Chapter 51: Master
"And… How do you do, Maria?" asked Takeshi.
"Well enough."
'And why the hell should I tell you, idiot? Grandfather has been telling me a lot about you lately. Does he want me to marry you? As if! What a joke, I will never date such a slow-witted buffoon who can only swing a wooden stick. Well, only if you have the stick of the same length in your pants.'
"Everything is very well. By the way, I see that your hand has already healed. That's good."
"Yeah…" smiled Takeshi.
'Was it hard to be without your girlfriend all these days?..'
"…"
I was quietly sitting on the side and listening to their talk. The thoughts that Maria had in the span of it were surprising, to say the least.
Suddenly, the girl turned her face to me and asked:
"Is everything okay… Kiryu?"
'The hell are you staring at me, b*stard?'
"Yes… Yes, everything is alright," I said in a slightly confused voice.
The girl smiled.
Meanwhile in the text bubble…
'Oh, so he's also an idiot. Well, no wonder. These dumb bastards beat each other with wooden sticks day and night. It's harmful to the brain.'
I sighed.
Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head:
'What a cute little girl! By the way, there is a special way of interacting with a Haraguro-type character that can earn you points. Unlike with other named characters, the more she hates you, the more Points you will receive…'
What?
I slightly frowned after hearing Yuji's words.
Then I stealthily looked at Maria.
So… The more I annoy her, the more points I will get? Now that is interesting.
What if I…
Suddenly, I heard the door open behind my back. I turned to face it. Shirogane and Takeshi did the same.
There was an elderly man in a light-blue kimono standing just in front of the door. His hair was greyish and messy. It resembled a steel wire.
I saw that person before… In my dream.
The man walked into the shrine and stopped in the middle of it. Takeshi approached him right away and bowed. Shirogane and I followed his actions.
"Haven't seen you for a long time, Toma. Sorry, I had a lot of stuff to do. How is your hand?"
"Everything is well… Master."
"That's good. Then we can resume your training," said the elder with a smile on his face.
"Yes," Takeshi smiled as well. He seemed excited.
"Good. And these two are our new pupils? Shirogane and… Kiryu, right?"
Shirogane nodded and said his name. I did the same. The elderly man thought for a second and suddenly looked right at me:
"Toma told me a lot about you, Kiryu, in his letters. Especially about your talent. To be honest, he was so enthusiastic about it that I have a hard time believing it. So… How about you show me what you can do by yourself? Let's have a duel," said the man and placed his right hand on the wooden sword that was hanging on his waist.
I answered him calmly:
"Okay," and then used my special eyes on him…
[Name: Tanaka Rokosuke
Str: E-
End: E
Int: B+
SA:
Kendo C (B)
Favorite color: Grey
Favorite music: Traditinal Japanese
Favorite movie: Tokyo Story]…
While I was reading the stuff written in his profile, we walked out of the building into the yard of the shrine. The old man stopped. I positioned myself in front of him and took out my wooden sword.
He unleashed his own weapon in one smooth move.
I sighed.
So… From what I could understand, right now the old man had [C] level of kendo mastery. But that is only because he is so old. In his prime, he had [B].
Which is scary… Even with [C] level, you surpass normal human abilities, and [B] should be much stronger…
Anyway, I have no time to think about that stuff.
Before I knew it, the old man made a step in my direction. There was only five meters distance between us. I grasped my sword and tried to approach him.
Then, I felt a sharp wind on my face.
I jumped away.
Something… Something happened, but I could not understand what exactly.
The old man in front of me smiled and lowered his sword.
I saw some black hair fall down from it.
It was my hair.
Ah… So that's what happened… I was cut, but not by the sword. I was cut by the sharp wind that was raised by its swing.
It was my loss.
The old man smiled and scratched his beard:
"Very well," he said, and then added to explain what exactly was 'well' about my display:
"You're fast, Kiryu… And have good reflexes. Your eyesight is also quite sharp… Yes, I think that you are ready!"
"He is? Are you sure, master?" asked Takeshi. There was a surprise in his voice.
"Yes, Toma… The tournament is just around the corner… That is our only hope. We have to teach Kiryu the 'Special Move' of our dojo…"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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