Time of the appointment.
I was summoned by Anko and arrived at a port in the Land of the Eight Swords.
There, Akaneko was already in sight.
"...Stop making that face. I won't laugh twice."
"..."
"Nfufu, I'm telling you to stop! "
"Yeah, yeah."
I guess the first match of the day was my win.
"Well then. Before I give you back your katana, let's go prove it."
"That's a lot of confidence. How will you prove it? "
"I will show you one at a time right now."
It's simple.
I went to an empty place and showed them, starting with "Soldier Sword-drawing" and doing them in order.
At first, Akaneko looked at me with an impressed "Oh," but... around "Rook Sword-drawing," her expression changed to a pale one.
And by the time I showed "Dragon King Sword-drawing", Akaneko started to look at me with suspicion.
"What kind of cheat did you use?"
"Do you think I can cheat? "
"I see, so you were just teasing me. You, in fact, knew them all along, didn't you? "
"There's no way."
"Then it's some kind of illusion."
"That's even more difficult."
"...You mean you've learned them all? "
She seemed to have a hard time accepting it.
But there's nothing I can do because I have actually learned them all.
"Don't be ridiculous. In one week... in just one week, to learn them all――"
――You're not human.
Akaneko muttered quietly.
There it is, the usual monster treatment. Anyone who is confronted with facts that they don't understand is quick to "make an exception" by calling you a monster. As if to justify that they are not crazy, that it's the other person that's crazy.
What a pity. Otherwise, it will be like admitting that all the time and effort they have put in over the years has been "wasted". So, in order to protect their own tiny little tower of sand, they try desperately to drive away monsters like me by making them look like the bad guys.
"Hey, don't take this the wrong way."
I don't know how to feel about it, but it makes me angry.
Wasted? What a stupid thing to say. It's like Mobius, all over again. What used to take "1,000" of my energy to do, suddenly becomes only "1" one day. The same was true just the other day when I learned "Dragon King Sword-drawing". Convenient shortcuts are usually only found when you look back on the way you came.
The only time you can truly think from the bottom of your heart "It's a waste" is when you have squandered your life.
"Things are just getting started for you. Those who cannot stand their ground at this point will stay that way for the rest of their lives. If that's what you want, go ahead and shit yourself, complaining about the absurdity of it all."
"What the hell...!? "
"I don't care what you think, but this is the reality. You lost the bet. You're going to have to be a big girl and put on the mini-skirt and show me around."
"...Tch."
Akaneko stared at me as if she were trying to avenge her parents' death, then... took three steps closer and offered me the "Arrow of Bonds".
Despite her disapproving look, she seemed to hold fast to her promise.
In the face of facts that could completely overturn her life up to this point, she still kept her promise. She is a very honorable person indeed.
Impressed, I smiled and handed the katana back to Akaneko.
"Oh, and, uh…"
The long-awaited, promised item was handed over.
"Wha, this many!? I'm not a dress-up doll! "
"Take them all. Just wear one piece you like."
"!? I've never seen such a fine fabric..."
"It's rather cold, so I don't mind if you wear a long skirt on this occasion. You're very pretty and I'm sure you'll look great. I chose a color that would accentuate your long black hair."
"You're just teasing me....! "
Akaneko, who received my gift that filled both of her hands, had a very complicated expression on her face.
She seemed to be happy? Well, most importantly.
Well, now that we're done with the main topic, no... now that we're done with the small stuff, let's get down to the main topic.
"Show me around the Island of, or rather the Land of the Eight Swords. I leave it up to you to decide in what order to go around."
＊ ＊ ＊
"The sun is already setting for the day. Can we do it tomorrow morning? "
"I don't mind. But what should I do? "
"You want me to tell you to go home? Don't worry, I can at least find a place for you to spend the night."
"You are too kind."
"Who do you think is the reason I'm going through all this trouble? "
"...Your father? "
"It's your fault, of course!! "
...He is a total jerk.
I hate these kinds of frivolous men the most.
Hence, why I think like this. I wanted to see this man's calm and composed expression crumble away.
I don't know how in the world he learned all the Sword-drawing skills in a week by whatever means, but... this man still doesn't know.
That this island, this country... is a Shura-infested hell, a land of bloodthirsty demons.
I don't want him to get carried away just because he has learned Sword-drawing.
I, for example, learned everything at eleven. I stepped into a place of death where my hair stood on end, and spent day and night in a tepid asceticism that even the kilns of hell were lukewarm. As a person who will one day carry the 『Tobatsu-style』 reputation――
"Here we are. Here you can take shelter from the night winds."
"Quite a regal house. What is this place? "
"It is where the founder of the Hiroku style once lived."
"The Hiroku-style? "
"The school was founded by outsiders who arrived on the island in small boats a long time ago. Now only the legend remains. It's just an empty house that no one uses or even tries to get close to."
"Hee. Perfect for me, huh? "
"Indeed. In terms of being an outsider."
And...so too will be the end as a tragic death. This was the fate of every outsider.
"I'll visit again tomorrow morning."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"...Hmm."
The more I think about him, the weirder he seemed.
What in the world brought him to the Land of the Eight Swords? He said it was to learn Sword-drawing, but he has already achieved that goal.
I don't know. I don't understand anything.
Was it my katana that he was after? Perhaps he replaced it with a fake one...?
"...I guess I'm overthinking it."
From the looks of it, my katana was definitely the real thing. On the contrary, it is even sharper than when I gave it to him. It's really very carefully cared for.
He knows how to handle a katana...?
If so, did he still know Sword-drawing all along?
"Huh...? "
Suddenly, it caught my attention.
The grooves in the leather wrapped around the handle. There was a small black lump stuck to them.
"..."
――Blood.
I remember it too. The skin on my hands would peel and bleed as I continued to swing my katana without thinking about it.
Even with such meticulous care, the blood could not be scrubbed off. How much did he bleed? Did he keep swinging the katana while he was bleeding? Perhaps he did not even have time to use a potion and continued swinging, ignoring the pain. Otherwise, this would not have happened. This black hardened blood is proof that he was so devoted to Sword-drawing. Evidence of effort that cannot be falsely claimed.
"Could it be...that guy, really...? "
I changed my mind a little bit.
...But it was short-lived.
"W-w-w-w-wh...! "
The next morning, I opened the gift that the man had given me and saw that it was all very girly, something that would never have suited someone like me.
It would be a lie to say that I was not attracted to such garments.
I had heard from peddlers about a tubular hakama called "skirt" and "one piece" that were popular garments on the mainland, and I had secretly longed for them. I was a 17-year-old girl, and sometimes I wanted to dress in a feminine way.
In addition, they were such fine clothes that most girls would only dream of wearing them at least once in their lifetime. I was no exception to that.
However... when it comes to wearing it and walking outside...
"I'm not! "
Shameful!!
Imagine being seen like this by the people in the dojo! The dignity of the Tobatsu-style heir would fall to the ground!
I roughly picked up the most innocuous long hakama outfit and slipped the sleeves on.
Then... I hesitated again.
If I wore this, what would that man say?
Will he be disappointed? No, that man, he said, even the long ones would look good on me. Perhaps he will compliment me.
Would he still compliment me on the short hakama? Wouldn't he laugh at me saying that it doesn't look good on me?
...No, that man is lewd. I'm sure he will praise me. Yes, that must be so.
Will I ever have another opportunity like this again?
If that's the case, can't I just take this opportunity to blame it on him and wear them boldly...?
...
"～～～! ! Oh, damn it! A promise is a promise! "
I don't know anymore!
I mumbled excuses to no one and fearlessly picked up a short hakama.
＊ ＊ ＊
"The best. I'd like to build a statue of you and pray to you morning, noon, and night."
As I expected, it was perfect.
White kimono, navy blue hakama, large haori, white tabi socks, black snowshoes, long black hair tied in a ponytail, and a rugged katana hanging at her waist.
Above all, the way she hid her reddish face in her hands and shook her head like a boiled octopus was a thing of beauty. If she's aiming for it, this girl can take over the world.
"D-do-don't mess with me."
"Thank you, thank you."
"Seriously, stop praying, you jerk! "
"No, but thank you, regardless of the promise. It took a lot of courage, didn't it? "
"That's obvious! How exhausting do you think it was to just get out of the dojo without anyone spotting me! "
Are you so reluctant to be seen by others? You are quite shy.
But, you know...
"Hey, you're forgetting something, aren't you? You're supposed to show me around the island now, right? "
"...? "
"You're going to be parading around the island dressed like that."
"...Ahh."
She seemed to have noticed.
Her face, which had been bright red, became progressively paler and paler.
"I-I've got to get changed."
"You think I'll let you? "
"..."
Silence.
"...Ha, hahaha... if it comes to this, I'm torn... I don't care anymore..."
A few tens of seconds later. Akaneko finally gave up and muttered with a half-smile as she rolled her eyes.
Nice. Otherwise, it would not be a punishment.
"Now, where will you take me first? "
The preparation is complete, and we are ready to go.
I couldn't hide my excitement and urged her to show me the way.
Then―― Akaneko suddenly lost her previous bright expression and opened her mouth with eyes as sharp as swords.
"...Daikoku-style. First, we will go to the dojo of the school with the largest number of students on the island."