Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga - Chapter 174: Mr Bear

“S-Sir, are you sure this is okay?” asked Germa, his voice trembling as he stood over me while I lay on a medical table.

“Don’t worry about it and just start the procedure,” I waved off his anxiety. I wasn’t going to give up on my dream so easily!

Although he had dashed my hopes of obtaining a super cool eye, I still wanted to try a few things. However, I was concerned about his trembling hands, as I didn’t want any accidents near my eye socket.

To my surprise, as soon as his scalpel approached my eye, his hands stopped trembling, and the anxiousness on his face vanished.

Ah, there he was—the guy I remembered from the original story.

The scalpel sliced through my eye, reopening old wounds, but I barely felt any pain. There was no anesthetic involved, but Germa’s skill was exceptional. He hadn’t even utilized his special ability yet.

He retrieved a vial containing a snake eye submerged in liquid. The eye emitted an evil aura, but the hastily scribbled seals on the vial contained its power. He placed the eye into my socket, and the corrosive energy immediately began devouring my flesh.

{Perfect Me}

I activated my trump card and shifted into a third-person perspective. Witnessing myself on the table with the demon eye moving independently was chilling. Nevertheless, I remained in Perfect Me, focusing on the way my Ord moved and suppressing the demonic energy.

It was a positive development, but I needed to replicate this effect, as relying solely on Perfect Me’s control of Ord wasn’t enough to seal the eye. However, once Perfect Me ceased, the demonic energy resumed its assault. Although I managed to keep it at bay, the level of concentration required was impractical for everyday life and fatal during battles.

“Can we somehow seal the eye?” I asked.

“Seal it? You would be blind on one side. Wouldn’t that be kind of useless?” Germa inquired.

He had a valid point. It appeared to be an ineffective solution. “Alright then, just give me a normal eye.”

“You seem disappointed,” Germa observed, giving me an odd look as he muttered to himself, “How did he even find out about my ability? Who leaked the information?”

Ah, he still had that habit of speaking his thoughts aloud when focused on his work.

He plucked out my demon eye and placed his hand over my socket. Immediately, a cold sensation enveloped me, and a bright red beam of Ord materialized above my head. It was about the size of a basketball and appeared capable of inflicting significant harm if directed at someone.

This was Germa’s ability—to convert injuries into powerful blasts. However, he was a coward who disliked fighting, rendering that aspect of his power useless. Moreover, an accident had caused him to de-age into the body of a child when he used his ability on himself.

After removing his hand, my vision felt strange. It was akin to getting a tooth filling, yet completely different. I could see clearly once more, as if I hadn’t been injured in the first place. I glanced at the mirror I had placed near my bed, finding no trace of scarring around my eye. Everything appeared perfect.

“Well, now that everything is fine, can I leave?” the doctor asked, clearly uneasy.

“Is something troubling you?” I inquired. “You’ve been my benefactor and have helped me, so I owe you one. If someone is bothering you, you can count on me.”

“Having an ability like mine is quite troublesome. There are clans out there who would enslave me as their healer,” he said, eyeing me suspiciously. “That’s why I keep my ability a closely guarded secret, known only to a select few trustworthy individuals. So, it begs the question of how you knew about it…”

Wow, this guy was paranoid, but understandably so. Given his exceptional ability and the high mortality rate among exorcists, many organizations would vie to have him on their side. Some might even go to war for the chance to acquire someone with such powers.

“Don’t worry, little guy. I won’t expose you,” I reassured him, tousling his hair.

“You do realize I’m older than you, right?” he retorted, swatting my hand away.

“And you do realize that one phone call could turn you into a healing slave?” I reminded him.

“What’s a phone?”

“Think of it like a long distance communication talisman,” I said. Jeez, these people had TVs but didn’t have phones? Technology in this world was wacky as hell.

“My apologies, sir!” he cried, saluting me.

“Call me Kon, the greatest exorcist to ever live,” I said, smiling.

He chuckled slightly nervously in response to my joke. Although this guy was considered a throwaway character, used only once, his special ability and his desire to keep it a secret told me that he didn’t have many friends.

“Well, if you ever need a place to hide, you’re welcome to my cabin. It has an underground basement that I plan to turn into a secret lair,” I said, shaking his hand.

I opened a drawer next to my bed, revealing a pair of round glasses. I tousled my hair and put on the glasses, feeling relaxed.

“You’re concealing your identity?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, from now on, I’ll go by Nok, the Water Exorcist,” I replied with a smile, puffing out my chest.

“Nok? Really?” he shook his head. “Just say you’re doing it for fun, and you’re already too powerful for anyone to challenge you on it.”

I smiled, unable to find the words to respond. Soon, news of the war would spread to the civilians, and my face would become quite a sensation. I had no doubt that those opportunistic individuals wouldn’t miss a chance like this. Fame had its benefits, but it could be annoying to deal with.

***

Miku found herself outside the academy, unexpectedly sent out as an exorcist due to the scarcity of personnel during the war. This situation was unusual since the headmaster, who would have protected the students, had passed away, leaving Professor Chain in charge. Though he was competent, he lacked the influence to defy those in power. Miku understood the circumstances and didn’t blame Professor Chain, knowing that refusing would have likely resulted in his replacement.

Arriving at the meeting place near Edriz, Miku was taken aback by an unusual sight. Leaning against a tree was a tall man wearing a dark face mask, ripped jeans, and a dark jacket, giving the impression of either a rock music fan or a homeless person. But what truly stood out was the presence of a grizzly bear in a suit standing next to him. The bear stood on its hind legs and was the best-dressed among them all.

Miku realized that the bear was likely the man’s tamed demon, although it struck her as odd that someone would dress their demon in a suit. Additionally, she couldn’t ascertain whether this bear was a true demon since demons typically possessed deformities and appeared as hybrids of various creatures. This bear seemed ordinary, except for its attire, suggesting it might be a low-ranking demon.

“To clarify, are you also here to serve under the local Elite Exorcist?” Miku asked to confirm.

The man nodded, while the bear responded, “Yes.”

Miku was surprised that the bear could speak. Professor Fort had taught her that some demons, particularly those of middle and high rank, possessed the ability to speak. However, what astonished her even more was the man’s wide-eyed reaction to the bear. He then turned to Miku and drew a short sword, his demeanor becoming defensive. “I must admit, I misjudged you based on appearances.”

Confused, Miku raised her guard, while the man distanced himself from the bear and released his demon, Ord. “What exactly are you?” he demanded.

Letting out a sigh, the bear pointed to itself once again. “I am what you see—a bear in a suit. Don’t question it too much. I’m here for the job, to serve under an Elite Exorcist, just like you.”

He withdrew a paper from the inner pocket of his suit and presented it to them. “See? I’m an official Senior Exorcist. Here’s my graduation report card too.”

Miku narrowed her eyes as she observed the high grades. She noticed that in his second and third year, he had participated in extracurricular activities such as Tea Ceremonies and the Volleyball Club. His papers seemed authentic, and he hadn’t shown any signs of hostility towards them.

The only reason Miku remained cautious was because he was a bear, and his unusual interest in tea ceremonies struck her as peculiar.

“Why would a bear be interested in Tea Ceremonies?” asked the tall man, relieving Miku from having to ask the question herself.

“The same reason any man would be interested in Tea Ceremonies,” the bear confessed, “because there are a lot of cute, classy women taking the course.”

Was she going crazy? Miku wondered. Perhaps this was all just some kind of incredibly bizarre dream. She pinched herself… nope, not a dream.