The Ishin Dojo is located outside of Shuangyue Village, nestled among rice fields arranged like a chessboard, where a courtyard made of green bricks and white tiles stands, creating an artistic and tranquil view from afar.
The courtyard has a Japanese-style design, with a wall surrounding it, protecting it from the outside world. From within, the sounds of organized chants can be faintly heard.
William and his group are not the first batch of young people to come here seeking to learn the sword; they probably won't be the last either. The four of them dutifully presented themselves and were led by a middle-aged man, dressed in a kimono with a full beard, to the largest building in the courtyard.
This is a spacious hall, where more than ten children, dressed in training outfits, are wielding bamboo swords under the instruction of the hall's only elderly member, repeating basic sword movements in an orderly fashion.
However, as expected, they are all children. When William and his group entered the hall, the kids, who had been training hard moments before, became distracted upon seeing four outsiders enter.
Aramis's eyes had been spinning since they entered the courtyard, constantly scanning the surroundings. Upon seeing the unattractive green training uniforms worn by the dojo students, he disapproved and clicked his tongue.
The one leading the training of the children is the dojo's master, Koushirou. He is tall, dressed simply in a kimono. This loose attire makes his frame appear somewhat slender, and with his round glasses and long black hair tied in a ponytail, he seems more like a cultured middle-aged man than a swordsmanship teacher.
Koushirou wasn't angry at the children's lack of focus. After the bearded man explained William's purpose of visit, he instructed the children to take a break.
These unruly children, who had been eyeing William and the others, immediately cheered when they heard the break and dashed off in a blink of an eye, leaving only two curious ones who stayed outside the door, peeking in.
Koushirou paid no attention to them and carefully observed William and his group. William, too, was quietly observing him in return.
Koushirou appeared very friendly, always smiling, and perhaps due to his nearsightedness, his eyes were habitually squinting. Maybe because of previous biases, William didn't find him simple.
However, no matter how complex Koushirou may be, he couldn't see through William's true nature as a time traveler. He didn't treat him differently, nor did he bow to him. He simply observed the calluses on their hands and asked whether they had any swordsmanship experience.
Gin, Aramis, and Valon had previously relied on street fighting and practical combat experience for battles, and after gathering around William, they learned some practical sword techniques, but none of them could even be called beginners.
William had indeed received some proper sword training, but unfortunately, the previous owner of his body didn't take it seriously. Still, it laid some basic foundation, so he didn't need to start from scratch when learning swordsmanship.
These details couldn't be hidden if Koushirou was a swordsmanship expert, but if he was just an ordinary person, there was no need to hide it. So, William told him the truth. Koushirou didn't seem to care about status or background; he was just trying to figure out where to start with their training.
After a while of conversation, Koushirou asked the group about their situation, and upon learning they were from out of town, he kindly inquired if they wanted to stay at the dojo. However, William politely declined.
The four of them expected to train for a long period here, and William knew that Koushirou wasn't as simple as he appeared. Living at the dojo would mean being under Koushirou's watch all the time, making it inconvenient.
Koushirou dropped the suggestion and let it go.
The four of them, guided by the bearded man, then paid the tuition, took their training uniforms, and were informed about the dojo's usual training schedule and important notes. As it was getting late, they decided to leave, as they needed to find a place to stay.
Once they left the courtyard and saw there were no outsiders around, Valon finally asked the question that had been bothering him: "So that's the dojo master Koushirou? He doesn't really seem like it. He looks more like... like..."
Valon thought for a long time but couldn't find the right word, and it was Aramis who finished his sentence: "Like someone who teaches reading!"
Valon clapped in agreement but soon noticed that neither William, Gin, nor Aramis looked pleased with the comparison.
Aramis said, "Didn't you notice the calluses on his hands? You don't get those just from flipping through books."
Valon fell silent, and the four of them discussed where to stay. Aramis felt their training at the dojo would likely be tough, so the place they stayed had to be comfortable, but Gin thought they should save their money for more important things, as none of them knew how much treasure they might find in Denton.
Valon, who usually had no strong opinions, finally agreed with William's decision, which was a compromise.
William, being someone experienced in dealing with society, and Aramis, the son of a merchant, easily found a role similar to that of a property agent in the village. After agreeing to check out a place the next day, they found a reasonably neat tavern to stay in temporarily.
The next day, the four didn't rush to the dojo. William had already told the bearded man about their need to find a place to stay, so they spent the morning wandering with the agent. In the end, they found a small courtyard on the outskirts of the village. It was a bit remote, far from the bustling dock area, so it was affordable but close enough to the Ishin Dojo, making it perfect for the four of them.
William, not one to haggle over small things, didn't negotiate much and simply paid for it.
After handling all the paperwork and making the courtyard officially theirs, it was already afternoon.
Aramis had originally planned to use the excuse of being busy all day to avoid going to the dojo for training, but one glare from William made him give up.
The four of them went to the dojo, and from a distance, they saw a red-haired boy, about their age, straining his neck as though waiting for someone, staring at the road in front of the main gate.
William initially thought the boy was waiting for someone else, but when they got closer, the red-haired youth didn't move his body, but his head turned halfway to follow their movements, which looked quite funny.
The red-haired boy widened his eyes and remained silent. Just as William and the others were about to pass him and enter the main gate, he cleared his throat loudly on purpose.
William quickly understood what was going on, turned around with a smile, and extended his right hand: "I'm William. I guess Koushirou-sensei told you to wait for us here?"
The red-haired boy grinned and stepped forward to shake William's hand: "Edmond. You guessed right. The teacher asked me to help you learn some basic swordsmanship over the next little while... By the way, are you pirates?"
The atmosphere froze instantly.
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