Chapter 139 - "Would You Accept Your Rewards?"

(Cont'd)

"Us?" Yori asks.

Him and Akane are not sure if they heard it right.

"What? You two can't do it?" Red scoffs.

"With all due respect, sir. It's not that we can't. It's just, we won't risk it." Yori argues.

"Even if you get a reward for it?" Red asks.

"…" The couple is immediately tempted. They do not know what reward it is, but if it comes from Red, then they figure that it can only be good.

"Kichirou-san. I'll be waiting on the other side." Kotone, knowing Red, shakes her and proceeds to jump over the wall.

"…" The couple, despite witnessing Kotone's jumping down the gate a few times already every time she arrives to the compound, are stunned seeing that Kotone actually only takes one jump to cross the gate.

"Come on…" Red interrupts their stunned state.

"Even if you get hurt, healthcare's mostly free, and I'll pay for the rest of the hospital bills. Not only that. It'll also be like a paid sick leave." He tempts them further.

"Whatever reward it is, Kichirou-san, I don't think it's worth it." Akane says, realizing the danger of the task.

"Well then. That's too bad. I hope the children don't get disappointed.  " Red nods.

"'Huh. We did it. Why can't our sensei do it?' 'Are they not as cool as I thought?'" He adds with a few hypotheticals.

"…" The couple feel each example that Red cited stab their hearts.

"We won't fall for that, sir." Yori says.

"You'll destroy our image to them?" Akane says through gritted teeth.

"Not really. But it might slip out easily like how you, Yori-kun, unintentionally confessed being a non-superioris to them."  Red smirks.

"So, this is a punishment for that all along." Yori sighs.

"A punishment is a bit much." Red chuckles.

"It's not like I'm firing you two. Take it as my way of reprimanding you for your mistakes." He adds.

"It's still…" Yori wants to say that he did not know, or that he triggered such reaction from children by accident, but he ultimately decides to stop arguing.

He then takes a deep breath and, "I'll do it.", decides.

"Husband…" Akane is startled by her husband's sudden decision.

"Darling…" Yori looks at Akane in the eyes.

"It's only been two weeks but, you know how those kids look at us… Especially after what happened earlier." Akane, after a split second, understands what Yori is saying.

"Oh…" She softly exclaims.

"Yes." Yori nods, seeing Akane getting him.

It has only been two weeks since they started teaching the children, but they have received so much love and appreciation from the children that makes up for some years of indifference they suffered.

With Red's threat, they fear that the children's pure affection will be tainted by disillusionment.

"Let's do it together." Akane nods.

"Okay…" Yori, seeing the look in his wife's eyes, knows that he cannot dissuade her. He is also confident of his wife's physical strength.

<>

"Wow…"

"Yeah…"

The couple climbed up to the top of the gate easier than they thought and they can now see what is beyond the bamboo gate.

Their appreciation of the view however, is interrupted by, "WHOO!" "THEY CLIMBED TOO!" cheers from below them.

The couple's hearts warm at the sight of the smiling children.

It does not take them long to climb down after that.

"Akane-sensei!"

"Yori-sensei!"

After receiving congratulating gazes from the children, the couple see a simple nods of acknowledgement from Yoshiko and Kotone.

They know that the two are unimpressed, but they could care less. The children's approving gazes after all, are more than enough for them.

"Very good." Red's voice suddenly ring out, interrupting the commotion.

"Let's take a walk, everyone." He says as he starts leading a stroll towards the Kotone's house in the center of the gardens.

While the group is walking, a few 'Oohs' and 'aahhs' are heard from the children who cannot stop themselves from looking around everything they pass by.

"They almost look fake…"

"Yeah. They almost look plastic."

Akane and Yori, whisper to each other.

Despite their words, they are stunned by the beauty of each plant they pass by.

"But they look strangely familiar." Yori notices.

"They are. Because they're common plants." Akane who knows a bit about gardening, reveals.

"I saw an oregano plant, a mint plant, and even a wild sunflower back there. But they're not ordinary. It's as if the plants either had plenty of water and fertilizer, or they somehow evolved." She explains.

"Or maybe grown by a gardener with the perfect superioris ability for plants." Yori spots Goichi who is squatted by one of the plants, removing weeds.

"That explains it." Akane nods in realization.

"But why common plants though?" She however is confused with that aspect of the gardens.

"Don't even try to find out. There a so many weird things outside. This place being walled in like this, it has to be weirder." Yori chuckles.

"Kichirou-san! Can I pick one of these?!" Chihiro who is ahead of the group, asks excitedly as he stops in front of a dense crown of strawberry plant that is even taller than him.

Everyone looks and sees why Chihiro wants to have one.

"Are those..." Yori is stunned.

"Yes. Strawberries." Akane nods, stunned. 

The strawberries hanging from the plant, after all, are the size of apples, some even larger.

"Sure. Just pick one for everyone." Red stops the walk for now.

Soon enough, "Wow!" "Delicious!" "So sweet…" All sorts of exclamations ring out from the first time garden visitors.

"I can't believe luxury fruits is just at the road." Akane shakes her head.

"Luxury fruits… I wonder how much these will sell for?" Yori entertains the thought in amusement.

After the short break, the group arrive at the yard at the central house.

After Red had the children and the dancer couple sit cross legged at the porch, "Kichirou-san. What's the reward?" Ran asks in anticipation.

"Later." Red brushes the question aside and turns to Yoshiko.

"Yoshiko, please?" He asks aloud while sending his disciple instructions with his spirit sense.

"…phew…" Yoshiko sighs, receiving the instructions.

She can finally come clean to the children.

She bends her knees and pushes herself off of the ground.

"WHAO!" The children all exclaim and would have stood up in surprise if they were not sitting cross legged.

Yoshiko after all, has just jumped even higher than the height of the bamboo gate.

As Yoshiko feels herself reaching the peak of her rise, she summons a small spiritual energy platform and kicks it.

With that, her entire body starts twirling in the air gracefully looking like a spinning baton tossed by a majorette of a marching band.

"My goodness." The usually stoic and daydreaming Kanon utters in wonder.

As soon as Yoshiko lands back down to the ground, *clap**clap**clap*, she hears Red slow clapping.

"Wonderful display, Yoshiko-chan." Red compliments.

Yoshiko rolls her eyes. The task was easy for her.

The next moment however, she notices that the atmosphere turned strange.

"Y-you're not a superioris?..." Ran asks, wide-eyed.

"I-…" Yoshiko sees a look of betrayal in Ran's face and she does not know what to say.

"I-…" It breaks her heart further seeing that the other kids also look betrayed.

Fortunately for her, "Alright kids." Red cuts in.

"Your Yoshiko-nee, is not a superioris."

"B-but… But.." Taishiro cannot process the contrast of what Red said and what he just witnessed.

Red then turns his back on the children and he starts ascending up the air, as if climbing up an invisible flight of stairs. In addition, he also starts glowing under the already bright sun. The sight is a wonder to all present, including the cultivators.

Yoshiko and Kotone can also make spiritual energy platforms with their spiritual energy control, but seeing Red's paper thin platforms make them feel like prodigals with how they use their elixirs. They are also inspired seeing that Red seems to be summoning the platform at will unlike them who have to take imagination and a bit of focus to do the same.

The thing that mystifies them however, is that something that is making the atmospheric spiritual energy move aggressively with their master at the center.

To the children and the dancers, meanwhile, Red looks like a king ascending the heavens.

The group see Red stop his steps and turn around to their direction.

"YOSHIKO DID NOT LIE. SHE WAS NOT A SUPERIORIS, AND IS STILL ISN'T." The master of the hill tells them, his booming but soothing voice reverberating like an echo to their ears make them feel that they are in the presence of someone beyond just grand. That sense of grandness suppresses any intentions of speaking up.

"RAN, YOU ASKED ME WHAT THE REWARDS WAS?" Red addresses the little girl.

"Y-y-yes…" Ran, having a glimpse of Red's power, is tongue-tied and intimidated.

"THAT REWARD IS SHARING MY POWERS WITH YOU ALL."  He reveals.

"…" This stuns the children.

"…" The dancer couple meanwhile, feel out of place.

They are not sure if they should be present, witnessing a huge secret like this.

"FUMIO, KOTONE, AND YOSHIKO HAVE RECEIVED THEIR REWARDS LONG AGO." Red continues.

"NOW, CHILDREN. WOULD YOU ALL ACCEPT YOUR REWARDS?" He asks as he sends them a blast of spiritual energy.

The gate climbers feel a strong breeze brush their bodies and they immediately feel calm and clear-headed.

The children look at each other, figuring that that they are all thinking the same thing.

"YES. KICHIROU-SAN." They all answer in unison.

"MR. AND MRS. TAJIMA." Red addresses the dancers.

"Y-yes?"

"Sir?"

Akane and Yori are taken aback getting attention from the powerful man.

"WOULD YOU ACCEPT YOUR REWARDS?" Red asks them.

"Us too?" Akane asks, she cannot believe what she just heard.

"OF COURSE." Red nods.

"W-" Yori is about to ask why Red wants to include them, or why Red even trusts them, but he cannot bring himself to ask it. The opportunity is just too tempting to even show hesitation to.

Before long, "Y-yes." "W-we accept.", the couple finally answer while suppressing their excitement.

"VERY GOOD." Red knows what the two are thinking, but he trusts the two's characters.

"LET US BEGIN. CLOSE YOUR EYES."

.

.

To the side, Yoshiko and Kotone are now standing next to each other, the two excited for the children to finally access their inner worlds.

"I wish my 'initiation' was as grand as this." Yoshiko chuckles in envious amusement.

"I know, right? Mine was done casually, like on a whim." Kotone shares the sentiment.

"At least you didn't have seniors to pull an act on you." Yoshiko scoffs.

"You still haven't forgotten about that, huh?" Kotone shakes her head.

"It was all an act, but it was cruel." Yoshiko argues.

"That's true..." Kotone utters.

"But I had to spar with teacher every day for three months before I was 'initiated'." She is not willing to lose the banter however.

"So I've heard…" Yoshiko shrugs, having heard it before. She can only give in. She cannot imagine getting her pride hurt every minute of two months.

"But… Akane-san and Yori-san… Those monsters." Kotone then sighs.

"Ugh. I know. I guess talented people have it better, even under someone like sensei.." Yoshiko too, sighs in envy.