The Northern Aberration (11)

"Breathing methods?"

I couldn't help but look at Jay strangely. After all, I hadn't heard of any such thing before. Not from Viola, and not from Jay's past self.

"Yes, well...to be honest, meditation is a very general practice. There are many reasons to meditate, and many different methods of doing so, for achieving many different results." 

Jay turned their head forward, lost in thought for a few seconds of silence. They decided on something invisible with a nod, and then looked over at me again.

"You see, I...come from what you'd call a monastery. It was created on the far outskirts of town, separated from the rest of the city."

I was surprised. I mean, I figured that Jay had some actual experience with religion somehow, but not to this extent.

"So you were..."

"More of a monk, or...nun, I suppose." Jay hummed, looking down at the priestly robes they were wearing. "Frankly, these were just to better blend in with the Saintess's holiness. I'm not a priest." 

They admitted, to which I couldn't help but feel even more shock towards.

'So...if Jay was busy living a secluded life in some monastery outside of the city, how the hell do they know the Saintess so well? What's with the obsession? And why doesn't Alyssa know Jay at all?'

Either not noticing or choosing not to comment on the confusion on my face, Jay continued.

"In my time at the monastery, I saw very few people other than my fellows...and a common type of visitor, were, surprisingly...martial artists." 

"Martial artists? At a monastery??"

Jay nodded. "It may sound surprising, but a monastery is a place of seclusion, peace, and dedication. For people seeking enlightenment to higher levels of martial mastery, it isn't a bad place to work on mental training." 

The logic made sense, at least. I couldn't argue against that part. But still...

"What exactly are you getting at? I'm not exactly in shape to go and sit behind a monastery's walls for who knows how long. Doubt Alyssa would want to, either."

I could just imagine her roaring her disapproval right now at me even suggesting the idea. No, she'd definitely pull out her guns and start unloading volleys of divinely-powered bullets at my face.

Jay smiled, shaking their head. "Of course I wouldn't suggest that. I'm well aware of our circumstances, Mr. Manager. What I'm saying is...I did observe some of those people a bit more closely. I was interested in them, after all...strangers to me." 

There was a sad expression marring Jay's usually serene expression, but I decided not to question it. They were opening up to me in a way they never had before, after all.

"I get it." I folded my arms and sat down next to Jay. "So you're saying that you'll teach me the methods you saw from those 'martial artists'? ...and that has something to do with breathing techniques?"

Jay nodded, slowly rising from their meditation position and switching places with me, now standing over my sitting form.

"That's right. Naturally, it's only if you'll accept my guidance...I'm no expert, so I'm sure that my advice won't be as effective as if you were to actually seek out one to guide you."

I shook my head.

"No, don't worry about that. Not like I'm gonna find someone like that just hanging around in this world..."

'The only one I knew decided to keep the method a secret from me until the very end...god damn it, Viola.'

She was always just too mysterious till the very end. She helped me strengthen my body to its' limits, and taught me a lot about taking down Abnormalities, but...she left the important stuff that'd take me to the next level up to chance.

What if I never met Jay?

No, I had to focus. No use in thinking about hypotheticals. Right here, right now, I had a teacher to help me achieve this next level.

"Alright Jay, let's do this." I reached a hand up with a grin. Jay looked down at my hand in confusion.

"Ah...what is this?"

"...slap my hand. It's called a high five. You know, shows we're working together and we're gonna do this."

"Oh!" Jay's expression brightened, a bit of light coming to their black eyes. "Yes, let's do this!"

It was adorable how earnestly they responded, but with how serious Jay was with just about everything, I knew success was more of a question of when, than how.

-----

"...I get why the Manager's doing this. He's always been into doing random weird shit...but why the hell am I joining in?!"

Alyssa, now sitting beside me, complained in a voice louder than any of the shambling things outside. 

We were seriously lucky that her ability was good at repelling the weaker ones...

"Oh come on, don't be such a kid, Alyssa. It's just some meditation, you're telling me you can't handle it?"

"You instigating little..." Her crimson red eyes locked onto mine with the intense fury of a thousand suns.

"While I do agree that he could tone down the instigation, Mr. Manager is correct, Saintess." Jay interrupted, standing in front of us.

They were now clothed in the nun outfit they wore in my past life. Though Alyssa wasn't wearing one this time around. There wasn't any point in hiding behind the fake identity of a 'priest' when they had already revealed their secret to me.

The debut of the Saintess as a 'nun' would be seriously delayed, it seemed.

"Your 'Divine' ability is powerful. But if Mr. Manager is onto something with his attempts to discover a new power through meditation, it will prove incredibly useful to all of us in the long run."

Alyssa sighed. These days, she was more used to being calmed down by Jay than by me. She sighed, grumbling, but turning her eyes down.

"Whatever..."

Jay and I looked at each other discreetly, and nodded.

Of course, making Alyssa even more powerful than she would already become was a good goal. But more importantly, the mental defenses that she would raise thanks to meditation would only become an even better shield in blocking the 'idea of God' Abnormality that would soon begin assaulting her mind.

'I can only question how Jay knows about it in advance, too, but...whatever. Jay's just a ball of secrets, and I'm not trying to unwrap all of that right now.'

"Now then, both of you, please close your eyes and focus." Jay gave us a sweet, empty smile, their head tilting to the side. "We will be carrying out intense bouts of focus for, at the very least...an hour each session."

"...GOD DAMNIT!!!!"

Alyssa's shouts echoed into the heavens, even through the walls of the building.