Chapter 23: “Begin, FIGHT!”

The dojo’s surrounding was crowded with 80 disciples, taking up positions to be able to clearly see into the dojo through its windows and entrances.

When they noticed Kousuke approaching, all of their gazes locked onto him. He caught faint whispers of “Is that him?” and “He doesn’t look so strong” from the disciples.

It seemed Gen’ou announced to everyone that he will be sparring with a guest today.

Ignoring the gazes and whispers, Kousuke entered the dojo.

Further in the dojo, Kousuke saw Gen’ou and s.h.i.+zuku with their backs turned, meditating deeply in seiza. Both of them were wearing clothes most karate and judo pract.i.tioners wear during practice. From the chatter outside, it was clear the two noticed Kousuke’s arrival, but remained still to further heighten their concentration. 【TL: Seiza I can do this for 4 hours before my legs numb ^_^b】

「Good morning to you both」(Nagare)

Near the parent and child, Nagare stood up and approached Kousuke and Viare.

「Kousuke-kun, are you fine with that outfit? If necessary, I can have a practice-ware prepared for you」(Nagare)

「I’m fine with this since this jacket’s pretty tough」(Kousuke)

「Is that so. The weapon for this spar will be made of wood. Master and s.h.i.+zuku-sama will be using the same weapon, a wooden sword. Please select the weapon best suited to your taste from the rack on the wall. The only rule, do not kill. We can treat light injuries and fractures, but please hold back to a degree to prevent the possibility of a serious injury」(Nagare)

「I’m not accustomed to holding back though」(Kousuke)

「I will immediately stop the fight if I deem it too dangerous」(Nagare)

「I understand」(Kousuke)

「Do you have any questions?」(Nagare)

「What are the win/loss conditions?」(Kousuke)

「Until it is clear who has won, otherwise please continue the fight until the other is unable to continue」(Nagare)

Kousuke nodded and headed to the weapon rack.

「Viare-san, please stay by my side. Pieces of wood might fly out from their weapon during the spar. Well, it doesn’t happen often, but just in case」(Nagare)

The Amasera Dojo’s wooden weapons are built with extremely durable wood. Furthermore, they’re coated with something similar to lacquer.

Never has there been an incident of their wooden weapons breaking during a spar. The weapons are inspected every five days and those that are brittle are used as firewood and replaced.

「Please be at ease, I’ll protect you if that were to happen」(Nagare)

「I thank you in advance」(Viare)

Viare, who is aware that she is incapable of dodging, lowered her head.

While listening to their conversation, Kousuke was inspecting each wooden sword to find one that was the easiest to handle.

『There aren’t any wooden katanas…. I can’t find a glimpse of a bamboo sword either… Maybe this world doesn’t have anything like a katana』(Kousuke)

While thinking such things, he reached for the heaviest wooden sword. He simply felt uncomfortable with anything lightweight.

Seeing that Kousuke selected his weapon, Nagare called out to Gen’ou and s.h.i.+zuku.

「The preparation is complete. Let us begin the match」(Nagare)

「Mm」(Gen’ou)

With a nod, Gen’ou stood up. s.h.i.+zuku, who stood up at the same time, walked to Nagare’s side.

Kousuke and Gen’ou walked to the center of the dojo and faced each other.

「My best regards」(Kousuke)

「Likewise」(Gen’ou)

The two gave each other a slight bow and awaited the signal to start.

Nagare’s raised arm flowed down gently while announcing “Begin”.

The spar began quietly.

Gen’ou gripped his wooden sword with his right hand and took a seigan stance.  At that moment, Kousuke thought he felt a breeze blow past him. The pressure Gen’ou emitted seemingly had a life of its own. It was completely unlike the rigid, lordly atmosphere he showed yesterday. The Gen’ou before him only had fighting in his mind. Seeing his stance, Kousuke felt like he was staring at a stalwart tree, a natural fortress that towered over him. 【TL: “Kata-te no Seigan no Kamae” or “One-handed Seigan stance” Link to example】

On the other hand, the wooden sword in Kousuke’s right hand was dangling slovenly by his side. He gave off nothing close to an intimidating pressure or aura. Among the audience that were not strong enough to understand underestimated Kousuke due to this. The rest were amazed to see Kousuke unmoved by Gen’ou’s aura and compared him to a willow tree, parrying and evading the harsh wind. 【TL: Fun fact, Willow trees are great forwindbreaking】

Ten seconds pa.s.sed, twenty seconds pa.s.sed, but neither moved from their spot.

Kousuke intended to counter Gen’ou’s attacks, intensively observing his every movement. For Gen’ou, he noticed his entire being was being monitored by Kousuke and could not move carelessly. If he was only being watched then it wouldn’t have been a problem, but every time he intended to attack, Kousuke would react, effectively sealing his attempts.

The moment Gen’ou wanted to move, he’s stopped, this was repeated ten times and three minutes flew by.

This quiet offense and defense was noticed by some, unnoticed by some, regardless, no one was able to say anything due to the tension.

『This situation can’t be held…』(Gen’ou)

When his eleventh attempt was thwarted, he resolved himself to go through with his next attempt. Gen’ou determined that Kousuke was strong and felt it would be a waste if he didn’t enjoy this fight.

「UOOOOOOOOOOOO!」(Gen’ou)

With great spirit he shouted, stomping off strongly toward Kousuke while swinging his wooden sword down.

A split second after his stomp resounded through the dojo, a loud, clas.h.i.+ng sound of wooden swords exploded.

Gen’ou grinned happily when he saw his swing, that was strong enough to pulverize a boulder, was blocked easily by Kousuke.

The disciples instantly changed their view of Kousuke’s strength seeing this. If they tried to block in the same way, they easily imagined themselves smashed onto the floor.

With the long sword incident before, Nagare knew that the possibility of Kousuke successfully blocking Gen’ou’s attack was high so she was not surprised.

s.h.i.+zuku’s eyes were s.h.i.+ning brightly at this scene. She was unable to suppress her excitement and was praying for her turn to come faster.

Numerous clas.h.i.+ng sounds echoed throughout the dojo. Gen’ou was boldly attacking while Kousuke was blocking each and every single strike.

After the hundredth clash, Gen’ou and Kousuke separated.

While collecting himself and organizing his breathing, he stared at Kousuke. He showed no signs of fatigue was unchangingly staring at Gen’ou.

Gen’ou dropped his right arm and coaxed Kousuke to attack with his left hand.  A declaration, “Come, nows your turn to attack”.【TL: COME AT ME BRO】

Understanding his intent, Kousuke brought his right leg back slightly and gripped the wooden sword with both arms pointing backward. 【TL: He took this stance up】

「Here I come!!」(Kousuke)

With a cry, he charged with both legs.

He closed the four meter distance between them in under a breath and swung his wooden sword up.

A sharp, wind-like slash approached Gen’ou.

The loudest clash of the day was heard at that moment. The explosive clash was not of flesh and bone, but once again between two wooden swords. A few moments later, the clattering sound of a wooden sword hitting the floor was heard.

The moment Kousuke charged, Gen’ou felt a dreadful attack approaching, accurately predicted the trajectory of Kousuke’s swing and blocked it. Though he successfully blocked that swing, the force that shocked through his wooden sword made it impossible for him to hold on without hurting himself. While withdrawing backward, he released the wooden sword from his hand.

Seeing Gen’ou drop his sword, the entire audience was in an uproar.

Among them was Gen’ou’s hearty laugh.

「Kukukukuku…. This is great! It’s been so long since I dropped my sword! Fun! This is too fun! I must thank the G.o.ds for allowing me to meet someone this strong! I’ll give it my all now! Let’s enjoy our fight to the fullest!」(Gen’ou)

His excitement peaked to the highest.

The calm, stalwart aura vanished and a violent storm of fighting spirit replaced it.

The disciples were overwhelmed by this rarely seen aura of Gen’ou. Being able to make Gen’ou serious, Kousuke’s existence became unfathomable to the disciples.

Viare and Nagare were also overwhelmed by Gen’ou’s aura. As for s.h.i.+zuku, she was staring unblinkingly to not miss a single detail of the fight.

Being smashed with the sudden oppressive aura, Kousuke became dejected. It was obvious to him that Gen’ou was 100% serious and would not hold back anymore. It made Kousuke want to return to the inn.

However, Gen’ou would clearly not listen or allow him to leave so he continued to focus on the fight.

With everyone’s attention gathered, Gen’ou used magic.

「Are you seriously going all out!?」(Nagare)

Nagare shouted in astonishment.

The magic Gen’ou used was a body reinforcement type, commonly used in battlefields. This magic would easily allow the user to kill even with a wooden sword.

This completely disregarded the “No killing” rule. His switch completely flipped, Gen’ou opted to use a lethal method. Nagare moving to stop the fight was an expected outcome.

However, she was unable to stop anything. Cold sweat was streaming down her back. Gen’ou’s cold glance toward her completely sealed her from moving. Nagare felt imminent death coming if she continued.

「I, Gen’ou Amasera Rubidas.h.i.+a, come forth!」(Gen’ou)

Gen’ou moved. Just like Kousuke, Gen’ou instantly closed the gap between the two.

Kousuke blocked the incoming horizontal slash.

「You can move! It wouldn’t be fun otherwise!」(Gen’ou)

Slash everything apart! Within this kind of atmosphere, Kousuke displayed unhindered movement that made Gen’ou grin.

Compared to before, Gen’ou’s movement drastically changed. Moreover, not only did his speed increase, he constantly changed his tempo along with mixing in feints. This made it very difficult for Kousuke to perceive his attacks.

In fact, Kousuke has lost sight of Gen’ou’s wooden sword and has already received a few blows to his chest and arms.

「What’s wrong! Your full strength is nothing like this right! Don’t just block, attack me! FIGHT BACK!」(Gen’ou)

Without stopping his relentless attacks, Gen’ou taunted.

『You asked for it then』(Kousuke)

There was barely any pain, but being hit constantly seemed pathetic so Kousuke decided to fight back.

「There!」(Kousuke)

The slight flaw after the reckless swing was not overseen, Kousuke immediately took the offensive.

However, that “flaw” was something Gen’ou intentionally showed to coax Kousuke to attack.

The incoming slash was read by Gen’ou, but he did not block. He was instead wholly devoted to evading. He knew if he tried to block, he would be blown away or smashed into the floor.

The two exchanged dodges and blows for some time. Kousuke’s attacks would occasionally graze Gen’ou, but none were clean hits.

『How can he avoid all of this!?』(Kousuke)

The reason? Kousuke’s attacks were too straight forward. His swings were fast and powerful, but that’s all it was.

Naturally, Kousuke was using feints as well. However, against Kousuke who was gathering information and experience on the spot, Gen’ou, who has years of experience and is capable of utilizing his senses to the fullest, saw through the shoddy feints instantly. From Kousuke’s eyes and arm movements, his stance and steps, various information leaked out of his body which Gen’ou grasped. To Gen’ou, the strength, speed and direction of Kousuke’s attacks were simply easy to read.

This spar brought to light the adverse effects of Kousuke constantly fighting weaker opponents. He’s been winning due to his extraordinarily high stats, but he’s neglected the importance of actually being able to hit his targets. Against those with strength, Kousuke was akin to a wild beast relying on instinct.

In order to land a blow, Kousuke increased the speed of his attacks while sacrificing an acceptable amount of defense. Unfortunately, Gen’ou, who’s grasped quite a bit of Kousuke’s habits, only received scratches.

Gradually Gen’ou was beginning to counter. Taking an offensive stance was fine with him since he could dodge everything.

The fight between the two was suddenly flipped. Gen’ou was dodging and landing his attacks, while Kousuke ignored the blows and kept swinging.

Completely absorbed in trying to land a clean blow, Kousuke had no idea what the outcome would be. However, for Gen’ou, the outcome was obvious. If this continues, he knew he would lose.

The physical and mental burden of knowing that one hit would end it all was simply immense. Eventually, he’ll become too tired and would get hit. The next ten minutes will be in his favor, but if it drags out beyond thirty minutes, Gen’ou was certain it would be unfavorable.

『I do not want to be defeated in such fas.h.i.+on. Before I run out of strength, I will end this match with my most powerful strike!』(Gen’ou)

He decided to use the Rubidas.h.i.+a’s hidden art, something only the head of the household is allowed to know.

It was named “G.o.d Slayer” to depict its purpose of overthrowing the G.o.ds. It was handed down by the ancestors to their descendants over the course of 300 years, in hopes that one day, a descendant would be able to bring out its completed form.

This hidden art did not require magic or an exaggerated stance because all it required was a mere swing of the sword.

It’s probably a mistake to say that it’s just “a mere swing” though. Available only to the firstborns, this singular strike is imbued with strong intent and fused perfectly with the skills and techniques that were polished through endless years of training.

Though, rather than a hidden art, this strike could be considered the acc.u.mulation of the entire Rubidas.h.i.+a heritage.

In that sense, this can also be considered eternally imperfect. Training until death, that is the way of the “Amasera Swordsmans.h.i.+p”. Today’s best singular strike will not even be comparable to the next days. Even Gen’ou, who is considered the master among masters, is bound by this.

Gen’ou is the most skilled with overhead strikes, but his predecessors, whom had varying preferences, used different swings. Essentially, “G.o.d Slayer” has no singular form.

The moment Gen’ou poised his upper body, the pressure in the room suddenly vanished. Everything was being imbued into his wooden sword, not a drop leaked out.

The disciples began to stir, as many of them were unaware of the “G.o.d Slayer” hidden art.

「To go to this extent……」(Nagare)

Nagare uttered in amazement. Though she is incapable of using it, she knew what the “G.o.d Slayer” hidden art was.

Since Gen’ou was absolutely serious, she gave up on stopping the spar. She instead readied herself for the worst, Kousuke’s death.

Everything was absolutely stilled and hushed in the dojo. The disciples’ eyes were glued onto Gen’ou, while Kousuke tensely awaited the strike to counter. Among the spectators, s.h.i.+zuku was the most enthralled, her eyes could not stray away from Gen’ou.

Suddenly, Gen’ou moved. Compared to before, his movement was slower and lighter. He was casually walking forward, with only Kousuke understanding the dangers of his unusual steps. Gen’ou approached, casually stepping forward like he was walking through a park. The moment the spectators were aware that Gen’ou moved, he was already near Kousuke.

「EIII!」(Gen’ou)

With a shout, Gen’ou mightily swung down his wooden sword.

Breathing, the amount of force, his movement, the swing’s timing, Gen’ou was convinced everything in his singular strike was perfect.

In response to this sharp swing, Kousuke brought his wooden sword overhead to receive it. One hand on the handle, the other on the back of the blade, he stared at the moment the two swords clashed. Kousuke’s eyes widened immediately. Gen’ou’s wooden sword split his wooden sword into two halves with ease.

『Wha?! I didn’t feel any impact!?』(Kousuke)

Stupefied and fl.u.s.tered, Kousuke immediately s.h.i.+fted into defense.

He crossed his arms in attempts to block the still incoming strike. At this, Gen’ou was surprised. His strike sliced through hardened wood with ease, normally, who would think to take on such a strike with their own body? A slight disturbance arose in Gen’ou’s heart seeing Kousuke’s actions, weakening “G.o.d Slayer’s” power.

Feeling a less than expected impact on his jacket sleeve, Kousuke immediately struck Gen’ou’s chest with the half-sword he had.

「A hit! I finally landed a hit!」(Kousuke)

Rather than winning or losing, Kousuke rejoiced that he finally landed a hit. Even if it was a fluke, after such a long struggle he felt relieved that it was possible to land a hit on Gen’ou.

The tension in the dojo eased and Gen’ou withdrew his wooden sword.

Sensing that the two will not continue further, Nagare called for the spar to end.

The spectators all exhaled the breath they held from such a tense fight.

「That was an entertaining fight, thank you」(Gen’ou)

The grim look Gen’ou had during the spar was replaced with a satisfied grin. However, Kousuke had a complicated expression. In the end, he only managed to land one hit. He was heavily vexed and mortified by this.

「Is your arm alright? Even if it wasn’t at full strength, that strike still had a lot of force behind it」(Gen’ou)

「Hmm……. It’s just a little swollen. I can’t feel any problems with my bones so I think it’ll end with a light bruise」(Kousuke)

「…….. Ho~, quite the st.u.r.dy one. Just in case, allow one of our doctors to take a look」(Gen’ou)

Even if it wasn’t at full strength, the remaining force could have pulverized a boulder into dust. Gen’ou was taken aback that the end result was only a light bruise.

Although Kousuke doesn’t seem injured, it was possible he was enduring so Gen’ou offered a medical examination just in case.

Kousuke obediently accepted Gen’ou’s proposal. Immediately, the examination began. The result: No abnormalities.

「To truly be uninjured, this…」(Gen’ou)

Despite being struck severely, Kousuke getting away with minor scratches made it impossible for Gen’ou to hide his shock.

「Well, it’s s.h.i.+zuku’s turn next, but do you require some rest first?」(Gen’ou)

「Mhmm. It won’t be for that long though」(Kousuke)

「Is ten minutes sufficient?」(Gen’ou)

Kousuke nodded, walked to a wall and sat down leaning against it.

「Here you go」(Viare)

Viare approached and offered a moistened towel.

Kousuke offered his thanks and accepted it. It wasn’t enough to cool off his body, but it was refres.h.i.+ng just to wipe off the sweat.

When he noticed a cool breeze hitting him, he realized Viare was fanning with a folding fan.

「Thank you, I appreciate your thoughtfulness」(Kousuke)

「I just imitated Nagare-san」(Viare)

For Gen’ou’s sake, Nagare prepared for his respite. Seeing this, Viare felt she should do the same for Kousuke.

Despite her hasty follow-up, it still allowed Kousuke to cool-down and eased his mind for the upcoming spar. After giving his thanks once more, he stood up.

At the center of the dojo, s.h.i.+zuku was already waiting. Her hair was tied into a single ponytail behind her.

「Please take care of me」(s.h.i.+zuku)

To the approaching Kousuke, she lowered her head. Kousuke returns the bow and the two face each other. Her childish expression reduced, instead gallantry and dignity sprung forth from her.

s.h.i.+zuku took up a similar stance as Gen’ou and Kousuke, like before, stood stance-less. Unlike Gen’ou, s.h.i.+zuku was holding the wooden sword with both hands.

With Nagare’s signal, the match began.

s.h.i.+zuku did not probe and wait like Gen’ou and boldly charged forward. Without pacing herself, she was slamming every ounce of her strength against Kousuke.

Her movements were unlike a child of ten years, they were exceptional. Truly peerless compared to others her age. However, she was far from the level of Gen’ou and Kousuke was able to cope with her charge. Still, Kousuke refrained from retaliating at full strength, only lightly striking her with his wooden sword when a large opening was shown.

He wasn’t playing around. As evidence, his countenance was stern and serious.

He was following her every movement, memorizing the Amasera swordsmans.h.i.+p. He’s convinced that if he is able to understand the Amasera swordsmans.h.i.+p, he will be able to land a blow on Gen’ou without a fluke.

It was too difficult to discern when he was fighting Gen’ou as his movements were too sophisticated and overbearing to comprehend. In that respect, s.h.i.+zuku’s swordsmans.h.i.+p was still in the budding process, giving Kousuke the breathing room he needed to observe carefully.

The two exchanged blows for another ten minutes and s.h.i.+zuku’s movements began to dull. Her shoulders were trembling as her breathing roughened, evidently showing that she was close to her limits. Not ignorant of her approaching limit, s.h.i.+zuku resolved herself to end the spar with one final strike.

Feeling the subtle change in s.h.i.+zuku, Kousuke distanced himself from her and awaited her final move.

s.h.i.+zuku gave a thankful gaze toward Kousuke’s consideration and took up a stance.

She poised her right leg back and lowered her waist slightly. Gripping both hands onto her wooden sword, she rested it pointing up on her right shoulder.

The spectators were experiencing a deja vu moment. The stance was different, but the change in the room’s atmosphere was just like when Gen’ou used “G.o.d Slayer”.

The most surprised was definitely Gen’ou for s.h.i.+zuku was never taught anything related to “G.o.d Slayer”.

He pondered just how did she learn this.

s.h.i.+zuku comprehended the essence of “G.o.d Slayer” from observing Gen’ou earlier. She is also of the same bloodline and upon seeing the awe-inspiring “G.o.d Slayer” she instinctively understood that this was something she must attain.

However, she still lacked the technique and experience to truly utilize the “G.o.d Slayer”. When Gen’ou used it, he was able to fully imbue his fighting spirit and aura into his weapon. s.h.i.+zuku, however, was unable to do so. Like that, her immaturity was accentuated heavily. As she is now, her only “pa.s.sing mark” would be her determination and spirit. Still, she was convinced that she must use this now.

s.h.i.+zuku took a few deep breaths and regained her composure.

Preparation completed, she took a step forward.

「YAAAAAAAAA!」(s.h.i.+zuku)

The diagonal slash toward Kousuke’s shoulder was, from Gen’ou’s perspective, filled with numerous flaws but it definitely held the essence of “G.o.d Slayer” in it.

“G.o.d Slayer”, taught only from the head to the heir, was being displayed by his daughter whom wasn’t taught an inkling of it. Pride filled his chest as a smile appeared on his face.

A sharp, cras.h.i.+ng sound resounded throughout the dojo. The two objects that crashed was s.h.i.+zuku’s wooden sword……. and Kousuke’s left arm.

He abandoned defending with his wooden sword and received her blow with his left arm instead.

s.h.i.+zuku was too absorbed into unleas.h.i.+ng her “G.o.d Slayer”, she was unfazed seeing Kousuke using his own body to receive it and did not adjust the force behind it. Still, she lacked training to fully utilize it and the force Kousuke felt was still less than when Gen’ou used it.

「…….」(Kousuke)

「…….」(s.h.i.+zuku)

s.h.i.+zuku, who had her wooden sword blocked, and Kousuke, who had received her strike, were both absolutely still.

Both maintained that position for thirty seconds before s.h.i.+zuku finally pulled her wooden sword away and stepped back. The two lowered their heads toward each other.

「Whew」(s.h.i.+zuku)

Reaching her physical limit, s.h.i.+zuku plopped down onto the floor. Immediately, Nagare appeared besides s.h.i.+zuku to care for her.

s.h.i.+zuku’s expression was joyous from being able to go all-out in the spar. Despite how tired she was, there was only an aura of satisfaction coming from her.

Gen’ou and Kousuke were both similarly satisfied and joyful.

Kousuke learned a lot from the two bouts. The Amasera swordsmans.h.i.+p’s movement from s.h.i.+zuku and the sophisticated swordplay from Gen’ou. Although he was unable to fully comprehend everything Gen’ou displayed, Kousuke nonetheless had every bit of it memorized.

Therefore, everything was valuable for Kousuke.

「With this, the promise of two bouts was fulfilled, I’ll be heading back now. Mind if I borrow the bath? I want to wash off my sweat」(Kousuke)

「I do not mind, but the baths aren’t warmed right now」(Gen’ou)

「As long as I can wash myself even cold water is fine」(Kousuke)

「Mm. Please use it freely then. And thank you for today, it was a good experience, for both myself and s.h.i.+zuku」(Gen’ou)

Kousuke gave Gen’ou a bow before calling out to Viare to leave the dojo. After being shown something so overwhelming, the disciples’ opinion of Kousuke was completely reversed from before.

As Gen’ou saw the two off, Nagare appeared beside him.

「What do you think of Kousuke-kun?」(Nagare)

「It’s regrettable」(Gen’ou)

An immediate answer.

「What is regrettable? Could you explain?」(Nagare)

「His ability is by no means lacking. Rather, his foundations are beyond exceptional. He undoubtedly focused on training endurance and physical strength from a very young age. Otherwise the imbalanced nature of his ability cannot be explained」(Gen’ou) 【TL: Kousuke trained in the art of “Human Cannonball” =D】

Against his high physical ability and tidy appearance, the lack of experience and dull combat instinct felt imbalanced to Gen’ou. 【TL: Tidy appearance = lack of scars basically. He looked too clean to be a warrior/fighter/adventurer etc】

If Gen’ou knew that it has only been half a year since Kousuke began using a sword, before admiration he would feel amazement and shock. 【TL: If Gen’ou knew that he was a Dragonslayer, he would c.r.a.p bricks】

「If I had the chance, it would have been ideal if I trained him. Without a doubt, he would have become a great, no, an absolutely peerless swordsman in history」(Gen’ou)

This high evaluation, not only s.h.i.+zuku and Nagare, but the nearby disciples that heard Gen’ou were shocked.

They were convinced of Kousuke’s strength with the spars just now, but to be given an evaluation of that magnitude was incredible.

「He’s that powerful? It seemed that master held the advantage in the bout though」(Nagare)

「I had the advantage? It may seem so, but most of my attacks had minimal effect. His calm expression never broke despite being barraged with hits. I had the advantage only because it was a spar limited with rules. But.. If it was a death match.. My probability of losing would be high」(Gen’ou)

Hearing this, Nagare’s alertness toward Kousuke increased and she decided to monitor him quietly in the future.

「By the way, why did master judge that master cannot train him?」(Nagare)

「Cannot train him? I wouldn’t go that far. He is currently still learning on his own, but he’s also decided on a combat style. However, if I tried to forcefully train him to use Amasera swordsmans.h.i.+p, what do you think will happen? What I said before, I was just mentioning that I wished I met him earlier. It’s truly regrettable that I only met him now」(Gen’ou)

「So self-taught….. It’s definitely suitable for surprise attacks. But that won’t be reliable all the time, would it not be for his sake if we trained him some legitimate swordsmans.h.i.+p?」(Nagare)

What Nagare was hinting at was something Gen’ou already understood. To that, he shook his head.

「If he was an ordinary man, then yes. Compared to the swordsmans.h.i.+p that was refined over a long period of time, self-taught styles tend to have large, unforeseen flaws. That would normally be a weakness with self-taught swordsmen. However, with his high physical abilities, those flaws could be considered feints instead. Even if he does a wide swing and gets countered, he can shrug it off. In fact, I struck at his opening and was viciously countered instead. Since it’s like that, him furthering his self-taught style is well suited for him」(Gen’ou)

「I see, so that’s the case. I have given unneeded advis.e.m.e.nt」(Nagare)

「It’s fine」(Gen’ou)

『There’s no need to teach him anything anyways』(Gen’ou)

Gen’ou perceived that Kousuke was learning through his observation of s.h.i.+zuku. Learning through self-comprehension and experience, it would be more beneficial in the long-run for Kousuke. Gen’ou was convinced that Kousuke’s style of learning was well suited for him.

He had no intention of pressuring Kousuke for “stealing” his family’s style. It’s not like everything was shown to him today.  With and without armor, varied terrain combats, there was a myriad of information not unveiled today.

Imagining how Kousuke would grow with what he learned today, Gen’ou’s excitement to fight him again began leaking out.

Looking forward to the future fight, Gen’ou’s spirit was ignited and shouted for everyone to resume their training.

After was.h.i.+ng himself, Kousuke informed the maid he b.u.mped into in the hall that he and Viare would be leaving soon.

The maid asked him to return to his room for the meantime as she would inform the family head and briskly headed toward the dojo.

Kousuke and Viare finished packing up and awaited the maid’s return.

After twenty minutes, s.h.i.+zuku and Nagare entered the room instead.

「To say you’re already leaving, it’s fine if you stay a bit long you know?」(Nagare)

「We’ve received quite the hospitality already, we do not want to overstay our welcome. Also, the person we’re waiting for should be arriving soon」(Kousuke)

「Oh, I recall you mentioning something like that when we were looking for an inn」(Nagare)

Recalling the events of yesterday, Nagare nodded.

「I understand. I will not hold you back then. At the very least though, please stay for lunch. Master wishes to bid you farewell after that」(Nagare)

「That much is fine」(Kousuke)

Feeling that it wasn’t a big deal, Kousuke consented.

「By the way, s.h.i.+zuku…. -chan? -sama? Ojousama? Why are you here?」(Kousuke)

He asked while being unsure of how to address her. If it was just an invitation to lunch, s.h.i.+zuku’s presence would not be necessary.

「Isn’t it a bit unwise calling a n.o.ble -chan? However, addressing her as Ojousama is pa.s.sable」(Viare)

「Yes, as Viare-san stated, Ojousama is acceptable. As to why s.h.i.+zuku-sama is here… Her training for today was concluded after the morning bout. Since her schedule for the day was opened, she came along in hopes of hearing some stories from you two. s.h.i.+zuku-sama does not have much opportunity to leave the house and ended up growing up somewhat naive and ignorant of the outside world」(Nagare)

s.h.i.+zuku hearing some interesting story was a part of it, but Nagare truly wanted more information about Kousuke.

s.h.i.+zuku originally was only focused on training and held very little interest about everything else. She was constantly surrounded by strong family members and was satisfied with her training environment.

However, after being able to spar with someone strong from outside, it sparked her interest about the outside world, especially strong people.

At Nagare’s request, Kousuke and Viare began talking about their day-to-day life as well as some things that happened on their journey.

s.h.i.+zuku was listening quietly, showing a smile and happily nodding on occasion. It seemed like she was enjoying the stories.

Lunchtime came around quickly and the group moved to the dining room. Since they’re leaving immediately after lunch, Kousuke and Viare had their luggage with them.

The lunch was not Kohma cuisine, but of this continent’s cuisine. It was absolutely delicious, it was easy to guess that the chefs were fired up with this meal.

When they finished lunch, Kousuke and Viare left the house.

Gen’ou, s.h.i.+zuku and Nagare saw them out while the disciples, servants and maids were spectating from afar.

「Please come visit when you have the chance. We’ll be here for the duration of the tournament」(Gen’ou)

「Is that so. I might come by one more time so that I may spar with Gen’ou-sama again. That is, if I can figure out a way to land a hit on you」(Kousuke)

「I’ll look forward to it then」(Gen’ou)

「Let’s spar again too!」(s.h.i.+zuku)

Kousuke nodded back at s.h.i.+zuku and Gen’ou.

Along with Viare, the two bowed toward Gen’ou’s group before turning around to leave.

After three minutes of walking, Viare suddenly sighed as if all her tension vanished. It seemed that she was finally able to relax after leaving a n.o.ble’s home.

Seeing her like this, Kousuke was lost whether to tell her that they’re destination……. was the upper-cla.s.s inn…… In the end, he didn’t mention it. Viare’s break was short-lived as her face grimaced and twitched as if recalling a nightmare.

Kousuke was unable to comfort her so he did the only thing he could do. He slowed his pace to delay their arrival as much as possible. 【TL: GANBARE VIARE-CHAN!】