Re: Katawa Kijo
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:23 pm
Here's the next Chapter. Some Kenji-fans complained he wasn't getting enough screen time until now. Rest assured he will feature strongly in the following chapter as well.
Thanks to Leotrak and Snicket for their feedback!
Chapter Sixteen – Circle of Life
Mr. Kanzaki only raises an eyebrow when I storm into his office without knocking. He is sitting at his desk, facing Kenji, who is apparently handling a very dried out potted plant without any apparent enthusiasm.
“Ah, Hisao! Mr. Nomiya was just here to tell me about your session this morning. Remarkable progress. What can I do for you?”
I try to put my thoughts in order before I answer. I'm surprised I'm not as winded as I expected to be after running all the way here... Well, it's not all that far from the nurse's office.
While I'm still pondering how best to breach the subject, Kenji puts down the plant and rises from his chair. “Oh, Hisao, good to see you.” I doubt he is really seeing me, but right now I better not mention this. He walks over to me and whispers conspiratorially. “Seems you had a close one yesterday. That council president bitch almost had you by the balls. Good thing Mr. Kanzaki was there in time to save you. I hope you see now how dangerous they are.”
Suddenly I know exactly what to say. “Yeah, Kenji, I admit I doubted you before, but you were right all along.”
“No! You have to believe me...” Kenji trails off and takes a step back, apparently surprised by my sudden agreement. But a moment later he has sufficiently recovered and is determined not to lose any progress made in my conversion. “Of course I was. I told you I was. If only you had listened to me before... that happened... But it seems you did not sustain any lasting damage, and you will be more careful in the future.”
“Yes, I will. I wouldn't want to go through an experience like that ever again.” Mr. Kanzaki raises an eyebrow and looks at me curiously, but he stays silent. “I'd best keep my distance from girls from now on.”
“A very prudent choice. Did you know that there are far more widowed women than there are widowed men? I haven't been able to find conclusive proof yet, but it's too much to be a coincidence. I'm sure they must be suffocating their husbands in their sleep or something like that, so when the time comes, they won't be able to join in The Fight.”
I want to ask him why they would suffocate only the elderly who wouldn't be of much use in 'The Fight' anyway, but instead I agree with him. “Or they could be after the inheritances to fund the evil schemes of the Feminists!”
Kenji's eyes go wide as he considers the implications. “Oh my god, you're right! Man, we're in deep shit, bro.” He pats me on the shoulder. “But don't lose hope! The situation may be dire, but from now on, we'll oppose the forces of feminism together.”
Mr. Kanzaki opens his mouth, but I motion for him to keep quiet. If I'm lucky Kenji won't see the movement anyway.
“Yes, Kenji, we will. It is amazing how well the Feminists have kept their agenda hidden from us men. Hardly anyone suspects a thing. We're lucky they got careless this once.”
“Exactly! We're lucky...” He stops, confused. “Hey, when did they get careless?”
“Well, when they gave their presence away to you of course. If you hadn't grown suspicious, you couldn't have gathered all the data, couldn't have convinced me, and the world would probably be doomed.” I pause dramatically. “In fact, what kind of blunder did they make to give their presence away to you? I don't think you ever told me.”
Mr. Kanzaki finally understands what I'm aiming for and tries hard not to draw any attention to himself.
Kenji fidgets around a bit. “Well, it's not something I usually tell people.”
“Why not? It could be a powerful proof of the evil that is Feminism.”
“Because it is the story of how I almost fell prey to their evil. I never told this to anybody else before, but as we are now brothers in arms, you probably have to know, so you are prepared for the worst.”
He sighs dramatically, and I hardly dare to breathe lest I interrupt him. He continues in a whisper. “You know, I had a girlfriend once.”
“You had a WHAT?”
“Yes, I know, I've been naïve and foolish, but back then I simply didn't know any better. I was aware of several conspiracies at this school, but she didn't seem to be a part of any of them. She had just transferred here when I met her. I tried to warn her about some of the more dangerous secrets of this school, and she pretended to believe me. Today I know that was all an act, but then I was overjoyed to have finally found an ally.”
I cross my fingers, hoping he won't draw any comparisons to my sudden change of mind, but once Kenji has started his ramblings, there's no stopping him.
“She helped me with my research into the Yakuza contacts of the principal and gathered intel on the shady dealings of the nursing staff. We used to meet in either her room or in mine to compare our theories and just hang out, and then it happened.”
He draws another deep breath, gathering his courage. “We had sex.”
Okay, the next thing that will happen is either Shizune entering the room in a maid costume or Emi munching a parfait.
Kenji continues, oblivious to my reaction. “At first it was okay. She said, she'd done it before and helped me when I wasn't sure what to do, but when we were finished, I suddenly felt extremely tired. Like she had drawn all the energy from me. I fell unconscious almost immediately, and when I woke up, she was gone.”
He suddenly grows angry. “And that's when I knew that she had been using me all along! She spied on me, tried to find out what I knew and made off with all the stolen intel.” He continues in a more subdued manner. “When she didn't return to class the next day, I figured she had to be away reporting to her superiors. From there it wasn't hard to figure out who those superiors were. In the end they probably realized that her cover was blown, because she never came back to Yamaku again.”
I try not to let my despair show. I was hoping against all odds that it would be something I could argue against, that I could point out the one fault at the start of his reasoning chain that would make it crumble to nothing, but feeling drained after sex? How can I argue against that? From what I've heard it happens all the time. If that's his reason for thinking women are evil...”
“Mr. Setou.” Mr. Kanzaki's voice jolts me from my dark musings.
Kenji spins around to face Mr. Kanzaki as if stung by an adder. So he actually did forget he was still in the room. “Yes.”
“Mr. Setou, when did the events you just told us about occur?”
A glimmer of hope shines in Kenji's eyes. “Does that mean you believe me? Do you...”
“Please, Mr. Setou, just answer my question.”
Kenji thinks for a moment. “I'm not sure. Last autumn. Probably around the start of October. What does...”
Mr. Kanzaki holds up his hand to silence him. He closes his eyes and concentrates. Just as I'm about to ask him what he is doing, the room erupts in a bright white light.
He smiles at us, saying “That should have gotten his attention.” He then apparently talks to the air in front of him. “Takeshi, I know you're listening in now. Get Mr. Mutou and come to my office immediately.”
He then turns his attention back to Kenji and starts questioning him about his girlfriend. How did she look? What was her name? How long did they know each other?
I have no idea what he hopes to achieve with his line of questioning, so I just stay silent on the side and listen.
A few minutes later Mr. Mutou enters the room, closely trailed by a Takeshi who is looking even more tired than yesterday. I wonder what he's been up to.
Mr. Kanzaki rises form his chair to greet them. “Ah, Akio, thanks for coming at such short notice.”
Mr. Mutou just shakes his head. “No problem. What is it that's so urgent?”
“I want you to tell Mr. Setou here what happened last year on the eighth of October.”
“You mean...? Are you sure it's okay to tell them?” Mr. Mutou looks at him surprised.
Mr. Kanzaki nods. “I'm very sure, go ahead.”
“If you say so...” Mr. Mutou still looks doubtful, but he starts to tell his story. “I was patrolling the school-grounds that evening. I came upon a half-dressed girl who was making her ways from the dorms towards the front gate. She seemed to be in a stupor and could hardly walk straight. At first I thought she might be drunk, but when I walked up to her and asked her if she needed help, she tried to use an Enchantment on me.”
He sighs. “Turns out she was a succubus, so I destroyed her.”
Somehow I don't understand what they're talking about. “Hey, wait, what's a succubus?”
Mr. Mutou glances at Mr. Kanzaki, but he just nods. “A succubus is a cursed human, similar to a vampire, but while vampires kill their victims by drinking their blood, succubi drain their victim's life energy during sexual intercourse. They also have some weak skills at Enchantment that help them ensnare their victims. Common belief is that succubi, like vampires were created by Necromancers long ago to act as thralls or even to collect life energy for them to use in rituals.”
“Sometimes creatures like them are drawn to magic-rich places like this one, which is one of the main reasons I was assigned here. They need to kill in order to stay alive, so they are hunted down whenever we find them.”
“Wait, you built a school in a place that draws vampires?”
“Well, succubi are extremely rare in this day and age. They cannot survive without killing and they inevitably leave behind their genetic fingerprint. They are usually found and destroyed very fast.” Mr. Kanzaki seems disinclined to discuss the topic any further. “Besides with Akio here and at least two more mages, this place is protected better than most.”
Mr. Mutou continues his tale. “The strange thing about this case was that while we found traces of her having had intercourse recently, we didn't find any bodies. A succubus' victim almost always dies. Very rarely does one become a succubus himself – that's how they replicate – but we discreetly checked all students in the following weeks, and nobody showed signs of being a succubus.”
“We tried to find out who she was hanging out with, but her classmates rarely saw her after school and she didn't seem to have any friends. So, we still don't know who she had intercourse with, why that person didn't die and why she was in such a sorry state when I found her.”
Mr. Kanzaki chuckles. “Well, Akio, I think I can shed some light on those mysteries. She must have been the most unlucky succubus of all times, because first she just happened to choose the only living Necromancer as her victim, and afterwards she ran into one of the most skilled Evokers in the Pacific Council Area.”
Mr. Mutou's mouth drops open, and Takeshi looks much the same. “You mean, Kenji was...”
“Yes. If it is true that succubi were created by Necromancers to gather energy, then it is possible that she was drawn to him because of his affinity. It is also likely that there is some sort of protection that prevents succubi from turning their powers on Necromancers, but as she obviously never met a Necromancer before, she probably didn't know about that. She tried to drain him, only to have the energy backfire somehow, which would explain the sorry state you found her in.”
Mr. Mutou looks at Kenji, trying to process the information. “So the reason he did not die after being drained by a succubus...”
Takeshi interrupts him and completes the sentence. “...has to be because he unconsciously used his magic to heal himself!” He beams at Mr. Kanzaki. “That means that it's true, he can use Necromancy for healing!”
All eyes turn to Kenji, who squirms uncomfortably. Mr. Kanzaki clears his throat. “Mr. Setou. I want you to think back to that evening and what happened then.”
Kenji turns pale. “No! I don't want to! I never want to think about that ever again.”
Mr. Kanzaki gives him an annoyed look, but he relents. “Okay, you don't have to think about that, but please remember what happened when she had left. What did you do? How did you feel? Try to recreate that feeling!”
Kenji seems less than enthusiastic, but he closes his eyes, which is hardly noticeable behind his glasses. We all hold our breaths while we wait for... whatever it is Mr Kanzaki is expecting to happen.
At first there is no change at all, but after a short while Kenji seems to emanate a faint black aura. “Yes, that is it, remember this feeling! And now please sit down at the desk.” Mr. Kanzaki motions for Kenji to sit down in the chair he was sitting in when I first entered the room. Then he hands Kenji the potted plant again.
“That is what you did back then to heal yourself. Now I want you to use the same effect to heal this plant. It has completely dried up, but there should be enough water in the pot to restore it. I taught you the basics about photosynthesis and how plants function, so you should know what to do to heal it. And now you also know how to use your magic.”
Kenji takes the pot between his hands and starts to concentrate again. As we are watching a black glow emanates from his hands and enters the pot. After a while the glow emerges at the stem of the plant and slowly rises upwards, until it engulfs the whole plant.
It is an eerie and sinister sight to see the plant surrounded by that black aura, but when I tune out the magic, I see the brownish leaves regain their green colour little by little and finally the blossom at the top opens shining a vibrant red.
Kenji puts the plant down and grins like a Cheshire Cat. “ I did it!”
Mr. Kanzaki lets out the breath he has been holding. “Yes, Kenji, you did it. Very good.”
I decide to capitalize on Kenji's euphoria, before the chance is gone. “Yes, that was really cool, Kenji. And aren't you glad we finally saw through their deception?”
Kenij looks at me confusedly again. “We did?”
“Of course! If it weren't for Mr. Mutou, we'd still believe their lies about the feminists.” I don't want to give Kenji too much time to think. “It's obvious now, isn't it? Those creatures! They tried to drive a wedge between males and females. That's why they picked out you, their most dangerous enemy, and wove an intricate deception to make you believe you'd been targeted by feminists. And it would have almost worked, too, if Mr. Mutou had not found and destroyed that thing after it left you.”
Kenji seems to ponder this for a while. “But how can we be sure that succubus wasn't sent by the Feminists?”
I grope for an answer, looking to Mr. Kanzaki for help, but it's Takeshi who comes to my rescue. “Oh, that is impossible. You see, there are just as many male succubi as there are female ones, and they often work together. In fact, the victims of succubi are most often females. That's because this is more easily disguised as a mundane rape and murder.”
Again, I don't allow Kenji enough time to come up with a counter-argument. “Isn't it great that we finally know who the true enemy is now? Imagine what could have happened if we had continued wasting our resources trying to fight against feminists, while all those succubi, vampires, demons, werewolves, devils and gorgons were waiting on the sidelines for us to decimate each other.”
By now I'm just throwing out creatures from all the fantasy novels I've ever read. I have no idea if those really do exist – I guess everything is possible – but it seems to work.
Kenji's eyes widen in shock. “Hey, man, you're right! I can't believe I fell for their devilish tricks! Oh, god, how could I be so stupid? All the time I could have spent devising ways to counter their insurrection! How can I ever fix this mistake...”
As he continues his tirade, I let out a deep breath of relief. Somehow I still can't believe it worked, but finally there's a chance for Misha and for all of us. Before I can say anything else, though, Takeshi interrupts Kenji's mumbling.
“Well, Kenji, I am glad we all know what we're up against now.” He coughs quietly as he says that. “I think the best way to prepare for the coming fight would be to hone your magic skills, so you can lend your help to any mage who is injured fighting the Forces of Darkness.” He motions for Mr. Mutou and me to follow him out of the room. “And now we won't distract you anymore from your important training session.”
Kenji nods enthusiastically. “You're right! We have not time to lose and much lost ground to make up for.” He waves in my general direction. “See you later, bro!”
“Later, Kenji.” I throw a last glance over my shoulder to see Mr. Kanzaki pick up a small cage from a corner of the room, then Takeshi closes the door behind me.
********************
Please look forward to Chapter Seventeen:
A Spoonful Of Sugar
Thanks to Leotrak and Snicket for their feedback!
Chapter Sixteen – Circle of Life
Mr. Kanzaki only raises an eyebrow when I storm into his office without knocking. He is sitting at his desk, facing Kenji, who is apparently handling a very dried out potted plant without any apparent enthusiasm.
“Ah, Hisao! Mr. Nomiya was just here to tell me about your session this morning. Remarkable progress. What can I do for you?”
I try to put my thoughts in order before I answer. I'm surprised I'm not as winded as I expected to be after running all the way here... Well, it's not all that far from the nurse's office.
While I'm still pondering how best to breach the subject, Kenji puts down the plant and rises from his chair. “Oh, Hisao, good to see you.” I doubt he is really seeing me, but right now I better not mention this. He walks over to me and whispers conspiratorially. “Seems you had a close one yesterday. That council president bitch almost had you by the balls. Good thing Mr. Kanzaki was there in time to save you. I hope you see now how dangerous they are.”
Suddenly I know exactly what to say. “Yeah, Kenji, I admit I doubted you before, but you were right all along.”
“No! You have to believe me...” Kenji trails off and takes a step back, apparently surprised by my sudden agreement. But a moment later he has sufficiently recovered and is determined not to lose any progress made in my conversion. “Of course I was. I told you I was. If only you had listened to me before... that happened... But it seems you did not sustain any lasting damage, and you will be more careful in the future.”
“Yes, I will. I wouldn't want to go through an experience like that ever again.” Mr. Kanzaki raises an eyebrow and looks at me curiously, but he stays silent. “I'd best keep my distance from girls from now on.”
“A very prudent choice. Did you know that there are far more widowed women than there are widowed men? I haven't been able to find conclusive proof yet, but it's too much to be a coincidence. I'm sure they must be suffocating their husbands in their sleep or something like that, so when the time comes, they won't be able to join in The Fight.”
I want to ask him why they would suffocate only the elderly who wouldn't be of much use in 'The Fight' anyway, but instead I agree with him. “Or they could be after the inheritances to fund the evil schemes of the Feminists!”
Kenji's eyes go wide as he considers the implications. “Oh my god, you're right! Man, we're in deep shit, bro.” He pats me on the shoulder. “But don't lose hope! The situation may be dire, but from now on, we'll oppose the forces of feminism together.”
Mr. Kanzaki opens his mouth, but I motion for him to keep quiet. If I'm lucky Kenji won't see the movement anyway.
“Yes, Kenji, we will. It is amazing how well the Feminists have kept their agenda hidden from us men. Hardly anyone suspects a thing. We're lucky they got careless this once.”
“Exactly! We're lucky...” He stops, confused. “Hey, when did they get careless?”
“Well, when they gave their presence away to you of course. If you hadn't grown suspicious, you couldn't have gathered all the data, couldn't have convinced me, and the world would probably be doomed.” I pause dramatically. “In fact, what kind of blunder did they make to give their presence away to you? I don't think you ever told me.”
Mr. Kanzaki finally understands what I'm aiming for and tries hard not to draw any attention to himself.
Kenji fidgets around a bit. “Well, it's not something I usually tell people.”
“Why not? It could be a powerful proof of the evil that is Feminism.”
“Because it is the story of how I almost fell prey to their evil. I never told this to anybody else before, but as we are now brothers in arms, you probably have to know, so you are prepared for the worst.”
He sighs dramatically, and I hardly dare to breathe lest I interrupt him. He continues in a whisper. “You know, I had a girlfriend once.”
“You had a WHAT?”
“Yes, I know, I've been naïve and foolish, but back then I simply didn't know any better. I was aware of several conspiracies at this school, but she didn't seem to be a part of any of them. She had just transferred here when I met her. I tried to warn her about some of the more dangerous secrets of this school, and she pretended to believe me. Today I know that was all an act, but then I was overjoyed to have finally found an ally.”
I cross my fingers, hoping he won't draw any comparisons to my sudden change of mind, but once Kenji has started his ramblings, there's no stopping him.
“She helped me with my research into the Yakuza contacts of the principal and gathered intel on the shady dealings of the nursing staff. We used to meet in either her room or in mine to compare our theories and just hang out, and then it happened.”
He draws another deep breath, gathering his courage. “We had sex.”
Okay, the next thing that will happen is either Shizune entering the room in a maid costume or Emi munching a parfait.
Kenji continues, oblivious to my reaction. “At first it was okay. She said, she'd done it before and helped me when I wasn't sure what to do, but when we were finished, I suddenly felt extremely tired. Like she had drawn all the energy from me. I fell unconscious almost immediately, and when I woke up, she was gone.”
He suddenly grows angry. “And that's when I knew that she had been using me all along! She spied on me, tried to find out what I knew and made off with all the stolen intel.” He continues in a more subdued manner. “When she didn't return to class the next day, I figured she had to be away reporting to her superiors. From there it wasn't hard to figure out who those superiors were. In the end they probably realized that her cover was blown, because she never came back to Yamaku again.”
I try not to let my despair show. I was hoping against all odds that it would be something I could argue against, that I could point out the one fault at the start of his reasoning chain that would make it crumble to nothing, but feeling drained after sex? How can I argue against that? From what I've heard it happens all the time. If that's his reason for thinking women are evil...”
“Mr. Setou.” Mr. Kanzaki's voice jolts me from my dark musings.
Kenji spins around to face Mr. Kanzaki as if stung by an adder. So he actually did forget he was still in the room. “Yes.”
“Mr. Setou, when did the events you just told us about occur?”
A glimmer of hope shines in Kenji's eyes. “Does that mean you believe me? Do you...”
“Please, Mr. Setou, just answer my question.”
Kenji thinks for a moment. “I'm not sure. Last autumn. Probably around the start of October. What does...”
Mr. Kanzaki holds up his hand to silence him. He closes his eyes and concentrates. Just as I'm about to ask him what he is doing, the room erupts in a bright white light.
He smiles at us, saying “That should have gotten his attention.” He then apparently talks to the air in front of him. “Takeshi, I know you're listening in now. Get Mr. Mutou and come to my office immediately.”
He then turns his attention back to Kenji and starts questioning him about his girlfriend. How did she look? What was her name? How long did they know each other?
I have no idea what he hopes to achieve with his line of questioning, so I just stay silent on the side and listen.
A few minutes later Mr. Mutou enters the room, closely trailed by a Takeshi who is looking even more tired than yesterday. I wonder what he's been up to.
Mr. Kanzaki rises form his chair to greet them. “Ah, Akio, thanks for coming at such short notice.”
Mr. Mutou just shakes his head. “No problem. What is it that's so urgent?”
“I want you to tell Mr. Setou here what happened last year on the eighth of October.”
“You mean...? Are you sure it's okay to tell them?” Mr. Mutou looks at him surprised.
Mr. Kanzaki nods. “I'm very sure, go ahead.”
“If you say so...” Mr. Mutou still looks doubtful, but he starts to tell his story. “I was patrolling the school-grounds that evening. I came upon a half-dressed girl who was making her ways from the dorms towards the front gate. She seemed to be in a stupor and could hardly walk straight. At first I thought she might be drunk, but when I walked up to her and asked her if she needed help, she tried to use an Enchantment on me.”
He sighs. “Turns out she was a succubus, so I destroyed her.”
Somehow I don't understand what they're talking about. “Hey, wait, what's a succubus?”
Mr. Mutou glances at Mr. Kanzaki, but he just nods. “A succubus is a cursed human, similar to a vampire, but while vampires kill their victims by drinking their blood, succubi drain their victim's life energy during sexual intercourse. They also have some weak skills at Enchantment that help them ensnare their victims. Common belief is that succubi, like vampires were created by Necromancers long ago to act as thralls or even to collect life energy for them to use in rituals.”
“Sometimes creatures like them are drawn to magic-rich places like this one, which is one of the main reasons I was assigned here. They need to kill in order to stay alive, so they are hunted down whenever we find them.”
“Wait, you built a school in a place that draws vampires?”
“Well, succubi are extremely rare in this day and age. They cannot survive without killing and they inevitably leave behind their genetic fingerprint. They are usually found and destroyed very fast.” Mr. Kanzaki seems disinclined to discuss the topic any further. “Besides with Akio here and at least two more mages, this place is protected better than most.”
Mr. Mutou continues his tale. “The strange thing about this case was that while we found traces of her having had intercourse recently, we didn't find any bodies. A succubus' victim almost always dies. Very rarely does one become a succubus himself – that's how they replicate – but we discreetly checked all students in the following weeks, and nobody showed signs of being a succubus.”
“We tried to find out who she was hanging out with, but her classmates rarely saw her after school and she didn't seem to have any friends. So, we still don't know who she had intercourse with, why that person didn't die and why she was in such a sorry state when I found her.”
Mr. Kanzaki chuckles. “Well, Akio, I think I can shed some light on those mysteries. She must have been the most unlucky succubus of all times, because first she just happened to choose the only living Necromancer as her victim, and afterwards she ran into one of the most skilled Evokers in the Pacific Council Area.”
Mr. Mutou's mouth drops open, and Takeshi looks much the same. “You mean, Kenji was...”
“Yes. If it is true that succubi were created by Necromancers to gather energy, then it is possible that she was drawn to him because of his affinity. It is also likely that there is some sort of protection that prevents succubi from turning their powers on Necromancers, but as she obviously never met a Necromancer before, she probably didn't know about that. She tried to drain him, only to have the energy backfire somehow, which would explain the sorry state you found her in.”
Mr. Mutou looks at Kenji, trying to process the information. “So the reason he did not die after being drained by a succubus...”
Takeshi interrupts him and completes the sentence. “...has to be because he unconsciously used his magic to heal himself!” He beams at Mr. Kanzaki. “That means that it's true, he can use Necromancy for healing!”
All eyes turn to Kenji, who squirms uncomfortably. Mr. Kanzaki clears his throat. “Mr. Setou. I want you to think back to that evening and what happened then.”
Kenji turns pale. “No! I don't want to! I never want to think about that ever again.”
Mr. Kanzaki gives him an annoyed look, but he relents. “Okay, you don't have to think about that, but please remember what happened when she had left. What did you do? How did you feel? Try to recreate that feeling!”
Kenji seems less than enthusiastic, but he closes his eyes, which is hardly noticeable behind his glasses. We all hold our breaths while we wait for... whatever it is Mr Kanzaki is expecting to happen.
At first there is no change at all, but after a short while Kenji seems to emanate a faint black aura. “Yes, that is it, remember this feeling! And now please sit down at the desk.” Mr. Kanzaki motions for Kenji to sit down in the chair he was sitting in when I first entered the room. Then he hands Kenji the potted plant again.
“That is what you did back then to heal yourself. Now I want you to use the same effect to heal this plant. It has completely dried up, but there should be enough water in the pot to restore it. I taught you the basics about photosynthesis and how plants function, so you should know what to do to heal it. And now you also know how to use your magic.”
Kenji takes the pot between his hands and starts to concentrate again. As we are watching a black glow emanates from his hands and enters the pot. After a while the glow emerges at the stem of the plant and slowly rises upwards, until it engulfs the whole plant.
It is an eerie and sinister sight to see the plant surrounded by that black aura, but when I tune out the magic, I see the brownish leaves regain their green colour little by little and finally the blossom at the top opens shining a vibrant red.
Kenji puts the plant down and grins like a Cheshire Cat. “ I did it!”
Mr. Kanzaki lets out the breath he has been holding. “Yes, Kenji, you did it. Very good.”
I decide to capitalize on Kenji's euphoria, before the chance is gone. “Yes, that was really cool, Kenji. And aren't you glad we finally saw through their deception?”
Kenij looks at me confusedly again. “We did?”
“Of course! If it weren't for Mr. Mutou, we'd still believe their lies about the feminists.” I don't want to give Kenji too much time to think. “It's obvious now, isn't it? Those creatures! They tried to drive a wedge between males and females. That's why they picked out you, their most dangerous enemy, and wove an intricate deception to make you believe you'd been targeted by feminists. And it would have almost worked, too, if Mr. Mutou had not found and destroyed that thing after it left you.”
Kenji seems to ponder this for a while. “But how can we be sure that succubus wasn't sent by the Feminists?”
I grope for an answer, looking to Mr. Kanzaki for help, but it's Takeshi who comes to my rescue. “Oh, that is impossible. You see, there are just as many male succubi as there are female ones, and they often work together. In fact, the victims of succubi are most often females. That's because this is more easily disguised as a mundane rape and murder.”
Again, I don't allow Kenji enough time to come up with a counter-argument. “Isn't it great that we finally know who the true enemy is now? Imagine what could have happened if we had continued wasting our resources trying to fight against feminists, while all those succubi, vampires, demons, werewolves, devils and gorgons were waiting on the sidelines for us to decimate each other.”
By now I'm just throwing out creatures from all the fantasy novels I've ever read. I have no idea if those really do exist – I guess everything is possible – but it seems to work.
Kenji's eyes widen in shock. “Hey, man, you're right! I can't believe I fell for their devilish tricks! Oh, god, how could I be so stupid? All the time I could have spent devising ways to counter their insurrection! How can I ever fix this mistake...”
As he continues his tirade, I let out a deep breath of relief. Somehow I still can't believe it worked, but finally there's a chance for Misha and for all of us. Before I can say anything else, though, Takeshi interrupts Kenji's mumbling.
“Well, Kenji, I am glad we all know what we're up against now.” He coughs quietly as he says that. “I think the best way to prepare for the coming fight would be to hone your magic skills, so you can lend your help to any mage who is injured fighting the Forces of Darkness.” He motions for Mr. Mutou and me to follow him out of the room. “And now we won't distract you anymore from your important training session.”
Kenji nods enthusiastically. “You're right! We have not time to lose and much lost ground to make up for.” He waves in my general direction. “See you later, bro!”
“Later, Kenji.” I throw a last glance over my shoulder to see Mr. Kanzaki pick up a small cage from a corner of the room, then Takeshi closes the door behind me.
********************
Please look forward to Chapter Seventeen:
A Spoonful Of Sugar