NOVEL WEB Arc 8: Motivation – Chapter 2
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Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
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"Speech"
Time*
Arc 8: Motivation - Chapter 2
A week later*
Daisuke discovers that Blair has a zest for life, cherishing each day and making the most of every moment.
He also learns that Esdeath loves this world and is eager to assist Blair in handling those who seek to harm her for her soul as a witch.
Finally, he realizes that entering the world of Soul Eater was the best thing that ever happened to him, second only to acquiring the power of Omnifabrication.
He feels liberated and calm. All he had to do was allow Esdeath, who is nearly done developing the Madness of Hunger, to consume his troubles—quite literally, strengthening Rashomon's powers even more.
"There you go, Master." Esdeath licks her lips as she generates her clothes to appear on her body. She stands up and stretches, causing her back to crack audibly.
In hindsight, he shouldn't really view this as a positive situation, being in the Soul Eater world where one can switch on the brink of insanity one moment and regain some semblance of sanity the next.
"Die for me!" Blair's scream can be heard outside the house. "Pumpkin Cannon!" Followed by an explosion.
"Well, it looks like another group is trying to kill Blair for her soul again." Esdeath grins. Her form melts, merging shortly with Daisuke's shadow before transforming into a nodachi to appear in his left hand. She continues speaking through the nodachi, "Honestly, it was amusing at first, but now it's just annoying."
"That's why we're going to step in and kill those guys outside with Blair." Daisuke said to Esdeath as he exited the building. He saw Blair launching attacks at random unknown mobs with a magical pumpkin in one hand, resulting in a devastating blast upon contact. "Or she can do it easily by herself."
"Looks like she didn't want to waste any time, did she?" Esdeath said in a bored tone.
"Not quite."
Daisuke slowly pulled Esdeath from her sheath and unleashed seven wires that split into thousands, moving like snakes and tearing through a significant portion of the land on the right side of the forest.
"Why did you cut down my forest? I know some of the trees are old and don't bear fruit, but they're nice to have around." Blair pouts at Daisuke.
"Dealing with someone who was trying to spy on us." Daisuke replied as he sheathed the nodachi completely.
"Don't worry about those people. Frankly, they're less of a nuisance now that they're fixated on me being here than when I'm elsewhere. Besides, I can just turn into a cat and stroll away without a care. No one has ever found out about my cat disguise." Blair bragged, puffing her cheat out.
"Got it." Daisuke nodded slowly, refraining from mentioning that some people might notice her cat form because of her habit of frequently leaving and returning to the house. "However, I'm sure people are coming here more often than usual due to mine and Esdeath's presence here for a week now."
"So? The three of us can handle them easily." Blair grins. "Besides, I'm not causing any trouble for the townsfolk nearby. If anything, they adore me and are happy to have me around." She pauses, considering her next words. "In fact, people often give me fresh fish for free without me even having to ask whenever I visit town."
"Is this in your true form or when you're in cat form?" Daisuke asks curiously, already knowing the kind of people who would offer Blair fresh fish for free.
"Both." Blair replied, and then her eyes widened a little. "Oh! I must have transformed at some point, and people must have found out!" She looked as if she had just solved a great mystery.
"Anyway, let's get something to eat in town." Esdeath said, returning to her human form after she jumped out of Daisuke's hand.
"I know the perfect place to eat!" Blair agreed immediately.
Daisuke gazes upon the shattered limbs and the remains of several corpses, some still partially intact—an utterly horrifying sight.
As he watches them walk away, Daisuke uses the power of Great Red to manipulate reality, shifting from the real world to the dream realm. This causes the corpses to disappear, becoming nothing more than a fleeting dream that never really existed.
Once that's done, he quickly chases after the two and hopes whatever place Blair picks will be to his liking.
An hour later*
"Here we are: ZenBite Sushi & Sake Bar," Blair announced, introducing the establishment to Daisuke and Esdeath.
They enter a cozy sushi restaurant with soft lighting and a peaceful atmosphere. The air carries the subtle scent of fresh seafood mixed with a hint of wasabi.
Blair seems to frequent the restaurant because they are seated immediately without having to wait. They take a seat near the window on the east side of the restaurant.
Daisuke sits at the polished wooden counter, where he is presented with a menu with various sushi options.
The menu offers a selection of sushi featuring prepared vinegared rice topped with premium seafood such as tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and shrimp. Each piece is crafted by talented sushi chefs, reflecting their dedication to the art of sushi-making.
Daisuke starts with a classic nigiri, a slice of fish delicately placed over a mound of rice and secured with a strip of seaweed. He also enjoys some sashimi, thinly sliced raw fish served without rice, allowing him to fully appreciate the pure flavors of the seafood.
Esdeath ordered a rainbow roll. It's a colorful and flavorful sushi roll featuring a variety of fresh fish, such as tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and avocado, wrapped in nori (seaweed) and rice. The roll is topped with thinly sliced avocado and drizzled with a tangy, sweet sauce. It's both visually stunning and deliciously satisfying.
Blair just ordered everything on the menu. Simple as that.
"So, it's been a week since we've been together. What kind of fun things should we do now? I don't mind staying indoors most of the time, but I don't want to overdo it and make my home boring." Blair asks Daisuke and Esdeath while they wait for their food to arrive.
"I like to hunt." Esdeath said casually. "And studying human anatomy." She adds with a slight grin.
"Oh?" Blair looks at Esdeath with interest. "What do you hunt? Also, why human anatomy?"
Daisuke starts to tune out the conversation, hoping they'll be done once the food arrives.
A few hours later*
"Did you know where Water is dripped slowly onto a person's forehead, driving them to the brink of madness with its relentless monotony? It is simple yet incredibly effective at breaking someone's spirit." Esdeath said to Blair as they walked out of the sushi restaurant.
"Is that so?" Blair asks, doubtful but curious if it's true or not.
Suddenly, the ground trembles beneath their feet and a deafening roar echoes through the streets. From the night of town, not too far away, a towering figure, its body covered in thick, black fur and its eyes glowing with malice.
"Huh, a werewolf." Blair muttered, and in the next moment, the townsfolk scattered in fear.
Roaring with hunger and lust in its eyes, the werewolf lunges forward, its claws slashing the air violently.
"Bad dog." Esdeath made a hand gesture of waving the werewolf away in disdain while not budging an inch. A light blue mist streams from her hand toward the werewolf, freezing it midair before it crashes to the ground, shattering into pieces.
"What was that about?" Blair asks in a confused voice, staring at the icy remains of the werewolf that Esdeath killed effortlessly.
"That werewolf was likely under the influence of Esdeath's Madness of Hunger, which she triggered while we were eating." Daisuke explained, producing a sheet of paper with information on it. "It looks like Esdeath is nearly done developing the Madness of Hunger and going into the next stage of expanding its influence."
"That would explain why there were more customers than usual and why they ate so voraciously through their sushi. We were fortunate to have ours before the restaurant owner had to inform everyone, including incoming customers at the doors, that they were out of ingredients." Blair said, looking at Esdeath in awe.
Daisuke remained silent and proceeded to dispose of the icy remains of the werewolf Esdeath had killed. He used Killer Queen to touch each piece, causing them to explode and vanish, erasing their existence forever.
"Now that that little incident is behind us, where should we go next?" Esdeath asks Blair, relying on her familiarity with the area. "Is there anything fun to do around here?"
"Honestly, not really." Blair said dully. "I mainly come here for the food more than anything else."
Esdeath hums, glancing at the deserted streets, then smirks as she turns back to Daisuke and Blair.
"If it is anything about torturing people. I'll have to decline. That's not my kind of thing." Daisuke said before Esdeath could say anything.
Blair glanced at Daisuke with a puzzled expression, then turned back to Esdeath. "Torturing? Is that what you find enjoyable? Well, if that's the case, let me tell you, it won't be enjoyable once you've gotten all the types of reactions from people."
"Of course not; I have something else in mind." Esdeath rolls her eyes at the two.
Hours later*
"So, what was that something again?" Daisuke asked Esdeath, his confusion evident as they found themselves amidst the bustling streets of Brooklyn, New York. The Thompson sisters had positioned him as a shield against Esdeath, a situation that left him baffled, especially after their recent attempt to mug Esdeath.
The sudden turn of events left him feeling disoriented and confused.
"Well, I was actually looking for those two." Esdeath smirked, her gaze fixed on the Thompson sisters in a manner that sent chills down their spines. "I just didn't expect them coming to us right as we arrived here."
"I find it amusing how they believe Daisuke would protect them from us, Esdeath." Blair giggled mischievously. "Especially when they discover that Daisuke is on our side."
That started the Thompson sisters to quickly distance themselves from Daisuke, a mistake on their part.
Esdeath quickly leaped into action, effortlessly incapacitating the two just as one of them was about to transform into their weapon form. With precise strikes aimed at their joints, she swiftly rendered them unconscious by delivering strikes to the back of their necks.
"Again? I just healed and woke them up." Daisuke noted, glancing at the Thompson sisters. He then uses Omnifabrication with the power of Ophis to instantly heal the two and awaken them once more. "Hello, please stop provoking Esdeath, the blue-haired one."
And as before, the two hid behind him, their eyes filled with fear as they stared at Esdeath.
"I think whatever you did must have reset some parts of their memories." Blair giggled.
"No, keep it up, Master. I want them to keep acting like this until I get bored." Esdeath smirked at the Thompson sisters. "Besides, they're coming with us afterward anyway."
Well, that complicates things further, as Esdeath decided to kidnap the Thompson sisters for whatever reasons.
"Why did you want me to teleport us here, far away from Blair's house, just to come here for these two?" Daisuke asked Esdeath.
"I want minions. And why not have the best minions by having two girls who can turn into guns?" Esdeath explained. "Plus, I adore their personalities and how they react to almost everything."
Daisuke might have to rethink his thoughts from this morning.