âBut, you have to be able to win,â Hisashi retorted.
âWhy do you think that I can win?â
âItâs easy to understand even if you think about it with your knee rather than your brain. How can some strange ability you received so recently possibly compare with an experienced Spiritual Ability userâs powers!?â
âHow can you know without even trying!?â Zankitaâs eyes were burning with battle fervor.
Seiji clearly recalled how Zankita was the first time that they met⊠He had been burning up with a similar desire to do battle. Seiji now had a better understanding of why Hisashi constantly called Zankita an âidiot.â
Seiji supposed that Zankita was simply a battle maniac.
âYou donât need to try, as you definitely wouldnât be able to win,â Hisashi said helplessly. âPlease use your brain once in a while, Big Bro Zankita⊠Can a person who randomly picks up a sword possibly compare to a veteran swordsman? Thatâs also impossible!â
âIâm already a veteran fighter as well. In that strange dream, I absolutely crushed that Tengu!â
âIâm not talking about fighting techniques, Iâm talking about Spiritual Abilities! You received this ability just a few hours ago! And how many hours do you think real Spiritual Ability users have practiced cultivating their powers for? Just think about it, idiot!â
âShould I say that they have a really âgood relationship?â Seiji thought that to himself as he idly sipped on some tea.
âCould you please teach this idiot a lesson?â Hisashi asked Seiji, not wanting to waste time with his idiot older brother. âMake this guy clearly understand the difference between himself and a real Spiritual Ability user.â
âA fight? Great!â Zankita punched his own hand eagerly, causing flames to cover both his fists. âIâd really enjoy a second round with you as well! This time, Iâll be the winner!â
Seiji was rendered speechless.
He sipped some more tea before putting down the tea cup, unable to refuse Hisashiâs imploring expression and Zankitaâs burning desire to do battle.
âAlright.â
And so, they moved over to the dojo in the Juumonji residence.
âPlease donât injure him to the point of hospitalization this time. This idiot still has some uses,â Hisashi requested after Seiji finished changing his clothes into a martial arts uniform and arrived at the dojo.
âHey! Donât say something unnecessary like that!â Zankita shouted at his little brother. He had also changed into a martial arts uniform. âHarano-san, no need to worry about anything, go all-out against me!â
âAll-out, the hell! If Seigo uses his full power, your corpse probably wouldnât even be in one piece!!â
âDonât look down on me! How can you know when we havenât even fought yet!?â
âI donât need to look to know the result of a fight between a kitten and a lion!â
âIâm no kitten!!â Zankita made a fighting pose and ignited both his fists with blue flames. âLetâs begin, Harano-san!â
âYep. Please take good care of me.â Seiji cast [Body-strengthening technique] and [Mana Shield] on himself and made a fighting pose as well.
The next second, Zankita suddenly punched at Seiji and rushed over with his flames!
Everything happened exactly as Hisashi surmised.
His idiotic older brother was defeated in less than a minute.
In fact, Zankita only lasted that long because Seigo let him attack as he pleased for the first thirty seconds. If Seigo had gone all out from the very start, this fight would have lasted shorter than three seconds.
âNo, this isnât even a fight. Itâs just a lion playing a game with a kitten,â Hisashi thought to himself.
âWhile your ability is quite powerful for attacking in tandem with your fists⊠thatâs all it will amount to if you canât use it defensively as well,â Seiji stated.
Just like last time, he used only one attack to defeat Zankita.
Each and every one of Zankitaâs punches were able to send blue flames at Seiji. These blue flames were indeed an actual threat to his [Mana Shield], but no matter how strong Zankitaâs attack power was, he lacked any defense power whatsoever, so the outcome of the fight was a foregone conclusion.
âAck⊠amazing, as expected of you.â Zankita crawled up while clutching his stomach.
âThis time, you finally know how foolish you were, donât you?â Hisashi sighed. âIf it wasnât for Seigo carefully holding back this time, you would have been hospitalized again.â
Zankita fell silent for a moment.
âHarano-san⊠no, Haruta-sama.â He looked towards Seiji with a serious expression. âI would like to ask, how can I become stronger?â
Seiji blinked in surprise to see Zankitaâs change in attitude.
âHow an Awakened becomes stronger⊠Iâm not sure, but I suppose the first step is to be able to properly utilize oneâs own ability.â
âIsnât there a more specific method? I want to become stronger as soon as possible! I want to be able to protect my family and the guys in our group.â Zankitaâs eyes and words were both filled with strong resolution.
Seiji was somewhat moved.
âIf I knew, I would tell you. However, I really have no idea,â he told Zankita.
âI seeâŠâ The glimmer in Zankitaâs eyes dimmed slightly. âThank you for fighting with me today.â
He turned around and left after saying so.
âYou have a good older brother,â Seiji said softly as he watched Zankita leave.
âHeâs merely an idiotic older brother,â Hisashi commented as he adjusted his eyeglasses.
While there was no specific method for Awakened to speedily increase their power, there was still a possible method: Spirit Worlds.
Seiji figured that perhaps the resources obtainable in Spirit Worlds, such as silver fruits, might be of use to the Awakened as well.
âShould I give Zankita a silver fruit when Iâm done increasing my [Spiritual Power] to a sufficient level for the Yin-Yang Seal if I have any extras?â
Seiji considered it and decided to think about it later when the time came.
When he returned home, he received the Storage Scroll that Hana had sent to him.
He opened it up to see a silvery-gray scroll inscribed with an intricate black runic spell formation.
There was an instruction booklet included as Hana promised. He followed the instructions and injected his Mana into the Storage Scroll along with setting a password which would activate it.
A black hole appeared above the Storage Scroll. Seiji placed all his silver fruits inside this dimensional storage space to prevent the fruits from decaying.
After that, Seiji put the Storage Scroll away. Seiji opened up his system to check his [Gifts] option, only to see that his younger sisterâs gift to him had rewarded him withâŠ
[All-stat improvement card â Expectant Hopes.]
[This card contains Hana Harutaâs expectations for you. After using it, all of your stats will be increased. Lower stats will increase by a greater amount.]
[Mind and body protection card â Worried Heart.]
[This card contains Hana Harutaâs worry for you. After using this card, all of your physical injuries and any damage to your soul will instantly be cured. Also, your defense will be doubled for the next 3 minutes!]
[Mental suppression card â Desire to Retort.]
[This card contains Hana Harutaâs strong emotions about wanting to comment on you. You may target any one person with this card. That personâs mental spirit will undergo great suppression. This effect will last for 2 minutes and 22 seconds.]
Seiji was rendered absolutely speechless.
Something strange appeared!
An all-stat improvement card was a reward he had received before when Yui gave him the black cell phone containing the Haruta Family secret manuals.
The mind and body protection card didnât require any commenting on. It was obviously a one-time powerful life-saving tool, with easy to understand effects of a full heal plus doubled defense afterwards.
However, what the hell was a mental suppression card!?
[Desire to Retort] â with an effective time of 2 minutes and 22 seconds⊠even the time felt rather subtle to him!
What exactly would happen to someone whose mental spirit was greatly suppressed? What would their condition be? Why couldnât the system explain it more clearly!
Seijiâs expression became somewhat complex as he looked at this card.
Hanaâs âstrong emotions about wanting to commentâ about him had turned into a card that could literally curse someone. Was this supposed to be a materialization of the verbal ability to harm someone with words?
âMy younger sister is amazing as well.â
Seiji was feeling some pressure from being the middle sibling with such amazing older and younger sisters.
Seiji turned off his system while thinking such things.
He decided to use his all-stat improvement card later in the evening. For now⊠he wanted to focus on writing the storyline for his dating sim game.
Although he was mainly focusing on cultivation these days, he didnât want to forget about working on his game, either. After all, the game wasnât only about him. And, it was a good way for him to relax.
Seiji soon immersed himself in the act of creation as he entered the world of his imagination through his writing.