Chapter 30: Calamity X Yuko X The World's Gift

Not only Jin, even Kurama himself was utterly shocked by this sudden turn of events. He stood there in a daze, unable to react at all for a moment. If Jin hadn’t snapped out of it and quickly started guiding him to control the life energy erupting from his body like a geyser, Kurama seriously wondered if he might have just burst to death right then and there (hey!).

While following Jin’s instructions to gradually channel the overflowing aura around his body and let it circulate naturally, Kurama’s mind was already turning over what had just happened—he had been about to give up on unlocking his aura, when, unexpectedly, the jewel the Count had given him suddenly opened the Devouring Grass space and leapt out at the critical moment!

The instant the jewel struck his chest, Kurama felt a warm current rush into his body from where it touched, and in the blink of an eye, it spread throughout him. He barely had time to react before, as that warmth faded, the energy pouring in from where his back touched Jin’s palm suddenly exploded, as if shattering some force that had been sealing all his energy points, instantly releasing all the life force that had been tightly bound—

Aura unlocked, and the beautiful CEO has fallen in love with me!

Kurama couldn’t help but touch the spot on his chest where the jewel had hit. The skin there was still smooth and unbroken, with no sign that anything had pierced or merged with it. However, the green gemstone that had so clearly disappeared—Kurama was certain it had fused into his body and could never go anywhere else.

So, just what kind of “grand gift” had the Count really given him?

The demon fox lowered his eyes and let out a silent, bitter smile. This favor… was truly enormous.

***

In less than half an hour, Kurama finished his first session of “aura wrapping” training. The look in Jin’s eyes was no longer that of someone seeing a prodigious aura trainee—it was like he was witnessing a monster.

“Are you sure you’re not a magical beast?” the usually carefree man, rarely fazed by anything, now stared wide-eyed at Kurama, his curiosity barely contained (wait, is that really the right word here?), “No, don’t answer that—I know you’ll just deny it! From the first time we met, I could tell something about you was off. If I call you a magical beast you get upset… There’s no use glaring at me, it’s just the truth!”

“Now I get it.” Muttering to himself, Jin suddenly slapped his palm, a look of sudden enlightenment on his face: “It’s because you’re not a magical beast at all, but an aura beast, aren’t you?! And—one of those extremely rare, wild aura beasts that can take on human form!”

“That’s why you have such unusual powers, why you hadn’t unlocked your aura, so… um…”

At last, Jin’s rambling stopped—not by his own will, but because he was forced to. The demon fox’s Rose Whip lashed toward him with a whistling wind; if Jin hadn’t dodged quickly, he’d surely be bleeding right now! (Wait, that phrase seems off, too…)

“Hey, I was just joking! Kurama, how can you turn on me so suddenly?”

Though he dodged the whip with ease, Jin still put on a wounded expression to play along with Kurama. Facing the red-haired youth’s furious glare, he pouted and played the fool:

“And after I just spent so much energy helping you unlock your aura! Are you really going to use me and then kick me aside?”

As he spoke, he put on a look of horror that seemed to say, “No way, you scoundrel!” (…)

Kurama’s eye twitched. Faced with this hopelessly scatterbrained idiot—who was like Yusuke times two—he was utterly out of energy to retort.

“Fine, you win.” He put away his Rose Whip, scooped up Mokona, who had scampered over, and gave Jin a look of disdain before turning away.

Only then did the black-haired man drop his act and become serious again.

“I told you I was just joking. You know as well as I do that aura beasts don’t exist in the wild, and they can’t talk. How could I mistake you for an aura beast?”

He offered the explanation, but didn’t move to follow Kurama. When Kurama looked back, feigning cool indifference and impatience, as if to say, “Why are you so slow?” Jin smiled.

“You go on ahead—just head back to the riverbank where we camped last night,” he called out. “You’ve only just unlocked your aura, and this is an important time to lay your foundation. Even if you seem talented, you can’t let that go to your head.”

“So I’ll handle today’s exploration on my own. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before dinner. After all, that’s the time Mokona and I look forward to most every day.”

Though he was being extremely considerate, Jin’s expression made it seem completely normal to him. Without waiting for a response, he vanished into the depths of the forest with a few leaps, leaving Kurama’s gratitude and slight emotion stuck in his throat, teeth grinding in frustration—

Truly, people like that are just begging for a beating!

The demon fox let out a long sigh, hugged Mokona, and strode off without looking back.

***

After walking a good distance, Kurama suddenly stopped in his tracks and exchanged a glance with Mokona. Both let out a breath of relief.

In truth, Kurama was genuinely grateful for Jin’s actions just now. In fact, even if Jin hadn’t volunteered to go alone, Kurama had planned to find an excuse to send him away. He simply had far too many questions he was desperate to ask Yuuko, and with Jin around, it would have been difficult.

“Mokona, do you think… Jin sensed something?” Kurama whispered, gently pinching the soft ears of the little creature in his arms.

The white puffball nuzzled his palm reassuringly: “Mokona doesn’t know. But whether Jin sensed it or not, his actions have shown where he stands, haven’t they? Don’t worry, Kurama.”

Kurama was taken aback by this, and then, suddenly, he lifted Mokona and rubbed their faces together, hard.

“Thank you, Mokona.”

Perhaps the little one didn’t even realize it himself, but his most often repeated phrase—“Don’t worry, Kurama”—always brought Kurama such comfort and peace.

“I’m so glad to be traveling with you, Mokona. You’re my favorite!”

Kurama spoke softly, pressing a sincere kiss to the white puffball’s forehead…

Mokona blushed.

And so, the two of them returned sweetly to their original campsite.

Kurama scattered some Demon World dandelions and Vision Wave Eye seeds as a kind of alternative barrier, and then Mokona’s eyes widened in a comically adorable way. From within them, a mirror-like image appeared, revealing the dimension witch in full regalia, seated as if she had been expecting this contact all along.

Kurama couldn’t help but smile wryly. How could he not realize that Yuuko had been waiting for him? And, just as with their previous contact in the Reborn world, she had deliberately pretended to be annoyed to avoid telling him what exactly the Count had given him.

Sighing silently, Kurama put on a resigned smile.

“Miss Yuuko, this time you’ll tell me, right? What exactly did the Count give me?”

He had no intention of beating around the bush, choosing to be direct.

Yuuko was a little surprised by this, but soon she smiled with deep meaning. “Judging by your look… something happened?” She had only predicted he would contact her at this time, not the specific reason—she could only guess.

Kurama, of course, didn’t hide anything from Yuuko. From their very first meeting, he’d felt that this witch, for reasons unknown, had been subtly aiding him (otherwise, the price he’d paid for crossing worlds, though steep, would never have been that simple). He didn’t know why, but he was willing to trust her, to treat her as an ally.

“…The Count’s jewel suddenly activated and merged into my body, and then, as you saw, I unlocked my aura.” In as brief a manner as possible, he described his situation and what had just happened, then looked at Yuuko seriously. “Miss Yuuko, you must know what’s going on, right? The gift the Count gave me… what is its origin?”

Having a mysterious gemstone suddenly fuse into his body—even though it seemed to be positive, it was still difficult for Kurama to accept without any reservations.

Yuuko was silent for quite a while. Suddenly, she flipped her low table with force!

From the other side, came Watanuki’s loud complaint: “Yuuko-san, what are you doing? All these rare snacks are spilled, and now I have to clean up again, you idiot!”

Kurama’s eye twitched at the commotion, but before he could react, Yuuko, now laughing in anger, spoke:

“You want to know what that jewel is? Fine, I’ll tell you!”

“It has many names—in different worlds, it’s called the ‘World Stone,’ the ‘Heart of the World,’ or the ‘Tear of the Planet.’”

“Judging by the names, you can tell it’s extraordinary, right? In fact, to me—or, to anyone who’s glimpsed even a fraction of the world’s truth—it has only one name, and that is…”

“—‘The World’s Gift.’”

“The World’s… Gift?!”

In that instant, Kurama’s eyes widened in shock.