Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Finally, Harunobu broke the mysteriously awkward situation by giving the order: "Alright, Sachiko, you take charge of Nana and the others. Yoko, let me see how far you've progressed with your Dragon Nest Flash. Hosei, you try to get into the zone on your own first."

"Yes! Normal!"

The now perfectly synchronized responses echoed through the dojo. Saten Yoko released Hanazawa Nana and conveyed her warning with a sharp look in her eyes.

Hanazawa Nana received a warning and changed her lines: "Hey, Hosho-kun, were you sent here by Hosho-gaku to sue for peace? I heard that samurai used to do this all the time, but don't worry, my teacher is very good..."

The nonsensical voice gradually subsided as the surrounding air suddenly became quiet, giving her a bad feeling. She peeked around cautiously, but no matter which direction or person she looked at, she could only see a gaze fixed directly on her.

Just as she was about to go to the changing room to change, Saten Yoko stopped and took a deep, deep, deep breath: "Hana! Sawa! Nana!"

Chapter 55: A Letter from My Hometown

As Hanazawa Nana let out a pitiful wail, the awkward dojo was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere. Of course, beneath this joy, there were perhaps some undercurrents...

Harunobu decided to go see who was knocking on the doorbell first—the doorbell of the Aozorakan was a small clock, so it was a knocking doorbell.

Standing at the door was a man in a dark green uniform, with a satchel slung across his shoulder and a headband tied around his forehead. He was barefoot on the ground, and his attire clearly identified him as a postman.

Upon seeing Qingxin emerge, he immediately greeted her warmly: "Director Ping, your reply has arrived!"

"Finally." Harunobu took the letter, glanced at it, and after confirming it was undamaged, handed a few coins to the postman. "I've written it down, Mr. Asuka."

"Please take care of me next time too."

After seeing the postman off, Harunobu quickly returned to the dojo with the letter in hand. Hanazawa Nana had been completely suppressed. Hosho Amu stood aside, both amused and annoyed, listening to Hanazawa Nana's confession: "Ha...yes...hahaha...I'm sorry."

Qingxin walked in: "Alright, let go of this idiot. Everyone go change your clothes first."

"Yes, teachers' college."

The female college students dragged the clueless girl to the changing room, while Harunobu walked up to Sachiko and said, "The reply is back."

Hirako happily took the letter and opened it in front of Harunobu, but her smile quickly faded. Harunobu leaned closer, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hirako handed the letter back to Harunobu: "They can't come..."

His tone was calm, but Qingxin could hear the anxiety hidden within. He took the letter, quickly scanned the few words on it, and soon extracted the essence.

In short, Yukiko's parents are suffering from a relapse of their chronic illness and are now struggling to get out of bed, relying entirely on her younger brother for care. Therefore, they are unable to come to Tokyo and hope that Yukiko will send them the money for their medical treatment as soon as possible.

This was quite awkward, but there was nothing that could be done about such a coincidence. Harunobu reluctantly folded the letter again and handed it to Hirako, asking, "How much does treatment usually cost?"

Hirako took a deep breath and calmed down completely: "My savings are enough, I don't need Harunobu's help right now."

Chapter 56

"Then let's leave it at that..." Harunobu was about to end this tense topic when he suddenly paused and then opened the mission page.

[New task has been released]

[Personal Mission: To Remain Untainted by Mud]

[Mission Description: Resolve Hirako's troubles so she can focus on learning swordsmanship]

[Task Reward: 1 Shop Draw Qualification (Suitable for Hirayukiko)]

[Challenge Reward: Completely eliminate the source of troubles, and increase your reward draw level by one]

Although the mission description was quite cryptic and included a rather misleading half-sentence, at this point in time, Harunobu would never believe that his troubles had nothing to do with that letter.

But the letter was very short. What could possibly be causing Hirako so much distress that it would affect her swordsmanship studies, besides asking for money? Or was it something behind the letter that was affecting Hirako's studies?

After all, there's a source of trouble... Harunobu had a guess, but it's too early to say for sure, there's too little information. But whatever it is, Harunobu couldn't just sit idly by.

So he changed his words and said, "Sachiko, could you tell me more about your uncle and aunt's illnesses?"

Since that was the main content of the letter, Harunobu naturally started asking questions from there.

"Eh?" Hirayukiko was a little surprised by Harunobu's change of address, but she did not ask further. Instead, she told Harunobu about the situation in their hometown in detail. Although they had talked about this before, Harunobu felt that it would easily touch Hirayukiko's heartache, so they had never gone into such depth.

So, he was shocked this time.

"You're saying the White Lotus Sect treated your parents?"

"No...you don't know what the White Lotus Sect is...oh, you're a primary school student."

Qingxin is now certain that there is definitely something wrong behind this. It started as a cult scam to swindle money. No wonder it took three or four years to cure a common disease. It was done with magic.

In fact, this was because Harunobu did not have a deep understanding of Tokoyo disease. Otherwise, he should have known that Tokoyo disease is either discovered in its early stages and quickly cured with magic, or it is incurable in its late stages and leads to sudden death. In any case, it would not take three or four years.

After hearing Harunobu's explanation of the White Lotus Cult, Hirako also sensed that something was wrong: "No wonder the treatment cost was so much cheaper than going to the shrine, but Mother and the others clearly said that the treatment was very effective?"

"Either my uncle and aunt don't have chronic illnesses at all, or those so-called 'White Lotus Sect' members only alleviated their pain through some means without actually treating them."

Harunobu said with certainty that although he had never seen this kind of medical or health product scam in person, he had seen plenty of jokes and news about it. And coincidentally, the most educated person in Hirako's family was Hirako herself, who only had a primary school education—which perfectly fit the requirements of a scammer.

But now that they've fallen into his hands, they're really in trouble.

Taira no Yukiko did not question Harunobu's judgment, not only because what Harunobu said was indeed very reasonable, but more importantly because she believed that Harunobu had no reason to lie to her.

"Should we call the police?"

“It’s no use. You may believe me, but your uncle and aunt may not. Besides, the police in the countryside definitely won’t be able to catch these so-called White Lotus cult members, whether they are cult members or just simple fraudsters.” Harunobu did not intend to call the police. He had complete faith in the reliability of the Japanese police of this era, especially the police in the Osaka countryside. He believed that they would definitely not be able to catch anyone.

Therefore, he has his own plan.

"You just said that you used to send money back through the White Lotus Sect's disciples in Tokyo, right?"

"Yes, he is in Asakusa."

"That's simple then. You go and send him the money as usual, while I'll go and see what kind of person this bastard is."

"Yes, teachers' college."

As they exchanged questions and answers, Hirako's mood recovered from her low spirits. She looked up at Harunobu, her eyes filled with a tangible respect and trust that seemed to solidify into a pool of autumn water.

Harunobu returned the same sincere gaze, confident and resolute.

As their eyes met, their heads drew closer and closer, so close they could feel each other's breath...

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The kitten let out a calm, dry cough, causing the clueless couple, who had completely forgotten about the child next to them, to quickly separate as if electrocuted.

Although Qingxin immediately realized what was happening and was about to teach the little cat that had interrupted his good time a lesson, the sound of the changing room door opening and the footsteps of his disciples turned his deliberately angry expression into a smirk.

"You guys..." the cat sighed in a wise manner, then looked at Hirako, "Sachiko-nee, do you know the address and name of that so-called 'White Lotus Sect' disciple?"

Chapter 56: Hunting with Knives

Unfortunately, Hirako only knew that the White Lotus Sect disciple's surname was Tanaka, but she didn't know his address. She used to go to Senso-ji Temple to meet Mr. Tanaka and send him money on the Sunday following the day she received the letter—today is Wednesday.

She knew what he looked like, but she couldn't draw. Just by describing his features, it would be too difficult to find such a person in the entire Asakusa, even for the Nekoya.

Moreover, the cat house has an even more important task now, which is to help Harunobu find traces of a yokai. After all, December is fast approaching, and if they don't find a yokai to kill soon, things will get really bad.

I used to hear about monsters all the time...

Harunobu sighed, ignoring Hanazawa Nana's curious question, "What? What are you talking about at the teacher's college?", and began today's lesson.

Then, as time passed, it was Friday of the week. When Harunobu, who was returning the kitten to the cat house as usual after finishing his workday, he received some good news.

"We've found the monster!"

The twins, carrying a compass, ran up to Harunobu. Their plump figures, standing out among the group of generally malnourished "kittens," swayed precariously, but were quickly blocked by the kittens.

Harunobu chuckled and rubbed the kitten's head, then picked up the compass. This was a magical artifact that Harunobu had bought from the mysterious shrine maiden to improve his efficiency in finding monsters. Its effect was simple: it could detect demonic energy within a certain range. However, its detection capabilities were weak, only effective against ordinary-level monsters that did not know how to restrain themselves. For this reason, its detection was very subtle, and ordinary-level monsters would never be able to detect it.

—To prevent these little guys from running into elite-level monsters disguised as humans, or from being attacked by ordinary monsters whose whereabouts have been discovered.

Even such a low-efficacy magical artifact costs 300 yen each—and that's the member price—and Harunobu bought five, almost using up the difference in price for the demon sword.

"Brother Qingxin, Brother Qingxin, I want one too~"

The twins, who were being blocked by the kitten, jumped up and pouted, so Harunobu moved his left hand from the kitten's head to hers: "Yes, yes, be quiet for a moment."

While rubbing the little girl's head, Qingxin turned the compass to confirm that a strong demonic aura had indeed been detected there. Even if it wasn't a demon, it should be a place where demons often lingered, and it might even be a nest.

"So, who discovered it? And where?"

"Of course it's me, Gemini." Gemini said proudly, hands on her hips. "The location is near Sumida River Park, in the alley diagonally opposite the blacksmith shop called Tenmokuren. The team leader should know it."

"I know too." Harunobu gave the twins' cheeks a final, forceful rub. "Speaking of which, have you gained a little weight recently?"

"Huh? Really?"

"Uh-huh."

Qingxin teased the child with a serious expression, but quickly stood up again, "Then I'll go check over there. Little cat, watch over everyone."

"Understood, Teacher's College." Little Cat didn't suggest going along. She knew all too well that with her current strength, she would only be a hindrance. It was better to stay home and pray for Qingxin.

On the contrary, the Gemini looked dejected. Honestly, the team leader really didn't...

Chapter 57

She's already created so many opportunities for her; if she'd known, she should have just gone for it herself.

"Keep an eye on this little piglet, don't let her sneak out."

Harunobu tucked the compass into his pocket, waved to the other children watching, and walked toward the tram station.

At nine o'clock, Harunobu arrived near Tenmokuren. This century-old shop, which was said to have been passed down from the Azuchi-Momoyama period, had already closed down. However, the lanterns hanging in front of the door still illuminated the dark street. The compass in Harunobu's arms began to vibrate, indicating that there was a strong demonic aura in the vicinity.

"That's strange, it's only nine o'clock and there's no one here yet."

Harunobu looked at the empty street with a puzzled expression. The area around Sumida River Park shouldn't be this deserted... Or is it just too cold now?

On Wednesday, Harunobu had already consumed a bottle of [Diluted Sakura Dragon Blood] to strengthen his physique. Now, not only has his strength and speed increased, but his endurance, reaction speed, and resistance to hot and cold have also improved—of course, he does not possess the power of the dragon's blood.

As for how much stronger he's become... well, let's put it this way: he would have to use his Divine Speed ​​at least three times in a short period of time to cause damage to his leg bones that would be impossible to recover from under normal circumstances. The power of his attacks has also been greatly enhanced. He's even confident that he can use Thunder Flash to cut through Suzuki Doichi's defense—of course, with his new weapon: the famous sword, Yukigiri.

Having organized his current abilities, Qingxin, gripping the hilt of his sword, walked into the alley diagonally opposite the blacksmith's shop. The vibrations of the compass became stronger, indicating that the demonic energy had become more concentrated.

But even louder than the vibrations of the compass were the screams and the sound of running through the alley.

Qingxin's expression turned serious. Enduring the unpleasant stench in the alley, he began to take deep breaths. The muffled thunderous sounds echoed in the narrow alley, startling a bunch of rats and cockroaches out, which surged towards the bright alley entrance like waves.

He went against the current, rushing into the deep darkness following the screams.

In the darkness, the human warriors, unable to see, moved with tremendous noise to conceal their actions.

The being lurking in the darkness ignored the fleeing, weak prey, placed its hand on the hilt of the sword, and slowly tightened its stiff fingers, embedding them into the five black marks on the hilt. The perfect fit pleased it greatly.

It took a step forward, and then its entire figure passed through the darkness. A bright blade of light was even faster than it, shooting out from its waist and slashing at the human figure that was extremely conspicuous in the darkness.

Then, it saw an even faster flash of lightning.

The snow-white blade tore through the darkness, accompanied by a heavy thunderclap, and passed by with incredible lightness, striking the wielder. The renowned blade lived up to its reputation for sharpness, directly slicing through the tattered and decaying armor and penetrating deep into its fresh flesh and bones.

Crimson blood splattered out, landing on the blade still gleaming in mid-air, staining the inscription on the Bizen Osafune sword and proclaiming its identity.

The sword-wielding creature growled in pain, its blade growing even faster as the agony intensified. Harunobu's sword had already pierced its body, leaving it defenseless.

Foolish humans, actually trying to trade injury for life with this monster!

The Osafune of Bizen touched Harunobu's haori; if it had advanced just a little further, it could have cleaved him from his left shoulder to his right rib.

Then the Bizen Osafune was repelled by the suddenly bursting transparent shield.

"Varied--"

"Spell defense, kid!"

Everyone knows that they have to deal with monsters. In the past, they didn't have the means or the means, but now that they have the money and the place to buy magical artifacts, Seishin naturally wants to upgrade his equipment!

Although he's still not rich enough, the shield developed obvious cracks after blocking just one blow. It can probably block one more blow at most, but that's enough.

In a life-or-death duel, being able to make the enemy's attack fail is already a huge advantage!

Harunobu pulled back Yukigiri, whose momentum had already subsided, with both hands. The sword hunter had not yet straightened the Bizen Osaune that had been thrown back, which was the perfect opportunity to take the head—but Harunobu suddenly heard a scream: "Watch out behind you!"

Then he heard the sound of wind breaking behind him, and there was more than one sound.

He could only dodge the sudden attack from behind by turning to the side, and in that brief pause, a large number of footsteps sounded, and a large group—at least forty or fifty people—was approaching with iron bars, steel rods, and even spears.

"what?"

Chapter 57: The Second Phase of the Yakuza

Under the pitch-black night, the dim moonlight hazily shrouded the ground, outlining three distinct groups of people in the alley.

Standing in the light were forty or fifty men carrying various simple weapons. They were all dressed in long black haori, and their exposed body parts were almost all covered with colorful tattoos.