16 [16] The Way of a Reincarnator
Chapter 16: The Way of a Reincarnator
Note: Nahh, that's crazy, #1 in the ranking is wilddd. It's not even 60 hours in, and you guys did it! Thanks for the stones, here is your chapter as promised. Trade done.
New Trade Offer: You make us reach 700 stones, meaning 500 more than where we are right now, and you get another chapter. The offer lasts until tomorrow, the usual posting time at 00:00 EST. It shouldn't be hard since we are #1 right now and lots of new readers will be swarming in.
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The shooting ended soon, and we were allowed to go our own ways. I noticed Yuki Sumi lingering around me a few times, but she never had the courage to come talk to me again that day. I didn't want to play along and left.
I was in the mood for some air, the evening sky was darkening, this was my favorite time of the day, so I didn't call an Uber. At [Gold] rank, my previous techniques were stronger, and I also had access to new techniques. I guess I could test them out now rather than later by running home with a movement skill.
Until [Jade], I only trained in the third basic technique of Path of the Raging Sky. In Gold, there are three minor ranks within it—Low, High, and True, that all allow four techniques. Three from Wind, Water, and Lightning, and a new one from Cloud—which was a mixture of wind and water, an advanced Qi, so it was only available starting Gold.
As I was in True Gold already, I could learn all twelve techniques anytime, four of which were movement techniques.
While walking by the Sumida River, I paused and closed my eyes. While breathing the gentle air of the river, I concentrated and looked into my Soul Reflection; this technique showed a lot about me, I could even make a [Status Page] right out of a System Novel if I wanted to, but that's just the status, which is kind of distracting, personally, since I have nothing to compare it with, so I only use this to recall memories instead.
That's precisely what I was doing right now, recalling the memories of the movement techniques I wanted to learn. I brought them up in an imaginary hologram panel in my head. Though I must mention, they weren't the original three-movement techniques that Path of the Raging Sky encouraged me to learn in Gold rank, instead, I chose the best ones from my vast knowledge that suited the four Qi-types I had.
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Nimbus Stride: With the use of Cloud Qi, this technique allows the user to step on the sky, air, and clouds, essentially walking and running on thin air as if it were solid ground.
Body Flicker Technique: With the help of Wind Qi, this technique permits the user to move so fast that they appear as a blur, making it challenging for others to follow their movements.
Reflecting Pool: The user attunes their body with Water Qi, allowing them to meld with reflective surfaces like mirrors or still water. They can step into these surfaces, seemingly vanishing from one location and reappearing in another.
Thunderstep: This technique involves striking the ground with a burst of Lightning Qi, creating shockwaves that propel the user into the air. They can chain multiple Thundersteps together to perform mid-air maneuvers or reach elevated positions.
===
All four were interesting choices, but I was in the mood for seeing the sky. It's not as if I was abandoning the other techniques, if I learn one technique this week, I can just choose another next week. So, I went for the Nimbus Stride.
I reopened my eyes, having chosen the technique. Upon choosing it, my memories of this technique became more clear, as if I had just read it, seen someone perform it, and also understood it.
I took a step forward, but instead of stepping on the ground, I was stepping on thin air. I stepped with my other feet, and suddenly I stood a few inches above the ground. Then I kicked the air and made my way towards the high sky, and then to my home.
It felt good. Under the wind from the east and the sun from the west, I felt calm for a moment. Sadly, it was not calming enough to help me sort out my mind. To my soon-to-be surprise, reaching home did help me sort everything out.
* * *
– Ding Dong
The doorbell rang as I stood outside. The door opened not long after, and I stepped in, nodding to Ai who had opened the door, and took off my shoes.
When I was placing my shoes on the shoe rack to the side, I heard Ai's worried voice fill my ears.
"Is anything wrong?" She asked gently, her hand falling on my shoulder from behind. "I saw your show today… your acting was great; I was questioning myself throughout the beginning if it was really my Aqua. But then, in that scene, in the end, your face was so… distant and sad."
From her tone, while she couldn't tell if it was really me from my flirting, she was certain that it wasn't me at all when I made that face. What a blunder, I got lost in old memories nowhere but in front of a camera.
"It was just acting. I was trying to create a sort of mysterious vibe, I guess. It worked if even the legendary Ai mistook it for the real deal." I said with a smile, putting the shoes where they should be.
"Aquamarine," Ai held me by the shoulder and made me turn around. I looked at her face. "I am your mother. You just called me by name; I noticed that a few times over the years, you do that whenever you're not acting like your usual self. That scene right there wasn't acting, if anyone would know, it's me. Just… what are you hiding, really?"
"...."
I just stared at her in silence. Observant. It would be unwise to be fooled by her usually goofy and airheaded personality. This was the woman who could copy-act a person in under a few minutes; I could only act due to my experience, but talent-wise, this little girl here was ahead of me, and everyone in the world even.
[Image Here]
Looking at her like that also made me register how cute yet hot she looked today. Wearing a skirt that didn't reach her knees, and a covering frill dress on top that tightened around her breasts, showing her nipples since she rarely bothered with a bra at home. It was criminal how she managed to do that, this sort of mixture was impossible.
For a moment, I almost replied something ominous: 'Why ask questions you won't like the answers to?' But luckily I held back the urge. Instead, I smiled and walked away.
"Aqua! L-listen, you!"
She rushed after me, following me into the kitchen where I poured myself water. She was about to say something but paused and watched me drink. That's adorable of her.
When I finished, she apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean that to be an interrogation. I was just…" She looked into my eyes. "You know, you're my son, right? Nothing will ever change that. Even if you have some sort of secret. I just want you to be honest with me sometimes."
I wondered for a moment what sort of interpretation she must have reached after seeing me wield lightning that day. Based on how she began to go to the shrines of three gods, Amaterasu the Sun, Tsukuyomi the Moon, and Susanoo the Storm, I had a guess.
Seeing me not answer her again, Ai gently grabbed me by the hands and pulled me to the couch. She grabbed my bag and threw it to the side, and yanked my head toward her lap as she sat down.
"Hey…"
"Shush, just lay down like this."
What is she doing? I stared up at her eyes, which were peeking from behind her chest, like the sun behind a mountain. Her hand moved and gently ran through my hair, as she stared down at me with a smile.
"Why are you doing this so suddenly?"
"Shh, close your eyes."
For a moment I almost wanted to get up and walk away, but I stopped my hormones from acting up and listened. I closed my eyes and just lay down.
There was only silence that followed, other than the soft sound of her breathing, her blood moving within her, and her heart that beat calmly inside herself. I got lost in the sound as her left hand caressed my hair, and her right gently pinched my nose.
What is this? I wondered as I felt myself smiling. What was she trying to do? Make me feel better? That's so cute of her.
"You know when I was a kid…" Ai began suddenly, and I was surprised to hear her telling me about the story of her mother.
Both Ruby and I knew that we had or had a grandmother, we didn't know if she was even alive at this point, but not the details of how she was. Well, I knew, but that's from my manga knowledge. Ai didn't want us to know about that woman herself.
Yet, today she was open to talking about it. It was brief, where she just explained that her mother wasn't the best, but it counted to make me feel closer to her. She was trying hard to make me feel relaxed near her, and that was just adorable. It wasn't even her fault; I am not the type to linger on past lives.
"Then, my mother abandoned me. She went to jail and was supposed to return to me after she was released. But she never came to look for me. She… isn't the best mother, and I always feared becoming like her. At a tender age, I vowed to myself that if I ever had kids, I'll make them comfortable around me, like a friend, an older sibling, but at the same time, fulfill the role of a perfect mother too." She paused and hesitated. "So when my kids act distant and hide things from me… I feel like I'm lacking. A-am I lacking, Aqua?"
I opened my eyes, looking into her shaky purple pupils. "If you want me to answer honestly… I don't think you're the ideal mother."
"...I see." Ai gulped, smiling.
I smiled back. "But you're a great guardian. You said it yourself, you wanted to be like an older sibling, that's a guardian too. It's better than if you were the ideal mother because I like you the way you are. You're fun."
That caused her expression to pause. It took a moment to sink in what she just heard before she smiled widely. "Really?"
"Really," I smiled… and then sighed. "Though, I also have to remind you one thing. Trying to make your kids comfortable, you might have made me comfortable in a way that wasn't supposed to be."
She looked confused as I got up; instead of standing up, however, my hands grabbed her shoulder and pushed her down on the couch. Ai's eyes went wide as I loomed over her, looking at her with a frown.
"Aqua… this is not a comfortable position for mom."
"It's for me. It isn't wise to make a young man my age so comfortable. I might get addicted to you, and build feelings for you that shouldn't be like your son. Let us be careful from now on."
I really wanted to take her lips. This cute girl was trying too hard for me to feel just a bit better. I didn't see her as my mom, and even so, I have said I don't care about taboos — I decided not to care after the death in my 4th life. Sadly, while that's true, I have to understand Ai's feelings too.
I got up from on top of her and began to walk away. Right when I was in front of the fridge however, she called again.
"A-aqua! You, w-we need to talk about what you just did! That's not healthy!"
Ugh. How annoying. I grabbed the handle of the fridge and took out a can of beer. It was for Ai herself, we kids don't drink, and I felt her shock as she saw the thing on my hand. I opened the cap even as she yelled at me to put it down, and drank the entire thing in one go.
Then, I walked back to her. She had stood up as she paused at my approaching figure.
"What's going to happen next is not your fault, I'm just drunk," I said as I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her. She tried to say something, but that open mouth was what I needed as I pressed my lips on her.
Ai froze, she didn't struggle, despite what I said she didn't want me to feel like I was assaulting her. She was too kind, I felt like a dick. Yet, I felt the kiss thoroughly, I felt her heart thump on my chest, and my hands felt her waist to their fullest.
A minute later, I let her go. I looked into her eyes and she looked back, glaring even as her hands shook.
"My apologies, your ideal son will return tomorrow after the beer wears off," I told her and walked away, and this time she didn't call for me again.
What a lovely young lady. I almost want to give in to the forbidden side. But nah, that will not be wise.
* * *
Three days soon passed since the first shoot. Today, they'd film the 2nd episode, so I will go to the designated spot after school.
It's been a quiet few days for me, Ai was avoiding me, as expected, though Ruby was being as loud as ever. Still, I have passed it entirely thinking about the way I should walk this life. Ultimately, I have decided on the route that's always been my top pick.
The Way of the Reckless Fool. It's a fancy name for doing whatever I want. Though for a person like me to do whatever I wanted, that meant I would have a thousand enemies in no time. So I needed allies, and thankfully I already had multiple names in my head.
It was finally time for my wonderful life to get packed with action.
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Master4thWall Note: "You can't spell Incest without W. Oh wait." – anonymous trying to defend this chapter.
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