On the way back from Kisshou Dojo.
Akaneko and Masamune, walking next to each other, were a bit more serious.
"...That was pretty intense, although very much something Azami-aneesan would say. Well, her attitude leaves no room for sympathy."
If you are in your late twenties, alone, poor, and unable to make ends meet in your day job, it's not hard to see how you would become like that.
Though Masamune, who seemed to have a personal grudge against the woman, could not possibly feel any sympathy for her, her profile was still somewhat sad as she muttered this.
"Well, this is where I leave."
Masamune departed at a crossroads.
After walking for a while, Akaneko sputtered out a few words.
"Masamune-dono said some harsh things. I felt a little sorry for her."
Is that the difference between the head of the Benzai-style and the heir of the Tobatsu-style ...?
Akaneko, too, is in a position to understand Azami's feelings, and she is probably painfully aware of them.
"...One should try to find meaning in it."
"Meaning? "
"What does it mean for a person to continue Sword-drawing?"
"Continue, Meaning..."
Akaneko put her hand on her chin and pondered.
As she did so, we approached the abandoned building of the Hiroku school dojo.
The answer seems to be still elusive.
Then, as we parted ways, I decided to pass on a hint.
"I suppose it can mean whatever you want it to mean, but there's one thing one must not forget."
"One thing one must not forget? "
"Right."
I nodded, smiled, and spoke.
"If you can't smile, what's the point?"
Akaneko looked a bit puzzled.
Because she is the heir to the Tobatsu-style, she continues to practice Sword-drawing. Perhaps that is what Akaneko was thinking.
That's all very well and good, but... If it doesn't make you smile, there's no point in continuing.
"...If you can't smile, huh?"
Akaneko turned her head down a little and smiled self-deprecatingly.
She seemed convinced.
"I'll see you later."
This is the end of today's session.
Over the course of two days, we visited four schools: Daikoku-style, Benzai-style, Tennan-style, and Kisshou-style.
With no Jyurou-style visit and no Hiroku school at all, there are only two remaining, Tobatsu-style and Miroku-style.
Will the dojo tour end tomorrow? It's kind of emotional.
"...Oh, right."
I forgot one thing.
"Akaneko, do you have a cushion? "
Night.
As expected, a guest visited the abandoned house.
For me, they're the ones I'm most interested in right now.
"Good Evenin', Mistah Second."
He is the head of the Tennan school, Mamushi.
I've been on the island for two days now, and I thought it was about time the rumors reached his ears.
How could a man from a new style not be interested in me, a man from outside the island?
The result ... was that I was glad I had prepared the cushion.
"Hello. May I call you Mamushi? "
"Oaky dokey."
Oh, he even uses slang.
This guy is learning English pretty well.
"So, what can I do for you? "
"There are a lot of things. However, if anything, I would say that it was mainly to look at your face, Mistah Second."
"Well, can I ask you something first? "
"Anytime."
"Who taught you that English?"
I suddenly struck at the heart of the matter.
Mamushi widened his eyes in surprise and leaned in closer to me.
"You just said inglish!? Mistah Second! You know these words!? "
"You were using it without knowing it?"
"Ixactly! These words have been handed down in mai family for generations! "
Hip-hop from his ancestors, huh? That's new.
"And they are also the words that inspired Mee to establish himself as an independent Tennan style! "
"Hip-hop Sword-drawing?"
"No! Hop-hip Sword-drawing! It's mai own original!"
Bullshit, Bullshit.
"Then what, is there literature or something left?"
"Yies! Aii read it and it woke me up to the hip-ho….. hop-hip."
...I see, interesting.
What's more, who was the guy who wrote the literature?
Apparently, there is no concept of "English" in this world. However, English does exist. In other words, the Japanese language, native to this world, also includes some English words. They are simple English words like yes and no, which even most Japanese people know.
And I can see that people here perceive yes/no (hai/iie) in Japanese as being the same as yes/no, their meaning being as affirmative/negative.
That being the case. Whoever wrote the literature that Mamushi learned the English to manipulate words that deviate from the proper norm from ... definitely means that this person knows "English."
In other words – there is a possibility. Of someone like Raspberry Bell, a fellow countryman.
"Do you know who wrote that literature? "
I suppressed my agitation and asked cautiously.
Mamushi nodded deeply and opened his mouth.
"I heard that it was Reikan-sama. He is the founder of the Hiroku school. Long Long Ago, the legend has it that he drifted down to this island in a small boat."
Reikan...Reikan?
I wonder, where have I heard this before...?
"In Kanji, it's written like this."
As I pondered, Mamushi wrote the kanji for Reikan on a piece of paper.
――零環（Rei Kan / Zero Circle）
Zero kan.
Zero.
...
"! ! ! ! "
0k4NN?!!
"I know! I know that guy! "
"Is that so!? "
He was the first Eishou, who dominated the Mobius era with his "Okan style".
My record against him is 29 victories, 4 losses, and 1 draw. I remember all the matches were tough and interesting, although they were largely winnable.
He is an old player with a lot of originality and a famous world ranker.
However, after a certain point, he stopped participating in the games at all, and rumor had it that he might have retired...
"...I didn't expect to find him here."
"Were you looking for him? "
"Well, in a way, yes. O, never mind that, where is Reikan now? "
When I asked, Mamushi looked at me with a puzzled look on his face.
...Wait a second. What did this guy say earlier?
Long Long Ago... didn't he say that?
"The grave is located on the grounds of the Miroku Dojo. That's where he esleeps."
...My bad feeling was right on target.
You're telling me he's dead? Ehh? Hey.
How many years ago, or even decades?
When and how in the world did 0k4NN get here??
"How, how long ago it was?! Tell me! "
"Oh, calm down, siddown, please! Mistah Second! "
"...Sorry, I need to know. How many years ago did Reikan die?"
0k4NN stopped participating, I think, about 8 years before I died.
Yes, it was right around the time when Mobius's third major update introduced [Sword-drawing].
"Instead of saying 'how many years ago,' it would be more appropriate to say, 'how many hundreds of years ago'. Now we have no information other than what we know from the literature. I can't help you, sorry."
Mamushi said apologetically.
...Weird.
The flow of time is strange.
A year in that world is decades in this world...?
"Mamushi, please. I'd like to read that literature. Is there anything we can find out about Reikan? "
"If you'd like, you can find the book that has been passed down in Mee's house .... ahh, but more than that."
"? "
"It would be better to talk to Miroku-sama to get good information."
"Miroku?" You mean the head of the Miroku school?"
"Yes. This is the 20th Miroku-sama. He has presided over the Samurai of this island for generations before the year One Thousand. There must be a record of Reikan-sama, the founder of the Hiroku school."
"All right, just ask Miroku or whoever? "
"Yes. But..."
When he nodded, Mamushi added a few words with a serious expression on his face.
"Be Carefou. Miroku-sama is never in the public eye, but he is said to be number one in terms of his ability."
"...More than the current Bishamon? "
"That's right. There is an unspoken rule that there is one contestant from each school for the Bishamon Tournament, but Miroku has never participated in the tournament in its long history."
"...Ho."
Interesting.
Tomorrow it will be Kenshin Bishamon from Tobatsu-style and Miroku from Miroku-style. In addition, I would like to hear about 0k4NN's story.
That's nice! It'll be a lot of fun.
"Well! Now that we've finished that side of the story, mai question! Of course, you can answer, right? "
"Yeah, yeah."
After that, Mamushi continued to ask me a mountain of curious nonsense, and I spent the rest of the night like that.
In the end, it was really dawn.
Well, it was fun, though.
And so, in the end, I would have to face the last day of this event without getting a wink of sleep――