Chapter 74 - Regroup And Planning

It was sundown, her vision cast in a hazy orange tint, when Akira awoke to find herself in the bed back at her dorm. 

Feeling a warm body, paired with the smooth touch of bare skin from another's arm pressed against hers, Akira turned onto her side and instantly smiled at how cute Kiki looked, sleeping peacefully, there next to her. Her mouth, hanging wide open. Her lovely jaw-length waves of dark hair, falling at the sides of her face. A soft, contented expression lacking the quivering anxiety she constantly exhibited while awake.

Akira smiled, in wonder at how cute she looked. How blessed she was to have someone so precious in her life.

"You haven't been sleeping well lately."

It wasn't Kiki's voice, but Kanna's.

She was kneeling by the bedside at Akira's back with squinting eyes, her brow knit with worry.

Akira sighed, facing the ceiling.

"He died so fast. Right in front of me."

"Akira, there was nothing any of us could have done..."

"I know, I know," Akira returned sharply. Impatiently. 

A moment then passed in silence, her irritated expression fading into a melancholy frown as she faced the ceiling again. "And that's just the problem I'm having, with all of this—things keep happening beyond my control. Like I've been stabbed and the blood keeps coming out. But, no matter what I do, I can't—"

"Make it stop?" Kanna gave a wide smirk. "That's just...life, man."

Akira scoffed, looking away.

"Yeah, well...it's not the kind of life I'm used to."

"Oh, right," Kanna exhaled while looking off, holding her chin with a playful expression. "You're the 18-year old hot shit CEO, so this must all be fairly new to you."

Akira gave a confused look. "Nirvana, you mean…?"

Smiling smugly, Kanna patted her cheek.

"No. I meant reality."

Akira fixed her with a glare. "Huh?"

"Not trying to be rude, but I'm guessing you didn't have very many close relationships before, in your previous life."

"N-No. I was mostly work-focused."

"Ara ara, part of the issue might be that you're still thinking regular people can be controlled—managed—like your employees. And that if you work hard enough, you're guaranteed to see good results. But it really isn't so simple."

"No. I've made bad investments that ended up costing me before," Akira mused sadly, glancing downward as her ears folded against her head. "Just...never like this."

Kanna tilted her head to the side, with an exasperated frown. 

"Do you seriously think like that?"

"Like what?" Akira asked as she lowered her chin to her chest, recoiling inward.

"Like a machine, taking in information. Analyzing it. Formulating a response. Then performing whatever it is your processors deem an appropriate action.'"

"But isn't that the smartest way to approach things?"

"For one, it makes you come across as untrustworthy," Kanna replied while crossing her arms, looking disappointed. "Maybe when you're sorting accounts, it's fine. But not so much when you're dealing with actual, living human beings."

Akira sat up quickly. "That's—" Not true, she was about to say, but stopped herself; too weary to argue. "Well, in any case"—she rose from the bed, taking a long stretch—"a person like me shouldn't allow himself to be weak to stress, and there's a very important call I have to make. So, Kanna, if you don't mind—"

Kanna held out a leg, blocking her. Forcing her to sit back onto the bed.

"No. Not right now. Stay here and rest."

Akira chuckled. "I'm fine, though. Whatever that was earlier, I'm past it now."

"It was a full-on freakout, Akira. It's a sign that you're putting yourself through too much stress, and seriously need to chill for a day or two."

"But I have to get this thing done!" Akira returned. "Lives are depending on it!"

"What 'thing' might that be, exactly?" Kanna questioned her, giving a heated look. "What the Hell happened between you and that elder, to set you off?"

Just as things were getting heated, though: it was then that Kiki awoke, covering her mouth as she let out a great, big yawn, before glancing between the mutually sullen Akira and Kanna. 

"Eh? Were you guys arguing?" she asked with an oblivious, wide-eyed look.

Akira's and Kanna's gazes were locked; the former's remaining steadfast, as the latter's was becoming filled with frustrated anger.

So, Kiki, sensing the smoldering hot tension in the air, swept in to mediate—

"Akira, Kanna, look!" she said as she sprung out of the bed. Then, stood at the foot of the bed before them both, wearing an anxious grin. Pretending to look excited. "I'm gonna put on that outfit you gave me, for the bet!"

At once, Akira and Kanna both eagerly turned to watch, beholding the wondrous spectacle:

The [Oo-Aa-Oo-Aa Outfit], being only a pair of Macaque molars tenuously held together by string to form the top piece, and a thin strip of monkey leather for the thong bottom, left delightfully little to the imagination.

"Um," Kiki trembled, profusely blushing and sweating from having to wear such a lewd outfit, that put almost all of her pasty white flesh on display—for an entire week, as per the conditions of the bet.

Meanwhile, Akira was clapping and cheering. Making it worse.

"Q-q-quit it!" she cried, hunching forward and crossing her arms, folding her thighs, attempting the impossible task of trying to conceal herself.

"This is it, Kiki-chan!" Kanna said. "Your chance to 'strut your stuff!'"

"But I don't wanna strut my stuff!" Kiki whined.

"Stand straight, and give us a little turnaround!" Akira playfully commanded, with a twirl of her finger in the air—all her prior weariness gone. "Show off that beautiful body you're so proud of!"

"Now you're just teasing me!" Kiki squeaked.

"No, really! You look amazing!"

Kiki huffed. Fucking compliments.

She raised her back slowly, unveiling her full self to them with an annoyed, begrudging look.

"Daaaamn," Akira and Kanna both said.

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up." 

"I need to get you a big ax," Akira said. "So then you'll be the sexy warrior girl of the team."

Kanna cast a sideways glance at her.

"What?" Akira asked, but then swiftly lowered her head upon realizing her mistake. "O-oh, right. I meant to say, the second sexy warrior girl of the—OW!"

Kanna kicked her in the side as she stood up, facing Kiki with an adoring smile.

"INVENTORY: OPEN!" she abruptly yelled, startling the other two with the suddenness of it, to summon her [Inventory] HUD. Then, navigating the menus with her face, she found her [Windhammer] and let it drop onto the floor when she retrieved it.

Kiki glanced down at it, then up at Kanna's expression of warmth.

"Kanna-kun…I couldn't—"

"It's not like I have much use for it, at the moment," Kanna interrupted whilst rolling her eyes, though still maintaining a cheery disposition. "Now, don't just stand there and gawk! Pick it up and show us your angry face!"

"Angry?" Kiki asked innocently, as she bent to lift up the surprisingly light Windhammer.

"Yeah! Like you're gonna kill someone."

Then, while Kiki went on to bare her teeth, growling through her gritted teeth at her reflection in the mirror above the sink, Kiki took a seat on the bed next to Akira with an amused sigh.

"She's still so innocent. So new to this world," Kanna said. "Fresh. Naive."

"I know."

Kanna ran a hand across Akira's arm gently, moaning softly as she rested her head against their shoulder with a sad frown. "How long do you think it'll be before our little girl toughens up...?"

"Hard to believe she's already been gang-raped multiple times, so…"

Kanna chuckled. "Good point."

"Speaking of"—Akira shifted so that Kanna lifted her head, and they were facing each other. "That elder, I met earlier, wants me to work with him...to end the trials for good."

Kanna gasped. "Akira. Are you sure it's not a trap?"

"I don't know," Akira admitted. "That's why I agreed, but only on the condition that I'm in full control of everything that happens." She frowned. "Since it's going to be my money behind the project, anyway."

"There's money involved? Or, is it just that machine brain of yours making this sound like a business thing?"

Akira shook her head. "It's not just me: money is really what's at the core of this. Because, to keep a long story short, chi powers are a valuable resource in this world—enough to sacrifice human lives, through the current system they have in place with the golems."

"Like with Vash…" Kanna mused sadly.

"But it doesn't have to be that way. I have a plan for how to make the monastery even more money, without having to risk anyone's life, while also still giving people access to chi powers."

"How?" Kanna was incredulous. "Isn't it true that the golems are the only source of chi powers?"

"Right," Akira replied quickly, with a triumphant grin. "However, that doesn't require them to have arms and legs. Which is why my plan is to have their limbs amputated, while still keeping them alive; so that they'll basically become completely harmless chi power dispensing machines."

"Doesn't that chamber allow them to regenerate?" Kanna asked, rubbing her chin against Akira's shoulder. "So, won't their limbs just grow back?"

Unfazed, Akira gave a playful wink.

"That's where my need for an investment comes in, and why I need to get in touch with Rumia."

Kanna pressed her more, but to no avail. So she remained with a perplexed look, trying to put together what Akira's plan might be, until Kiki suddenly lunged at her with a bestial growl.

"Ah!" Kanna shrieked, leaning more closely up against Akira, in her surprise, while the others rollicked with laughter.