Fantasy Library.

Chapter 510 The Feeling of Meeting the Parents
On the path leading to Uzuga Academy, an elderly woman, carrying a wooden sword and dressed in an old-fashioned kimono, slowly walked by.

His face was resolute, and his eyes were bright and piercing. Although he was an elderly man, he showed no signs of being hunched over. On the contrary, his legs were strong, his waist and abdomen were straight, and he walked with a vigorous stride. He looked more energetic and imposing than a man in his prime.

Grandpa, what brings you here?

Aize went to greet him with some surprise.

“I guessed you were here, so I came to check on you.” Kurama Genjuro answered while looking Aize up and down. Seeing that Aize seemed to be in good health, he nodded and said, “It seems you’ve had a good time in Suiori.”

Kurama Genjuro had always been thinking about his grandson, but he hadn't had many opportunities to meet him before, and he had many things to take care of, so he couldn't come to see him until now.

"Is the priestess here too? Good morning."

Seeing Yoshino Asagi standing beside Aize, dressed in the same comfortable sportswear as Aize, looking quite well-matched, Genjuro Kurama subtly curled the corners of his mouth before bowing slightly to Yoshino Asagi.

Although Kurama Genjuro is a highly respected elder in Hoori and holds a prominent position, and the current head of the Asabu family, Asabu Yasuharu, is still his relative and junior, the Asabu family's shrine maiden holds a very special position in Hoori. Even he has to pay respects to Asabu Yoshino, who is old enough to be his granddaughter.

Good morning, Mr. Genjuro.

Asagi Yoshino seemed somewhat taken aback, as if she felt embarrassed that the other party had discovered her being with Aize.

Especially since Aize was her nominal fiancé, and this fiancé was also the grandson of Kurama Genjuro, which made Asatake Yoshino feel like she was meeting the parents. If she weren't the shrine maiden of Hoori, she probably would have been nervous.

Little did anyone know that Kurama Genjuro, having lived to such an old age, possessed a keen eye for detail. Even though Asabu Yoshino had tried her best to appear calm, he could still tell that the priestess was somewhat nervous.

At that moment, Kurama Genjuro's gaze towards Asatake Yoshino gradually changed, becoming somewhat like that of someone looking at their granddaughter-in-law.

"How are you? Are you settling in well at the priestess's house?"

Kurama Genjuro asked Aize a question.

"It's alright." Aize scratched his face and shrugged, saying, "I've been here for over a week now, so I should be used to it by now."

"If you encounter any problems, remember to tell me." Kurama Genjuro nodded and said, "I have already made a promise to your parents that I will take good care of your daily life. If you are not comfortable here, I will not be able to explain it to your parents."

Upon hearing this, Yoshino Asagi couldn't help but look at Aizawa.

This issue is also very relevant to her.

After all, Aize is currently living in her house, so if any problems arise, she will inevitably be held responsible.

“I’m not a child anymore.” Aize said nonchalantly, “Even though I’m being taken care of by others, I’m not so bad as to not be able to take care of myself. Grandpa, don’t worry.”

These words made Yoshino Asagi lower her head again.

Although that's what Aize said, the fact that he was seriously injured and almost died because of him was only a recent event.

She had only stayed in Suizhi for about a week when she encountered a life-threatening situation, which was hardly a good thing.

Asatake Yoshino felt ashamed and guilty again, but unfortunately Kurama Genjuro was unaware of this.

Of course, as one of the few people who knew the secrets of Suiori and the Asabu family, Kurama Genjuro could guess that Aize's past week or so had probably not been as easy or reassuring as he had made it out to be.

So, that's what Kurama Genjuro said.

"It seems like it's been a long time since my grandson and I have sparred."

With that, Kurama Genjuro handed the wooden sword he was holding to Aize.

"How about it? How about a long-awaited match?"

Upon hearing this, Aize's eyes lit up.

"it is good!"

Without any hesitation, Aize nodded in agreement.

…………

Pelican College, in front of the school building.

Before school started, the entire Pelican Academy was unusually quiet and deserted, with a sense of desolation permeating the air.

However, at this very moment, in this desolate space, a grandfather and grandson found themselves in a standoff.

The two men, each wielding a wooden sword, faced each other at midsection, their gazes fixed intently on one another, adding an air of chilling menace to the otherwise desolate atmosphere.

"------"

A tense atmosphere immediately filled the air, but it did not affect the grandfather and grandson in the standoff at all. Instead, it made Asagi Yoshino, who was watching from the side, unconsciously swallow.

Looking at Kurama Genjuro standing opposite him, Aize's eyes burned with an unusual intensity, filled with boundless fighting spirit.

Simply because he knew just how strong this elderly man before him truly was.

He was my mentor in swordsmanship, and all my swordsmanship skills were learned from him.

Although he wasn't as naturally gifted as I was, he had practiced swordsmanship since childhood and had survived the turbulent era of samurai, making him a true master of the sword.

At least, Aize had never seen a swordsman stronger than Kurama Genjuro.

In the past, when he was being taught by Genjuro Kurama, Aizawa challenged him many times, or fought against Genjuro Kurama in actual combat training, but he never won.

Yes. Before this, Aize had never defeated Kurama Genjuro.

Even though he was born with extraordinary talent, able to use swords instinctively the moment he grasped them, and had learned the swordsmanship passed down by Kurama Genjuro at an astonishing speed, he had never defeated Kurama Genjuro even once.

The reason is simple: he was too young at that time. Even when he fought Kurama Genjuro for the last time, he was only eleven or twelve years old. In terms of physique, physical fitness, and stamina, he was far behind Kurama Genjuro, who had been training for many years.

No matter how good the skills are, without a good physique, they can't be fully utilized. So even though Aize's swordsmanship skills have amazed Kurama Genjuro, and Kurama Genjuro even admitted that in terms of swordsmanship alone, Aize is no less than him, or even has surpassed him, the difference in basic physical fitness still seriously held him back, causing him to suffer repeated defeats.

That's why Aize was determined to keep exercising, because he didn't want his physical condition to hold him back.

I don't ask to become extremely strong; I only ask that this body can fully utilize the skills I have mastered, and that will be enough.

Now, four or five years later, he has grown into a young man and is facing off against Kurama Genjuro again. His physique, physical strength and stamina are far superior to what they used to be.

Aize was eager to know if he now possessed the strength to defeat Kurama Genjuro.

"Well……"

Under Aize's watchful gaze, Kurama Genjuro maintained his stance, his hand holding the sword extremely steady, his face calm, his eyes sharp, as immovable as a mountain.

Despite being a very old man, Kurama Genjuro's posture remained perfectly still and natural, and his aura was incredibly strong, making his presence seem to expand and giving the illusion that his body was getting bigger and bigger.

If an ordinary person were faced with such a situation, they would probably be scared before the battle even begins.

However, Aize remained calm and composed, his posture perfectly natural. Although his aura and presence were not as strong as Kurama Genjuro's, for some reason, he seemed to be in no way inferior.

He forced him to be strong, and the breeze was blowing on the hills.

Let him be as arrogant as he wants, the bright moon still shines over the great river.

If Kurama Genjuro is an immovable mountain, then Aizawa is a reef constantly being battered by giant waves.

Even as Kurama Genjuro's massive waves crashed against him, he remained undaunted.

"what!"

Finally, the third party between Aize and Kurama Genjuro couldn't help but speak up.

Due to excessive tension, the water bottle slipped from Yoshino Asagi's hand, causing her to instinctively gasp in surprise.

Her exclamation, however, became the signal that broke the standoff and the balance.

"ha!!!"

Kurama Genjuro's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, and he let out a loud shout that seemed to shake the air.

The shout was thunderous, enough to penetrate the heart.

The shout was like fire, enough to scorch flesh.

With a loud shout that seemed to come from nowhere, Kurama Genjuro's aura and presence suddenly swelled to their peak, causing him to take a step forward.

With that one step, the elderly man, as if teleporting, moved with exquisite footwork and appeared right in front of Aize.

"call!"

The wooden sword cleaved through the air.

A fleeting afterimage appeared, accompanied by a whooshing sound.

That was a powerful strike that far surpassed even the strike of the evil god's tentacles merging into the darkness.

This slash, just like the sword-drawing slash Aize unleashed when he instantly killed the evil god, was equally stunning and unparalleled.

Faced with a strike capable of instantly killing a demon god, Aize advanced instead of retreating.

"Snapped!!!"

The ear-piercing sound of impact rang out, and Aize also took a step forward, his wooden sword as light as a feather, meeting the incoming powerful slash from the side and colliding with it.

The sound of wooden swords clashing together made one wonder if the two swords had already broken.

But behind this excessively loud clash, the two fragile wooden swords that collided with each other bounced back simultaneously.

The next moment, Aize, who had deflected Kurama Genjuro's wooden sword, took another step forward, and the wooden sword in his hand slashed at Kurama Genjuro like lightning.

"Snapped!"

Kurama Genjuro immediately parried, blocking the oncoming slash, then twisted his waist and swung his sword, aiming for Aize's shoulder.

"Snapped!"

Not to be outdone, Aize parried the attack as well, and then quickly counterattacked.

"Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!"...

In front of the Pelican Academy's school building, the sound of wooden swords clashing violently against each other rang out incessantly.

(End of this chapter)