CHAPTER 388: CHAPTER 386: AOZAWA’S AMBITIONS GROW INCREASINGLY INFLATED_1

July 18, Tuesday.

The cell phone on the nightstand rang. Aozawa slid his hand across, instinctively turning off the alarm without needing to open his eyes—a reaction that had become pure instinct.

He yawned and sat up in bed, the thin blanket sliding down to his thighs. Sunlight invaded the room through the glass sliding door on the side of the bedroom; without drawing the curtains, he could see the lush green courtyard outside. Aozawa rubbed his eyes, walked out of the bedroom, and headed straight to the washroom to run water and squeeze out toothpaste. He brushed his teeth while looking at his reflection in the mirror, clearly not fully awake yet.

Last night, he’d come home on time to sleep, but he’d just lain in bed thinking for a while. People always feel restless about things they haven’t attained. I’m no exception.

My tests showed that the four-meter-tall Holy Lord’s Enlightening ability had no effect. The sound of Enlightenment from a Holy Lord over three meters tall was no different from one over two meters. The nerfed Enlightening has its limits, which quashed my idea of stacking them like boxes. However, judging by the powerful resonance of the Holy Lord Enlightened at over two meters, its strength is still considerable—enough to knead steel like clay. Crushing diamonds with bare hands might even be possible.

Now, all I have to do is wait patiently for news from David. I doubt anything major will happen; a day has passed, and the Defense Barrier is still on David, showing no fluctuations. He thought, Maybe I can harvest Amat’s Sound ahead of schedule and experience what a truly powerful body feels like.

Aozawa spat out the mouthful of water, washed his face, and turned to walk into the living room. No music played, nor were there familiar yoga movements. He looked at Morimoto Chiyoda, who was sitting at the dining table, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Chitose, you’ve let yourself go, not even exercising in the morning."

"Look who’s talking. I just woke up early and finished my yoga exercises ahead of time."

Morimoto Chiyoda was not in her Police Director uniform. She wore a light blue printed oversized T-shirt that covered her super short leather shorts and gun, and black garter stockings wrapped her legs. She tied her black hair into a single ponytail and glanced at him, saying, "Since when have you regressed to being a primitive human that doesn’t wear clothes?"

"It’s too hot; this is more refreshing. Besides, it’s not like you haven’t seen it before." Aozawa approached with a cheeky grin, feeling a strange thrill under her gaze, which unavoidably caused a reaction.

Morimoto Chiyoda pursed her lips and squeezed her legs together. "You’re getting more perverted by the day. Go back and put some clothes on."

"Perverts are those who do it outside. I’m at home, where I have the freedom not to wear clothes. You could do the same—I wouldn’t mind." Aozawa sat down, took a sip of his oatmeal porridge, and smiled. "Or is it that you get turned on seeing me like this?"

"You’re overestimating yourself; I just find it an eyesore. I’ll give you one minute to correct this." Exercising her guardian authority, Morimoto Chiyoda’s eyes turned cold. Aozawa quickly left his seat and returned to the bedroom.

Her lips curled up slightly, then she quickly composed herself and scooped up porridge with her spoon.

Not doing yoga today was the right choice, she thought. Otherwise, I might have been ambushed by this kid while doing yoga. What a hassle. So much work outside, and at home, I have to guard against his ever-growing ambition.

Morimoto Chiyoda knew this was the bitter fruit of her own sowing. These enticing yoga poses are a bit too much for a boy his age, especially now. This summer is bound to be dangerous.

She pondered, shifting her thighs, a part of her itching to test the waters. This feeling of dancing on the edge... it’s strangely captivating.

...

At Brilliant High School, on the second floor of the Sword Dao Club building.

After the other members had left, Aozawa was still practicing Sword Dao. Physical improvement was foreseeable, but he did not plan to neglect his Sword Dao practice. Even with a strong physique, it didn’t mean he could beat Sunaga Takashi in Sword Dao. That guy was a monster in Sword Dao. If possible, Aozawa wanted to defeat Sunaga Takashi through his own efforts. As for using the Sound of Everything ability to enhance his body, that was also part of his efforts.

He finished his practice for the day, took off his protective gear, and stepped out of the changing room.

Ayatsuki Ayaka came forward, holding out a thermos. "Aozawa, you must be thirsty, right?"

"Haven’t seen you in a few days. I thought you’d surprise me, Iroha." Aozawa took the thermos without letting go of her right hand, holding onto it along with the cup.

Ayatsuki Ayaka’s cheeks turned pink, and she glanced at him. "Stop it; you’re always thinking about that kind of stuff."

As if it compares to you and the others discussing my size,

Aozawa thought, suppressing his inner retort. He smiled and said, "It’s because you’re too sexy, Iroha, that makes me think about those things all the time."

Releasing her hand, he unscrewed the lid of the thermos and took a sip of vegetable juice. Ayatsuki Ayaka blushed even more, a sweet sensation rising within her, mixed with a touch of shyness like unripe green plums. The girl raised her hand and gave his shoulder a light punch. "Aozawa, you’re so lewd."

The force was so light that it couldn’t even be called a massage, merely a caress.

Aozawa just smiled.

Ayatsuki Ayaka felt a bit flustered and quickly changed the subject. "The matches at the Earth’s Strongest Martial Arts Tournament were really intense yesterday. Especially Hojo and Amat! In the end, it was BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dust was billowing up from the ground." While speaking, she used gestures and vocal effects, her expression filled with excitement, trying to convey the intensity of the moment, but it only made Aozawa think she was adorable. "I thought Hojo was dead at that moment, but it was only after encountering Phoenix Academy that I learned Hojo wasn’t hurt at all."

Ayatsuki Ayaka paused, then curiously asked, "Did you really beat Hojo?"

"Yeah, in Sword Dao," Aozawa replied.

Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes were full of Aozawa as she clenched her fists. "That’s amazing!"

That sincere look of admiration made Aozawa feel a bit elated. He disliked flattery and sycophancy. However, sincere praise like this was especially pleasing to him, reminding him of the refreshing feeling of stepping into a hot spring on a winter day.

"It was okay. Hojo is still green in Sword Dao," he said nonchalantly.

"So cool!" Ayatsuki Ayaka’s eyes filled with anticipation as she said, "I heard there’s the Jade Dragon Flag competition in Sword Dao. Aozawa, are you going to participate?"

"Of course. The skills I’ve been honing for so long are for the purpose of winning the Jade Dragon Flag Championship." Aozawa answered with a smile, chatting with Ayatsuki Ayaka as they walked into the school building and towards the classroom door together.

Ayatsuki Ayaka walked towards the front door.

He entered through the back door.

...

Normally, the back door of the classroom was where the boys gathered, but not today. Peter wasn’t there, only an injured-looking Sophia, making the back door as quiet as before.

Aozawa understood in his heart that Peter was participating in the quarterfinals; he hoped Peter would be lucky enough not to run into Amat. Unlike Hojo Tetsuji, Peter didn’t have the strength to make Amat lose interest.

He glanced once more at Hojo Tetsuji sleeping there and used the Sound of Everything. All sorts of noises flooded his ears, coming from the students, the classroom, the windows, the desks, and the chairs. Among this continuous stream of sounds, Hojo Tetsuji’s was the loudest.

A BUZZ—it sounded even more powerful than yesterday.

Indeed, Hojo Tetsuji has that protagonist-like constitution; the more he fights, the stronger he gets.

Aozawa deactivated the Sound of Everything ability and walked to his seat, pulling out the chair to sit down.

Phoenix Academy Maggie sat in front of him. She turned around and, like an autumn wind sweeping away leaves, took over his desk. "Aozawa, you must’ve heard the Earth’s Strongest Martial Arts Tournament advertisements yesterday, right?"

"With that ubiquitous campaign, it would be hard not to hear about it," he replied casually.

Phoenix Academy Maggie slightly narrowed her eyes and said, "Then do you know why the Earth’s Strongest Martial Arts Tournament is being held all of a sudden?"

"Not sure."

"Lean in, and I’ll tell you," she beckoned, her expression full of mystery.

Aozawa wasn’t actually curious, but he was interested in having Phoenix Academy Maggie whisper in his ear, so he quickly turned his head and leaned closer.

"Idiot~" Phoenix Academy Maggie drew out the word in his ear, her breath on his eardrum.

Aozawa turned his head and suddenly found himself looking directly into her bright, large eyes, their noses nearly touching. Phoenix Academy Maggie’s hand clenched slightly, her face and gaze showing not a hint of retreat as she held his gaze. Aozawa was not about to back down either.

After about a minute of standoff, Phoenix Academy Maggie finally couldn’t suppress her racing heartbeat and said in a calm tone, "Are you a little kid or what, playing that statue game?"

With that, she pulled back a little, then added, "I’m not joking with you anymore. The truth behind it all is that an Angel Envoy from a Different World told Master Mitsui that he wanted powerful human physiques."

"What do you think that means?" Phoenix Academy Maggie asked, somewhat puzzled. If the Different World is a lie concocted by Dio, then what does this visitor from the Different World want with powerful human physiques? I don’t think Aozawa has a habit of eating people. The death of the Fuji Financial Group’s son was also strange—shot, and his bodyguard Doumoto Kaito vanished. Then there’s the sudden disappearance of quarterfinalist Higashiyama Jiro, and this urgently convened Seven Nations Summit in Tokyo. So much happened yesterday, everything is shrouded in mist. I can’t figure out what Aozawa is trying to do. Or rather... is that even Aozawa?

"I don’t know," Aozawa said, spreading his hands.

Phoenix Academy Maggie glanced at him, then hit his shoulder and said, "I’m asking you to speculate. If you were that person, what would you want powerful physiques for?"

"Perhaps to learn from Predecessor Hannibal’s spirit, starting with the thighs. Then there’s the abdominal flesh—which, whether from pig or cow, is extremely tasty." Aozawa vividly described how one could savor human flesh.

Phoenix Academy Maggie imagined the scenes he described in her mind—a dark room with Aozawa holding a knife and fork, carving up a human body, then picking up a piece of what might be liver or lung, a smile on his face as he brought it to his mouth.

"You’re such a pervert!" Phoenix Academy Maggie punched him again.

Aozawa laughed. "Relax, I’m joking. How could I possibly do something so perverted?"

She frowned slightly, then asked, "So, if a boy isn’t willing to share secrets with a girl he’s close to, does it mean he doesn’t trust her?"

"I think it’s not about trust. Everyone has their own privacy they don’t want others to find out about," Aozawa replied truthfully.