Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Harunobu picked up a piece of daifuku and popped it into his mouth, saying lazily, "Then the dojo in Nihonbashi will say I don't have martial ethics, right?"

The government originally designated territories for the Gokenin to encourage the samurai to do their job of slaying demons, but as the number of demons decreased, it turned into a form of exclusion. Going outside the territory to kill demons without permission would easily lead to attacks from the local dojos. Although Harunobu was not afraid, he did not want to cause this trouble.

However... the treatment of the Gokenin is indeed very good. He has a "territory", even if it is not a territory in name only. He has no management rights, only the obligation to protect. But as long as Harunobu has the authority as the protector and can raise the banner of "inspecting and exorcising monsters", then many things will be blown into his hands by the wind.

At that moment, Hosho Ichijo's voice rang out: "Taihara Harunobu, you're worried about not having enough monsters to kill and not being able to meet your quota, right?"

Harunobu glanced at Hosho Ichijo, not entirely surprised. After all, their relationship wasn't close enough for them to visit each other, and he had come with Tanaka Yu, surely not just to see his daughter.

"What guidance does Master Hosho have?" Harunobu stared at Hosho Ichijo. "I remember the Hosho family are just ordinary samurai."

“But the Saito family is different.” Hosho Ichijo met Harunobu’s gaze quite frankly, without keeping him in suspense any longer. “What if there were a way to solve the problem of insufficient numbers of yokai?”

Harunobu raised an eyebrow slightly: "Then what's the price?"

"Money." Baosheng said succinctly, "The ordinary grade is 1,000 yen each, the elite grade is 5,000 yen each and is limited, and the higher grades are gone, and even if they were available, no one would dare to buy them."

After listening, Harunobu finally let out a long sigh: "Goodness... but I don't think this is something that can be said casually, right?"

"Who told my silly daughter to be so determined to be with you?" Hosho Ichijo sighed, saying something that was easy to misunderstand but came from the bottom of his heart. He didn't even give Hosho Amu a chance to refute him before immediately changing the subject.

"Besides, I don't want to accidentally lose my head while walking at night one day."

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Hosho Ichijo's words were a bit too blunt. Although Harunobu really didn't intend to take his head, especially after Hosho Amu became his third disciple, his reason was indeed very reasonable.

After all, it was just a piece of information that wasn't particularly secretive.

"It seems I have no reason to hesitate any longer." Harunobu made up his mind. "Let's do it this way, so that Uncle Tanaka won't get scolded by those old fogies when you go back."

Tanaka nodded and continued, "Then the second thing is about the Asakusa sword tournament..."

Chapter 84: Swordplay Tournament

"Is it the one that's going to be held at the Asakusa Grand Festival at the end of the year? The one that's only open to swordsmen under 30 who aren't dojo masters?" Harunobu had heard rumors about it before, since there had been a lot of publicity about it lately.

Yes, we'll use him for advertising.

Tanaka Yu chuckled mischievously, his eyes narrowing into slits: "Yeah, how does it feel? The great hero of Asakusa."

"Sigh..." Harunobu sighed, looking tense, and said, "It was indeed quite enjoyable."

Now it was Tanaka Yu's turn to spray water, and he didn't have Harunobu's reaction speed. He barely managed to avoid Harunobu's direct attack, and the last mouthful of tea sprayed all over Hosho Ichijo, who was sitting next to him.

Baosheng looked at Tanaka Yu with a deep gaze, then took the towel his daughter handed him and wiped his face and chest.

Tanaka Yu absorbed this resentment and transferred it all to Harunobu: "You brat... That's perfect, the higher-ups want you to be the referee for this match, and they also hope your disciples can participate."

"What's the reward for winning the competition?" Qingxin stroked his chin, pretending to be a money-grubber. "And my appearance fee. If it's too little, I won't bother... I mean, I have so many disciples to teach."

Tanaka Yu and Hosho Ichijo's grievances were relieved. The former patted his belly and said, "The top three will receive 300 yen, 200 yen and 100 yen respectively. However, the first place winner will receive an extra reward: a magical artifact."

"They've really gone all out."

This kind of competition, which is held in a separate area and is limited to the younger generation of disciples, is already quite impressive in terms of the amount of money they can afford, not to mention the ritual implements. This is probably because this festival is strongly promoted and organized by Senso-ji Temple.

After all, it was meant to be used to flatter the newly enthroned Emperor Taisho and to boost the image of Asakusa Ward; Taira no Harunobu's handsome face had already been used for a long time.

"What about my appearance fee?"

"How about fifty yen?" Tanaka Yuichi spread his hands. "That's all the government's budget has to offer. As for other things... well, that's none of my business."

Tanaka Yu's actions and words were practically a blatant declaration, leaving Harunobu speechless as he looked up at the sky: "Are you really a policeman...?"

"So, just tell me if you're going to do it or not?" Tanaka Yu remained unmoved. Whether or not someone is a policeman isn't determined by such trivial matters, but by whether or not they can ultimately catch the criminal and maintain public order.

Even before Harunobu started helping, the performance of the district under the jurisdiction of Aozorakan Road was among the best in Asakusa Ward.

"Of course I'll go." Qingxin agreed. Anyway, he didn't have anything urgent to do in the remaining time, so he might as well participate in the competition and see how strong his disciples were now.

Well, Hirai Yukiko, Koneko, and Hosho Amu are obvious choices, and maybe Saten Yoko could also be given a try. Hanazawa Nana, that lazybones, may be lazy, but she does have some talent...

Just as Harunobu was starting to consider who was qualified to compete on stage instead of going out and embarrass themselves, Tanaka Yu tapped the table: "So, shouldn't you issue some certificates to your disciples and register them?"

"Huh?" Harunobu scratched his head. "Isn't that a bit unnecessary?"

"How could it be unnecessary? Are you planning to send your school's 'newbies' up to defeat a bunch of students from Communication University of China and the University of Macau?" Tanaka Yu complained as he pulled documents out of his briefcase. "It would be fun, but why aren't you thinking about offending people?"

"Uh... okay." Harunobu opened the system panel: "Then let's have Hirayukiko as the middle school student, and Koneko, Hojo Amu, Saten Yoko, and Hanazawa Nana as the first students."

Chapter 86

"Well, it's probably just a few of them participating in the competition."

Tanaka Yu began filling out the form: "Taihara Sachiko, Kitten... Hmm? I'm telling you, don't use your nickname in this situation. What's your real name?"

Harunobu patted the kitten's head: "This child is Eta, that's her name."

"Uh... Eta?" Tanaka Yu hadn't recognized the kitten's identity at all, and his expression immediately changed. "This is troublesome..."

The kitten pursed its lips: "Teachers' college? I won't participate, anyway..."

“No, your swordsmanship needs this kind of sparring to improve quickly.” Harunobu pinched the kitten’s mouth, turning its tightly pursed lips into a duck’s beak. “As for the name… let’s call her Hira Kitten.”

His words caused a change in the expressions of those around him. Tanaka Yu was simply surprised, not expecting Hiraharu Nobu to do such a thing. Hosho Ichijo, on the other hand, was surprised but also somewhat disgusted. His surprise was the same as Tanaka Yu's, but his disgust was directed at his daughter, Hosho Amu.

All you ever do is practice swordsmanship and read books. Now look what's happened! You can't even compare to a girl from Eta!

How shameful! How shameful!

Aside from these two most surprised people, among the remaining few, the one with the least reaction was Hira Yukiko. She merely glanced at Harunobu's hand pinching the kitten's mouth and then relaxed: "Doesn't the name Hira Kitten sound a bit too perfunctory?"

"I can't think of a name if you suddenly ask me to, and besides, her name is already Little Cat." Qingxin let go of her hand and reluctantly rubbed Little Cat's smooth face. Even through the disguise, the touch was really quite captivating.

The kitten bared its teeth and glared at Harunobu, as if its fur had been bristled. Harunobu didn't point out the slight tear in the corner of her eye, but simply exchanged a knowing look with Hirako.

As for Hojo Amu, she was the most shocked among the disciples, and even blurted out, "Master, isn't Nyanko-sensei still too young...?"

"Ok?"

"what?"

"Uh……"

"Well!"

The last sound came from Hojo Amu herself. Only then did she realize what was happening, and she covered her mouth, her big eyes wide open, which gave her a unique kind of cuteness.

Although Baosheng felt it was really embarrassing.

As we all know, Japanese women must take their husband's surname after marriage, so everyone instantly understood what Hosho Amu meant. However, the situation just now seemed more like adopting a daughter, right? Wouldn't it be normal for her to take Hiraharunobu's surname?

Hiraharu and that Hirayuki Sachiko both had those "old married couple" smiles on their faces! Daughter, what's wrong with you!

Hosho Ichijo was truly furious at his daughter's lack of ambition. He had thought that his daughter was beautiful and had a good personality. Although she was obsessed with swordsmanship and didn't seem like a good woman, Taira no Nobu was a weirdo who was willing to teach women swordsmanship. It was a match made in heaven!

As for rivals, ordinary people are no match for the daughter of a martial arts family. As long as they spend more time together, their feelings for each other will naturally grow. At that time, not only will his Baosheng Dojo have a strong ally, but his daughter will also find a good home. It's perfect.

He even went so far as to turn against his daughter and kick her out of the house, and now this is what he gets shown this?

While Baosheng's mind was in turmoil, Qingxin's disciples were also in a state of great mental instability.

Kittens are the most afraid.

No, how did this woman figure out what I was thinking?! Surely Sachiko-nee won't suspect anything?

Taira Yukiko was the most unhappy.

Amu, there are some things you can't do, and Nyanko-chan, you probably don't have that idea, right?

Amu Hojo was the most confused.

No, what did I say? Why did I say that? Why do I feel this way? Where am I? Who am I...? Where is the time machine?

Finally, Harunobu broke the sudden silence: "So, Uncle Tanaka, when exactly does the match start?"

"Starting on the 20th, we can conveniently schedule the finals for the 29th, so it won't interfere with everyone's New Year celebrations." Tanaka Yu's answer completely broke the atmosphere, but the atmosphere among the disciples' group was still somewhat strange.

The author says:

Author's note: I misjudged... The battle starts tomorrow.

I cried so hard (；?д｀)ゞ

Chapter 85: A Chance Encounter Before the Match

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the first real sword match in Asakusa Ward was about to begin. Harunobu, as a judge, arrived at the venue for the match, Sumida River Park, very early.

Hmm, here again.

Unfortunately, Asakusa Ward is too small, and there are only a few places that can accommodate a large number of people from different social classes. The abbot of Senso-ji Temple wanted to hold the competition at their temple so that he could also show off Senso-ji Temple to Emperor Taisho. However, the other shrines, churches, and even the government were not stupid and unanimously rejected Senso-ji Temple's offer.

That bald guy is shameless.JPG

Of course, it's impossible for people to actually fight on the ground in Sumida River Park. If that happened, the municipal officials would probably be more seriously injured than the park's surface.

The final decision was to build a ring on an open space in Sumida River Park, which was reinforced with magic. This should be sufficient to deal with the younger generation of swordsmen.

Right now, Harunobu is right next to this makeshift arena.

The arena was a square 200 meters long and wide, one meter off the ground. The base and the platform were made of logs, which shimmered with light, clearly indicating that they were enchanted.

There were some seats arranged around the ring, but they looked rather rough, with only the judges' seats at the back of the ring being more refined.

As Qingxin was carefully examining the arena, a kind voice suddenly rang out from the side: "Good morning, Director Ping, you're here really early."

Harunobu looked in the direction of the voice and found that it was Abbot Toshogu Sōjō of Senso-ji Temple. This big, stout monk was wearing a simple khaki robe. His head was completely bald, with only two half-white eyebrows. He looked kind and gentle, and was very honest and kind.

"Good morning, Master Toshogu." Harunobu nodded slightly. "After all, my disciples are new to battle, so it's natural for them to come and see the battlefield first."

Upon hearing this, the master craftsman of Toshogu Temple looked at the beautiful women beside Harunobu and asked, "So, these women are the legendary Six Heroes of Aozorakan, besides Director Taira?"

Harunobu and the girls were all stunned. Then, Saten Yoko reflexively grabbed Hanazawa Nana, ready to interrogate her about whether she had done something strange again, but this time it really wasn't Hanazawa Nana who did it.

"What a strange title. The highest level my disciples have reached is only middle school level." Harunobu spread his hands helplessly. "If it weren't for various requirements, I wouldn't have even considered letting them participate in the competition—I mean, this matter was influenced by Master Toshogu, wasn't it?"

Although Harunobu was not opposed to this matter, and even thought it would be good for his disciples to gain experience, the problem was that he was still very unhappy about being forced into this arrangement.

Faced with Harunobu's question, which was clearly marked by displeasure, Tōshōgū Sōshō nodded frankly and admitted without the slightest embarrassment, "That's right, it was indeed this humble monk who strongly requested that the Six Heroes of Aozorakan participate in the competition. By the way, I made up this title after seeing the list of participants a few days ago. What do you think? It's quite fitting, isn't it?"

"..."

Qingxin and his group stared speechlessly at the big monk, confirming that this bald guy was truly shameless.

However, there's a reason why someone so shameless could escape being beaten to death.

Qingxin took the bag handed to him by the senior monk very naturally, opened it just as naturally, and glanced at the contents.

Well, it wasn't money, it was three strings of prayer beads, radiating a distinct magical glow, and they looked much more expensive than the one Qingxin had bought before.

"This is a ritual implement I crafted myself. Carrying it with me can help calm the mind and focus the spirit. If necessary, I can activate it by chanting 'Guanyin Bodhisattva'."

Chapter 87

"A defensive light shield, if it's not broken, can last for about half an hour." The master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine still had a smiling face, and it was impossible to tell whether he was boasting or being modest.

Anyway, the abbot of Senso-ji Temple personally crafted this ritual implement, and its reputation alone is worth four or five hundred yen, not to mention that its effect is quite good.

Qingxin put away the cloth bag and said shamelessly in a serious manner, "The items are indeed good, but my acceptance does not mean that I forgive you. In the future, I will definitely let you, Master, experience this feeling of being arranged for.

Toshogu Shōshō's smile faltered for a moment, momentarily speechless at Harunobu's shameless display of his newfound knowledge. But then he waved his hand and said, "It's alright. I'll have someone spread the word about the friendly alliance between Master Taira and our temple. If we're arranged to work together, we'll just consider it a merger of allies."

"..." Qingxin and his group were speechless.

"Now you know why Senso-ji Temple has always been the largest temple in Asakusa Ward." A calm voice came from the other side of Harunobu, breaking the silence and attracting the attention of everyone present.

It was a woman dressed as a shrine maiden, but her shrine maiden outfit was different from the ordinary ones; her hakama (lower skirt) was not scarlet, but purple.

This color is reserved for shrine maidens who have reached the "Negi" rank. In the hierarchy of shrine maidens, or rather, traditional Japanese priests, the Negi rank is the third highest, second only to the chief priest and deputy chief priest.

Moreover, not every shrine can have priests of this caliber. Shrines in small rural villages may only have ordinary shrine maidens and priests.

But that wasn't what surprised Harunobu. What surprised him was actually—"Grandma Kujo?"—this Negi was actually the shrine maiden from the Inari Shrine not far from the Aozorakan, the same Kujo shrine maiden Harunobu had most often sought treatment from before getting a card from the mysterious shrine maiden.

"You look great today, Harunobu," Kujou Ryuzuki said with a smile. "What, are you amazed by your grandmother's beauty?"

"Uh..." Harunobu uttered an "uh" before he could answer, but Toshogu Sōshō interrupted, "You're already fifty-five years old, but you still can't shake your mischievous nature, you Kujō family."

"Oh my?" Kujou Ryuzuki feigned surprise as she looked at Harunobu. "Harunobu, did you hear what sounded like a hairless gorilla's cry just now?"

Harunobu tried to suppress his laughter, but Hanazawa Nana couldn't hold it in.

Amidst the nonsensical chuckles, the master craftsman of Toshogu Shrine glared hatefully at his old rival. The two men, whose combined age exceeded one hundred, stared at each other like children.