Yu-jin was awestruck by the neon-colored item Aika showed him. His eyes widened, and he let out a gasp, genuinely amazed as if he had seen something rare.

"Wow! Isn’t this one of those things made from a core? The thing that generates electricity!"  
"Heh, my student certainly has a keen eye! Yes, it’s a ‘Mana Fuel Rod,’ a fuel source for magical power generation. It's extremely rare," Aika beamed, clearly enjoying herself.

As Aika waved the rod, pressing it against her chest and pulling it out again, Yu-jin’s gaze unapologetically followed the movement.

*Swish… click. Jiggling slightly.*

*Wow, this is way more valuable than any nuclear fuel rod. And she brought this here.*

Not that he was indulging in any indecent thoughts toward his master, of course. But seeing the “Mana Fuel Rod,” a concentrated and refined item crafted from a gate core, was impressive. It could power an entire city for a week without any issues.

*This was an item of untold value,* essentially a personal infinite mana cheat code.

Just seeing this rare item made Yu-jin’s heart race. 

*Ding! The skill ‘Perfect Hypnosis’ recites the Heart Sutra with a slurred accent.*

In truth, it was a big deal, and if not for the hypnosis effect, he might have lost his composure when Aika started unbuttoning her shirt. Relieved, Yu-jin chuckled inwardly.

*With this…*

*Wait.*

*How did she get her hands on it?*

His expression turned serious. A Mana Fuel Rod was a strategic asset worth billions, heavily regulated and nearly impossible to acquire.

*But how did Master get one?*

He paused, recalling a memory. Before they had left for America, when he had informed her of the S-rank gate, she had been carrying a package. It had been marked with “Import Restricted,” and he had wondered about it briefly.

*Could that have been it? A strategic asset smuggled from Japan?*

Yu-jin’s suspicions left him speechless.

*If Suguru finds out, he might cry bloody tears.*

*Jiggle.*

*The timing couldn’t have been better. The day the Prime Minister’s purchase arrived, the S-rank gate opens.*

As he had suspected, the box Aika had been carrying had contained a carefully sealed Mana Fuel Rod. She had smuggled it out of Japan to fulfill a promise to her student: a date at an S-rank gate. 

Knowing that Yu-jin would be drained of mana within five minutes, Aika had planned accordingly, intending to wield swords together and defend each other’s backs. Five minutes would never be enough time for that.

*What could she do about it?*

*…That’s it! Just borrow that thing from the power plant!*

[Prime Minister, hand it over. Deduct the cost from my account.]  
[…External distribution of Mana Fuel Rods is strictly forbidden.]  
[Do it while I’m being nice. You don’t want me to get angry about the misappropriation.]  
[…Fine! But I have my own political challenges. I’ll send it secretly; later, just replace it with a core.]  
[Got it.]

So, Aika had essentially extorted Japan’s strategic asset for the sake of a date with her student.

The Japanese Prime Minister had fretted over the consequences.

[…Are you insane? This will be seized and returned to the Japanese government.]  
*No. My student needs it.*  
*For Yu-jin? But…hmm. Hard to believe, but all right.*

Even though she was following her intuition, Aika had wrestled with doubts over her choice countless times. In the end, it had been a fortunate decision, as it would ultimately help Yu-jin.

The eyes of this diligent young man sparkled with excitement.

"The reason you, uh, kept it there…"  
"I don’t have anyone patting me down, and even if someone sensed the mana, they’d just let it slide. Best hiding place."  
"You really think of everything, Master!"

*My Master came fully prepared, bringing along this priceless asset, unlike her student, who only had his sword.*

"I should warn you," she continued, "extracting mana directly from this is dangerous. One wrong move, and it could blow up…"  
"No worries! I’ve got some mana control skills, so I’ll be fine!"  
"…Good. The MVP of this raid will be none other than you!"

Aika looked delighted as she considered her plan to make Yu-jin the star of the mission.

*If my student leads the attack, my ‘mistake’ won’t matter as much. He’ll still see me as a delicate woman.*

And with that, Aika’s smile crept into a sly grin.

"Take this, but keep it hidden like I did. Don’t let anyone else see it," she said.  
"Understood."

*He’s handling the thing that was, um, just there… could this be indirect…?*

While Aika had some mischievous thoughts, the diligent young man was none the wiser.

---

The Mana Fuel Rod that Master brought would be invaluable, supplying me with the mana I needed. I couldn’t help but grin.

*With this, I could clear the gate on my own.*

A quick scan revealed that the monsters inside followed the same patterns as in previous A+ rank gates, only stronger. With just B-level Awakener stats, I could still dodge them. My brainpower ranked at the top, above even my master.

The one problem was that using my sword technique, *Jaha Swordsmanship*, consumed massive amounts of mana…

But my Master had solved that problem, handing me the priceless Mana Fuel Rod.

*Infinite mana at my disposal—perfect.*

"Gong, I’ll handle the raid. I’ll tank and deal damage."  
"Just you? Leaving us behind?"  
"You saw those monsters. If we all fight together, it’ll turn into a chaotic battle, and someone might die."

With newfound confidence, I explained the plan to Gong. A group fight would attract other monsters, leading to a frenzy. Facing these powerful creatures in confusion would likely mean casualties, even for seasoned fighters.

"Look into the future. What do you see?"  
"Yeah… if we just fight, a few will die."  
"Exactly. A small, elite team is our best bet: you, me, Master, Alice, and Sia."

We would form a five-person team:

- **Me**: dodge-tank and primary damage dealer  
- **Master**: secondary damage dealer and parry support  
- **Alice**: draw monsters with her fire magic  
- **Sia**: carry Alice and retreat to the rear if needed  
- **Gong**: lead and oversee the team  

It was an insane plan. Anyone else would have dismissed it as nonsense, especially bringing students into an S-rank gate raid.

"You want to include those two?"  
"Yes."  
"That’s absurd…" Gong trailed off.  
*Pause.*

"…They actually fight better than I thought."

But this was Gong—a strategist renowned for peeking into the future. He instantly grasped the potential success of my plan.

- *Grin.*

"One spoiler: we’ll be fighting for at least ten hours. Some of it’ll be pretty risky."  
"What, are you scared?"  
"Ha! This was routine in Vietnam. The necromancer raid had us fighting for 36 hours straight. Ten hours sounds cute."  
"Alright, then…"  
"Let’s do this. A legendary raid."

We exchanged a knowing grin, bumped fists, and without a word, turned away. Gong headed toward the other Awakeners to persuade them to join the plan, while I turned to two more people I had to convince.

"Alice, Sia, sorry for the wait."  
"Yu-jin! What were you doing with that—"  
"Mm-mmph!"  
"Alice? Sia?"  
"Ignore this fox. So, what’s the plan?"

The ones I had to persuade were my two wives. I didn’t know why Alice was angry, but now wasn’t the time for small stuff. It was nothing serious, I was sure.

"This is the plan Gong and I came up with."

I explained the five-member raid strategy and their roles.

"Wait, so I draw attention with fire magic, and Sia carries me while we escape?"  
"Yes. Alice, you’re one of the few who can attack from a distance, and Sia, your speed is top-tier."

"So, what do you think?"  
"Yes! I’ll do whatever I can to help Yu-jin!" Alice eagerly agreed.  
"I’m in, too. Since an S-rank and a future S-rank thought this out, it’ll work."

Without hesitation, they accepted, looking determined, even though it would be risky.

"If you get hurt, we’ll leave right away, with you in tow," Sia said firmly.  
"That’s right. I’ll buy us time with my magic…"

They even worried about me, the one with the most dangerous role.

*My wives are amazing. I just want to kiss them.*

"Don’t worry. Gong will be covering us, and Master has our back too. Not a scratch will land on me."  
"True, with Ninomiya protecting you, we shouldn’t worry."

Their concerns melted at the mention of Master.

"Take care, Sia."  
"Sigh. Just like last time with the bomb. Let’s do our best."  
"Carrying her again might be annoying… but I have a few things to say to her

 anyway."  
"Huh? What’s that, Sia?"  
"Later."

Whatever they were whispering about was likely encouragement. They’d be each other’s buddy, supporting one another’s weaknesses.

I couldn’t help but smile.

"Master, Gong and I made a plan. Please listen."  
"Hmm. It’s a solid strategy. Good. Leave your back to me."  
"Thank you, Master!"

With three wives, one best friend, and a hypno-combat specialist, our party was ready to make history among Awakeners.

"Yu-jin! Everyone’s ready to watch you take the lead!" Gong called.  
"Let’s go, then!"

Exchanging glances with my wives, we stepped forward in sync.

"Sia, what were you going to tell me?"  
"Wait. We’ll be in the rear anyway, so let’s talk then."

Sia and Alice followed behind, while Master was right at my back. And I led the way for all of us.

“Let’s finish this raid and grab a meal together. All of us.”

The S+++ gate raid began.