Aika sat on the edge of Shizuku’s bed, swinging her bare, long, slender legs back and forth as she enjoyed the sight of beautiful young maidens in nightwear before her with a large grin on her face.  

 

She and Miyuki visited Shizuku and Honoka’s room for an exciting girl’s night and chatted in their pajamas. Miyuki wore a cute, light blue pajama with long sleeves and long pants, while Aika wore a loose pink hoodie with only a bra underneath that she will remove before going to sleep and a pair of hot pants with nothing underneath.

 

Wearing pajamas anywhere other than their own home and seeing their friends in the same sort of outfit made it feel like a school field trip, even though they’re here to compete in one of the most prestigious competitions for students of magical schools like them. 

 

But, such thoughts were non-existent in Aika’s head as she’s busy “appreciating” the innocent and absolutely adorable appearances of her friends. 

 

She almost wanted to take a picture of each of them and send it to Yuuji so he would be interested in them and take them to his bed where she could also join in and taste them. 

 

This was especially true for Honoka who was sitting right by her side, hugging a pillow tightly as a mix of nervousness and excitement filled her mind.

 

“It all starts tomorrow huh? I'm so nervous!”

 

“It's still too early, Honoka. Our rookie events don't start till day 4, remember?”

 

Miyuki said with a gentle smile and leaned forward from her chair towards Shizuku who was sitting opposite of her with a tablet in her hands. 

 

“What event do you recommend for us to watch, Shizuku?

 

“Mm, Saegusa-senpai’s Speed Shooting is a must watch. There is no doubt that she will win, but it would be a treat to see how the Elfin Sniper performs in her last year of highschool.”

 

“Elfin Sniper?”

 

“Do you not know, Miyuki? It’s Saegusa-senpai’s nickname she got for her amazing performance in Speed Shooting! I think it is also related to her magic.”

“I see.”

 

“How about you, Aika-chan? Are there any events you’re excited to see?”

 

Honoka rested her cheek on the pillow as she turned to Aika. 

 

“Uhn~! Of course~!”

 

“Oh? What is it?”

 

“It’s Yuuji’s Battle Board event~!!!”

 

“Eh? Yuuji-kun’s Battle Board? Is he particularly skilled in it?”

 

Honoka tilted her head confusedly and the other two also looked at Aika with wonder in their eyes as she wiggled her forefinger side to side.

 

“No no no. Yuuji is skilled in all the events there are in this competition, but that’s not why I’m excited about it!”

 

“Eh? Then why?”

 

Aika’s lips curled into a mischievous grin as she approached Aika slowly and moved towards her ear to whisper.

 

“Because I’ll get to see him in a super tight full body swimsuit~”

 

Despite whispering, she spoke in a voice that she knew Shizuku and Miyuki could hear on purpose. And as she expected, the faces of all three innocent girls immediately turned red! She was sure they just imagined her beloved boyfriend’s Godly figure in their minds in a super tight full body swimsuit that accentuated all of his well-defined muscles and abs, as well as his massive bulge on his crotch area. 

 

“W-W-W-Wha- A-Aika chan?!”

“Fufufu~ What~? I’ve seen his body before and it’s really impressive, you know~? I’ll bet all my fortune that lots of blood would be shed the day he performs in that event! From nosebleeds, of course~!”

 

“G-Geez! Aika-chan, you’re too open about this kind of stuff!!!”

 

“I’m just telling the truth~! Just imagine it~ His rock hard, well defined muscles and abs, his perfect figure you’ve always fantasized about, and especially the big “weapon” he’s hiding in his pants. You can’t tell me you’re not looking forward to it now that you know he’ll be participating in that event, because you’d be lying. Right, Honoka, Shizuku~?”

“G-Geez! I don’t know anymore!”

 

Shizuku kept her silence and slowly covered her redly blushing face with her tablet, while Honoka buried her blushing face in her pillow. 

 

“Hah…”

 

A tired sigh escaped Miyuki’s lips as she watched Aika giggling and teasing the two innocent girls. 

 

Unlike the other two, who were most likely interested in Yuuji as a romantic partner, Miyuki had already set her heart for one and only one. But even she was flustered at the thought of seeing Yuuji in such an accentuating outfit. She couldn’t imagine how flustered they were at the thought. In fact, she wouldn't even be surprised if there was bloodstain in Honoka’s pillow right now from a nosebleed.

 

Just then, the bell in their room rang, and as the only two people still in charge of their mind and emotions, Aika and Miyuki came to see who rang.

 

Upon opening the door, they saw an adorable red-haired girl, Akechi Eimi, a boyish girl with short hair, Takigawa Kazumi, and a bespectacled girl with short, dark blue hair, Satomi Subaru in their doorstep.

 

“Good evening~”

 

“Oh~! Eimi, Kazumi, Subaru~! Hello~ Do you want to come in~?”

Aika greeted back in excitement. She would always welcome more cute girls at the party! The more cute girls there are, the easier it would be to sneak in some touching and groping, after all.

 

“Actually, we’re here to invite you! There’s apparently an artificial hot spring in the basement level of this hotel? Do you wanna go together?”

Eimi asked in excitement.

 

“Really?! An artificial hot spring?! I’ll go!!!”

 

“Would they let us go in? It is a military facility, isn’t it?”

Miyuki asked as Aika quickly ran back into the room.

 

“I took a chance to ask them and they said it would be ok until eleven!”

 

“I see.”

 

Then, Aika returned with Shizuku and Honoka, dragged by their hands while they’re still recovering from their flustered state.

 

“Alright~!!! Then let’s go!!!!”

 

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

 

The pale blue light of the moon and bright artificial lights from the hotel and street lights lit up the otherwise dark region around the military-owned hotel which was currently used as accommodations for the participants of the Nine Schools Competition. 

 

And yet, despite the large number of people there, the world was ghost-quiet, except for the crickets and the faint blowing of the night wind breeze that rustled the leaves and trees of the woods that surrounded the premise.

 

But within those woods, a group of eight to ten men gathered under the guise of darkness. Dressed in military equipment, a jet-black helmet that protected and covered their entire head, heavy jacket with multiple pockets for ammunition over kevlar armor, long black armored pants, a pair of heavy jet-black boots, and loaded jet-black rifles in their hands, the men prepared their attack on the hotel. 

 

“Captain, shall we begin our operations now?”

 

“Mm. The other teams should have already started as well. Alright. All of you, get ready to sync watches.”

 

Without delay, all of them prepared their hand on their watch and looked to their captain.

 

“3… 2… 1… set.”

 

In unison, all of them start their mission timer. 

 

“Alright. Start the mis-”

 

*Clink* *Clang* *Clink* *Clatter* *Thud*

 

“Wha- Uaaggh!!!”

“What the- Our gu- Guuhhh!”

 

“We’re under attack- Kuhaaaa!”

 

“Use your kni- Kkkhhhh…”

 

“You bastard! Die- Uaaaahkkk!”

 

“Where the hell did he come from- Aaaarrgghh!!”

 

*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*

 

One by one, bodies fell onto the ground with a loud thud. And when the last one fell, the shouting and screams of pain disappeared, and silence returned.

 

In that silence, the sound of grass rustling against light footsteps resounded from an empty space. 

 

A mirage of a figure, unfocused and blurry as if refracted by heat waves, appeared out of thin air. The mirage slowly went into focus and revealed a figure in a jet-black cloak. 

 

“That was… easier than I thought.”

 

Yuuji looked around at the unconscious men around him, infiltrators who sought to sabotage the Nine Schools Competition. And now, his test subjects to test the effectiveness of his new magic, “Invisibility”, and use his Krav Maga proficiency to good use.

 

He then looked down to his bracelet-type CAD, where he had installed his new Magic. 

 

Using his group-chat-given power over “gravity” or space curvature manipulation, Yuuji created a spell that would allow him to bend light itself by curving the space around him. 

 

He had to experiment plenty of times to figure out the extent of curvature in space he needed to achieve to bend the light perfectly behind him to make it seem like it went through him. But, it seemed like it worked out perfectly considering none of them could see him even though he had been standing right beside the captain. 

 

“Alright… Now, what am I going to do with this…”

 

He looked around once more, when suddenly, he heard the rustling of grass to his southwest. 

 

Hm? This is…

 

Even without having to see it with his eyes, he could see the figure coming towards him with “Elemental Sight”. 

 

And when the figure appeared, he confirmed his identity.

 

"As expected of the hidden ace of our 101 battalion, Special Officer Yagami Shin."

 

The man before him stood at around 180cm tall, around Yuuji’s height. He had short, brown hair, a sharp pair of eyes, and an athletic build. Unlike Yuuji, who was donned in a cloak, he was wearing a simple black shirt and long pants.

 

Yuuji’s eyes widened for a moment at his appearance. He didn’t expect to see him this early. Though, it’d make sense since all of them are here during the competition and were working in the background.

 

He immediately went into a military salute and greeted the captain of the 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. 

 

"Captain Yanagi. Fancy meeting you here. Are you also here to take out the trash?"

 

"Yes. I was assigned to take out the trash here but…”

 

He returned his salute, looked around, and smirked.

 

“It seems I was beaten to it.”

 

Yuuji lowered his hand and smiled apologetically.

 

“Forgive me. I intended to simply test my new magic. But then, I decided to change it into a field experiment when I found them coincidentally.

 

"I see… Quite an interesting magic. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to test it out in the field as soon as possible."

 

“It is. It would’ve been useful for the infiltration mission we did in the past. Alas, at least I got it now.”

 

Yanagi Muraji approached Yuuji and placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“It would, but don’t beat yourself up over it. No one had ever accomplished “true invisibility” until now. It is quite an achievement.”

“Thank you. Then, may I leave these to you? I need to head back before my roommate notices I’m gone.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Thank you very much.”

 

Yuuji nodded, but as Yanagi was about to walk away and deal with the unconscious infiltrators, he spoke up once again.

 

“Ah, but before that.”

 

“What?”

 

Yanagi stopped and leaned his head forward when Yuuji came close for a whisper.

“If they come with this much firepower, there’s no telling how far they will go. Please ramp up the security. Especially for the athletes. I have a feeling they will sabotage the event by targeting them.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“And also, please check the committee members. If this is an orchestrated attack, then they might already have agents infiltrating the committee that runs this event.

 

His eyes widened for a moment at the thought of that premise. If the committee had truly been infiltrated by agents, then it would be extremely difficult to find out any wrong doings when it is done from the inside.

 

“Understood. Thank you for the advice.”

 

Yuuji nodded and saluted at the captain.

 

“Of course. Then, please excuse me.”

 

Yuuji saluted, and right before Yanagi’s very eyes, his figure slowly wavered and flickered into a mirage, before disappearing. 

 

And a few moments later, he couldn’t sense Yuuji’s presence anymore. 

 

“What a monster. His spell was supposed to only disguise his appearance, but I can’t even hear his footsteps in this forest. I wouldn’t want to go against him…”

 

Yanagi shook his head and looked down to the unconscious armed men around him. Some had their limbs twisted into strange directions, while some had a look of absolute fear on their faces before fainting with the white of their eyes visible. 

 

“My condolences for being on the opposite side from him.”

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

 

Erika sat on Yuuji’s bed in a loose, peach-colored tank top and cream hot-pants. She leaned her back against the head of the bed and scrolled to her phone, swiping right and right over and over, going through image after image in her gallery. Her face madly blushing as her eyes refused to stray away from the screen. 

 

Before she became Yuuji’s lover, her phone was barely filled with anything, just a few pictures of her and her brother, pictures of tournaments she had been in, and pictures of her friends. But now… it was filled with Yuuji’s photos that she got from Aika. 

 

Pictures of him smiling ever so gently towards the camera. 

 

Pictures Aika took secretly while he was working. 

 

Pictures of his sleeping face. 

 

Pictures of him gazing directly into the camera with lustful, hungry eyes while lifting up his shirt, revealing his rock-hard abs, that Aika had him take. 

 

Pictures of him in nothing but boxers.

 

Pictures of him fully naked in the bath. 

 

With each swipe of her finger, she felt her body become hotter and hotter, and her thighs rubbing against each other. She could feel her crotch becoming wet, and despite knowing how shameful it was for looking at such perverted pictures of Yuuji, she simply couldn’t stop.

 

He’s so cute. He’s so handsome. He’s so charming. He’s so sexy. He’s so hot. All those thoughts continued to revolve around her mind until a knock came from the window, snapping her out of her daze.

 

“Uwaaah!”

Her head quickly turned to her right, towards the window at the end of the room. 

 

Ah, that’s right! Yuuji asked me to open the windows up for him again when he came back!

 

She quickly stood up, but the moment she got out of the bed, her body froze. 

 

Erika looked down, and saw her love juice dripping down her thighs and her hot pants having become completely wet around her crotch.

 

Heat immediately rushed up her face and she quickly took another set of hot pants, a light blue one, and changed into it. 

 

And after calming her breath, she walked up to the window, slid open the curtains, and saw Yuuji, still in his cloak, waving at her with a smile.

 

She unlocked the pin locks of the window and let him enter.

 

“Thank you for opening it. But what took you so long? Were you in the toilet?”

 

“Y-Yes, I was! S-Sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”

 

Yuuji smiled softly and pulled her into a tight embrace. For some reason, she smelled especially sexy tonight so he couldn't help but bury his face on his neck and take in a lungful of her scent.

 

“T-That tickles!”

 

“Hehe, sorry. You smelled super sexy tonight, and I just… encountered something that made me a bit tense.”

 

Erika’s body flinched and felt her face heating up once again the moment he said the first half. But all her embarrassment disappeared the moment he said the latter part. 

 

“Hm? What did you find?”

 

She pushed herself slightly away from him and looked up to meet his gaze while still being in his embrace.

 

“I’ll tell you all about it, after I go and change.”

 

“Alright, I’ll wait for you on the bed.”

 

Yuuji let her go and went into the bathroom after taking a change of clothes. Meanwhile, Erika went to his bed, quickly covered the wet spot she made while looking at his pictures, and sat down. 

 

Soon, Yuuji came out of the bathroom in a loose, black t-shirt and short pants, and joined her on the bed. 

 

He sat on the edge, while Erika sat with her legs crossed beside him. Then, he began telling her what happened, including the fact that he met Captain Yanagi Muraji and his relationship with him.

 

Erika’s eyes widened in shock the moment he told her about his relation to the military. She leaned forward and looked him in the eye, demanding answers.

 

“Eh…? Yuuji, you’re a part of the military?”

 

“Sort of… More like an honorary member of that particular battalion. The Major helped Aika and I a great deal in the past, so we joined his battalion partly to repay him and also help protect this country from foreign or internal threats.”

 

“I-I see… That’s quite shocking. Is… Is this the secret you two have been hiding?”

 

Yuuji smiled apologetically and leaned towards her. His hand slowly approached hers and grasped it, holding it tight.

 

“Partly. I’m very sorry, Erika. But I promise I will tell you everything. Soon.”

 

Erika stared at him for a moment in silence. The look on his face was one of sorry, but not only for his inability to tell her everything now, but also for causing her to worry. 

 

“...I know. Don’t worry. I’ll wait.”

 

Her lips curled into a helpless smile as she nodded her head. She knew it was quite selfish of him to hide things from her after they’ve become lovers, especially when it’s something very important about him. But she knew Yuuji well enough that it wasn’t to deceive her, but because it was simply not time yet. So she forgave him in the name of love. 

 

“Thank you…”

 

A genuinely relieved smile appeared on his face as he clasped her hand with both of his hands tightly. He truly felt blessed for having such an understanding and kind lover.

 

“By the way… Should we warn others, then? I think we should tell at least Saegusa-senpai, Juumonji-senpai, and Watanabe Mari.”

 

Yuuji looked up to her and fell into silence as he began considering Erika’s suggestion.

 

“...You’re right. We should, especially after everything that happened tonight. But, I’ll need to have them keep it secret and just tighten the security without letting anyone know. Or else, the enemy would become even more careful and make it more difficult for us to root them out.”

 

Erika nodded in agreement.

 

“Then, should we meet them tonight?”

 

Yuuji turned to look at the digital clock on top of his lamp desk beside his phone. It showed 10:38 pm.

 

“No, I’ll ask to meet with them tomorrow morning and tell them about this. I want to talk about this with Aika and Tatsuya first. And I doubt they’ll try anything else tonight after their infiltration attempt failed.”

 

“Mm. Alright.”

 

Soon after, Erika took the right that Yuuji had been holding back, earning her a look of confusion from him, and bonked him on the head.

 

“Ow! W-What was that for?”

Erika’s hit didn’t hurt as much as it shocked him. He couldn't understand why she’d suddenly hit him. Was it because he was still hiding things from her?

 

“That’s for being reckless! I know you’re strong, but don’t ever be that reckless again… I thought you’re just going to go take a walk and get some fresh air. But then you returned and told me all of that… I was so worried, you know?”

 

“...”

 

His eyes widened at her words and the expression she had. There was anger, but even more than that, he could see her worry, anxiousness, and fear, all because of his actions.

 

He lowered his gaze and slightly lowered his head towards her.

 

“I won’t… I’m sorry for making you worry.”

 

“Good… I’m glad you’re safe. But next time, bring me too. I will fight with you. You know I can handle myself, right?”

 

She caressed his cheek and lifted his face up until their gazes met. 

 

That’s right… she’s not a damsel in distress. She’s Chiba Erika, a strong practitioner of swords and an even stronger woman. 

 

Yuuji nodded and held her cheek with his hand.

 

“Yes. I will. I’ll count on you in the future. We’ll have each others’ back.”

 

“Heh, leave it to me.”

 

Suddenly, the sound of a notification from his phone resounded. And judging by the ring, it must be Aika. 

 

“Hm? Yuuji, your phone…”

 

“Ah, it must be Aika. One sec.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Yuuji picked up his phone from the lamp desk and unlocked it with his fingerprint. There were no other messages from her except for the one he received just now, and the last message they exchanged was when Aika told him she’ll be hanging out with Miyuki, Honoka, and Shizuku in their room. 

 

And when he opened the chat, expecting some kind of message, he saw a selfie she took of herself with a full-body mirror, completely naked. And under it was a message. 

 

Kiryuu Aika: Taking a bath in the hot spring with the girls~ Let’s get in together with Erika-chan too if we get a chance~!

 

“!!!”

 

Erika noticed Yuuji’s body froze the moment he saw the message. And swept by curiosity, she looked at his phone from over his shoulder. 

 

“Hm? What’s wro- Kyaaa! A-Aika?!”

 

Her face turned crimson red immediately at the sight of an extremely lewd image of Aika. 

 

No… Her pose was normal. She was simply standing there with a peace sign. But the fact that she was naked made it extremely lewd! Her whole existence is lewd!

 

“W-Why is she sending pictures of herself naked?!”

 

“Hah… This is one of her bad habits. She likes taking a picture of herself when she’s wearing some sexy outfits or naked and sending them to me…”

 

As if struck by lightning, Yuuji’s words made her realize something. 

 

If Aika could get that many pictures of Yuuji in seductive poses, then it wouldn’t be strange if he also has… lewd pictures of her. 

 

Yuuji wouldn’t force her to send such lewd pictures of herself. But knowing Aika and her relationship with Yuuji, she must’ve made him send her those pictures while sending a lot of her own without asking if he wanted it or not. 

 

And the fact that she continued to send him her lewds must’ve meant only one thing.

 

“H-Hm… Do you like it?”

 

Yuuji blushed at her question and slowly turned to look at Erika, who was looking at him with a small pout, and averted his gaze a bit.

 

“W-Well… I’d be lying if I said I hate it… I mean…”

 

“Well, of course you’d love it. You’re a pervert after all. And Aika-chan has an incredibly beautiful body.”

 

“Ugh… It’s embarrassing that I-I can’t deny any of that…”

 

Yuuji replied to her message, telling her to have fun, and locked his phone before putting it back on the desk lamp.

 

He didn’t intend on denying Erika’s words, because they were the truth. He is a pervert who yearns for a harem, who loves having sex with her girlfriend, who wants Erika to be his girlfriend even after having Aika, and who wants to make his own step-mother, step sisters, and step-aunt into his lovers too. 

 

He was a pervert, and denying it would mean denying that he loves them genuinely, so he didn’t. 

 

Silence fell between the two, and Yuuji fully expected Erika to judge him. But instead, her next words perked him up.

 

“T-Then… W-Would you like it if I also send t-those kinds of pictures of myself too?”

 

“Really?!”

 

Yuuji immediately turned towards her and looked at her excitedly, as Erika blushed redly.

 

“G-Geez! You’re too excited! And don’t make me say more, you pervert! Idiot! Lecher! I don’t know anymore!”

 

Erika dove into the bed and immediately curled up into a ball, covering her face with the cover they shared.

 

“I-I’m sorry, I-I was just too excited… Yes… I-I would like… to have… a few… if you don’t mind… I-It doesn’t even have to be a sexy picture. Just any picture of you so I can see you when we’re not together…”

 

Silence fell between the two once more as Yuuji looked at her anxiously. He truly wanted to have a picture of her, even if it wasn't lewd. But after what just transpired, he would understand if she doesn’t feel comfortable yet giving it to him. 

 

And a few moments later, Erika finally replied to him, her voice muffled by the cover.

 

“........I’ll think about it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!

Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr.eon.com/verglasx ~!!