Chapter 99: Start of Interviews
True to his word, Nobu made sure to visit Kaia every single day. The only difference between his promise and reality was that he spent a lot more time with her than expected. It could be because of her rtive ''innocence''pared to most of the girls around him but her puppy-like behavior had really grown on him.
To this end, Nobu was rxing with his back against a wall as Kaia, with a very content smile on her face, used hisp as a pillow. She wasn''t actually sleeping. She just enjoyed being as close to him as possible. As for Nobu? He enjoyed the feeling of her breasts pressed against him as he caressed her head and fiddled around with the stone tablet.
After his eureka moment several weeks prior, Nobu had managed to increased his Aura to just over 50,000. It should have been much higher, but, for the sake of increasing his bonus modifier, he had been using the Camera and Messenger Apps to identify various objects. The increase per item was minuscule, but, trusting in the experience he had umted with several other clicker apps, Nobu believed they would be important in the te game''.
*1 New Message*
Spotting the notification the moment it appeared at the top of the screen, Nobu habitually tapped it to see who was messaging him. When he saw what it was, a frown immediately appeared on his face as it appeared Nariko had just learned how to attach images to her messages. To make matters even worse, she was uploading a bunch of selfie-like photos of herself. Most of these were rtively tame, but, perhaps as a result of this world''sck of a true mirror, quite a number of them depicted her naked body from various angles.
Though he was gradually getting used to seeing the trio naked in the bath, a sigh escaped Nobu''s throat as he quickly typed a few messages telling her not to spam the chat with pictures of herself. In response, she sent a row of bowing emojis before promptly deleting the selfies.
Nodding his head in approval, Nobu was about to close out of the app when a notification that he had received a DM appeared in the top left. This forced him to take a deep breath through his nose. Fortunately, while the message was from Nariko, it wasn''t a selfie. Instead, it was an apology with a picture of a Kazue sleeping with her head on the table, a silly smile on her face, and drool leaking from the corner of her mouth...
"..."
Tapping on the image, Nobu opened up the high-resolution preview before pressing the star icon in the top right. This added the photo to his growing list of favorites. Once Kazue received a stone tablet of her own, he intended to use it to tease her whenever she was feeling down. She was weak to things like that.
After sending a quick message informing Nariko that she had done well, Nobu checked the time to see that it was already nearing 1 PM. He wasn''t allowed to be around when Kaia was feedings, so, after running his hand along the length of her long ck ear, his thumb tracing the interior, Nobu said, "It''s time for me to go. You need to eat and I have other duties to attend."
Though she pretended to be asleep for a moment longer, Kaia eventually forced herself to a seated position after recalling her Master''s words about being a good girl. He was alreadying to visit a lot more than she ever dared to dream possible so thest thing she wanted was to jeopardize their future by being selfish in the present.
Nodding his head in approval, Nobu rose to his feet before gesturing for Kaia to do the same. She looked adorable while pouting, but, rather thanment on that, he gave her one final hug to help her calm down, promising, "I''ll see you tomorrow..." before releasing her with a sincerely apologetic smile...
...
..
.
With more than two months passing since his arrival in Yumegakure, it was finally time for Nobu to begin epting his first students. The renovations had finished a few days prior, and, thanks to the shift in the dynamic between him and the Elders, they would be taking on a lot more students than originally anticipated.
Fortunately, while he wasn''t particrly enthused by the prospect of a few dozen trainees running around, Nobu took sce in the fact that he wouldn''t be the one teaching them. He was basically just the Headmaster. Hitomi had given him permission to personally groom any candidates he was interested in, but, for the most part, Nobu''s duties revolved around analyzing each trainee so their teachers would know how best to guide them.
Nobu obviously didn''t have any intentions of ''grooming'' any of his future students, but, if he came across one with a unique skill or ability, he might recruit them just to keep them safe. He wanted to help the Yoshitsune n but that didn''t mean he trusted them. After all, while most of the younger generations were unaffiliated, arge portion of active kunoichi belonged to the various factions of the Oda n. This included his parents'' enemies, so, while his power might be hot garbage at the moment, Nobu believed the girls would be much safer living and working in his estate than outside.
With this in mind, Nobu stared at the little girl withering beneath his gaze with a serious expression on his face. She had short, pale blue hair and sapphire blue eyes that screamed ''I''m the heroine'' but that wasn''t the thing that had caught his eye. Well, it did, but only until he saw her actual status...
------------------------------------
Name: Yoshitsune Reina
Age: 7
Gender: Female, H:126.4cm, W: 24.8kg, B: 58.6cm, W: 44.4cm, H: 60.1cm
Blood Type: O-
Cultivation: N/A
Aura Units: 669/714
Status: Cursed(+), Innate Yin Physique(+), Anxious(+), Excited(+)
-Cursed: Cursed by the Goddess Inari Okami. Probability of bearing daughters increased to 99.5%. Life expectancy drastically reduced. Removal Cost: 3,000,000AU
-Innate Yin Physique: An exceptionally rare constitution that allows the user''s body to absorb a functionally infinite amount of Yin Elemental Energy. Training at night drastically increases the rate at which Yin Elemental Energy umtes. Upgrade Cost: 90,000AU. Removal Cost: 1,500,000AU.
-Evolution(s): Sacred Yin Physique: 18,000,000AU -> Immortal Frost Phoenix''s Divine Physique: 9,000,000,000AU.
-Anxious: She is worried that she won''t be epted into the specialized training program.
-Excited: She finds your existence as a man interesting. Knowing you are a member of the Oda n makes her tummy flutter.
Main Hand: Right Hand
Preferred Weapon: Wakizashi
Strengths: Functionally Immune to Cold, Will Be Increasingly Attractive with the Passage of Time, World''s Greatest Cultivation Furnace
Weaknesses: Weak Against the Heat, Naturally Drawn to People with Excess Yang Elemental Energy, World''s Greatest Cultivation Furnace
Orientation: None
Preferences: She has always dreamed of kissing a boy beneath the light of a full moon
Favorite Food: Dango, Shaved Ice, Anything that can be served cold
...
..
.
------------------------------------
After experiencing the innumerable benefits provided by Inami, Nobu understood exactly how this girl would be treated if her constitution was discovered by an enemy n. Hell, even the Oda n wouldn''t be a safe ce for her. Thus, after a moment of deliberation, he asked, "Would you like to be a student of the main house? If you ept, I will make arrangements for your mother and any siblings you might have to stay in the surrounding estate."
Since there was a chance that Reina''s immediate family might possess a simr constitution, Nobu intended to shelter them as well. Unfortunately, Reina''s expression immediately turned mncholic as she hung her head and revealed, "My mother died three years ago. I had an older sister, but she died on a missionst year..."
Inhaling a sharp breath, Nobu''s expression became awkward as he scratched the back of his head and said, "Sorry...I didn''t know..."
Startled by Nobu''s sudden apology, Reina''s eyes widened as began to wave her hands from side to side, eximing, "P-Please don''t apologize!"
Since they had already been told about Nobu''s status prior to their individual interviews, Reina was genuinely afraid that she would be punished if others found out he lowered his head in front of her. She was young but the basic etiquette of the Nobles was one of the first things they were taught so they wouldn''t inadvertently offend those they came across.
Noticing the panic in Reina''s eyes, Nobu''s expression became even more awkward as he shook his head and said, "Don''t worry about it. It might be difficult at first, but you''ll soon learn that things are quite a bit different here in my estate. Now, how about your answer? Would you like to be a member of the main house or would you rather remain a normal student?"
As the notion of refusing a member of the Oda n simply didn''t exist in her young mind, Reina didn''t have to mull over her choices before nodding her head rather enthusiastically. After all, she had heard countless cautionary tales about what happened to kunoichi who failed their missions. If she could learn more while studying under Nobu, there was no way she would refuse.
Nodding his head in approval, Nobu pulled out one of two circr stamps Hitomi had given him a couple of days prior. They functioned simrly to a family seal, and, unless he personally stamped a document with one of the two stamps, it would not be considered official.
"Great. That makes you the fourth Gifted Student in the main house. As for your teacher, you will most likely be studying under Inami. Don''t worry. She may be the Yoshitsune n''s Guardian but she has already agreed to ept any students I send her way."
Hearing that she would be studying under the legendary Guardian of their n, Reina''s sapphire blue eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This caused a massive grin to develop across Nobu''s face as it was absolutely hrious to see such aical expression on such a young girl...
...
..
.
After sending off the statuesque Reina to introduce herself to Inami, Nobu processed more than a dozen additional students before finallying across another, clearly unique individual. Her hair and eye color made her seem rather in at a nce, but, topensate for this, she had chubby cheeks and had tied her hair up into a literal bow. This,bined with therge bells adorning her pigtails made her stand out nearly as much as Reina.
------------------------------------
Name: Yoshitsune Chi-Chi
Age: 7
Gender: Female, H:122.5cm, W: 22.9kg, B: 58.5cm, W: 44.1cm, H: 59.2cm
Blood Type: B+
Cultivation: N/A
Aura Units: 311/608
Status: Cursed(+), Ratatoskr''s Blessing(+), Curious(+), Excited(+)
-Cursed: Cursed by the Goddess Inari Okami. Probability of bearing daughters increased to 99.5%. Life expectancy drastically reduced. Removal Cost: 3,000,000AU
-Ratatoskr''s Blessing: A rare blessing passed down since the Age of Gods. Drastically increases the speed and agility of the user while also allowing them to blend in seamlessly with nature. Upgrade Cost: N/A. Removal Cost: 80,000,000AU
-Curious: If she wasn''t worried she might get in trouble, she wouldn''t be able to stop asking you questions.
-Excited: She thinks your stubble is a little weird but she is looking forward to being able to learn more about you.
Main Hand: Ambidextrous
Preferred Weapon: Weighted Shoes
Strengths: Extremely Fleet of Foot, Silent as a Mouse, Excellent Hearing, Excellent Sense of Smell, Hide and Seek Champion, Iron Stomach
Weaknesses: Rarely Stops Talking, Can''t Keep Secrets, Extremely Precocious, Glutton
Orientation: None
Preferences: She wants to ride on your shoulders so she can experience what it''s like to be a giant
Favorite Food: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Mapo Tofu
...
..
.
------------------------------------
Though it was a little strange that her unique blessing didn''t have any evolutions, Nobu felt it was infinitely stranger for someone with a Nianese lineage to possess a blessing clearly rted to Norse Mythology. Its removal cost was also more than twenty times the cost of removing Inari''s Curse, so, while the description was rtively simple, Nobu suspected it had tremendous potential.
Unfortunately, Nobu hardly knew anything about Nianese culture and its rted mythos. There was no way in hell he would know anything about the legends and myths rted to another country, so, rather than focusing on that, he focused on the various cuts and bruises on Chi-Chi''s body, asking, "What the hell happened to you? Did you fall down the mountain on your way here?"
Opening her eyes wider than anyone Nobu had ever seen, Chi-Chi seemed iparably surprised as she half-covered her mouth and eximed, "How''d you know!? Are you some kind of genius...!?"
"..."
...
..
.
(A/N: Chi-Chi be like, "I''m fast as fuck, boiiiiii~!")