The dark, cold night was accompanied by falling snow. Inside the brightly lit Dojo, Ron stood opposite Kuina, holding a bamboo sword. Koushirou stood nearby with his arms crossed, his gaze mostly focused on Ron.
A boy who seemed younger than Kuina, carrying a famous sword, one of the 21 Great Swords , Raikiri, naturally caught his attention.
Kuina, gripping her sword hilt, looked at Ron's stance and asked, "Is this your first time using a bamboo sword?"
"Yeah, I've handled swords before, but this is the first time with a bamboo one," Ron replied.
Without another word, Kuina's eyes sharpened.
"Come at me!" she said.
Ron wasted no time, charging towards her at a lightning speed.
"So fast!" Kuina and Koushirou were both surprised.
Ron reached Kuina and swung his bamboo sword downwards in an arc toward her head.
Clack!
Kuina quickly raised her bamboo sword to block, but the force numbed her hands, causing her to take two steps back.
"Such strength!" Kuina was shocked.
Koushirou, too, widened his eyes.
"What speed and power! His stance and sword technique are basic, but he can still exert this much strength? What kind of training has this boy gone through to develop such a physique?"
Before Kuina could stabilize herself, Ron swung again.
Clack!
Kuina's bamboo sword flew out of her hands.
"Just two hits, and I've… lost?" she muttered, stunned, falling to the ground in disbelief.
Ron called her name a few times, but she didn't respond. Even after he and Koushirou entered the inner room, Kuina remained in a daze.
After some time passed, a hand rested on her shoulder, accompanied by Koushirou's gentle voice.
"Kuina."
Her eyes began to regain their brightness.
"Father… Father…" she whispered, tears welling up and streaming from her eyes.
"Why? Why have I worked so hard in my sword training, yet I can't get stronger?"
"Kuina, you are already strong. Many adults can't even match you in swordsmanship."
"But I still lost. I couldn't even withstand two strikes. This isn't the strength I want! All my hard training… what was it for?"
Koushirou placed a hand on her head and said seriously, "Kuina, you are strong. I can promise you that all your efforts up to now have been worth it. None of it was in vain!"
"But I still lost."
"That's because your opponent, Ron… is an exception," Koushirou said, his tone changing slightly. "His strength is on a different level from yours."
Kuina raised her tear-filled eyes toward him.
"A different level?"
Koushirou nodded gravely. "Yes. After crossing swords with him, I can clearly feel his power. If your level is 10, his is 50! Even I would have to be serious facing his attacks."
Kuina's eyes widened in disbelief. She knew well her father's strength. Could that boy, Ron, really make her father get serious?
"So, losing to him isn't something to be ashamed of. In fact, the fact that you blocked his first strike is impressive," Koushirou said, patting her shoulder.
"Father…"
"I've decided to let him stay at the Dojo. I'll personally teach him swordsmanship. He will become even stronger."
Koushirou stood up.
"Make him your goal to surpass, Kuina. If you do that, I have no doubt that you'll grow even stronger."
Hearing this, Kuina wiped her tears and her gaze turned determined.
"Father, I understand. I must defeat him. Only then can I become the world's greatest swordsman!"
"Where is he now? I want to challenge him again!"
Her eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
"You can challenge him tomorrow. It's already late today, and I've let him sleep in the storehouse," Koushirou said with a chuckle.
The next morning, as dawn broke, Kuina grabbed two bamboo swords and kicked open the storehouse door.
"Ron, I challenge you again!"
The storehouse was empty, with only neatly folded blankets in sight.
"Where is he?"
After searching the Dojo, she finally heard a noise from the forest behind the Dojo. She found Ron doing three-finger push-ups.
"Three hundred forty-three… Three hundred forty-four… Three hundred forty-five…"
In the snowy forest, the black-haired boy, shirtless, was drenched in sweat. His body was steaming from the heat, and the snow around him had melted into water.
"Hey," Kuina called.
Ron turned his head, glanced at her, then continued his workout.
"Don't scare me by calling out like that," Ron said casually.
"You don't seem startled at all…" Kuina thought, watching him. After a while, she asked, "How long have you been here?"
"Since last night, don't you remember?" Ron replied.
"No, I mean how long have you been working out here?"
"Oh, that. Been here about two hours now," Ron said, sitting down after finishing his push-ups.