Chapter 133: Transforming a Magical Tool
Kawasaki Saki ultimately left after all. Because the reason she gave was that she had to go home to take care of her younger sister, Kyoka.
Recalling the image of Kawasaki Kyoka, that cute little girl in his memory, Hikigaya Hachiman naturally no longer had any reason to ask Kawasaki Saki to stay.
He could only remind her to be careful on her way home, then, together with Niguredou Yuria, watched her disappear around the corner of the street.
"..." With Kawasaki Saki gone, only Hikigaya Hachiman and Niguredou Yuria remained in front of the dining table.
Yuria's stared at Hachiman as she kept eating nonstop like a little hamster.
"I want to become a very powerful psychic." Before Hikigaya Hachiman could say anything, this time Niguredou Yuria took the initiative to reveal the reason why she had been following him.
"Why didn't you say that when Kawasaki was here just now?" Yuria's reason did not surprise Hikigaya Hachiman.
On the contrary, he was more curious why Yuria did not want to say it when Kawasaki Saki was present earlier.
"Because she's an ordinary person. Didn't you deliberately change the subject just now and not ask me the reason?"
Although Hachiman seemed to have been asking her the reason repeatedly, in fact, every time he just finished asking, something else would come up and divert the topic.
Yuria was no fool; several times she wanted to say the reason but failed to get a word out. She clearly understood Hachiman's thoughts.
"Alright then." Her little secret exposed by Yuria, Hachiman's face showed a trace of embarrassment. Then his mood softened, and with a serious expression, he refused Yuria's request.
"Sorry, I can't help you!"
"Why?" Yuria's eyebrows slightly furrowed.
According to her master's words, as an exorcist, Hikigaya Hachiman should have vast powers, and helping her improve her strength should be easy. Besides, she didn't intend to freeload; as long as Hachiman's conditions did not cross any bottom lines, she would agree to anything.
"Because the method I use to improve strength doesn't suit you."
Seeing the puzzled expression on Yuria's face, Hachiman was also quite helpless.
Almost all of his strength came from the system in his mind. He couldn't possibly hand over the system to Yuria, so how could he help her increase her strength?
"My master already told me about the exorcist's work. I don't want to become an exorcist!"
Not knowing the real situation, Yuria mistakenly thought Hachiman misunderstood her desire to become an exorcist. She quickly explained.
"What I want you to help me with is only improving my combat experience." Takeda Mitsue had long told Yuria that the spiritual power inside her body was limited.
To enhance her own strength, the only thing Yuria could improve was her lacking combat experience. Although Takeda Mitsue was the strongest psychic in all of Chiba, she was after all getting older.
"So what you're saying is you want me to help you by being your backup in battle?"
Understanding Yuria's meaning, Hachiman's face imagined a strange scene. Yuria fighting a low-level evil spirit back and forth, while he sat by eating sunflower seeds...
"Sorry, I still can't agree."
Hachiman shook his head and refused Yuria's request again. If he had that time to guard Yuria, he might as well roam all over Chiba collecting spirit coins more efficiently.
"Then can you make some magical tools for me?" Hachiman's repeated refusal made Yuria a little discouraged. But she quickly cheered up and put forward her next request.
"..." "Before I answer your question, may I ask how many requests you have prepared in total?"
"This is the last one. If you still don't agree, then I'll have to deal with the evil spirits as I am now." Yuria put on a miserable face and looked pitifully at Hachiman.
Then don't go! Why not just stay at home and train properly?! Hachiman mentally complained wildly while his thoughts drifted to Yuria's request about making magical tools.
Jade pendants and Buddhist prayer beads—these were all magical tools he had seen before. Although the power between the two was different, both indeed possessed the ability to
protect the wearer and repel evil spirits. If others could do it, then he should be able to as well...
"System, can I make magical tools?"
[Yes, the host only needs to infuse their own spiritual power into a suitable container, then integrate the desired effect talisman.]
That simple?
Hearing the system's answer, Hachiman raised an eyebrow. Generally, shouldn't you collect some rare materials and use a specific flame to refine it for dozens of days before a magical tool can be made?
[...] Perhaps because Hachiman's question was too foolish, the system didn't reply.
A suitable container, huh?
Speaking of which, Hachiman thought of the Buddhist prayer beads Takeda Mitsue had given him before.
Since they were chosen by her to make magical tools, they should presumably fall within the suitable category. He just didn't know whether the prayer beads could be reused...
Under Yuria's curious gaze, Hachiman pulled out his master's Buddhist prayer beads from his own pocket and held them in his hand. Before she could react to what Hachiman intended, a vast spiritual power burst forth from the man's body and rapidly gathered into the prayer beads.
"S-So much spiritual power..."
Having trained with Takeda Mitsue for over a week, Yuria barely managed to cultivate some spiritual power in her body.
She carefully compared the spiritual power now permeating the air to her own, and the difference was like the bright moon compared to a grain of sand.
"Can it keep absorbing?"
Watching the spiritual power on his panel rapidly decrease as it was transmitted, Hachiman was also filled with doubt.
He thought that once the prayer beads were full of spiritual power it would stop, so from the start, he gave his all to transfer the spiritual power inside his body.
However, after being enhanced by the cultivation method, the spiritual power cap was 300, and now more than half had been transferred, yet the prayer beads still showed no signs of saturation and kept devouring the continuous flow of spiritual power from Hachiman's body.
"I can't keep transmitting anymore..."
When the spiritual power inside him dropped below 100, Hachiman decisively stopped the transmission. To handle sudden situations, he needed to reserve some spiritual power.
"Buzz....." With Hachiman stopping the transfer of spiritual power, the prayer beads, which had no reaction before, suddenly began to glow on the surface.
Fortunately, Hachiman promptly used a concealment talisman to hide the glow, or nearby guests might have noticed.
So there's still some reaction after all—I thought nothing would happen...
Watching the prayer beads' glow bloom and then gradually fade, Hachiman helplessly shook his head and then picked up the newly revitalized magical tool to examine it.