A Snail's Wisdom 32 Raising The Stakes

Hanabi grew up cultivating alone and tutored by Souji. Aside from her family, the only other people she frequently spoke with were her attendants.

Being relied upon by these two new junior sisters had been quite a fresh experience for her. Now, she had put them in a difficult spot, being dragged into trouble because of her.

"Little sister, what's going on here?"

The two involved parties turned to see a graceful figure, with black, shoulder-length hair and lips colored lightly with red lipstick. Wearing inner sect robes, the person walked over to Hanabi.

"Big sister," Hanabi responded with a complex mixture of joy and anxiousness. She didn't want to drag Kenja into her predicament as well.

The twins behind Hanabi forced their gaze up to look at Kenja with faces of confusion. Yoshie squinted her eyes at him, feeling that this 'big sister' was somewhat familiar.

"Ah, Junior Sister Hirai, you are just in time. We were about to have a little game amongst comrades."

The newcomer turned to Hizumi and bowed. "Senior brother, junior offers you greetings."

Hizumi smiled when he saw this junior sister's respectful demeanor. He nodded to her and extended his offer, "Come join us. We were about to see who can eat more of this fruit I have prepared."

He held up the jar containing the submerged fruit.

"My, that fruit does look heavenly...may I ask what the stakes are?" Kenja knowingly inquired.

"If you four can eat more fruit than I, then I shall award each of you with 200 sect credits. Otherwise, you all will accompany me for dinner tomorrow," he repeated suggestively.

In his eyes, as a Core Crystallization disciple, showing such favor to those beneath him was a gift. Any girl at their level should be grateful for the opportunity to wash his feet, let alone eat with him.

"Oh, that doesn't sound very fair, senior brother."

The air grew stiflingly tense, and the pressure on everyone increased heavily. Hizumi's smile turned into a frown as he stared at Kenja coldly.

"What do you mean to say, junior sister?"

The pressure on Kenja was quite heavy, but Hizumi held back so that it didn't look like he was bullying the weak.

"Senior brother, to come up with a reason to give us sect credits, you are much too kind. Since I am here, let us elevate the playing field with better stakes."

Everyone stared dumbfounded at Kenja, unable to understand his thought-process. Even his twin sisters and Hanabi were unsure of what he was thinking.

A person with Hizumi's cultivation would be able to eat several Razorscale Camels in one sitting, and you think he is trying to throw the match?

The load that Hizumi placed on everyone had lightened considerably. Understanding the meaning behind Kenja's comment, Hizumi's mood saw a reversal.

"Senior brother is listening. Be at ease and speak," he commanded, eager to hear Kenja's revision.

"The wager would be more enjoyable if we include your juniors, so let us have everyone partic.i.p.ate."

'Sister, do you understand what 'fair' means?' the onlookers thought when they heard Kenja's words.

Hizumi would easily be able to defeat the four of them, and yet, Kenja wished to aid the opposing side?

Snail's eyes were bulging from inside his sh.e.l.l. For him, Kenja was destined to lose already, so why was he making it harder on himself?

"If my sisters and I lose against you all, then we will happily treat all of you to dinner tomorrow and toast your victory as we celebrate the joyous beginning of our friendship."

Hizumi was taken aback. Even though he did bring a small group of his fellow juniors with him to partake in the fruit, he did not really wish to share the rewards of this wager with them. But how could a senior brother turn down a condition forged of such good will and intentions.

"Now if you happen to lose...," Kenja paused for a moment, "You and all your juniors must hand over your keystones." He put on an innocent smile as he looked at them.

Hizumi frowned when he heard this condition. Disciples frequently wagered and traded sect credits, but no one had ever gambled with their own keystone before. He was about to raise this concern when Kenja continued.

"Also, you all must treat us as your senior sisters."

Kenja tacked on the second condition for several reasons.

He wanted to prevent future problems that may arise between Hizumi and those he knew. One must obey their senior sister as well as treat her with respect, so this would ensure Hizumi didn't abuse his power in the future.

Furthermore, who would pester the senior sisters of Hizumi, a Core Crystallization disciple learning directly from an elder? Other members of the sect wouldn't risk antagonizing an elder's lead disciple.

"Junior sister, don't you think you are acting a bit presumptuous?" Hizumi's tone was serious, and the load on everyone increased once more.

"About what?" Kenja mimicked the pose Yoshie made when she had failed to realize or understand something.

Hizumi's face didn't change, but the pressure magnified. Kenja felt a burning sensation from his ear as he barely withstood Hizumi's pressure without faltering. Yoshie and Shizuka buckled to their knees as Hanabi fought to keep standing up.

"Do you mean about treating me as your senior sister? Please, don't mind that. It's always been a small fantasy of mine to have such a strong junior brother. Can you forgive this desire of mine, senior brother?"

Kenja had the urge to spit up blood, but it did not stem from Hizumi's pressure. It came from the words he had spoken. His lips had the annoying sensation of being painted, and his innocent girl act was causing him to lose much of his self-respect.

'Wars aren't won with half-measures,' Kenja consoled himself.

Hizumi relented as he drew his aura back in.

"Of course, junior sister. Such a fantasy is understandable. I can overlook this transgression," he huffed his chest proudly, appearing n.o.ble to his juniors and the onlookers.

"My, he is so forgiving to his juniors."

"What a kind senior brother!"

"We should learn from his example."

The onlookers whispered amongst each other, further inflating Hizumi's ego.

"Senior brother is truly magnanimous. Rest a.s.sured, senior brother! I made you wager your keystones to ensure that you do not hold back against my sisters and I. Otherwise, it would not be much of a game," Kenja declared righteously.

The onlookers' whispers were excited once more.

"Even senior sister is quite admirable."

"Are all inner sect disciples so righteous?"

"Senior sister is the perfect woman!"

Kenja attempted to ignore the gender-oriented comments. He heard Snail whisper in his ear.

"Disciple, after you lose, I think we can stick around and recruit some of these guys as our servants. Truthfully, applying the wax myself does not feel as good as having someone else apply it."

Kenja had to remind himself not to frown in front of Hizumi. 'It's your d.a.m.n sh.e.l.l. You don't feel anything from having wax applied to it.'

Hizumi was put on the spot.

While being treated to dinner by adoring junior sisters would be a pleasant experience, it would be in the company of all his juniors. He did not feel like he would have won anything.

On the other hand, there was no realistic chance of losing to these girls, but the mere thought of what he was putting on the line felt incongruent to his spoils. About to raise the concern once more, again, he was stopped by Kenja's voice.

"I hereby swear on my soul that if my sisters and I fail to eat more of that fruit, then we shall treat you all to the most amazing dinner of your lives," Kenja declared suggestively, blatantly winking at Hizumi.

A small, black cloud appeared above his head, and a tiny lightning bolt struck Kenja's chest.

'Owww!' Kenja antic.i.p.ated the strike and kept the smile on his face.

The outer sect disciples and servants began whispering even more loudly than before.

"She made a Soul Oath! So courageous!"

"She truly intends to treat senior brother to a delicious dinner if she loses. How lucky she is to share a meal with him!"

"Senior brother is lucky to have found such a devout sister that she would swear on her soul in order to spend time with him."

The princess and the twins heaved a sigh of relief. Even though Kenja's declaration was suggestive, there was very little chance of anything untoward happening if his juniors attended the dinner and they set the location.

This was Kenja's calculated fall-back. Even if he were to lose, at least the girls would be able to control the dinner arrangements and have witnesses present.

The pressure Hizumi felt from the whispers and stakes set put him off. While the stakes were less appealing than before, his victory was a.s.sured. The main thing that bothered him was that Kenja had made a Soul Oath to uphold the wager, so it would be unbecoming of him not to return the favor.

He felt oddly cornered.

"Junior sister has shown her bravery and diligence towards this wager, so I should do the same," Hizumi announced, taking a step forward.

"I hereby swear on my soul that if my brothers and I fail to eat more of this fruit than you all, then I shall ensure you receive all our keystones and that we treat all of you as our senior sisters!"

A much larger cloud than before appeared, and a heavy bolt of lightning struck his chest. Hizumi's right eye twitched in pain, but he maintained his calm pose.

The juniors following him had mixed looks on their faces. Even though some were reluctant to put their keystones on the line, most of them were excited at the prospect of dining with the city's princess. They were confident of their victory.

Kenja continued to smile innocently at them, but Snail could sense the sinister aura emanating from him.

Snail couldn't help but remember the smile Kenja had made during their first wager. He eyed Kenja warily.

"What are you planning, disciple?"