Karmatic
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A New Sun Chapter 98
🕑 Added 2025-06-09 01:53:49 +0000 UTCChapter 98
< ~ A New Sun ~ >
“Alright! Sorry, I don’t really do tea, so!”
Zekka, Avi, and I had all sat down after Avi brought out a few floor cushions, those traditional Japanese ones called zabuton.
Now? Avi is holding out what looks to be a couple of cans of a…sports drink.
“Here ya go!”
We take the offered can, and I give it a once-over, immediately recognizing the gal plastered across its face.
Serafall Leviathan, in her magical girl costume, holding out her staff that was blasting out a beam of colorful liquid.
She was a famous actress, wasn’t she? With her Magical Girl TV show and such. It’d make sense she’d have merch and products, Issei did with his show as well, but I don’t recall ever seeing any of Sera’s stuff being mentioned or shown directly.
The name is a little rough, though, “Magical Sweat?” I uttered it.
Is this another gamer girl bath water situation? Should I be worried about that!?
Beside me, Zekka just looked plain confused, clearly not recognizing the demon king on the front as she turned the can over and read, barely audible, the slogan right next the magical girl, “If you drink this, you’ll also be a Demon King, use levia-beeeaaaaam against heinous monsters…?”
Zekka didn’t seem like she knew what to make of it.
For once, same, Zekka. Same.
Avi nodded, enthused, as she sat down directly across from us, “In case you were wondering, I get them from the high school division! The student council president there throws a bunch of stuff like this out all the time, so since she doesn’t want it…” She smiles cheekily as she trails off.
I snorted, putting together the pieces fairly easily.
My guess is Sera sends Sona a bunch of stuff all the time, and Sona ends up throwing it in response because it's too much. Something like that.
Ah well.
Zekka doesn’t judge, her eyes moving off the drink at last to finally look toward Avi, “I’d like to think it's fine, but…did that president have a large chest?”
I was halfway toward opening the drink myself when Zekka abruptly said that, and I damn near fell over in my cushion as she did!
My head swivels, and I just stare at her, only to be further appalled as Zekka stares at Avi with an intensity I don’t think I’ve seen in her eyes yet.
Avi blinked at Zekka, seemingly completely oblivious to her look, her head tilting as she replied, “Why are suddenly going on about chests? Er,” Avi glances down, her hands coming up to squish her very much nonexistent chest area, “...a little larger than mine, I suppose?” Avi asks, clearly unsure.
I took all my willpower to not chime in and say Avi’s is actually bigger, but at that point, I’d just be being a dick for no reason.
Now, if Sona was within earshot…
Zekka gave Avi’s response a pleased hum, “A small-chested president, wonderful. I’ll accept it, then.”
She then proceeded to pop the thing open faster than I could blink and started chugging it.
“Huh.” I blinked, mildly impressed and a little concerned.
“Wha!? Hold on now!” Avi cried out, shocked, “What did I say that caused this!?”
Zekka did not stop, and did not seem particularly interested in answering that question either, for that matter.
Well, judging by the fact that she isn’t stopping, I’m going to assume the drink doesn’t taste bad.
Then again, I suppose as long as it isn’t Prime, it should be good, huh?
I pop the drink open myself and take a sip.
Honestly? It’s alright. I don’t really do sports drinks, but for what it is, I wouldn’t say no.
Zekka is still juggling the thing like her life depends on it, while Avi just stares on in awe at this point.
I consider the moment before deciding to get the ball rolling myself.
First things first, let’s clear some things up. In the moment, the misunderstandings and funny hijinks that can ensue from them would be entertaining, but long term?
Not so much.
“Aight, pinky.” I begin, immediately grabbing her attention, “You said it was just you and Zekka then, right?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zekka freeze.
Avi nods, “Correct!”
Zekka immediately sputtered, coughing and hacking as she heaved, “Ah-I, that’s…!” She tried to get out, but failed horrendously.
Yikes girl. Just, yikes.
I rub my chin, a small smile on my face as I continue, “That was quick, considering she transferred here recently, isn’t it?”
Avi continues nodding along, happily, “Mhmm! Though, admittedly, her joining was also fairly recent as well!”
I raised an eyebrow, “How so?”
“Earlier this evening!” Avi cheerily answered.
It once again took everything I had not to wheeze out loud.
As it was, though, it was a very close thing, “I-Is that so?”
So close it almost slipped, regardless.
Avi didn’t seem to notice anything as she nodded and hummed, recounting, “It happened right before we found Schwert-chan and had her take us to see you!”
Damn. Zekka, you're on a roll tonight, aren't you?
Speaking of the poor girl, she was looking increasingly more and more abashed as words came out, yet still she held her tongue. At least she wasn’t choking anymore.
…You know what?
I could force the issue, here and now, clear it up, and all that. I can easily tell something is amiss here after all.
In the long run, it would be for the best, like I thought before.
At the same time, I can’t go around solving Zekka’s problems for her.
If she truly doesn’t want to join? It is well within her power and ability to say so for herself.
“So…” Avi leaned forward a bit, looking toward me, “What do you think?”
I gave the entire place a good glance once again, across the walls, the swords, and all.
“Honestly?” I began, slowly, watching as Avi leaned further forward in anticipation, “I’m pretty impressed.”
“Yes-BLEGH!” So forward in fact, she promptly fell on her face.
That didn’t stop her for long, though, as she promptly pushed herself up, “Ow. Where was I? Right. YES!” She pumps her fist.
I rested my head on my hand, watching her mini celebration with a small smile, “It’s even more impressive because it’s just been you for the longest time, hasn’t it? You don’t even get supported by the school.”
At that, Avi shakes her head in confirmation, “Nope! In fact, some would say the school even has it out for me!” After a moment's consideration, she elaborates, “Well, more like specifically the student council, but that’s the same thing!”
In anime land, unfortunately, yeah, it pretty much is.
“But I keep going on all the same!” Avi continues, before looking at me intently, “So, does that mean…?”
I take a sip of my sports drink, considering just how exactly I wanted to go about this.
Well, to be honest, I already had an idea of how I wanted to do this.
It’s why I brought my sword after all.
But it doesn’t hurt to consider other options, now does it?
Unfortunately, those other options are rather boring.
So, I’m going along with the original plan, of course!
I stand up, not too quickly, but suddenly enough to cause both girls to perk up.
“One last thing. Then I’ll decide.” I slip my bag off my shoulder and into my grasp, “I want to see where you two stand.”
That causes both girls to gape at me, both completely caught off guard by my statement, both sharing an emotion for one.
Though that doesn’t last for long, as Avi abruptly grins, following me by getting onto her feet as well, “Of course, I should have seen this coming!” Her gaze momentarily flickers between me and Zekka, and a flash of realization crosses her face, for some reason.
Thankfully, I swiftly learned what sort of revelation she had, as she focused fully back on me.
“Ah, right. Mr. Kusanagi!” She abruptly gave a quick yet small bow, “I apologize, but Zekka can’t be your opponent!”
I furrowed my brow down at the pinkette and asked the obvious, “Uh, why not?”
Avi raised her head and gave me an apologetic look. “Unfortunately, Zekka-chan has no experience and lacks the skills of a swordsman.”
My deadpan look became so perfect, so absolute, that I don’t think I could come up with a metaphor to compare it to.
Slowly, almost robotically, I turned my head toward Zekka.
I had already suspected it was straight bullshit. The way she reacted to my presence when we first met? She was fully prepared to defend herself if need be. Additionally, I doubt a girl with her family history and sacred gear wouldn’t be an exceptional swordswoman already.
Lo and behold, my eyes found Zekka looking down, all of a sudden finding the floor very interesting.
I couldn’t help myself anymore at this point.
“Zekka-chan,” I spoke up.
“...Yes, N-Nori-san?” She eventually answered.
“You’re first,” I stated simply.
Zekka perked up and finally raised her head in shock.
“Eh!?” Avi gasped, “Mr. Kusanagi, didn’t you hear what I sai-”
“Yeah, I did.” I cut her off with a sigh, “It’s also wrong, and Zekka here just let it sit.”
Avi blinked at me, then blinked at Zekka, who gave her an anxious smile, before promptly looking back at me, “...Really!?”
I almost sighed again, but forced myself to stop.
In part, I can’t exactly blame the pink devil. She doesn’t come from Japan, she wasn’t born or raised here, so I’m not shocked she didn’t hear Zekka’s last name and immediately figure her out.
On the other hand, though.
She runs a club called Cult Sword in Japan, yet doesn’t recognize the clan name belonging to possibly thee strongest sword saint in the country.
Yikes, pinky, yikes.
In the end, I decided to wave the shrimp off with a simple and concise, “Seeing is believing.” Before I began walking to one end of the dojo.
Avi’s eyes widened, and she then looked toward Zekka once more, who just let out a quivering breath and gulped.
“I…” Avi began, clearly unsure, for once sounding like she sees the look on the other girl's face, “I’m not sure, Mr. Kusanagi. I still think it’d be better if I fought you in her place, instead!”
“Ah, pinky…” I toss my bag against the wall, propping it up against it, “There’s no coddling when it comes to the blade. Speaking of,” I muse aloud, “we won’t need protective gear, just a few practice swords. That’s all, alright?”
It takes a long moment, but eventually, Avi responds, “...Right.”
As I hear the small pink girl bound off to wherever the gear storage is here, I turn back around, and send the remaining supposedly younger girl who looks like a deer caught in headlights a smile.
“Remember,” I begin, softly, “just try and relax.”
< ~ A New Sun ~ >
Zekka felt like she was dying from anxiety.
To be fair, most of this is her fault. It wouldn’t be fair to blame Kusanagi, or even Avi-senpai.
No, she’s the one who couldn’t speak up when it mattered, and so now she’s here. In this position.
In a dojo, across from her, stands the man who killed a rampaging Boosted Gear user. A literal Shinto God, a Kami. Who likely has figured out about her family and her sacred gear by now.
It’s in cases like these were she wishes her grandmother weren’t such a good instructor. She wishes she didn’t know about the Longinus, about the Kami, about any of that.
Oh, she doesn’t think he’ll hurt her; on the contrary, she’s fairly certain he’ll hold back a vast majority of his power.
That still doesn’t stop the anxiety from gnawing at her, though. From forming that empty pit in her stomach that her mind just sinks into it.
Until, inevitably, something drags her back out of it.
“Alright! Here ya go!” Avi-senpai came bounding back up, a heap of bamboo practice swords in her arms, “Pick whichever you two want, however many you want!”
We approached where Avi-senpai stood in the middle of the dojo.
Nori-san picked first, and without an ounce of hesitation, he drew out the largest bamboo sword of the lot Avi had brought.
Which, considering how large his primary weapon appears to be…
Zekka’s eyes glanced at his sword bag.
Yeah, she saw that coming.
Almost causally, he slung the weapon over his shoulder, its size and heft not seeming to bother him at all. Once more, completely expected.
For herself, Zekka took a moment to comb through the options available before drawing out a single standard-looking bamboo sword.
Nori-san tilted his head at her, and she saw the momentary look of curiosity flash through his eyes.
Ah, it’s because she only picked a single sword, isn’t it? He’s aware of her family's style of swordsmanship, then.
Despite that, he didn’t question it, instead turning back and walking to his position on the other side of the dojo.
Without any further prompt, Zekka moved to do the same, her hands shakily clenching onto the bamboo sword.
Well, she was about to, anyway.
“Psshhhh~! Hey! Zekka-chan!”
Zekka flinched as Avi-senpai leaned toward her, with her voice coming out…hushed!?
By this point, Zekka didn’t think such a thing was possible for Avi-senpai!
Honestly, that caught her off guard enough already, but what Avi-senpai said next just made it more so.
“Listen, it’s okay if you don’t wanna fight, alright? I’ll think of something, if you don’t!” She said, “You don’t have anything to prove!”
And just like that, the abyss in her gut grew just a touch warm.
For a moment, Zekka couldn’t recall the last time someone showed such genuine care for her, besides her grandmother, anyhow.
For a moment, Zekka just stood there, shell-shocked.
Nothing to prove, huh?
Unfortunately, her senpai is wrong about that.
Relax.
Right.
Taking a deep breath, Zekka’s eyes finally met her senpai’s, “It’s fine, Avi-senpai.” She said, hushed right back, “I’ll be fine.”
For a moment longer, Avi-senpai stared back into her eyes, a sharp focus in her gaze as she searched for something, like deceit, most likely.
When she found nothing, all tension and seriousness left her at once, and she stepped back.
“O-kay then!” She shouted, “Let’s get this started!”
Finally able to turn around, she does so. But not without seeing Nori-san standing there, in his position, a small smirk on his face.
He heard everything, didn’t he?
She looked toward her senapi, seeing the small pink-haired girl trying to pull away the floor cushions while still carrying the bamboo sword in her arms, completely oblivious to the fact that they weren’t quiet at all.
Luckily, he doesn’t seem mad, more amused than anything else, but still, the lack of awareness is a little…yikes.
Still, she found herself disregarding it fairly quickly because, in the end, that’s just Avi-senpai for you.
No, as she walked to her position, she found a new feeling welling within her chest.
Well, not necessarily new. She’s felt this before, this anticipation, this drive.
Ten years ago, she made a vow to her grandmother that she’d become the strongest swordsman, that she’d reach the same height as her ancestor, and make a ton of friends.
Nowadays, she thinks that path was for naught, because she didn’t make any friends at all.
Yet, to say that path gave her nothing at all would be wrong.
No, she became strong. Of that she’s sure.
Maybe not the strongest, not yet, but as she stops at her position and turns to face her opponent, that drive thrums within her heart.
She can’t help herself. That drive to improve, to test your blade against another's, to prove that the path she walked wasn’t completely useless, that something good came out from it all, well…it never left.
“Alrighty! Whew!” Avi-senpai finally managed to move everything out of the way, off the dojo floor. She then turned, her hands on her hips as she stood at the edge of the center of the floor, “Now then, we’ll keep the rules simple, since it’s only a spar! No time limit, first clean hit wins the match! Cool?”
Ah, so a fight to the bitter end without any breaks.
Nori-san gave a contented look as he replied with a smooth, “Very.”
Zekka merely nodded and readied herself.
Across from her, Nori-san didn’t seem to do the same. He kept his sword lazily hung over his shoulder, waiting patiently for the ‘match’ to begin.
Avi-senpai nodded, pleased, “Good!” She raised her hand, “Ready? Then begin!” And swiped it down.
Nori-san vanished.
As soon as Avi-senpai lowered her hand, he was just gone.
Fortunately, he wasn’t a small guy, so she saw him when he reappeared.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t a small guy, and he was right in front of her.
Avi-senpai yelled something, but she couldn’t hear her, she was far to focused, her instincts sharpening as Nori-san brought his odachi down from above.
A split-second decision between blocking or dodging it played out in her mind, and she quickly settled on the latter.
She moved, practically kicking off the floor as his sword passed through the air her body once occupied. She could feel it, even as it passed by, even as she went flying to the side, the slash cutting through air, the vibrating, the near ringing.
The power within a single arc of his wooden sword it’d would be far too much to take head-on. It’d blow through her guard in an instant.
He stops his sword as quickly as it comes down, right before it can contact the floor, his golden eyes immediately snapping to her new position.
He stepped, and that one step somehow turned into a dozen in an instant, and he was nearly on top of her again!
His sword came out like a lance, piercing forward with all the power his slash had, yet concentrated on the blade’s tip, and of course, it was even faster than his first attack to boot!
There wasn’t any time to dodge, not this time! No, she had to parry it, redirect the blade away with the force of her own; it’s the only way!
Her blade rose to meet his at last, her’s coming in from the side, slamming into it with all the force she could muster!
Her eyes widen significantly when it does nothing, and the blade continues completely unabated.
So…so soon? On the second strike!? She lamented internally.
She closed her eyes, preparing for the inevitable explosion of pain.
Only to find a blast of wind hit her instead.
“...H-Huh?” She gasps, confused, before looking down to find the tip of his odachi right in front of her chest, having stopped right before it could make contact.
“You’re holding back.” His voice, succinct and to the point, followed, causing her gaze to shoot up and look at his face.
He looked serious, as serious as he looked back when Avi was talking about him becoming the club advisor.
He pulled the sword back before lightly and casually swinging it at her with one hand.
On instinct, she held her sword up to ward it off, yet even still, with one arm, the swing sent her flying across the dojo, her arms rattling and ears ringing.
“Don’t.” He continued, plainly, “The world doesn’t care about whatever mental blocks you have, or whatever you’re feeling inside. If you never stop holding back, you’ll remain as you are.” He points her sword at her, and for a second, she can see it.
A golden glow, an aura, flaring up around him, but only for a moment.
“Show me, show us, the extent of what you can do!” He practically demanded.
Zekka gritted her teeth and stood up straight. For a second, her eyes drifted toward the bamboo sword heap that Avi-senpai brought in.
Then her gaze snapped back to her opponent.
Nori-san frowned.
And just like before, he vanished.
Truly, Zekka could only wish it were so easy, to just let it go. The drive is there, yet…
These chains don’t feel like they’ll ever leave.
< ~ A New Sun ~ >
Chapter 98 End
Don't worry, Zekka's actually pretty badass once she gets over this slump she's in right now, promise, like, for real, lol.
Comments
Colin Peden
Not where I thought that was going to go, still an interesting chapter.
ieatstars
Could Nori sue Serafall for false advertising like that one guy sued red bull for not giving him wings
Orchamus
Looking forward to Zekka letting loose, don't know much but Musashi yo!! Also first 🥇!
