! A figure landed in front of them
"...!" (Suzu)
"Eh? Ah! Tango-sensei!" (Tai)
"Good morning you three. I just got here but...your looks are far better than when we first met. So that with being said, shall we begin?" (Tango)
Rei got up and stood side by side with the others
"?" (Tango)
"My name is Suzu"
"My name is Tai Yotsuki"
"My name is Rei Sano"
"!" (Tango)
The three them stood at attention and yelled
"AND WE ARE TEAM TANGO!" (All of them)
"..." (Tango)
Tango was at a loss for words before he began giggling. After he was done, he gestured them to follow
"Follow me" (Tango)
Not questioning him, the trio followed with haste. Along the way, Rei spoke to other two
"Hey guys. This path is..." (Rei)
"Yeah. I've noticed as well" (Suzu)
"The same place again..." (Tai)
♦♦♦
After some time, the group arrived at the harbor they'd previously visited on their first mission
Greeting them on his ship was the Jonin Funsui
"Hey Tango! You setting out?" (Funsui)
"Yes. As for the destination...well...just look at them" (Tango)
Funsui observed the three Genin and smiled
"Hahaha! Now those are some mugs I can get down with! Climb aboard!" (Funsui)
After getting on, Tango and Funsui conversed
"We going to the island again?" (Funsui)
"...No...they've shown me there's no need. I'm taking them to the 'guardian'." (Tango)
"?!" (Funsui)
"Before you ask, yes I'm sure. They can handle it. I've already received permission from Raikage-sama. Plus, Tai is a member of the Yotsuki Clan so there's even less to worry about when it comes to going there" (Tango)
"If you say so. I'll have my men change course. Ronri!" (Funsui)
Funsui yelled to a crew member below deck
"Yeah?!" (Ronri)
"We're not headed to Genbu! We're gonna see the 'guardian'!" (Funsui)
"Understood! I'll inform the others!" (Ronri)
"And step on it! I want this done as soon as humanly possible!" (Funsui)
"Yes sir!" (Ronri)
Turning back to Tango
"You'd better tell them what you're doing now. I'll be at the helm if you need me" (Funsui)
"Got it. Thanks!" (Tango)
After Funsui left, Tango approached the team
"Contrary to what I assume you've already guessed, we will not be returning to Genbu Island" (Tango)
"Sensei" (Rei)
"Yes?" (Tango)
"May I ask the details of this mission?" (Rei)
"So open...you lot have grown. But there seems to be a misunderstanding" (Tango)
"?" (Rei)
"I'm not taking you three on a mission...yet" (Tango)
"Then...where are we going?" (Suzu)
"We are headed to a place for preparation" (Tango)
"Preparation?" (Tai)
"Training actually. After seeing how much your behavior and demeanor have changed compared to our first mission, I acknowledge you three have put in a great deal of thought towards my words. But you're still lacking in certain areas. Areas I intend to correct at our destination. Or rather...areas HE and I intend to correct" (Tango)
{He?} (Suzu)
"For now, just enjoy the ride. Our trip won't be as long as the one to Genbu" (Tango)
Tango left them to their thoughts
"Training huh? I'm always open to that but..." (Tai)
"Yeah...there's more to this than he's letting on" (Suzu)
The two looked at Rei
"Hm? Hey, if I knew I would tell you. I'm not keeping things to myself anymore. I'm just as lost as you" (Rei)
"Not even a guess?" (Suzu)
"Nope. For starters, I don't even know where he's taking us" (Rei)
The group converse for some time before the ship was engulfed in fog
Tai seemed to notice something about the valley they entered and stood up
"No way..." (Tai)
"Something wrong?" (Suzu)
"...I...I think I know where we're going" (Tai)
"?!" (Rei & Suzu)
"This place is under the jurisdiction of my family" (Tai)
"Are you sure? All of us can barely see anything with blasted fog" (Suzu)
{Well...I can with my enhanced eyesight, but I see your point} (Rei)
Before Tai could respond the crew, including Tango, emerged from the bottom of the deck
"Tango-sensei! Is this place?!" (Tai)
"Yes" (Tango)
Funsui walks past them towards the tip of the deck before turning back at them
"Everyone! It is my pleasure to welcome you all to Unraikyō!1Valley of Clouds and Lightning"