Snow fell like white petals blossoming from the sky as a small crowd gathered inside a countryside arena. A mixture of muffled conversations and scattered cheers filled the place as two warriors stood in the middle of an octagonal stage.
It was obvious the duel was abruptly scheduled since the spectators were only beginning to arrive. However, one could tell that the combatants were worthy of such fame with the arena packing up gradually.
"Oyaji, what's the 'ten percent rule'?..", a young boy watching from the stands asked his father as the announcer just finished discussing the rules of the duel.
"It means that a fighter has lost if his HP goes lower than a tenth of his health..", Kajiya replied to his seven year old son, Seijurou, as two fighters shook each other's hands in the middle of a smaller version of the Octagon. "It prevents them from killing each other."
"But will Mama be alright?"
Kajiya looked at his son's worried face. For those who were not familiar with the two combatants, of course they would worry for the woman going against a fully armored "Samurai" who was twice her size. It was most especially so that she was only clad in a simple cherry kimono. The only other piece of protection she had was her long straight jet black hair that grew down to her waist. And the only weapon she had was a gorgeous smile that could make everyone in the arena blush.
"Well, let's see about that..", Kajiya teased Seijurou, but there was no hint of worry in his face.
Seijurou looked at his father blankly. He thought it was strange for him not to look worried at all with his wife about to be skewered in a formal dress. And what was worse was his mother being unarmed.
"Now, the stakes..", said the announcer, which hushed the crowd. PCs were still coming in to watch the spontaneous spectacle as the crowd waited in anticipation. "The winner of this duel gets a 'drink all you can coupon' in Kurokabuto's pub tonight."
Murmurs and muffled laughter followed after such an announcement.
"Oi, oi, oi.. sometimes I worry about that woman's drinking habit..", whispered Kajiya while he hid his face in his palm.
"..and the title of 'Heir' of the Swordsman..", the announcer added, which got the crowd to erupt in cheers.
Even if a small town arena like that paled in comparison to the one in the city, the loudness of the crowd did not. No one would have ever expected such a high stakes match in a remote place. And never, in anyone's dreams, that Erida Masako, Heiress of the Swordsman, would take on their best warrior, Kurokabuto.
"Oyaji..", Seijurou called as he gently grabbed on his father's clothes. "What's an Heir?"
The continuously amplifying smell of burning material woke Seijurou back to his senses in the present time. He realized that he almost forgot he needed to pound on heated metal as he held a hammer.
But the burning smell kept distracting him. "Oi, oyaji! You're overcooking the ore again."
"It's fine, Seijurou. Let it smelt for a while. I'm experimenting on something..", Kajiya replied while he worked on something else behind the metal smelter.
"Speaking of which, I'll just cook. It's almost dinnertime."
Seijurou then left his blacksmith's apron in the workshop and went to the kitchen to don another. There was another thing Seijurou was good at, cooking. Earlier that day, Chizuru pointed out that Seijurou is good at creating things, and making food is one of them. However, something bothered him while he diced the herbs with the speed of light.
"This is completely and utterly unrelated to battle..", he thought. And he also lamented about what he would do the following day at school basing on the events that just happened previously.
"The Heiress of the Swordmaiden..", Seijurou whispered to himself as images of a girl he spent time with just a few hours prior flooded his thoughts. "What a troublesome title.."
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The sun continued to set marking the end of the first day of school. The sky turned orange for the first time in a long time indicating winter was truly over. The pinkish hue of the cherry blossoms that fell everywhere became irrelevant as the world darkened.
"It looks like a big ball of fire being extinguished by the sea..", Satsuki thought while she watched the sunset on her home's roof. She was eating a barbecue with one hand and held another with the other. "Phew! What a day."
Even in thought, Kinjou Satsuki sounded exhausted. Although her usual cheerful persona was not a front but her true self, it was still very tiring to keep it up. She knew in herself she was carrying a very heavy burden inside. And she just got reminded harshly again that day.
"Heiress, huh?..", she mumbled to herself as she took a bite from her second barbecue. "What would you have done, Masako-sensei?"
It was already almost five years ago when Satsuki met her master for the first time. However, the memory remained fresh in her thoughts.
It was when the eleven year old Kinjou Satsuki hid behind her mother while her father talked to an indescribably beautiful woman clad in a black and red "yoroi". Her straight black hair was tied in a bun, but a few loose strands accentuated her beauty even more from both sides of her face.
As the warrior noticed Satsuki, she smiled at the child, which made her flush a little. Satsuki wondered how such a stunning woman became a formidable warrior.
Satsuki smiled to herself. She had dreamed of becoming a strong fighter before, but upon meeting Erida Masako and learning about her, it marked the first time she understood the meaning of ambition.
"Hello, darling. My name is Masako. What's your name?..", Masako asked as she bent down and smiled at the little redheaded girl.
Acting shyly at first since her parents left her to talk with a stranger, Satsuki squirmed and flustered. "Satsuki.."
"What a beautiful name, Satsuki-shoujo. From today, I will be your sensei. Is that alright?"
Satsuki continued to look down and squirm. She flushed red even more, but she threw all doubts aside and brought her courage in front to face her new teacher. "I want to be like you, sensei.. but I'm weak! Please teach me to be a Swordmaiden."
Even with a few tear drops threatening to leave the child's round eyes, Masako could not help but be satisfied with the resolve Satsuki was showing. She finally concluded she picked the right one to be her Heiress. "Satsuki-shoujo.. even the greatest swordsmen started out with nothing. But don't fret. Every great teacher in the past had been surpassed by their students."
"Satsuki!..", a woman's voice called out from downstairs, bringing Satsuki back to reality. It was her mother. "Are you doing your homework?"
"Yes, kaa-chan!..", lied Satsuki with sweat rolling down her head. "Is dinner ready? I'll be down in a minute."
"Eh?! You just had barbecue!"
Satsuki giggled sheepishly. "Well, you know me!"
The sky was already painted with the hue of red and orange. It was almost dark, but Satsuki continued to look towards the sea where the sun set. The horizon was still a little bright, meaning the sun was still hiding behind the wall of blue.
"You're the greatest teacher who ever lived, sensei. I promise.. I will surpass you..", Satsuki whispered as a tear fell from her cheeks.
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After a few days of constantly barely making it out of class, Seijurou decided to skip his after school library session and went straight home. Feeling really down, he realized reading books and analyzing battle situations did not matter. It was slowly becoming a fact that if he did not have the affinity for fighting, he would not garner high grades in school like he used to.
The series of events had been a totally embarrassing experience for a proud introvert like Seijurou. No matter how high he put himself in his own world, FSG just brutally brought him back to earth.
Knowing about the parts of a bow, and how to properly shoot an arrow with it, meant nothing if his body did not cooperate. Truly, it was easier said than done as he thought with him missing all the targets completely the other day came into mind.
Seijurou was definitely familiar with the weight and the structure of a sword with him helping his father make one everyday. But again, he realized that it meant nothing if he could not even swing it during class. "It's just too heavy.."
Every single time he made ridiculous feats of failure during practical classes was followed by laughter. Seijurou knew in himself this was not particularly new since he had been teased and bullied as an "otaku" before. But the level of embarrassment was enough for him to simply walk out of it in shame. It was something that happened to him for the first time in a class setting after all.
"Good. You really are still awake..", said Satsuki on a call from Seijurou's "console command" one night.
"Next time, I'll keep my 'status' private..", answered Seijurou blankly. "Why're you calling so late?"
"You know.. I'm just wondering how you're able to strategize for hours on end with your game plan for surviving another day at school."
Seijurou almost popped a vein in irritation. "I'm not doing that!"
Satsuki laughed out loud. "Gotcha, didn't I?"
"Is that all? I'm going to sleep."
Satsuki continued to giggle, but she stopped after a few moments. "Anyway.. did you see that giant bird that went through town today?"
"It was an 'Ostremu', a flightless bird able to carry twice the weight of what a horse can. What about it?"
"Nothing.. it just amazes me that such a creature exists. I'd like to ride one someday."
Seijurou was annoyed by Satsuki most of the time with her teasing antics. However, there were also times her childish positivity made him smile. For some reason, his doubts about himself were slowly diminishing.
"Hey, Erida-kun..", said Satsuki, which was almost a whisper.
"Yeah?"
"Are you watching my duel tomorrow?"
As if all the annoyances started returning again, Seijurou sighed. "No."
"I knew you'd say that..", replied Satsuki with a giggle.
A few moments of silence came after that. Although the quietness was never really an awkward situation between the two, Satsuki had the tendency to break it anyway. "You're worried about me, aren't you?"
Seijurou popped another vein and bursted into a somewhat angry fit while he blushed madly. "No, I'm not! Why would I be?!"
And that made Satsuki laugh again. "I knew it..", she said in between her laughs, which got Seijurou even more heated. "But anyway, I just wanna say don't sweat the small stuff. Go to bed. Bye, bye!"
Before Seijurou had any chance to answer, the line was cut already by Satsuki. "Really?! That girl."
However somehow, Seijurou felt lighter inside and the first few hints of drowsiness were beginning to come upon him. After a while, he decided to send her a message instead. "What time is your duel again?"
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A flash of light going through the window, and the sound of hooves smashing on the road, woke Seijurou up first thing in the morning. He immediately panicked thinking it was bright outside already. He was very late. He just simply grabbed his glasses and went straight to his mother's dojo.
"Mama's going to kill me..", he said to himself. "Good thing I slept with decent clothes on."
Luckily for him, no one was at the dojo yet. He began with opening the windows and brooming the floor. After that, he began reading on his mother's teaching's basic principles.
"Seijurou..", a woman's voice called suddenly.
A big smile reaching the ears filled Seijurou's expression as a familiar face came into view. Without a moment's notice, he ran towards his mother's arms. The cold emanated from his mother's metallic armor, but ironically, nothing compared to the warmth of a mother's embrace.
Seijurou's mother, Erida Masako, just came back from a months-long quest. And upon peeping through his mother's squeeze, he realized his mother did not come back alone.
A redheaded girl about the same age as Seijurou hid behind the wall just outside the entrance. The moment they made eye contact, the girl smiled brightly and waved at him. But he just frowned skeptically.
"Mama, who's that..?", asked Seijurou.
Masako looked back and called gently for the little girl with her hand. "Seijurou, this is Kinjou Satsuki. She will be my apprentice from now on."
"Nice to meet ya!..", Satsuki said cheerfully as she offered her hand.
Seijurou shook her hand but still with a skeptical expression.
"She's very special, Seijurou..", Masako added as she knelt down to face her son eye to eye with a smile. "From now on.. she's under your protection too. Is that alright?"
Without batting an eye, Seijurou nodded. Then, he proceeded to look at Satsuki next. "Hear that Kinjou, I'm your boss now, so you follow the rules.. understood?"
The redheaded child simply flashed him with an eyeless smile. "Okay."
Seijurou just blushed and pouted as he looked away.
That woke him up for a start. It was a good half hour before Seijurou's alarm would wreak havoc upon peace and quiet. The sun had not risen yet, and the stars were still visible. Carriages from all over the land were just starting to arrive, and only newspaper couriers were on the street.
"Why am I dreaming about the past now?..", he asked himself.
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It was certainly a good thing that Satsuki called him up to lift his spirits up because practical class was going to be harsher that day. It was the time when he had to make an important decision about something he continuously avoided.
"None of your preliminary marks show any promise, so far..", said Colonel Hayama, the practical class instructor during the consultation period. He sighed in frustration as he looked at Seijurou's grades. "Melee combat, projectile handling, spell casting, sneak attacks.. they're all below average."
Hayama stared at Seijurou. He could not distinguish if he felt disbelief or pity at that moment.
"Sorry to say this, but you're in high school already, Erida-san..", Hayama continued. "You should be at least good at something. How are we supposed to determine your 'Build' now?"
Seijurou's teacher's question resounded repetitively in his thoughts while he sat and waited for Satsuki's duel. It was as noisy as ever being in the stands, but it was only Hayama-sensei's voice he could hear.
"You're worried about Satsu-chan, aren't you?..", Chizuru asked as she noticed Seijurou's disturbed expression.
The consultation with his teacher earlier definitely gave Seijurou a headache, but Chizuru's words just reminded him of another dilemma.
"Satsu-chan's cute, isn't she?..", Chizuru asked, which sort of surprised Seijurou to a flush. "Do you like her?"
For some reason, Seijurou just stared at his best friend wide eyed and did not answer.
"But you can just forget it, Seijurou. Jax likes her, and she seems to like him back..", Chizuru added with a playful tone. "You're asking for more trouble if you make a move."
The introduction of the two duelists interrupted the two as the spectators cheered. Since the first day, the number of duels increased, thus having multiple matches in a day. The duel between Kinjou Satsuki and Kuronuma Haguro was the last and main event.
"From the blue corner and this duel's challenger..", the announcer began the introduction. "With forty six wins and a single defeat.. a senior.. the guildmaster of the Junior Warrior's Guild.. and the Helm's Right Hand of FSG's Round Table.. it is my honor to introduce to you.. 'Black Blade', Kuronuma Haguro!"
The crowd cheered for their beloved swordsman as Satsuki waited for her turn to be introduced.
"And from the red corner..", the announcer continued as he looked towards the other side. "With her first duel looking to add on to the name she had already made.."
Satsuki looked at her opponent while she stayed in the dark. Her opponent truly looked formidable in that full black samurai armor topped with a "kabuto". Comparing that to her outfit, which was composed of a short scarlet "yukata", and some bits of black samurai armor covering her shins, arms and shoulders, she was practically naked.
She closed her eyes and thought of the fondest memory she had with her master. It was a ritual she had done before every battle she had been in. It was the last time she saw her, and that was barely two years ago.
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"I might be gone longer this time, Seijurou..", Masako said to his son. Then, she chuckled at herself. "It's quite a huge quest, you know."
"I understand, Mama. I'll take care of the dojo like always..", Seijurou replied confidently.
Masako smiled at his son's answer. Shortly after, she shifted her attention towards Satsuki and hugged her tightly. She whispered after that. "I'm so proud of what you've become, Satsuki-shoujo. Keep getting better, alright?"
For some reason, tears fell from Satsuki's eyes. She could not understand why, but a deep pain began to emerge from her chest. She embraced her teacher and just sobbed uncontrollably.
Masako then released her embrace and kept her hands on Satsuki's shoulders. She looked at her and smiled pleasantly as always. "I know it's a lot of trouble.. but can you please look after Seijurou too?"
Satsuki just nodded as she could not talk while she continued to cry.
"Eh? Kinjou, you're being weird..", Seijurou said in confusion as he stared at his sobbing friend. He was about to say something again, but his mother suddenly hugged him tightly.
"Seijurou, no matter what.. always remember that you are my pride and joy..", Masako said to his son as she buried her face in her son's chest. Suddenly, she cried.
"Okay.. Mama, you're being weird too. What's this suddenly?"
"Remember, oyaji's busy at the forge. You're the man of the house..", said Masako in between her sobs. "She's very special, but she's still young. Protect Satsuki, alright?"
Seijurou nodded and smirked playfully at her mother as they released the embrace momentarily. After that, Masako called Satsuki to come closer so that she could embrace them both. "Always look after each other, alright?"
"..a freshman but with great prestige already.. it is with great pride that I introduce to you..", the Octagon's announcer carried on, bringing Satsuki back to the present. "The Heiress of the Swordsmaiden herself, Kinjou Satsuki!"
The crowd erupted in hysteria the moment Satsuki made her first appearance in the Octagon. Expectations were clearly high from her, and she had no plans to disappoint. Contrary to her usual childlike expression, she wore a more serious one with an unrecognizable but insurmountable resolve.
"What the hell is up with that look, Kinjou?..", Seijurou whispered to himself. And then again, his thoughts wandered back to pracical class again.
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"Today, we'll be discussing 'Builds'..", Hayama-sensei lectured earlier that day. "Simple.. they're unique jobs that fall under the four hero classes and the support class.
"One such example is the 'Cavalry Ranger Build'. If one's job specializes in riding horses and shooting arrows with a bow.. then we're talking about the said 'Build'..
"However, if that 'Build' falls under one of the hero classes.. and that one happened to be the best player character of that specific 'Build', his or her status elevates as a 'Hero'.. meaning you don't have to call that one, 'Cavalry Ranger Build', all the time because he becomes 'The Cavalry Ranger'.."
Hayama paused for a while and looked at each student. He walked towards Satsuki. "But there is another player character status left unmentioned. And fortunately, we have one here herself who can elaborate more on her position."
Satsuki stared at Hayama in confusion as he stopped to look and pertain to her. "Kinjou-san, what is an 'Heir'?"
"Eh.. um.. I guess someone with big responsibility?..", Satsuki answered cluelessly and giggled. "Whoops.. I think I got a little weird there."
Muffled laughter resounded in the classroom. Seijurou could not help but smirk as well.
The first clash of steel blasted Seijurou back to the present from his past recalling. It was an immediate attack by Kuronuma, which Satsuki efficiently parried.
However, it was not like Jax's fight where one was a continuous aggressor. A duel between two sword fighters meant seeing intermittent swift exchanges. As seen in Satsuki and Kuronuma's duel, they clashed and backed down every now and then.
"Amazing.. I could barely see anything..", Chizuru commented in awe.
However, Seijurou knew better. It looked exactly how the first duel he ever watched unfolded, his mother's fight in a remote town. Just like how Kuronuma attacked Satsuki, his mother's opponent back then, Kurokabuto, charged and slashed intermittently towards the unarmed "Heiress", but kept hitting nothing but air.
'The 'Heir', or 'Heiress' in your case, Kinjou-san, is presumed to be the best of the next generation of your specific 'Build'..', Hayama's words reverberated inside Seijurou's mind while the duel on stage raged on.
Sparks flew this time around as katanas clashed with each other again. Satsuki was at the edge of the octagonal platform, threatening to fall off.
"That's a pretty outfit, Kinjou-chan..", taunted Kuronuma while they locked weapons.
"Thanks senpai! I like to keep it light, so I can move..", replied Satsuki as she rolled back in position towards the middle.
"Then stop dodging and attack for once!"
With both excitement and worry, Chizuru suddenly found herself standing to cheer for Satsuki. However, Seijurou immediately pulled her down.
"What'd you do that for?!..", Chizuru exclaimed.
"You're embarrassing. Sit down..", Seijurou answered, but he also found himself at the edge of his seat.
"I can't help it! She looks like she's losing!"
"Actually..", Seijurou answered as the clash of steel went on. "It's the opposite. She's just been dodging and blocking the whole time."
Right on cue, Satsuki rolled backwards to distance herself. She then positioned herself back with her sword up.
"She should seriously stop rolling like that while wearing something so short..", remarked Chizuru with a vein threatening to pop. "I could see everything."
"Don't bring it up! I wasn't even thinking about that!..", exclaimed Seijurou as he turned red all over in embarrassment.
The position the duelists were in at that moment brought Seijurou back again to his mother's match from nine years ago. When two swordsmen had finally measured their opponents throughout the duel, the final charge was expected to be next. And it was certainly the case with both Masako and Kurokabuto giving the signal to charge at each other like how Satsuki and Kuronuma were currently doing.
"Kinjou! Stop being annoying and get this over with!..", Seijurou shouted as he stood up surprisingly.
"Seijurou..", awestruck, Chizuru mumbled as she stared at her best friend.
Satsuki heard it. She briefly looked at Seijurou and gave him her usual sheepish smile. It was an unexpected surprise from a formidable warrior who momentarily discarded her seriousness.
Both warriors sheathed their swords without letting go of the handle. They took a step back until finally charging with blinding speed.
Seijurou smiled at the thought of how exactly Satsuki looked like his mother at that moment. It was almost exactly the same thing. He was very young back then, but the memory remained as fresh as ever.
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"Oyaji..", seven year old Seijurou called as he gently grabbed on his father's clothes. "What's an Heir?"
Masako and Kurokabuto charged at each other with inexplicable speed. As they inched closer, Kurokabuto readied unsheathing his sword while he wondered how Masako would finish everything unarmed.
To Kurokabuto's surprise, Masako unsheathed a hidden small sword strapped on her thigh just below her underwear, shattering his katana as they clashed.
"It's pink..", Kajiya mumbled while he blushed madly.
A very confused child frowned at his father while his mother pointed a small sword towards Kurokabuto's neck. It was an underhanded grip.
"As expected. You really are quite something, Masako-senpai..", Kurokabuto said and chuckled while he signalled for the white flag. "I give up. This match is yours."
The crowd cheered loudly again. Their best swordsman build was defeated, but it was quite a spectacle to see. They applauded both combatants in awe.
"Make sure that beer's great, Kuro-kun..", Masako said jokingly. "This made me really thirsty."
Even if his mother was declared winner, Seijurou did not seem satisfied. He continued to look at his father with a squint as if he was waiting for an answer.
Kajiya looked at his son with confusion at first, but he finally realized that he forgot to answer his boy's question. "An 'Heir'? Oh.. simple really."
The shattering noise of broken metal helped Seijurou distinguish the past from present. After mixing himself up with daydreaming of the past, he finally found himself back watching the current duel in front of him.
Both Satsuki and Kuronuma were still holding their weapons, but there was one big difference. Kuronuma was at swordpoint while he held nothing but a hilt.
"I guess it was a little different after all..", Seijurou thought as he reminisced on how his mother's duel ended. "The positioning is slightly different from that duel from nine years before.. but same result nonetheless."
For the first time in a long time, Seijurou smiled genuinely. He watched Satsuki wave to the crowd with her usual childlike grin as he clapped his hands. As they momentarily locked eyes, his father's words echoed in his head.
'The 'Heir'.. or Heiress'.. The one who inherits their master's legacy..'
Translation Notes:
Yoroi - armor in the ancient language (Japanese), however, this story considers it as the Jihon's traditional warrior's armor.
Kabuto - the traditional helm that comes with the yoroi.
Samurai - the military nobility of medieval to early modern Japan. In this story, however, they are treated as the traditional warriors of Jihon.
Katana - the ancient sword of Japan. In this story, however, it is treated as the traditional weapon of Jihonian sword fighters.
Yukata - an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. It appears to have the same definition regarding the real world Japan and this story's Jihon.
Ostremu - a Jihonian NPC which resembles a mix of an Ostrich and an Emu, only that it is several times larger in size.
Honorifics Guide:
-shoujo - a way to address a girl in her youth by an esteemed individual. For example, in this chapter, Masako addresses her heiress, "Satsuki-shoujo". In English, it is directly translated as "young Satsuki".
-san - is the most commonplace honorific and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age.