章 1576: Relax
With two days having passed, Vahn greeted the third with a combination of excitement and a fair amount of trepidation. He was looking forward to his reunion with Eva, but, as was often the case in these types of situations, he couldn't shake the feeling something had gone wrong. The longer the third day dragged on, the more worried he became. Each time the clock sounded a new hour, his mood would worsen slightly, and, by the time afternoon had come, he began lamenting his lack of foresight. He was confident he would be able to track down Eva, as Fenrir had memorized her scent for him, but, if he had been smart about it, convincing her to form a Pactio would have saved a lot of time and effort...
While contemplating whether or not Eva was going to test him by making him search for her, Vahn heard a light knock at his door. He had already sensed the person on the other side, so, after raising his head from his large wooden desk, he forced a smile to his face, stating, "Enter..." in a relaxed yet firm tone.
After a bit of fiddling with the knob, the door opened to reveal a young girl with raven-black hair and bright green, slightly luminescent eyes. She was a bit older than the students in his class, but that wasn't particularly uncommon. Vahn allowed anyone to visit his office when he was inside, so, even if one of the teachers randomly showed up, he would greet them with a smile and ask if there was something troubling them...
Seeing the young girl stall at the door's threshold, Vahn's expression softened as he asked, "Won't you come and take a seat? I just finished brewing a pot of tea so your arrival is very timely. If you'd like, I also brought some sugar cookies from home. These ones have a bit of mint mixed in, so they are quite refreshing with tea~."
Though she didn't say anything, the raven-haired girl trotted over to the opposing chair with a tiny smile on her face. This wasn't her first time visiting the office so Vahn already knew the best way to coax her into relaxing and opening up to him. She would generally show up every 2-3 days without any real intentions other than to spend a few minutes in his office, but, knowing what she had gone through in the past, Vahn never felt inconvenienced by her behavior.
While using telekinesis to fill the girl's cup, Vahn pulled a tray of light green cookies from inside his Inventory, placing them on the opposite side of his desk. She quickly reached for one, and, seeing a smile blossom across her face as she savored the combination of peppermint tea and mint cookies, Vahn pulled out a quill and began writing nothing in particular. It would be a little awkward to just stare at her, so, knowing she could take several minutes just to greet him, he had learned to let her muster up her courage without applying any direct pressure.
After around five minutes had passed, the smile on the girl's face gradually fell away as she lowered her head and muttered, "I had another nightmare..."
Placing his quill down, Vahn adopted an apologetic expression as he linked his fingers together and lightly asked, "Do you want to talk about it...?"
Rather than answer, the girl, named Naomi Karasu, lowered her head even further, clutching tightly at the hem of her skirt as she shook her head. She didn't like talking about her dreams, and, though she had come to trust Vahn more than anyone else, it was difficult to open her heart after what she had experienced; something far worse than a nightmare.
Understanding that this was one of the times when Naomi just wanted to feel safe, Vahn increased the amount of calming energy within his domain. At the same time, he gave a small nod toward the young girl, following it by whispering, "You can stay as long as you need...if you ever want to talk, I will be here to listen..."
After answer with a small nod of her own, Naomi picked up another cookie, nibbling away at it like a chipmunk with her bangs covering the upper half of her face...
---
Since he often entertained more than twenty visitors a day, Vahn had modified his office to be able to alter its size and shape with a dial hidden beneath his desk. He could reduce its size to a rather cozy 5x5x3m, complete with an old bookshelf and a persistently crackling fireplace. If he needed to accommodate a larger group, however, the interior could space could be increased to 100x100x8m in an instant. This was regularly used to deal with the periodic raids conducted by his fan club, but, compared to the most important feature of his office, the ability to alter its size was negligible.
Stunning even Grandmaster Seras, who had the ability to create weaker dioramas over the period of a few months, Vahn had created a second dial that allowed him to adjust the flow of time. The base rate of flow was 2:1, as it helped him keep track of things happening within the Academy, but, when it was necessary, there were two additional markers that displayed 4:1 and 10:1. This was the benefit of studying the Yokai District for the better part of forty years, and, though it had taken a few weeks to adapt the principles within the Akamatsuverse, a 98% mastery over Time had helped quite a bit...
With a bit of help from his calming energy, Naomi was eventually able to fall asleep after curling up in the comfortable chair he had set out prior to her arrival. He knew she had a number of difficulties sleeping, so, whenever she showed up, Vahn allowed her to sleep as long as she needed. As for why he didn't just erase her memories of the trauma that had occurred, well, that was largely due to the fact that 'precision' memory erasure was very difficult.
Without an ability related to dreams or perusing memories, Vahn had no way of entering into the young Naomi's mind to erase 'only' the bad things. The only option was to completely erase her memories, but, considering this would also take away the memories of her family and friends, it wouldn't exactly be fair. Doing so would also require him to take responsibility for her well being, as, without memories, even remembering how to read and write would be impossible. She would have to start her education from scratch, oblivious to her situation until she developed enough to understand what exactly had happened to her.
Though erasing memories was always an option, it was something Vahn wanted to avoid. In many ways, it was even worse than death, as, unless you had no friends or family, losing your memories placed a heavy burden on everyone you cared about, not just yourself. You would also reach a point where you wanted to know why your memories had been erased, seeking the truth and lashing out at the very people who wanted to protect you. This could quickly turn into despair once you finally obtained what you were searching for, so, unless he was willing to take responsibility for the person afflicted, Vahn wouldn't erase someone's memory. If they had reached a point where they could no longer see hope, he would rather give them the mercy of death than see them suffer for the rest of their natural lives.
Seeing the raven-haired girl curled up with a relaxed smile on her face, Vahn's own became slightly pained as he shook his head and released a sigh. He would never understand why people did such terrible things to children, and, after experiencing this kind of thing so often, Vahn had reached the point where he simply didn't want to know. Though some people had good reasons for becoming a monster, Eva being a good example, there were far too many people that performed vile deeds just because they thought themselves above others. This could largely be blamed on their parents and upbringing, but, regardless of the circumstances, Vahn generally felt it was better to kill such people and be done with it. Returning them to the cycle of reincarnation was infinitely better than trying to redeem them, as, at any point in time, they could quickly relapse into an even worse monster than before.
After shaking his head to clear negative thoughts, Vahn closed his eyes and began to focus more on the Academy. He was constantly paying attention to his surroundings but there was a big difference between doing so passively and actively. If he focused hard enough, he could envision everything in crystal clarity, and, while it placed a heavy strain on his mind, he could perceive individual strands of grass and the literal composition of the soil. It was a phenomenon very close to omniscience, and, if he really wanted to, Vahn could even 'spy' on people by looking into his own memories.
Just by having his domain active, Vahn was basically 'recording' everything in the surrounding 10km in ultra-high definition. If he wanted to, he could peruse his memories like an unrestricted camera, moving through walls and entering places he had never directly observed. He could even sneak into secure areas and 'listen' in on the conversations of people he had never met prior to recalling them in his memory. This was exceptionally useful when he was conducting investigations, and, not that he would ever use it for such a thing, it would even allow him to spy on people changing or bathing whenever he wanted.
Chuckling lightly at his own thoughts, Vahn began to guide his intent around the Academy, closely observing anyone, or anything, that seemed even remotely suspicious. If he ever found something that felt 'off' to him, he could basically play his memories in reverse, tracing the suspicious person's movements from the time they entered the premises. Fortunately, most of the people that gave him a strange feeling either turned out to be his fans or people who had experienced an awkward event earlier in the day. He had even seen a teacher acting cold and apathetic throughout the entire day just because she had tripped rather earlier that morning, her robe rolling up to reveal a surprisingly childish pair of panties. She had been so embarrassed after the event that it turned her into an ice queen for the remainder of the day, followed by a subsequent change in wardrobe...
---
After a little over four hours had passed, equating to less than thirty minutes outside his office, the sleeping Naomi slowly peeled open her vibrant green eyes. She noticed a snug blanket was draped over her body, and, as always, a warm and comfortable feeling had pervaded her entire being. This was the main reason she kept coming back to Vahn's office, as, even compared to the short period where she had returned home, this was the only place where she felt completely safe.
As if he only just noticed her awakening after she had been staring at him for nearly a minute, Vahn showed a pleasantly surprised expression before adopting a kind smile as he softly asked, "Feeling better...?"
Hearing Vahn's question, Naomi nodded slowly before turning her eyes up at him and sheepishly muttering, "Thank you..."
Smiling radiantly in response, a technique that dealt critical damage to people who viewed him in a favorable light, Vahn nodded his head and said, "I'm glad to hear that. Now, I think it is about time you run along and return to class. The lunch break will end shortly and I wouldn't want you to miss out on any important lessons. Just remember, if you ever want to talk, I'll be here to listen..."
Though she didn't really feel like returning to class, Naomi didn't want to inconvenience Vahn too much, so, after neatly folding up the blanket, she gave a steep bow before turning to leave. It felt a little lonely to depart, but, compared to before, she now felt relaxed, and, though it was only slight, a bit of happiness and color had returned to her monochromatic world.
Opening the door, Naomi was surprised to find someone standing on the opposite side, feathers popping out from her head due to her surprise. Her mother was a member of the Karasu tribe, so, whenever she was startled, the feathers she kept concealed would pop out against her will. These actually made her look cute, but, considering they were one of the reasons she had suffered in the past, Naomi had been keeping them hidden as much as possible...
While not as extreme as the half-crow girl, the woman on the opposite side of the door showed an expression of surprise before adopting a gentle smile as she said, "I didn't expect the door to open so suddenly. If I startled you, please forgive me."
During the interval when Karasu was frozen stock-still, the woman, wearing the characteristic white robes and white cloak of an Assistant Professor, performed a polite bow. She held this posture until Naomi returned to her senses, her feathers slowly retracting until, like magic, they seemed to blend seamlessly into her hair and body. Then, with a reddened face, she performed a slight bow of her own before sheepishly exclaiming, "No...it's fine...I should be going...!"
Without waiting for the teacher's response, Naomi ran past her like a bolt of lightning, her bangs obscuring the upper half of her face as she quickly alighted from the room. This left the teacher with a wry smile on her face, but, after watching Naomi's round a corner, she turned her attention towards the man staring at her with a deadpan expression from within the confines of the room. Her smile immediately blossomed like a rare flower as her pale-green eyes squinted in a subtly seductive manner as she asked, "May I enter...?"
Before answering, Vahn briefly looked towards the two large ears that angled backward slightly at the top of her head. She seemed to sense his gaze, causing them to twitch before angling further back as if trying to hide from his view. Then, without waiting for his response, she stepped into the office before closing the door behind her and deftly turning the lock in a single swift movement. It was an extremely skilled maneuver, and, if not for his enhanced senses, Vahn might have missed the moment when she used a chantless magic circle to completely nullify the sound...
The moment the door was closed, the woman showed a somewhat bashful smile, her rabbit-like twitching slightly as she clutched the hem of her robe and muttered, "I heard about what you did for the children...I know you probably don't think much of me, but I have always felt like we had a connection ever since I saw you at the bar...if...if you aren't against it...I would like to thank you for everything you did for us..."
Without waiting for Vahn's response, the woman began to lift up the hem of her skirt, revealing a pair of black panties that perfectly complimented her bronzed skin. This wasn't what stood out the most, however, as, rather than a complete pair of panties, hers had a distinct lack of fabric around the crotch...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Vahn is finally thinking about Pactios~!','Stay strong, little birb','Vahn is about to learn how to multiply o_o...')
(A/N: I want to thank everyone that wished me a happy birthday. I appreciate it more than I can put into words <3.)
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