[240] Encountering Problems After Problems

[240] Encountering Problems After Problems

Chapter 240: Encountering Problems After Problems

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The Hoshino household felt almost like a different world as we slipped into it through a portal I had opened. The familiar scent of home greeted me as I stepped out into the courtyard, Ai and Ranefer at my side. I could hear the faint chatter from around the house, coming from the exorcist girls and the tiger cubs.

Quetzalcoatl shifted beside me, her chains clinking softly as she stretched her arms out. “Cutie, undo these, would you?” She raised her wrists, bound by the divine restraints Tezcatlipoca had slapped on her.

Her tone was casual, but I could sense the frustration behind her words. I guessed she hated being shackled, even if she didn’t say it out loud.

“Yeah, hold on,” I replied, placing my hand on it and reaching into my Void Storage. Undoing divine restraints wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but this wasn’t my first time dealing with this sort of thing. With some effort, I pulled the chains into my storage, feeling my Qi drain. It was not enough to be a problem, but it was still a lot.

Once free, Quku let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms above her head like she didn’t have a care in the world. “Ahh, finally,” she muttered and then looked around, turning to face me. “So, what’s next? The world’s going to hell, and we’re about to see some crazy shit out there. What’s your plan? You did promise to make me stronger, so I wanna move my fists already.”

I frowned slightly, considering her words. She wasn’t wrong. Because of the Icons that descended recently, the gods started getting serious about their power plays. I had a bunch of enemies among those said gods. I had to establish myself as a strong force to keep them at bay. I couldn’t spend every day fighting one pantheon after the other, so it was high time I took this sect seriously.

“The next step is to establish a name,” I said, looking at her and then the other two women. “Not for me, but for the Sect.”

Truthfully, my name had spread far enough. Killing Thor, pissing off multiple pantheons, wrecking half of Vedas in one night—I’d made my point. But that wasn’t enough. A single person’s name alone wouldn’t secure the future I was building.

My Sect needed to rise, and that meant gaining more power, more allies, and more influence. To begin with, Nexus of Eternity wasn’t just about surviving; it was about creating something that could stand the test of time. Something... bigger than me.

Well, my name, I mean. I doubted there could be anything bigger than me.

I envisioned a Sect that could rival the gods and their pantheons, with people like Ranefer and Quetzalcoatl already behind it. I wasn’t stupid—I knew we’d have to fight our way to the top, and that was why we’d need even more people.

Quku raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk. “A former Chief God on your payroll already, isn’t that enough name backing this sect thingy?”

“Well, it helps,” I chuckled, “but I need more. More like you.” She scoffed, amused that I wasn’t satisfied with having a literal chief god on retainer. But that was the minimum kind of influence I needed to have if I wanted to survive in the coming storm.

“You already got more,” Ranefer, lounging casually beside us, chimed in with a sly grin. “Don’t forget the super satan you’ve got hanging around~ I’m probably stronger than her at this point,” she looked at Quetzalcoatl who grinned with her sharp teeth.

I looked between the two, making sure they didn't break into a fight. Regardless, she was right that I did have some heavy hitters already, but I really needed more. I had a few elders in the sect, namely Ai, Ranefer, and now Quetzalcoatl—but they weren’t enough. At least double this number would do.

But before I could add something, Ranefer's gaze turned more serious. “Speaking of which, don’t you think I should head back to the Underworld? My people probably need me there with everything going on.”

She had a point. As much as I wanted to keep my allies close, the Underworld was in chaos. Egypt’s Ogdoad wasn’t a weak pantheon. Serafall and the other Satans were probably doing their best to hold things together, but they couldn’t be everywhere at once.

“You’re right,” I admitted, nodding. “But it’s dangerous down there. You sure you want to go back now?”

Her gaze flicked to me, and she sighed dramatically. “Ahhh, I really should, but I don’t really want to...” She paused, her eyes locking onto mine. “Unless you’re planning to come with me?”

“....” I considered it for a moment. The idea of visiting the Underworld didn’t seem as meaningless as it might have in the past. Serafall could use help. I owed her at least that much for helping me during hard times. But...

“As much as I’d like to, I can’t,” I said after a moment. “I’ve got enough on my plate here, Japan is dangerous. And I’m pretty sure Sera and Sirzechs would be happy to have me keep their sisters safe, too. Oh, and I pissed off the Norse yesterday. Pretty sure they’re going to be knocking on my door any day now.”

“You did what? You didn’t tell me,” Ai, who had been quiet this whole time, looked at me shocked. I shrugged.

Ranefer let out a nervous laugh. “Odin’s going to smash our front door down? Sounds... fun.”

Spoiler[collapse]

Akane watched him carefully, her frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. She could see how uncomfortable he was, but that only irritated her more. Why is this so hard for him? She wanted to yell, but instead, she sighed again, deciding just to be upfront. “Look,” she began, her voice quieter, “I understand you’re busy... I do. But can’t you at least tell me when you’re leaving? Or when you’re coming back? Do I not deserve to not that much?”

Aqua shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I... I did tell you before I left.”

“On text. You vanished for a whole month, Aqua,” She stared at him, her eyes narrow. “You said it’d be a few days, maybe a week at most. And then nothing. You vanished. No texts, no calls. You just vanish, and I’m left waiting here like an idiot. If it was going to be that long, you could have just... teleported here for a minute to say goodbye. It’s not that hard for someone like you.”

Aqua didn’t have anything to say to that.

He wanted to defend himself, to explain how the situation had spiraled out of control—how the world itself was changing, and he couldn’t afford distractions. But the truth was, she wasn’t wrong. It wouldn’t have been hard to teleport and say goodbye for a minute. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, before finally speaking.

“You’re right. I messed up big time,” he admitted, his voice quiet. He let the words settle between them before continuing. “If... you want to break up, I understand. It’s unfair not to give you time when I call myself your boyfriend. I know I’ve been horrible to you, and if you’re tired of it, I won’t hold it against you. I’m sorry.”

Akane frowned, looking away from him. Aqua shifted in his seat, unsure of what her reaction meant. Did I say the wrong thing?

A tense silence stretched on until she finally spoke, her voice tinged with annoyance. “I didn’t ask to meet you to break up, Aqua,” she said, her tone sharp. “That’s... disrespectful. Do you really think so little of me?”

He blinked but didn’t say anything. He opened his mouth to respond, but she wasn’t done. “I just wanted to hear you apologize. And it seems like you do understand how you’ve been acting,” she continued, her eyes locking onto his. “All I’m asking is for a little bit of your time. Is that too much? I see Mem-Cho posting photos of you surrounded by girls, having fun, but... I’m always waiting.”

“....”

“Always waiting for you to text, but you never do. I feel like I’m invisible. I just want you to fix that behavior. Is it that hard?”

Her voice softened by the time she finished. Aqua’s gaze looked guilty now. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d hurt the poor girl.

For someone as old as he was, it was so easy to get caught up in the chaos of gods, pantheons, and power struggles and forget about the people who mattered in the mortal world.

If he couldn’t manage time for both, he should never have put his feet on both boats.

He stared down at his coffee cup for a moment, letting the silence hang before finally nodding. “You’re right. I should have known better,” he said quietly. She didn’t want to break up, he realized what he wanted. So he could act like that. With a small smile, he stood up, extending a hand toward her. “Will you give me a chance to make it up to you?”

“Ah...” Akane looked at his hand for a moment, her expression softening. Slowly, she reached out and took it, a small smile tugging at her lips. But just as the moment started to feel lighter, Aqua’s phone buzzed on the table.

The name Mai Senpai flashed across the screen.

Aqua glanced at Akane, a little sheepish, but she just shrugged. “It’s just her. Take it.” He nodded, swiping to answer and putting it on speaker.

“Aqua,” came Mai’s voice, hesitant on the other end of the line. “Can you come to Kyoto for a bit? There’s... some trouble with the Yokai.” In the background, the sounds of explosions echoed, and her voice trembled slightly. “...Some serious trouble.”

Aqua’s eyebrows slowly rose as he looked at Akane. The poor girl let out a long, exasperated sigh, covering her face with her hands. It was as if the world wanted to keep him away from her.

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Author Note: Probably the last chapter of the week. Sorry! If not, the next chapter will be on Thursday. Hope you’ve enjoyed the chapter.

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Link: /Master4thWall