Daichi and Hayato were seated outside the house. Daichi had his legs and arms crossed and stared at Hayato with a solemn expression, while Hayato was confused and looked to the sides rather than focusing only on his master.
"Ok. First of all, I need to explain to you how our training will work. I don't want you to come up with false expectations. As soon as you accept that you are going to suffer here, and accept this suffering of course, the more results you will have from all this."
"Sure. Go on."
'The way he is starting this conversation isn't making it any easier for me. I am frightened already. Will he torture me or something?'
"I am not a legendary master who trained several people that raised to be known as the powerful soldiers in our districts. I am not a master at all, actually. So you can take off this fairy tale kind of mentality out of your head, ok? I am just an old man who knows how to beat people up and hate the current government. That's all there is to it."
'Well, this much I could understand. Satoshi was the only person I ever heard talking about Daichi. Besides, when he fought those criminals at the avenue, nobody recognized him, not even the guards. It's safe to say that he isn't a famous person at all.'
Daichi paused for a moment, making sure that Hayato wasn't letting his nervousness take his attention from the conversation.
"That said, I will train you in the way I trained back in the day. When I was still a real warrior, you know? During this time we have been together, although isn't that long, I could figure out the things I need to work on you. Actually, you have maybe just one or two reasonable aptitudes needed to become a strong warrior. We need to work on all others you must have.
"Finally, you should be conscious of how much pain you will need to go through to learn with me. I won't be soft nor have any mercy with you. If you cannot be polished through pain and effort, then you are not suited for this. In case that's how it is, I will ask you politely to fuck off. Understood?"
Hayato nodded his head.
Daichi seemed satisfied for the time being, so he got up while taking two wooden swords lying beside him on the ground.
"Besides physical training, I will need to hone you mentally, too. Being a warrior is all about mentality, about how you react to the world around you", as he spoke, he threw the fake weapon to Hayato who let it fall to the ground, unable to catch it in the air.
Daichi nearly laughed at Hayato's clumsiness, but held back not to mess with his current severe demeanor.
"W-While the physical training can be done here, I need... special ways to hone your mind. You will find out about this 'mentality training' after you can hit me at least one time with this wooden sword. We don't have a time limit here, so we can go on for days until you accomplish it. Use your own intelligence, Hayato."
Daichi brandished the wooden sword in front of his body as if telling Hayato to come at him.
'Hm? Have we already started? Ok, then. I don't think I will be able to hit him so soon as he is the same guy who dodged bullets back on that avenue. However, if I can become the type of warrior who can hit someone like him, I feel like I can hit pretty much anyone.
'Anyhow, he said I have the entire day. I can just keep trying until I am tired of it!'
Hayato took an awkward fighting stance. He cast a helpless look toward Daichi, waiting for him to correct his posture, the position of the sword, or something like that. However, Daichi didn't utter a single word, he just kept prepared for Hayato's onslaught.
'Well, ok, then!'
Hayato dashed forward straight, he nearly stumbled in the way, though.
'Damn it! It's a bit strange, running while holding this heavy thing.'
However, the boy kept pushing forward. Daichi didn't move nor commented on his stumbling.
Hayato approached more and more, but then a question appeared in his mind.
'Wait, but what is the range? When should I swi-'
Hayato felt something on his head. A wave of pain traveled from the tip of his hair to the sole of his feet. Everything went black, his body turned off and fell to the ground like a rag doll.
Daichi turned to Hina, who was seated on the veranda of the house. Her face was nonchalant.
"He is done for. Wanna come already? I think you should practice fighting, too, although I have another type of training for you."
She stared at Hayato for some seconds. It was hard to tell what was going on in her mind.
Finally, she nodded and ran to get the wooden sword.
"Get ready. I will put him on the bed."
****
Hayato was dreaming. This time, it was not the crazy dream he had before, seated on a field of white grass. It was a normal dream.
He was training with Daichi. As simple as that.
In his dream, however, even when he was sure that his sword reached Daichi, it wouldn't even graze him as if Hayato's sense of space was all messed up.
After "dodging" a few attacks, Daichi decided to counterattack. Hayato received a hit on the head so strong that it exploded.
He opened his eyes subtly, startled. Unwillingly, he yelled from despair.
While panting and trembling, Hayato looked to the sides as he put both hands on his head, which made him twitch in pain for he had a huge head bump.
He noticed that Hina was beside him, seated on a chair. Both her hands were resting on her lap. She had a serene expression.
"Ah... sorry, Hina. I had a nightmare" he facepalmed while sighing.
Hina touched his shoulder, making him look at her. Now, her serene expression was replaced by a smile.
She pointed at him, then simulated someone sleeping using her hands as a pillow.
"Me sleeping?"
She nodded.
"What's with it?"
Hina thought about how to tell him what she wanted. After a while, she had an idea.
She formed a circle above her head with both hands while giggling in her own strange way.
"An angel?" Hayato mumbled, not getting it at first, but then blushing.
"A-Ah... Thank you, I guess?"
Hina giggled again at his reaction.
'Did she really mean this? I don't think I look so good when sleeping. My hair is all messy, too.'
"A-Anyway, I got beaten up didn't I?"
"Hm."
"With one blow..." he lowered his head, feeling like a loser.
"Hm", her quick confirmation only made him feel worse. It meant that she saw what happened.
"For how long did I stay unconscious?"
She raised two fingers.
"Two hours, huh? Daichi surely is strong. Where is he now, by the way?"
Hina pointed to the window of the bedroom. Hayato got up and approached the window, looking out there.
Daichi was seated on the grass, still holding the wooden sword. He was doing nothing in particular.
"I-Is he waiting for me?"
Hina nodded. She pointed at the sun, which was visible from there. Then, she traced a line to the horizon.
"Sunset? Ah, you mean... he will be there the entire day? He meant what he said before?"
She nodded.
Hayato sighed.
"Well, I better get going then. Maybe he has something different to teach me... I just hope he doesn't beat me up like that again."
Hayato was starting to find that idea of training too... damaging.
Hina grabbed him by the bar of his shirt as he turned to the door of the bedroom. When he looked at her, she shook her head violently.
"Hm? Why not?"
She pointed at the bed.
"I am a little bit dizzy, but I can walk, you know? Besides, I bet that it would be good to hear a thing or two from him. I can get some more rest at night."
Hina shook her head again and insisted on pointing to the bed, but Hayato didn't mind it. He gently put her hands away with a smile on his face and left the bedroom.
'Well, it's good to have a beautiful woman worrying about me, I guess. It's something kinda ordinary but I am satisfied with it... Anyway, I shouldn't think about such silly things. The fact is that I got knocked out with one hit. I probably made many, many mistakes.'
Hayato exited the house and headed to the place where Daichi was seated. For some reason, Hina's insistence started to seem suspicious as he approached his master. His heart got filled with uneasiness all of a sudden.
"D-Daichi?"
The man had his eyes closed, enjoying the breeze. He, then, opened them and looked at Hayato from top to bottom.
"Feeling better? A hit directly to the head is dangerous. Serious harm, you know?"
"Hmm... well, I can walk. I feel a little bit dizzy, but as long as I keep moving I am starting to feel better and better."
Daichi nodded.
"Good. Take the sword", he pointed to the wooden sword lying on the ground on Hayato's right.
"W-What? Why?"
Daichi got up and brandished his own weapon.
"Go grab it", behind the white mask, his eyes were serious.
"B-but..."
"Go grab it. Now."