NOVEL NEXT [15] Charizzma (2)
Chapter 15: Charizzma (2)
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The evening sky was calming, the wind gentle, and the sound of the pond water behind me was relaxing. I sat down on the bench beside the half-devil, Mem-Cho, who was much more tense than me, though she didn't show it. The reason why she was tense was because I wasn't veiling my Qi, she knew I wasn't a normal human, and that I probably knew her true identity.
"A half devil? What Family are you from?" I started the conversation with that, causing her muscles to tense as she sat stiffly while wearing a shaky smile.
"Haha… would you believe me if I said I don't know what you're talking about?" She said, looking to the side and not meeting my eyes. "I can feel you're… special, so I am assuming you know that I am too, but I have no idea what your question means."
"Ah, I see." I shrugged. "Understandable since you are not pureblood. Your father probably found a good-looking human woman and slept with her, you were the result. Then he left. Ah, or was it your mother, instead?"
"...It’s my father." She said, still a bit tense, but less than before given I was being pretty casual.
"Don't worry, I am not here to hunt you or anything. I don't hold any prejudice toward the devils, definitely not towards a half who doesn't even know her identity." I reached out a hand and put it on her thighs, trying to reassure her. I looked into her eyes, smiling. "Besides, even if I was one of those guys from the Hero Faction who hunt devils, I don't think I'd have the guts to take down such a cutie like you."
That made her ease finally, as she smiled back. "I'll take your word for that, then. Though I have no idea about that faction you just spoke of."
I see. It was true I didn't hold any prejudice towards devils, even if I was killed in my 2nd life by my devil wife. I don't hate the entire race- well, I don't hate her either at this point, it's been too long, holding onto grudges in my kind of life wasn't satisfying. Though it was untrue that I wouldn't have killed her if I was in such a situation; I killed the hottest woman in the universe in my 9th life. That bitch tried to steal half of my power after we broke up after dating for a few years as if it was a common western marriage.
"Rest assured, then," I told her, drawing my hand back. My eyes scanned the area as we sat in silence. Mem-Cho stayed silent too, until she cleared her throat and decided to speak.
"By the way, it seems there are quite a few special people in this place. Especially the girls; I think Mai Sakurajima is a Yokai, and I'm unsure about what Yuki Sumi is, but she also has a sort of aura around her. Only that girl," she nudged her nose ahead. "Akane is normal, I think. Same with all the guys, other than yourself."
"You're right. I suppose it's more common than I thought for supernatural people to be in the showbiz world. Perhaps that's why some entertainers seem too good at their job to be human." I theorized. "By the way, are you single?"
"...Yes?" She answered hesitantly, and then a smug smile formed on her lips. She leaned toward me. "Ara ara, did Aquamarine-kun build a crush on Senpai?"
"Don’t you usually play the cute girl role? What is this ara ara now? It doesn't suit you, shorty." I flicked a finger on her nose, which she didn't take offense to, and just jiggled. "Just call me Aqua, by the way. As for your question, maybe I do. It's rare to meet a girl who looks so young at the age of 25, after all."
That was when she choked on her own spit with her eyes going wide. I rushed away from the bench and brought a bottle of water for her, and she quickly drank it. She gave me a look, and she somehow looked more scared that I knew her real age, than when I knew her race.
She looked up from the bench and gave me a pleading look.
"Keep it a secret?"
"Only if you give me your number."
She frowned, before sighing with a blush, as she took her phone out from her handbag. "You're not funny. You could have just asked me for it, I'd have given it anyway. Why did you have to scare me? You’re a bad, bad boy."
I sat back down, this time a bit closer than before, with my arms around her. "Who says I am not funny? Girl, I'm hilarious. I can prove it to you… by the way, a camera is focused on us right now, let's not talk about that other stuff."
I whispered the last line as I took out my own phone. We exchanged contacts, and Mem-Cho got curious about what I said.
"You said you can prove it? I am curious how." said the same girl who was laughing like a hydraulic brake to my bad jokes just a minute later.
Lesson of Reincarnation: Girls have mid-ass humor, sometimes nonexistent; make stupid and unfunny jokes and they'll love it. Make actually funny jokes, they won't even get it.
* * *
In the meantime, as the live broadcast went on, there was a lack of sound in Tsubasa's home. Three girls sat together, in front of a large TV that hung in the wall, as they stared at the scene with wide eyes and hanging jaws.
"Who the fuck is that?!"
Ruby was the first to break the silence as she questioned reality. Was that really Aqua, the doofus guy who ignored all the confessions he received in middle school?
“T-this doesn’t seem right…” Tsubasa wore a worried frown, looking at the screen as if Aqua was suddenly mentally sick. Sure this was acting, but how was he suddenly a flirt compared to his uncaring but innocent self from before?
“Auuk…” Kana Arima, on the other hand, just had a drained expression as she stared at the screen.
“Tch, tch!” Ruby humphed. “Onii-chan is a male
after all, who stops thinking straight in front of a female that suits his kinks. I thought he didn’t like girls deliberately trying to be cute, but what is this? Shameless!”It was then that Miyako walked into the room, carrying a tray full of snacks. Everyone turned to her, with Kana’s eyes going wide in recognition, recalling that face as that of the legendary Ai’s manager, as she put the snacks down on the table in front of the girls’ couch. As she did, her eyes flickered to the scene in the TV and a strange expression passed through her face before vanishing.
“Hey, Aunty, look at how disgusting Onii-chan is acting!” Ruby announced while Kana leaned towards Tsubasa to confirm her theory.
Miyako gave them an awkward smile. “It’s just acting, girls. I guess you guys don’t like seeing a man you’re close with talking that way with other girls, but don’t take it for reality. It’s like how many married people do kiss scenes on the screen, and their partners don’t mind.”
“Mama doesn’t do that!” Ruby announced, remembering the annoying situation back in America where Ai refused to do a kiss scene. “Wait, right, she’s not married…”
“Wait, your mom’s an actress, Ruby?” Kana blinked and asked, as the other three women paused. She quickly cleared her throat. “Y-you don’t have to tell me if you want to keep it a secret. A-ah, and hello, Miss Miyako, I am a big fan.”
“Oh.” Miyako smiled. “A big fan of a manager? Adorable. Anyhow, you guys enjoy the show. Ah, on the note of the kissing, in the last season of this Drama, a couple kissed and even dated for a few months. Do with that information what you will.”
Saying so, she walked out of the room as the three girls sat baffled, quickly turning to the screen with mixed gazes.
* * *
After spending a few more minutes with Mem-Cho, I decided to see the others too. After living so many lives, I didn’t have an exact type, shorties worked, tall mommies too, and my preferred personality in a girl depends on the day. So really, I wanted to check out everyone first before I’d make a decision.
“Don’t forget to DM me~ I’d be hurt if you took my number and socials just to never contact me.” Mem-Cho winked and sent me a flying kiss as I smiled and walked away.
I walked towards a tree a bit far from here; the closest girl from this spot was sitting under that tree. It was Yuki Sumi. I noticed she had tried to come to me earlier, but walked back when she saw me and Mem-Cho talking.
“Hey, Sumi-chan, right?” I walked over to her and said.
I wasn’t going to start this conversation with the slight demonic aura around her; calling her out on her deals with the devils didn’t feel like the right way to have her positive attention. My friendly greeting caused her to open her eyes; she was listening to songs with headphones just now.
She quickly got up, seemingly flustered, though half of it looked fake. She cleared her throat and waved her hand, a small blush on her face. “S-sorry, I was trying to calm my nerves. Gosh, aren’t you nervous? You look pretty calm, Aquamarine-kun.”
“Just Aqua is fine. Wanna head for a walk as we talk?” I asked and she nodded, as she clumsily put her earphones into her handbag. She followed me as I walked. “Walking helps your nerves, better than music for sure. I was slightly nervous around Mem-Cho, she is famous and she is older than me, but it feels relaxing around you since we’re the same age.”
“Ah, I see.” She showed a smile, and her nervousness which was only half real began to fade slowly. “I wouldn’t even know we’re the same age if the Producer didn’t say, to be honest. You’re so tall and big, not the type of guy that gets popular in our country, but then you have the face of a prince. A-ah, I am saying too much…”
Again, her compliments felt real yet a bit fake at the same time. She was merging her acting with her honest opinions well. She is talented for this sort of reality show.
But I didn't like her as much as Mem-cho. This girl looked cute and she was naturally clumsy and adorable, but at the same time, she was aware of that fact and continued to act clumsy. So it wasn't entirely fake, but it felt fake. I don't know, I mean Mem-Cho herself was acting cute, out of her age, but she didn't feel that way.
Hmm, is this my prejudice against those who sell their souls speaking again?
Anyway, I don't like her as much. I guess I should go see someone else now. I would have right now, but we were busy with a conversation.
"You know, a couple in the last season kissed in the last episode," Yuki said; we were now on a first-name basis. "How bold, don't you think? The idea of kissing is so shocking to me, but to do that in front of a camera…"
"Hmm, you've never been in a relationship before?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No~? Do I seem like that sort of girl? Wow Aqua, is that the impression you have of me?" She leaned over with a giggle. "If anyone who's been in a relationship before, you seem to be the one. How many hearts have you broken?"
Broken hearts, huh? Well. Only a broken man can break others. I have so many guilty memories regarding this.
"Have you ever been in love, Aqua?" Her next question reverberated in my head and I stopped walking.
Yuki blinked as my smile vanished and I stared at the empty air. Memories flooded in.
For a being as old as myself, I have fallen in love a lot of times. However, I think the saying that your heart can only love once is somewhat true. I had a few girlfriends in my first life, but I wasn’t particularly attached to any of them. In my second life, I had a harem, and I did love them. I loved them a lot.
In my third life, as Genghis Khan, I had a thousand women whom I slept with. However, there was zero feeling involved. After my 2nd life, it just didn't feel right. That was the turn where I had begun to go a little bit crazy. Therefore, in my 4th life, when I was forced to walk the path of a hermit due to the situation back then, I didn’t resist. I thought it was better to learn to control myself, and this lifestyle would teach me exactly that.
Yet, ironically, in my 4th life, I, the Wandering Beggar, had fallen in love the deepest until then.
In that lifetime, where women and wine were taboo, I fell for a woman more than ever. The fact that I couldn’t be with her, that it was taboo, was probably what made our chemistry affect me that much.
It was a love beyond all my previous ones. That woman whom I fell for in my 4th life, for whom I gave up my life, was someone whom I still dreamt of every now and then. I said I have a soft spot for people who are cripple by birth, right? She is the one who bloomed that feeling. She was a cripple, a blind little girl whom I picked up after her parents died to the underlings of Chun Ma, the Heavenly Demon.
In that life where I felt broken, she is what made me feel whole. She is what fixed me back then.
Under my teaching, she learned to wield a sword, and despite being blind, a little girl, and learning from me, she soon wielded the sword better than I myself. That world was a low Murim World, the weak Qi there couldn't work to replace her eyes, and she couldn't even eat without my help, but she was so stubborn that she was regarded as the Sword Saint.
When I talked about talented disciplines that Ruby could never compare to, she was one of them. She grew strong, driven by the fire of revenge. I was a hermit, a disciple of mine shouldn’t have had such a dream, but I didn’t mind. Because the things she did for me, despite not trusting any other person, were touching.
Then, without telling me, she vanished one night to hunt down the Heavenly Demon. She killed Chun Ma and destroyed his Demonic Sect, but by the time I reached her, she was bleeding to death. There was no way for me to save that stupid girl… not unless I did something that’d make her hate me more than the dead Heavenly Demon.
In my 4th life, after making a decision that I never regretted, I died in my own disciple’s hands. After turning her dying body and soul into that of a devil, she killed me out of love, rage, and betrayal. It was a technique taught to me by my Demon Wife that made humans into immortal devils. She was dying, and that was the only way I could save her. It was selfish of me because she didn't want to live life as a Demon, but selfish I could be if it could save her.
As a hermit, I had abandoned all mortal pleasure. Women and alcohol were the main ones. It wasn't just mere self-restraint, the hermit cultivation path I followed in that world, it had the rule that the Qi in me would have killed me if I stayed from the path of a hermit. In her newly revived body, she was strong enough to kill me with ease.
But she didn’t use her powers, her sword skills that I taught, to take my life. Instead, she tied me up and ravaged me. She broke the code of the hermit that she knew would kill me.
She wanted it, I knew she did, and she knew I also wanted it; our love had been made clear a long time ago, we just couldn’t take the necessary action for many reasons. One was the relationship between a Master and Disciple, in that world it was a very serious thing, and romantic love between us wasn’t respectful to Murim. We’d have been hunted down.
My disciple did exactly that, she broke the taboo, both the Murim taboo and the taboo of a hermit. To kill me, she did what we’ve never been able to. My Qi raged within me and took my life, while I stared at her angry and sad red eyes.
Though, if that incident taught me anything, it’s that I’d never let useless taboos placed by society stop me from doing what I wanted. My life was too complicated to care about the constructs of society if I really wanted something.
…I wonder how she is these days. She should be alive and young, even if it has indeed been thousands of years on my side. I was unsure if time flowed the same in all the worlds in the multiverse. Still, unless she was killed, she should still be out there… somewhere.
"...Aqua?" Yuki's voice broke me out of my daze, and turning to her, I found her in a daze herself, staring at me with slightly agape lips and a red face. A man's nostalgic expression can be attractive, I should have been careful.
"Good talking to you, Yuki." I told her, deciding to leave. I didn’t bother to smile, I didn’t feel like it. Plus, it’d be unwise to have her fall for me too much when I didn't even like her much. I didn't hate her though, she made me remember some interesting memories. "I should go talk with the others too, for a bit. I hope this walk helped calm your nerves."
"Ah…"
She looked a little surprised and almost ran after me when I began to walk. Instead, she reached out her hand and made a bold announcement.
"I-if it's with you, I don't mind doing a kiss scene!"
The camera captured everything, and only after realizing that did Yuki's face go redder than a tomato as she crouched down and hid her face between her thighs.
I wanted to talk to the other two girls too, but I didn't think there was much time. Plus, my feelings were a bit weird suddenly, I didn't want to talk to any other girl today. Still, there was a bit of time left that I spent getting to know the guys better. We'll be doing 8 episodes, and since it's two episodes every week, we'll be working together for a month. It was better to appear friendly with everyone instead of just a womanizer.
“Haah.” What am I even doing here?
Fifteen is the age I start taking life seriously. I need to decide what route I will be taking this time. Letting fate lead me isn’t always a good thing.
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| Nameless Blind Swordsman Disciple -
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