Random in Randomizer world

After waking Himari, the two sat in the hot springs again.

Jin didn't intend to leave and offered to talk after finishing, but she insisted on joining him.

So, he simply agreed and returned to the same comfortable spot he had been in earlier.

"So, Azuma-san, what's the matter?" Jin looked at her, and while Himari's fair skin was visibly flustered, she cleared her mind of improper thoughts and focused on their conversation.

"Hiratsuka-san, you mentioned something earlier about training and that your abilities involve copying?" Jin nodded and explained the properties of his abilities, leaving Himari wide-eyed.

"That's... ridiculously amazing." Himari felt envious. Although she possessed the ability to copy powers, she was far from mastering it at Jin's level.

"Your abilities are just as incredible, Azuma-san." Jin wasn't merely consoling her; it was the truth. The ability to copy powers had always been a formidable one.

"I'm... far from using them like you." Seeing her disheartened expression, Jin thought for a moment before splashing some water on her face.

Although it was a hot spring, the water wasn't hot enough to cause burns. It was just a mild splash of warmth that startled Himari into a surprised yelp.

"Hi-Hiratsuka-san?!" Looking at the figure standing before her, Himari felt embarrassed, but her downcast thoughts vanished.

"Good. How do you feel now?" He sat back down, looking at the girl whose face had returned to normal.

Himari was surprised and understood his intention. He wanted to dispel her depressive thoughts before they grew. Seeing that Himari grasped his meaning, Jin spoke calmly.

"You undervalue yourself and your strength too much. Your power is far greater than you realize, but it's you who is holding it back."

"I'm holding back my own power?" Jin nodded in response and shared his thoughts.

"Do you mind if I call you Himari directly?" She nodded in complete agreement, feeling slightly envious of how casually Kyouka and Jin addressed each other.

"Good, then, Himari. You need to understand the foundation of any ability that specializes in copying—it's not just about replicating powers but improving them."

Himari placed her hand on her chin, pondering his words. Seeing the increasing brightness in her eyes, Jin continued.

"Copying doesn't mean simply duplicating your opponent's abilities and stopping there. It means enhancing them with your own insight. In your case, you're capable of doing that, so you need to start mixing abilities."

"Mixing abilities?"

"Yes. Copying alone isn't enough because there are different factors, such as the person's experience with their ability and so on. Unlike me, who can grasp the essence of a power instantly, you need time to refine the ability until it reaches the level of the person you copied it from."

He left her to think quietly, and after a few minutes, Himari stood and bowed in thanks.

"Thank you, Jin, for—" In the middle of thanking him, she forgot she was only wearing a towel, which almost slipped off, but Jin moved quickly to catch her.

"What are you two doing?" The door opened, and Kyouka walked in. When she saw them, she froze momentarily, her eyes shifting from kind to utterly terrifying.

"Kyouka, listen to me, I—"

"It's time to submit!"

-

Jin woke up, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and remembering he was in the Mato.

Yesterday had been eventful, with Kyouka chasing him around the house until she tired out, and everyone eventually returned to rest.

As he stared at the ceiling, he thought about training both Kyouka's power and his own at the same time.

As fantastical as it sounded, he couldn't shake the idea from his mind.

"Connection," Jin muttered, thinking about the most crucial ability in his arsenal, the one that made everything around him stronger.

As long as he connected his power and linked it to another person or object, that entity would draw strength from him.

Yesterday, he had used Kyouka's ability to subjugate others and combined it with his connection ability.

"If I could link everyone into a single network where they continuously share my power among themselves... wouldn't that grant everyone unlimited abilities?"

Thinking about this possibility, Jin clenched his fist in excitement. He hadn't felt this thrill for battle or developing new abilities in a long time.

With the [Universal] ability, Jin had reached a level where everything seemed possible.

Even the organization he belonged to would benefit greatly, as he planned to inform Bismarck and begin linking everyone to him.

However, there were still several experiments to conduct to ensure everything worked as planned.

While lost in thought, he heard a soft knock on his door and recognized the voice of the youngest member of the unit.

"Hiratsuka-san, are you awake?" Hearing Nei Ookawamura's voice, Jin quickly dressed in a white shirt and black shorts before opening the door.

"Good morning, Ookawamura-san." Looking at the petite figure, Jin had to admit she was incredibly cute.

"Oh... Good morning to you too, Hiratsuka-san!" Nei Ookawamura was genuinely excited about the new member of their squad.

Yes, she believed Kyouka's words that Jin would officially become one of them, and as the youngest, she felt it was her responsibility to take care of him.

"Jin is fine. No need for formalities." Nei nodded in response and asked him to do the same.

"Nei, what's for breakfast?" Jin asked as they walked to the living room, learning from Nei that no one seemed to take responsibility for maintaining the residence.

"So... everything falls on you, Nei?" Nei nodded but spoke in defense of the others.

"Everyone helps me from time to time, so don't worry about me." Jin shook his head, deciding to teach the others a lesson later. For now, he focused on helping Nei.

Since they were the only ones awake early, Jin took charge of breakfast, preparing a feast large enough for over twenty adults.

Not knowing their appetites and knowing his own was enormous, Jin cooked everything available. According to Nei, using the ingredients wasn't an issue since they were supplied by headquarters.

Nei helped a little but was mostly mesmerized by his cooking. It was the first time she'd seen food that seemed to shine.

Jin had to thank his system for this. He doubted anyone could surpass him in cooking due to the accumulated rewards from ages ago, which included mastering the fundamentals of every culinary skill.

"Good morning, Nei and Jin." Kyouka greeted them, dressed in sportswear, likely having woken up early to train.

"Good morning to you too, Kyouka/Leader," Nei and Jin said simultaneously. The three of them sat down, and shortly after, Shushu and Himari joined.

"So, who's going to be the first to receive my training?" Jin asked, looking at everyone as they glanced at one another until Kyouka raised her hand.

They had already agreed on the order beforehand: Kyouka, Himari, Shushu, and finally Nei, as her abilities focused on reconnaissance rather than combat.

Jin approved of the arrangement and finished breakfast quickly before everyone set out to their respective tasks.

Jin and Kyouka headed to the training grounds to begin.

-

When they reached the training grounds, Kyouka turned to Jin and asked, "So, Jin, what are we training today?"

"Your abilities. Let's start by exploring a new approach to using them." Kyouka tilted her head in confusion but obediently listened.

"First, you need to understand the principle: Peach Powers stem from your inner strength and continuous development. So, let's begin by channeling energy into more than one Shuuki simultaneously."

Unlike Jin, Kyouka needed to bind her targets with iron chains as a marker to activate her abilities.

The first step was to eliminate those unnecessary chains, allowing her to use her power through mental control alone.

This would later enable her to spread her influence over an area and bring everyone under her command.

Of course, such advancements would take time, so she started with the basics—transforming the bond from physical chains to mental control.

To do this, Jin explained the fundamentals of the Mato, treating it as energy flowing through the body.

Kyouka tried for a while until she gradually reached the threshold, successfully controlling a Shuuki after about two hours.

"I... I did it," she gasped, struggling to catch her breath. Mental exhaustion was no joke, as she had to connect her mind with the Shuuki, give orders, and fight simultaneously alongside Jin.

However, this improved her coordination between her mind and body, allowing her to issue commands while relying on muscle memory for combat.

"Well done. This is just the beginning, but it's a great start—controlling more than one Shuuki over a short distance." Jin praised her, handing her a water bottle while considering his connection ability.

"Kyouka, I want to try something." Jin explained the concept of his connection ability in detail. Kyouka had to admit it was utterly broken.

"Let's try it." Kyouka agreed, and Jin established a connection between them.

At that moment, immense power surged through Kyouka's body, making her feel as though she were on entirely natural stimulants.

In the connection, her mind operated more smoothly, and even the sacred power became easier to use. To push her potential to the maximum, he applied her own ability to her.

However, Jin enhanced the ability, so instead of commanding her, he simply provided a larger portion of the regular connection power, allowing Kyouka to receive a greater and stronger boost.

A period passed after she gained the ability, and Kyouka savored the feeling of power in all its details. She became nearly two to three times stronger than before. After the connection between her and Jin ended, she was utterly exhausted.

Even her strength became more effectively utilized, and her mind was clearer when issuing commands.

Thus, after the training session ended and Jin saw her exhausted on the ground, he felt sorry and began thinking of ways to reduce the strain on people connected to him.

Perhaps distributing the burden among multiple people?

"Well done, Kyouka. This is just the beginning; in the coming days, it will—" Jin's words were cut off as he suddenly felt he was losing control of his body.

He approached Kyouka quietly, and a dangerous thought crossed his mind.

"Side effects!"

"Jin?" Kyouka asked, raising her eyes to look at him as he abruptly stopped speaking.

But she noticed him slowly moving closer to her without saying a word...