Chapter 18 18 – A Reason To Help

"Sorry, Amber." Kai apologized to Amber as soon as they arrived at their room. He had spent a lot of time in Fox Temple, talking to Rena and hearing her stories about Spirit Foxes and where they originated from after he decided to offer them help.

"Huh? Why are you apologizing, Kai?" Amber was confused, tilting her head slightly.

"Well…" He scratched his cheek, looking at Amber, who had already changed her clothes back to her usual qipao. "I selfishly dragged ourselves into the Spirit Foxes' problem because I wanted to help them. I put us in danger because of that."

"Nonsense!" She shouted, pointing at Kai. "I am contracted to you. Your decision is my decision! I support you no matter what, and…" She grinned at him, clearly showing her confidence.

"I think only some weak people are targeting the Spirit Foxes. None of the strong ones is foolish enough for this endeavor. They know the danger of making commotion before the Oni Festival. Your decision may only save one or two Spirit Foxes, but still… that makes the three-tailed fox called Rena happy nonetheless."

"Is that so?" He asked, to which Amber replied with a nod. "Well, I was kind of curious why those people targeted the Spirit Foxes. They seem to be friendly and not harming humans."

Leaning his back against the wall, Kai looked out of the window in the direction of the shrine he had visited earlier. It was visible from his room. A brightly lit shrine with a lot of red gates at the foot of the hill wasn't something that could be missed easily. The red color strikingly stood out.

"Wasn't you curious about your power without fusing with me too?" Amber suddenly approached from the side and leaned against him.

"Isn't that why you offered help in the first place? You even showed off by saying being kind isn't a weakness. How manly of you, Kai."

"Stop teasing me…" He sighed. Amber's sweet smell tickled his nose. It was a scent that he liked well, a scent of a rose. "Anyway, do you think I can win against them?"

'Did she use perfume?' He asked in his mind.

Well, Amber wasn't wrong. A part of him wanted to test his strength without fusing with her. He already knew how strong he was after easily defeating two troublemakers on his first day involved in the Supernatural World.

He also knew how strong he was with depleted Spirit Power when he defeated a 3-meter-tall Malice near his house. But still, he didn't know how strong he was at his full strength.

There was just no chance to try it. He was too busy with his restaurant and all training done with Amber at night.

But, the phoenix didn't let him rest even a little and crammed the knowledge of how to use Phoenix fire and Spirit Power into him.

As a result, he was able to control them easier.

"Don't worry, Kai. The way you're now is already better than most average Slayers. Do you remember the Slayer named Griffin from before?"

"Yes, what about him?"

"From what I saw when he activated the soundproof barrier, his control over his Spirit Power is great. He might be even better than most average Slayers, and your control is almost as good as him."

"Is that so? I don't know if he's that good." He smiled wryly. "Thankfully, Griffin is a good guy. He even told us about this Oni Festival."

"Right!" Amber agreed. "So don't worry about the danger that targeted Spirit Foxes. I support your decision and will assist you in case you're in danger."

"Thanks, Amber."

"You're welcome."

***

Speaking about the danger, Rena mentioned they would come at night when people were asleep. Last night wasn't the night, and so was this morning.

As such, Kai had a chance to explore Kyoto first. Waking up in the morning, out of his habit of attending the restaurant, he looked around to find his partner, Amber.

The Phoenix wasn't in the room, making him curious about where she was gone. A quick search was what he needed to find the girl. She was outside the window, sitting alone inside the bath created from digging the ground called Onsen, leaning against the big rock and facing him.

A smirk appeared on her face as she gestured to Kai to join her. His face reddened. The fact he never had a girlfriend because he was too busy made him have almost no protection against a woman's charm. More so of a beautiful girl who wore nothing and took a bath right outside the room.

"Cease the thought... Purity. You're pure…" Muttering something incomprehensible, Kai stood up and ran out of the room to the hallway. He still wore a blue yukata prepared by the ryokan. A laugh echoed from behind, and he knew it was Amber's.

Anyway, he appreciated her presence with him, but her teasing was getting bolder and bolder as of late. It was like she enjoyed it very much.

Saying that he wasn't interested in something like a girl was wrong. But he knew that Amber just played and enjoyed his reaction. It was hard. Thankfully, she knew when to stop, so he never got angry before.

"Haa…" Letting out a sigh, Kai exited the ryokan and sat on a bench at the front. The street was already filled with people and tourists like him. The sun was already up, and he slept a bit later than usual due to time differences.

They were normal humans, but someone who was clearly from the Supernatural race also mixed in with the passing passerby.

Kai noticed that someone was glancing at him strangely. The people ignored his appearance, but he could clearly see it through. From other people's perspectives, even if he looked like a normal human boy, someone who had awakened their Spirit Power could see through the illusion placed outside.

Thus allowing them to see the Supernatural races' actual appearance. It was the reason why they were hidden from normal society and only thought of as Myth and Legends. They were hidden cleverly. Amber was also the one who explained those things to him.

"An Oni?" He muttered as he looked at the boy, who looked no older than 15 years old with a pair of horns and red eyes.

The teen Oni was gone as quickly as Kai was about to call out to him, disappointing him.

"Haa…" Once again, he sighed. "That's new, alright."

"What's new?"

"Woah!"