Training results.

William returned home at about 9:40 pm after a whole day of magic training, and he was physically and mentally exhausted. He wasn't the only one, either.

'Never in my life have I used so much energy for something not sex-related. I'm not sure I like it.'

'But you have to admit sex with Nanami felt really nice after the morning workout.'

'Okay, I'll give you that.'

'A little hardship here and there makes the sweet moments even sweeter. Non-stop sex lessens how special it is.'

'Hard disagree on that. Daily sex should be the standard to aim for. Three sessions a day, actually. Like meals.'

'Mhm. And how long should these sessions be?'

'Eight hours each. Why?'

'You're hopeless.'

Still, Will shared some of Ishtar's frustration. Aoi was a rough teacher, but it was hard to argue with the results. Will hadn't suddenly mastered the use of aether, but in a single day, his body learned to accept the strange energy as a natural part of him. Though maybe saying a single day wasn't correct, either. This had been a process that started the moment Ishtar first used sexual energy when taking over his body. Every day since then, Will began to learn how to use these strange powers, eventually learning to resist the emotional side effects. But now? Thanks to Aoi's ruthlessness, Will's mind and body were **** to accept that aether was a part of him now. It was something that needed to click in his head. Like Aoi explained, one needed to believe things were possible in the first place. He may not have learned to cast fireballs or gotten closer to getting Ishtar a body, but this was progress.

And yet…

When he entered his room, Will closed the door behind him and looked at his hand. He let the aether flow with a high intensity, enough that his hand began to feel hot. There was something like a faint, purple smoke coming from it. Aura, Aoi had called it. Visible when aether is too intense, like with evocation magic, only aura is visible just to other people who can sense and manipulate aether.

'Kinda telling, huh?'

'Aoi's was colorless. Ours is purple.'

'I agree with what she said. The nature of my powers probably influenced its color. Don't ask me why Lust is purple, though.'

'I would've preferred red or blue. Golden would've looked even cooler.'

'What do you have against purple?'

'Nothing. I just don't think it's my color.'

'Of course it's not. It's my color.'

'So you like purple?'

'Sure.'

'Purple it is, then. Not like we can change it, anyway.'

Will dropped on his bed, body heavy, legs throbbing with a dull pain. He took in a deep breath, and he could've sworn he smelled Reina on the bed. He stayed there, quiet, still, waiting.

Aoi had spoken to Amelia, so he wanted to check up on her. Should he call? He got her number again the other day. This phone was so old it didn't even have message apps. He also needed to wait for Reina. He would rather be here when she came back instead of letting her come into an empty apartment.

The minutes passed. His body became heavier as the exhaustion of the day settled. Eyelids closed on their own, despite his efforts. Ishtar was quiet, too. She was just as exhausted as him, if not more. How many minutes passed?? One? Ten? It didn't matter, for when his senses picked up a sudden, familiar signal, he rose from bed in a panic.

'Sexual energy? From outside?'

'An incubus? Or maybe succubus?

'We're checking, right?'

'Of course.'

And Will ran out of his apartment, not willing to let the source of the signal escape him. Because it was distinctively sexual energy, not any other sort of aether. It carried that sensual warmth that they noticed in the incubus and succubus in that other world. But here? Right in front of the building?

Will went up the stairs from the basement to the first floor and ran to the glass doors. Through them he saw all he needed to know. Reina was there, running towards him with Anna. Behind them followed a familiar face. Jeremy. The girls looked scared, and knowing what he now knew, Will would be a fool to hold back.

His body heated up and faint traces of purple aura oozed off of him. With his legs strengthened, his speed rose. He pushed the doors open and ran past Reina and Anna to face Jeremy. Will's arms tensed, his first clenched. Jeremy only had time to be surprised at his sudden appearance.

A knee to the stomach and an open palm to the face, both carrying enough strength to put a normal person in the hospital for a week, at least. Yet all it did to Jeremy was break his nose and leave him severely out of breath on the floor. Hitting him felt strange, and not in the sense that it felt bad to hit a sort of friend. No, it felt strange in the sense that there was something like a hard layer of… something invisible around him, kind of like a bulletproof suit. Aether, of course, but more than likely not his own.

Will looked around, and seeing no other threats, he looked down at Jeremy with a bitten lip and conflicted feelings. The guy looked out for the count for now. Still, better keep an eye on him. Will took out his phone and made a call. Aoi answered quickly.

"William? What is it?"

"I've got Jeremy here. I don't know why, but he was chasing Reina. He's out now, but I don't know what to do with him."

"That's perfect! Are you at your place?"

"Yes."

"Wait there. I'll call our man in the police. I'm sure he can get him locked up for at least a couple of days if not more for attempted ****. We may be able to get good info out of him."

Will ended the call after sorting out the details. He turned back to see Reina and Anna looking at him from inside the building, now seemingly more relaxed. Then he saw Reina urgently pointing at something. The floor? Will looked down and saw a small spray can laying there. He looked at his girlfriend for confirmation, and she nodded with a thumbs up.

He pocketed it for the moment. He'd ask later. He motioned for the girls to head inside in the meantime. He could imagine why Anna was here, and he could only hope this didn't give her a bad opinion of him.

All he could do for now was wait for this detective Sánchez.