Another regular morning at Ms. Ayuma's mansion: the annoying chirping of morning birds, the light but burning morning sun, the beautiful sight of pink cherry blossom trees, the endless view of girls, and lastly, the irritating loud voice of Goro Hachiro, the only boy apart from me in Ms. Ayuma's mansion.
Everything about this place is annoying, but I prefer it over life back at the ninja village. Here, I get good food and water for free, neat clothes, a spacious room to myself, a futon, and I train.
I've been training here every day for the past two weeks. With the knowledge of the world I've been reborn into, I think I have the upper hand in terms of information, but one thing still bugs me—the era I was reborn in. It's been two weeks, and I haven't heard a single mention of 'breath styles' or 'breath techniques.' All they teach us here is how to swing swords and strengthen the body.
Sure, I know it's important—it's the basics of swordsmanship—but still, breath styles are what really enhance combat strength. Why is no one talking about it? Unless… it hasn't been discovered yet in this era. That's the only explanation.
"Tatsuya! Do you know why the flower called sunflower is called sunflower? Is it because it's shaped like the sun or because it opens up during the day?"
That stupid question came from Hachiro—but wait, that kind of made sense.
"I don't know, maybe because it opens during the day."
"Right?? Or maybe it's because it's shaped like the sun… what do you think, Nana?"
"It opens to the sun."
The creepy girl with no emotions answered. I was starting to think she was a robot, but she's human—just her face doesn't show it.
As usual, the three of us were heading to the well to get water. This was our morning duty before breakfast, then studies, and after that, training.
It's pretty strict here, but when I remember the privileges, I tend to forget the strictness.
We finally arrived at the well, which was just a stone's throw from the main building. We dropped the buckets, and Hachiro began drawing water and filling them up. I don't know why, but he loves it.
After filling up the buckets, we hoisted them onto our shoulders and made our way back to the main building. I carried two buckets on a long stick balanced on my shoulders, while Nana carried one—not just because she's a girl but because of Hachiro. He carried two buckets on his shoulders and one of Nana's with his hand.
"Nana! Lady Ayuma is looking for you!" one of the girls called out.
I'm so tired of hearing all these feminine voices.
"Let me drop this off first," Nana responded.
"Don't worry about it, Nana. Tatsuya will help you with it, right Tatsuya?"
"..."
I stared at Hachiro in disdain. I swear I wanted to murder this boy.
"Tatsuya?"
"Yeah, I'll help you, Nana. You can go and answer Lady Ayuma."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah, I'm totally sure. I can do it."
I said, my grin was eminent
***
At the dining hall, two trays of food sat in front of me as I calmly ate from both of them.
In front of Hachiro, there was nothing. That was the price he had to pay for using me to fulfill his one-sided romantic desires.
"Say, Tatsuya, did you feel me today?!"
"Mhm, I did."
"I managed to talk to Nana twice this morning. I've finally broken my previous record of once a day. Do you think I can make it three times?"
"My friend…" I placed my hand on his shoulder. "…believe in yourself, and the sky will be your limit."
"Mm, thanks, man! I wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for your wise words. You know, sometimes I get this weird feeling that you're an adult—"
"Right?! I know that too!"
"Oh, here she comes, man."
Nana walked toward us with a cup in her hand, and Hachiro lit up with excitement.
Sigh…
She placed the cup on the table and pushed it toward me.
"This is my appreciation for helping me this morning."
"Mm."
I took the cup. It was green tea.
Instantly, I felt this strange feeling in my stomach. Something was off, but what exactly?
As I stared into the cup, it hit me.
"No, no, it was Hachiro's idea."
I passed the cup back to Nana.
"Mhm… you're right, but—"
"He even carried one of your buckets from the start."
She hesitated before handing the cup to Hachiro, who had been smiling ever since she arrived.
"Thank you for helping me this mor—"
Hachiro snatched the cup and gulped it down in one go.
Nana's expression remained emotionless and unfazed. Normally, that would shock anyone, but her face stayed blank. Truly creepy.
"See you guys at the training hall."
She stood up and left us.
I shrugged and continued eating but asked Hachiro out of concern, "I thought you hated green tea?"
"I really do."
"And you drank the green tea?"
"Yeah, it was from Nana. How could I refuse?"
"So you'll accept anything from Nana, even if it's poison?"
"I would. But this time… this time, I know it was your plan."
I grinned wide.
This was payback for using me for his one-sided romantic pursuits.
***
We arrived at the training hall, where we had most of our one-on-one combat practice.
We sat around the hall, leaving the center open for the sparring sessions.
"Hey, Tatsuya, let's go sit over there."
Hachiro pointed to where Nana was sitting.
Honestly, at this point in my life, I'm not sure which is worse—death or being a third wheel.
Regardless of my inner conflict, I followed Hachiro to sit next to Nana. I'd rather stick with him than sit with any of the other creepy girls who avoided me because of the mark on my hand.
What the fuck do they think I'm going to do to them? I'm an adult in a kid's body, a fucking kid!!! What the fuck can I do with this weak body?
One of the girls stood up and stepped into the center. She was one of the seniors.
"As part of today's activities, we'll have combat training. Yesterday's was between the senior apprentices, and today will be among the juniors."
This was a good chance to test my new abilities. For the past few days, I've been focusing on raising my stats. I've improved quite a bit since arriving, but I know it's still not enough to survive in this world. I need to get stronger.
"Nana and Ta-Tatsuya, come and demonstrate for us."