It's been a few days since the mock battle with Mars.
Today, Shishō told me to come to the hut after class, so I returned to the dorms immediately, then I headed over to Shishō's place.
Actually, the end of the year exam is near, and there are only two days left before the exam.
The exams at Solminati Academy are difficult, no matter how much you improve. If it is a year-end exam, it will be even more difficult.
In particular, I managed to advance with the written exam, so to be honest, I wanted to concentrate on studying for the exam.
Normally, I refrained from training just before the exam and concentrated on the exam, but for some reason, I was reminded by Shishō that I definitely must come today.
"What happened to Shishō? Why I definitely must come? "
I was a little worried about Shishō's circumstances who was reminding me.
Unlike usual, she told me with a serious expression,
"You should come, alright?".
Upon arriving at Shishō's hut, she is drinking tea normally in the hut.
"Oh, did you arrive Nozomu?"
She's the same as usual, always looks excessively exhausted
"Shishō, what's going on? It's about time for my exam, so It'll be bad if I don't prepare for it."
To be clear, it is a serious problem. Now that I've improved my physical strength a little, and now I can use techniques that I couldn't use in battle before. I've expanded my fighting options, but it's still difficult.
"Now, now. Accompany me for today. If you don't accept the invitation from such a beauty, you're not a man."
... What is this person saying ...
"... Shishō. Do you drink alcohol in daytime?"
"That's not the case! Do you even respect your master?"
"I do respect you. Unless Shishō says something with a terrible lie."
"Who is the liar! And when did I say something like that !!!"
Shishō, all liars are saying so.
"Shishō a beauty is, of course, a lie! Well, it's an ex-beauty!"
"... Stop there"
Shishō puts her hand on the katana in the form of a demon. Visible murderous intent rises from her body. Wild birds around the hut fly all at once and flap their wings to get away from this place.
... It's scary. No doubt, Shishō's hair is standing ... Considering her hometown, it should be called Yasha.
But I can't lose. Always throwing petty jokes and Tsukkomi here and there, then release a technique equivalent to a high rank.
She is able to adjust her power for killing or not, but she probably can't adjust it to match the situation at all.
I have to teach her to adjust the power and fight the law of equivalent exchange considerably.
... Otherwise, I will never be able to break out of the idiot woman's circumstances and become the target in everyday life !!
"I am too, always saying something unreasonable. I'm not saying anything, Shishō is always beautiful."
... I could not do it.
... Shishō, please refrain from hitting the katana to my neck with bloodlust.
Then Shishō began to talk about particular things without stopping. The thing about her home country, family, and things since she came to this continent.
She wanted to listen to my story too, so I told her. The thing about my home village, my parents, about Lisa, what happened at the school, when I met Shishō, and what happened after that is hellish training.
Shishō already knew it, but she still wanted to hear it.
She nodded many times and listened happily even though she spoke only for a moment.
... As if to engrave herself so that she would never forget it.
As I was talking, the scenery turned red. It seems that it was evening before I knew it.
Shishō glanced at the scenery and muttered.
"Then, let's start the final training."
=========================================
Shino's POV
Exchange words with Nozomu. The content is very common. Where is your hometown? How about your family? What do you like?
Such a normal conversation. Until now, I haven't had many such conversations. Teaching is about katana, talking is also about katana.
Katana, katana, and katana.
I've only taught him that, and that was the only thing I can do.
So now, he talks about very ordinary stories which are very refreshing, and
I'm very happy that he changes his facial expression when he hears my story.
I thought that I would never exchange words with people like this anymore.
... No, I think I was intentionally avoiding it. Just as Nozomu unknowingly escaped from reality that he was "dumped by his lover," I escaped from reality that I was "betrayed by my family," avoiding people, and halted.
... I'm a fool.
With this, there is no qualification for me to say anything about my disciple....
This guy longed for such a bad teacher. It feels nice to be depended and trusted on.
If I was born decades later ... I'm sure I wanted to live with him.
However, the bond between us is not of a lover but a teacher-disciple.
That's a little disappointing, but there's still one last thing I can leave in his heart.
For me, that's enough. Next... Let's give him something that he can live on with.
=========================================
Nozomu's POV
"Then, do you want to start the last training?"
Shishō spoke those words as if she was going to go.
"Shishō, that's. The last..."
"As I said, this is the last training I can do."
It's the usual easy-going Shishō. In that atmosphere, the next word she said is ...
"That's why! The last training is ... Seriously killing each other with me."
"...He"
I couldn't understand what Shishō was saying.
Kill each other? Me? With Shishō?
"What are you talking about! What do you mean !!"
Shishō stands up in the garden, she prepares the katana in the scabbard.
She is ready for battle already.
"Shishō !! Answer me, Why killing each other without reason? What's the meaning of my visit then? Shishō! !! !! !! "
His mentor's eyes color is changing, and he can feel the heavy courage from her body. She is clearly serious.
I still try to ask Shishō.
"It's obvious! What do you mean by the last !! To kill each other ... What are you thinking !!!"
"..."
She says nothing. She has shown in her actions instead.
When I thought that Shishō's body had shaken for a moment, a fierce murderous intent is struck at me.
The next moment she is already in front of me. The katana that had been put in the scabbard is pulled out by a sudden stance toward my neck.
I roll on the ground to escape. Shishō's katana snarls just above me, but as it is, she shoots a roundhouse kick.
I received the kick with my right arm, but the kick that was strengthened by Qi was so heavy that I was blown away and slammed into a tree.
"Kuhat ... "
Even though I am in pain, I immediately got up with the movements I had learned from my training and regained my posture. Instinctively pulled out the katana and prepared for the next strike.
"Shishō! What on earth do you want to do!"
Shishō said nothing and pointed her katana at me.
Her eyes declared "I have no intention to speak".
... Shishō is always like that. She did not allow any questions during training and declare something unreasonable one-sidedly and let me do double training.
Apparently, she won't tell me anything if I don't fight.
But this time Shishō is obviously strange.
In both the training and the mock battle, she did something that could kill me, but she didn't actually try to kill me.
But now she's piercing me with a dense murderous intent, and She suddenly aiming for my neck. She is obviously coming to kill me.
The appearance of Shishō has blurred again. And murderous intent is released from the side.
I lift my katana with the body strengthening sword technique. The lifted katana miraculously blocked Shishō's katana, but she shoots her slash in rapid succession.
She is slashing, left, right, left, a storm of flowing movements and precision slashing are shot.
I intercept the slash while slightly lowering it. The knees, hips, and arms are all linked without waste, and parry Shishō's katana.
Still overwhelmed. It's the same style of swordsmanship, but the skill, physical ability, and experience are all superior!
Although I tried to resist by withdrawing with a quick dash, Shishō immediately chased and caught up.
Collide each other katana while moving at high speed.
The twilight is gone, and while the darkness enveloped the surroundings, only the trajectory of the katana illuminated by the full moon reflected the existence of the two.
The movements of the two are not the typical straight line, they are moving as clinging while drawing curves with each other.
Qi technique "Instant Move -Curve Dance-"
Deployment of the Qi technique "Instant Move". A technique that links the movement of the knee and the movement of the center of gravity that accompanies it, as well as the movement of the trunk and the movement of the shoulder, enabling complex curve movement in the instantaneous move, that normally can only move in a straight line.
It's easy to say, but in reality, it is required to have strong legs and hips that can completely control the momentum of the instant moves, and the flexibility to link the movements of the whole body without waste.
If you don't have strong legs, you will lose your posture and hit the ground with the momentum of the legs, and if your whole body movements are not linked, you will lose your balance and also hit on the ground.
It is an extremely difficult advanced technique that requires strength and flexibility.
After all, Shishō is still the best at the exchange of blows in "Curve Dance". Instant Move -Curve Dance- is a development of instant move, but its movement speed is still related to the ability of the user.
Shishō's Instant Move -Curve Dance- clearly exceeded that of mine. I gradually became left behind, and finally, I got stopped by Shishō who was ahead of me.
"Sh*t !!"
Although I stopped and had a confrontation with Shishō again, the situation is still overwhelming.
Moreover, Shishō's attack is not limited to swords.
"Ku !!"
After handling the slash, Shishō swings the scabbard with one hand. The scabbard reinforced by Qi can easily break human bones.
Before I knew it, Shishō's attack became a dual-wield which are katana and scabbard. Made it possible to attack even more densely than before, although the power was reduced, this jaw would surely eat me up.
Her way of fighting is a comprehensive fighting technique that blends not only swordsmanship but also scabbard and physique, and this is her original way of fighting.
I also changed my fighting style to dual wield with a scabbard. Judge the intensifying attack of Shishō.
However, I was pushed by the difference in natural ability and skill, and eventually, my interception was not in time, and the blow by the scabbard caught me.
"Gua !!"
Shishō's scabbard hits my upper arm which is holding the scabbard with a dull sound. Fortunately, the bones did not break and the scabbard was retained.
Shishō flashed her katana without missing the gap of my slow movement for a moment.
The interception with katana was not in time, and I managed to dodge by relaxing my body, again Shishō's kick flies again.
Decided that I couldn't avoid it, I jumped back and reduce her kicking power.
By jumping backward, I was flung away and an opening was revealed.
It's like a repeat of the previous exchange, but it's actually different. I whip my aching arm while being blown and put my sword in a scabbard.
The moment I hit on the ground, I took a passive stance and bounced back to get up and send attention to the katana, resulting in extreme compression.
A half-baked technique will not reach Shishō. Due to my circumstances, the number of times I can use it is limited, but I bet on my most reliable technique!
Qi technique "Phantom"
The extremely compressed Qi blade flies at high speed. Shortly after, it landed on Shishō ... it was supposed to be, but the reality is different.
"Na~ !!"
Suddenly there was a bursting sound just halfway between me and Shishō.
The extremely compressed air diffuses and scatters around.
When I saw Shishō, She was swinging the katana in the same posture. I am stunned by the unbelievable situation.
Shishō did not miss such an opportunity.
Shishō roared here with a quick move. I try to intercept in a hurry, but obviously, I can't make it in time. I put the scabbard in the path of the slash, but she ignores the scabbard and swings her katana.
Qi technique "Phantom -Recurrence"
Drew the katana with a reverse trajectory, and tore my body diagonally from the shoulder.