Chapter 24 : Offering Rivers and Mountains as a Betrothal Gift, Adorning Her with the Sun and Moon?

After a light cough, Miyamizu Rin explained, “Currently, spiritual energy is scarce between heaven and earth, incomparable to ancient times. Many inheritances have long been severed. Except for a few inheritors of ancient lineages, ordinary people haven’t even heard that one can cultivate, let alone begin doing so.”

“Still don’t get it.”

Miyamizu Rin glanced at Arisugawa Yuu and continued, “Although spiritual energy is scarce and inheritances are cut off, and few people know how to cultivate, another kind of power has emerged in the world.”

“Abilities?”

Arisugawa Yuu asked.

Miyamizu Rin nodded, “Now, abilities are the mainstream. Those who can cultivate are few and far between, which is why the organization collectively refers to that place as the ‘Ability User Academy.'”

“Few and far between, how many are there?”

“I’m not sure either. I haven’t met many myself so far.”

Alright, Arisugawa Yuu roughly understood.

Cultivators were even rarer than giant pandas. One day, they would disappear, and then the world would probably only have ability users.

“What’s the difference between cultivators and ability users?”

“Cultivators can use various magic arts, artifacts, and shikigami to aid them in combat. Their methods are all-encompassing. Ability users are relatively more singular and cannot be as versatile as cultivators. Take the simplest elements, for example: a cultivator can use spiritual power to activate water-elemental magic arts, or fire-elemental magic arts. An ability user, say, a fire-elemental ability user, can only use the power of fire. Their limitations are greater. Of course, because they are more specialized, an ability user’s elemental power can be more potent, and they also possess some incredible effects. For example, some ice-elemental ability users can even briefly freeze time, creating an extreme cold domain that belongs only to them. In that domain, they are like gods.”

“Freeze time? Domain? That powerful?”

Arisugawa Yuu’s mouth hung open, finding it somewhat incredible.

Miyamizu Rin’s clear, beautiful eyes glanced at Arisugawa Yuu, her voice cool: “Don’t underestimate yourself. Cultivators, when they reach the pinnacle of their practice, can even create worlds. They are only stronger, not weaker, than ability users. Moreover, an ice-elemental ability user being able to freeze time when reaching their peak is merely theoretical, while a cultivator creating worlds at their peak is a documented fact.”

Arisugawa Yuu remembered that when he arrived earlier, it was pouring rain outside, but inside Miyamizu Shrine, the moon was bright and the air was clear.

Looking at it this way, could the Miyamizu Shrine secret realm be a small world created by a cultivator?

As if knowing Arisugawa Yuu’s thoughts, Miyamizu Rin nodded: “That’s right, Miyamizu Shrine is a small world created by humans.”

“The ancestors of Miyamizu Shrine were that powerful?”

Even with the evidence right before him, Arisugawa Yuu found it somewhat hard to believe.

Miyamizu Rin chuckled, her smile blossoming like a flower: “How about it? Are you interested in cultivation now?”

What else could Arisugawa Yuu say? He immediately put on a fawning smile: “Miyamizu-senpai, please accept me as your disciple.”

Miyamizu Rin’s face turned cold: “I’m sorry, but I must refuse.”

“Ah, why?”

Arisugawa Yuu’s eyes widened. She had told him so much; wasn’t it to get him interested in cultivation? Why was she refusing him now?

“Are you an idiot?”

Miyamizu Rin said, her face red.

Ah, this—

Seeing Miyamizu Rin’s reaction, Arisugawa Yuu suddenly realized. He was Miyamizu Rin’s pre-booked boyfriend. If he were to become her disciple, what would their relationship be then?

Filial piety corrupted, and then they’d address each other separately?

‘I call you master, and you call me husband?’

Thinking about it that way, it didn’t seem bad at all?

It felt quite stimulating.

“Miyamizu-senpai, a teacher-student romance isn’t out of the question.”

Arisugawa Yuu said.

Miyamizu Rin glared at Arisugawa Yuu coldly, her gaze icy and disdainful: “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“I haven’t said anything yet?”

Miyamizu Rin sneered: “Do I need to say it out loud that your inner thoughts are dirty?”

“……”

Alright, that was a fact, no denying it.

However, there was still another question.

“Miyamizu-senpai, if I may be so bold as to ask, if we classify by strength from D to SSS, what level are you?”

Miyamizu Rin smiled slightly, a confident smile gracing her beautiful face: “I am not a part of the ranking.”

“Huh, what does that mean?”

Arisugawa Yuu’s heart vaguely began to guess.

As if knowing Arisugawa Yuu’s thoughts, Miyamizu Rin said blandly, “It means exactly what you think it means.”

Alright, Arisugawa Yuu understood.

The reason Miyamizu-senpai didn’t participate in the ranking was likely because the methods of cultivators were all-encompassing, and their strength was affected by various factors, making it impossible to accurately classify their power like ability users and monsters.

However, judging from Miyamizu-senpai’s performance that day, when she effortlessly dismissed an S-rank monster, and her confident smile now, Miyamizu-senpai’s strength would definitely not be weak.

Perhaps, Miyamizu-senpai’s strength was even more formidable than the current highest SSS-rank, and this possibility was quite high.

Miyamizu-senpai, you’re the GOAT.

Such a thick thigh, if not embraced now, then when?

“Miyamizu-senpai, I love you.”

Just as Arisugawa Yuu was about to hug her thigh, he was stopped by Miyamizu Rin, who looked utterly disgusted.

Her beautiful face was frosty, her tone colder than ice: “No sincerity.”

Arisugawa Yuu looked innocent: “I meant it from the bottom of my heart.”

Miyamizu Rin’s clear, beautiful eyes glanced at Arisugawa Yuu, and she said nothing.

Arisugawa Yuu understood her meaning—Is that love? I’m too lazy to expose you.

Arisugawa Yuu didn’t get discouraged and continued, “Miyamizu-senpai, if only we had met sooner. The thought that you weren’t present in the past decade or so of my life makes me feel like I’ve wasted my time. Every time I think of it, my heart aches, I toss and turn, and I can’t sleep at night.”

“Cheesy.” After saying this with a blushing expression of disgust, Miyamizu Rin continued, “Who was it that told me they slept very well last night?”

“……Miyamizu-senpai, please don’t mind those details.”

Arisugawa Yuu awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Miyamizu Rin poked Arisugawa Yuu’s head with her jade finger in annoyance: “Did you forget what I just said? What’s the most important thing for a cultivator?”

Arisugawa Yuu repeated Miyamizu Rin’s words: “The most important thing in cultivation is to be down-to-earth, to rely on your own strength to reach the pinnacle step by step, not to hope to rely on others’ strength.”

Miyamizu Rin snorted lightly: “Since you remember, why say such cheesy things?”

“Miyamizu-senpai, listen to me. Even if you were just an ordinary person, I would still say that.”

Arisugawa Yuu was telling the truth.

Hugging a big thigh was just a bonus. Where else could he find a girl as beautiful and kind as Miyamizu Rin?

If he missed this opportunity, there would be no second chances.

Hearing Arisugawa Yuu say this, Miyamizu Rin’s face turned crimson, and she said coyly, “Even if you say that, it will only bother me. I don’t want to just agree to you vaguely.”

“Why?”

“It’s not romantic enough.”

“Romantic?”

“Yes.”

“Then, Miyamizu-senpai, what do you think would be romantic enough?”

Miyamizu Rin glanced at Arisugawa Yuu with her clear, beautiful eyes: “That’s your business. Why would I know if you’re asking me?”

Arisugawa Yuu chuckled: “Offering mountains and rivers as a betrothal gift, adorning her with the sun and moon?”

This was, of course, an exaggeration.

But Miyamizu Rin blushed and didn’t deny it.

It seemed she tacitly approved.

Could she be serious?

Arisugawa Yuu said, “Miyamizu-senpai, you said before that cultivators who reach the peak can even create worlds. Does that mean they can also create the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers?”

“What do you think?”

“No way?” Arisugawa Yuu wailed, “Miyamizu-senpai, even if my talent is as outstanding as you say, spiritual energy is scarce now, and cultivation is even harder. Never mind whether I can reach that realm; even if I can, it would take ages to cultivate to that level. In that case, when will I ever be with you?”

“Idiot.” After scolding Arisugawa Yuu with a blushing face, Miyamizu Rin held back her laughter. Her clear, beautiful eyes, like a handful of water scooped from a summer lake, gazed at Arisugawa Yuu as she parted her crimson lips and said, “Diligence can make up for clumsiness. The slow bird flies first. Even a person with dull aptitude, as long as they are diligent enough, can achieve good results, let alone you. If you want to be my boyfriend, you cannot slack off.”

“……”

Arisugawa Yuu finally understood. In the end, didn’t Miyamizu Rin just want him to cultivate diligently and not harbor any improper thoughts?

She deliberately made it sound difficult, simply wanting him to be more diligent. For him to pursue her, it didn’t need to be so exaggerated at all.

No wonder she called him an idiot; Arisugawa Yuu himself felt stupid.

However, despite saying that, Miyamizu Rin was only 18 years old. Longing for romance was instinctive.

Even if it didn’t need to be that exaggerated, romance was essential.

So, what exactly would count as “romantic enough” to satisfy Miyamizu Rin?