Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Harunobu clapped excitedly: "That's fantastic! Sachiko! Your talent is truly the best!"

Hirako smiled happily, smoothly sheathed her sword and stood up, turning to Harunobu who was walking towards her: "Master, you're exaggerating too much, not at all—ah!"

Just as she turned halfway around, Hirako felt a sudden numbness in her left leg, and all her strength left her. She fell forward, and as the tatami mat rapidly enlarged before her eyes, a strange thought flashed through her mind: If she landed face-first, what would happen to her teacher...?

But before the thought could even finish flashing through his mind, the tatami floor in front of him had transformed into a solid chest. Harunobu had one arm around Hirako's waist and the other around her back, pulling Hirako, who had almost tripped and fallen, into his arms. He was surrounded by her warm fragrance and soft, delicate body, but Harunobu had no romantic thoughts at that moment.

"Sachiko, are you okay?"

“No…” Hirako blushed and lowered her head slightly, “It’s just that my left leg suddenly went numb and I can’t muster any strength.”

"Ah!" Harunobu realized. "It's my fault. Your body can't handle this kind of burst of power. You should start by learning the sword techniques of the Natural Haruno-ryu style."

Thunder Breathing is inherently a sword technique that leans towards a full-power burst, a decisive strike. The First Form, as the foundation of everything, fully embodies this principle. Given Hirayukiko's physical condition, it would be too difficult for her to use it without side effects like Harunobu.

After all, Harunobu's breathing technique had reached the level of an advanced master, and its enhancement to the body was incomparable to that of Taira Yukiko's initial mastery... No, there was also the fact that Taira Yukiko's technique was not yet proficient, and she was too tired.

After working for more than ten hours, it's no wonder he couldn't handle such high-intensity exercise afterward. This must be what the "healthy corpse" in his dream refers to.

"No, it was because I was too hasty..." Hearing Harunobu blame himself, Hirako immediately tried to make amends for Harunobu. She really didn't think there was anything wrong with what Harunobu did, and it was she who insisted on continuing to practice tonight.

It's just that her own body is really too weak.

But before she could finish speaking, she felt her body lighten, and Qingxin suddenly lifted her up in his arms. Her head immediately became dizzy. She remembered what her colleague Fangzi had called a "princess carry," and this must be what it was like.

Harunobu carried Hirayuki and ran all the way back to her room, placing her on the bed: "I'm going to find some medicine for bruises and sprains, don't move around."

Harunobu gave an order and then hurriedly left, while Hirako, still feeling dizzy, just stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind filled only with the feeling of Harunobu's firm chest and his fiery masculine aura on the way.

The twenty-eight-year-old country girl, who had never been in a relationship before, had never experienced anything like this before, especially since she already had feelings for Harunobu.

"Wait... what did Teacher's College say they were going to get?"

When she groggily came to her senses, Harunobu had already come in with his usual liniment for bruises and sat cross-legged on the edge of Hirako's bed.

The rooms in the living area of ​​Aozorakan are also furnished with tatami mats, but since the old owner and Harunobu are both too lazy to clean, they have installed wooden beds instead of sleeping directly on tatami mats—but it's still fine to just sit on them.

In particular, Taira Sachiko is very clean and keeps her room spotless.

"It will hurt a little, so please bear with it." Harunobu said, grabbing Hirako's left foot. Hirako instinctively pulled back, but before she could escape Harunobu's clutches, a sharp pain interrupted her.

Seizing the opportunity, Qingxin pinched the slightly damp but odorless little foot, forcibly suppressing the upturned corners of his mouth, and inwardly repented: "I'm doing this all for my disciple's health! I have no ulterior motives!"

Well, actually, when he carried Hirako into the room, Harunobu had already calmed down from the panic caused by the sudden accident. All his subsequent actions were the result of his cunning and careful consideration.

First of all, let me state that he is not a football fanatic.

He's just a womanizer.

Holding Hirako's plump ankle in one hand, Haruno used his mouth to bite open the cork of the glass bottle in his hand, and carefully poured the amber liquid inside onto Hirako's instep. The arch of her foot was tense due to tension, which made the delicate veins on the instep appear. The thin lines of blue and red spread under the fair and almost transparent skin, but were quickly covered by the amber liquid.

Watching this scene gave Harunobu a strange sense of pleasure, like personally coating milky white ice cream with caramel.

"ah!"

The cold, slightly viscous liquid made Hirako gasp instinctively. The caramel ice cream, which had already been made, twitched again, but Harunobu held on tightly. Her tug caused her body to move down a little, and her unharmed right foot pressed directly against Harunobu's chest, making her feel the heat and firmness from before. Her face became even redder, and she could even feel a faint heat rising from it.

Harunobu struggled to suppress the urge to take a deep breath, then put down the glass bottle and began to skillfully rub Hirako's feet, starting from the heel. The amber liquid was applied and spread, the thick caramel was thinned and spread, leaving a layer of semi-transparent dark color, half-concealing the milky white ice cream below.

This scene awakened a deep-seated longing in Harunobu's childhood memories—a profound resentment for the same ice cream hidden under the brown glass of the freezer, which he could never obtain, making his mouth water.

Then, moving forward from the heel, Harunobu's large hands easily enveloped Hirako's soles and insteps, as if eagerly sucking on a little pudding with his big mouth. The expensive snack, bought with a week's worth of pocket money, was being greedily licked, and the heat was instantly dispelled, or rather, transferred to the soft and sweet ice cream.

"Hey..."

The physical tingling sensation and the heat from the liniment gradually taking effect with the friction came at the same time, along with the most crucial psychological impact, all of which made Hirako let out a soft moan and press her right foot on Harunobu's chest even harder.

As Harunobu's large hand moved forward, Hirako's tense arches gradually relaxed with his skillful movements, and the five pink pearls that had been tightly clenched finally let go of their defense.

Harunobu's five fingers immediately gripped the gaps between the pearls, and the amber liquid, pushed in by his large hand, covered this last line of defense. The already small and alluring pearls were coated with an amber luster, reflecting a beautiful mottled light and shadow under the candlelight, like a small ice ball with colorful hues under the warm summer sun. The sweet illusion made Harunobu swallow hard.

However, reason prevailed over his body. Haruno released the jade feet that he had been caressing and rubbing every inch of, smeared with a sticky liquid, and put the medicinal wine back on: "Sachiko, you should rest tonight. Your health is the most important thing."

The sound is normal! The content is normal! Win!

Harunobu mentally clenched his fist, while Hirako, at that moment, didn't notice Harunobu's slightly distorted voice and inexplicably gentle tone. She lay on the bed, her face flushed and her eyes glazed over, and after a long while, she finally responded with a soft "Mmm".

Qingxin wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, she shut up, took the medicinal wine and left the room. She just felt something was strange. Why did it taste so weird? Had the medicinal wine been sitting for too long?

After Taira no Harunobu, who had been a virgin in both his lives, left, Taira no Sachiko suddenly let out a cute whimper, sat up abruptly, and tried to walk on one leg.

I can't just sit idly by. Even if I didn't sweat much tonight, and I don't have to shower, I still need to change my clothes underneath...

"Ugh." Thinking of this, Hirako let out another mournful cry.

Hirako, twenty-eight years old this year, is a mature older sister, and has also learned a little about kneading techniques...

Chapter Thirteen: He gave far too much.

The next morning, at the entrance of the Aozora-kan, Hirako was half-squatting, tucking her white-socked feet into straw sandals. Harunobu tried hard not to think about the feel and luster of yesterday, and simply asked, "Are you really okay?"

“Yes, yesterday at the teachers’ college…” Hirako blushed slightly and put it another way, “The medicine from the teachers’ college was very effective.”

His tone was normal, even light, without any awkwardness. The relaxed atmosphere put Harunoshita at ease, but it also made him feel inexplicably strange.

It wasn't because of the injury to the top disciple's left foot. The efficacy of the Qingkong Pavilion's ancestral medicinal wine is still reliable. After personally examining him last night, I can confirm that he only had some cramps and numbness due to overexertion, and he didn't even twist his ankle.

But his family's medicinal wine shouldn't have the effect of invigorating the mind, so how come Hirako was injured last night but looks so refreshed and energetic today?

Although the 24-year-old boy, who also had some knowledge of finger techniques, touched his chin, he couldn't connect the empty, sage-like state with a vibrant spirit.

A moment later, Hirako stood up and bowed slightly to Harunobu: "Well then, I'm off."

"Oh." Harunobu nodded, watched Hirako set off on her commute, then opened the system panel and looked at the pitiful balance of study points, revealing a sad expression.

"This won't do..."

Harunobu originally had 1460 points yesterday morning—hirayukiko's efforts had given him a lot of feedback—but while fighting that strange monster Suzuki Michiichi, he spent 1000 points to draw the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu: Menkyo Kaiden, leaving him with 460 points, not even enough for one more draw.

That's not a big deal. After all, judging from the situation the day before yesterday, Hirako can make him earn 260 points in half a day, and he can draw once every four days. Even if he can only practice at night, he can still earn at least half of that, right?

But what happened last night dealt Harunobu a heavy blow.

His haul last night was: 10 o'clock.

This comes from Hirayukiko's basic proficiency with Thunderclap Flash. Of course, as an SR-level sword technique, Thunderclap Flash wouldn't be so cheap, but Hirayukiko hasn't fully mastered it yet.

Yesterday, she spent over ten seconds gathering her strength before using it once. This wasn't a sign that she had mastered it; it was merely a beginner's level. Therefore, the feedback she gave to Qingxin was naturally only this small amount.

Moreover, given this situation, if Hirako continues to do her current job from 6 am to 10 pm with no future prospects, the feedback she can give Harunobu will inevitably not be very high. Even disregarding the fact that her injury has shortened her practice time, we must also consider Hirako's exhausted mental and physical state.

Moreover, this is based on her exceptional talent. After all, she is a noble SR, and she can quickly master the relatively simple sword techniques. However, the source of the study points is the disciple's growth. The growth that can be obtained by always learning low-level sword techniques is limited, while the time to master high-level sword techniques will always be longer than that of low-level ones.

We might not get any at all in a day—we really have to liberate Hirako from the evil capitalists!

it is good!

Next, go ask the information brokers if they have any jobs that offer good hours, high pay, are close to home, are easy, and suitable for unmarried women.

While we're at it, let's also check out the SR kitten.

Harunobu made a decision, but instead of setting off immediately, he went back to finish the rest of his breakfast and then began his morning exercise—incidentally, he had already reached the level of the Complete Collection of the Common.

It was probably because of yesterday's fierce battle with the enemy; it certainly wasn't because of the powerful willpower and concentration that came from the close interaction with the female disciple.

In short, Harunobu's physical strength has increased even more, and he can maintain his breathing technique even without actively doing so, even while asleep.

However, it seems impossible to fight people normally in dreams, or perhaps it's because I've never encountered an enemy attack while sleeping?

After beating the poor wooden doll to pieces, Harunobu finished his morning exercise. Covered in sweat, he washed up again and then tucked his spare katana (20 yen) and wakizashi (15 yen) into his belt.

After some time, under the somewhat listless winter sun, Harunobu walked into the Rumor House: "Good morning, Rumor House, do you have any information on Ino-o Trijō?"

"Good morning, Director Ping. You may call me Kazetsu." The gray-clad man, dressed exactly as he had yesterday, greeted Harunobu with a smile. "Are you referring to Ino-o Sanjiro, the one who committed adultery and murder?"

“It’s the one with the 230 yen bounty.” Harunobu glanced around, raising his eyebrows slightly. “By the way, if you have any information about that little cat from yesterday, just bring her here.”

“Hmm…” Feng Ting was slightly taken aback, but his high level of professionalism allowed him to suppress his occupational hazard. “One yen.”

Harunobu took out his wallet, paid the bill, and continued to ponder the moves of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu style in his mind. As the secret technique of "Battosai the Manslayer," it and the Thunder Breathing, which is also biased towards sword-drawing techniques, have quite a few things they can learn from each other.

In particular, Harunobu obtained the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu of the Menkyo Kaiden level. Unlike the Thunder Breathing: Ultimate, it not only contains the experience and skills of all the moves, but also a large amount of sword knowledge. It includes not only the experience of the original protagonist, but also the experience of his master and other people who have used this style.

In other words, Harunobu essentially gained a powerful swordsmanship technique passed down through generations for free!

Unfortunately, limited by the swordsmanship itself, its upper limit is ultimately only the level of "normal swordsmanship," and it also lacks knowledge related to the extraordinary. After all, the Flying Sword Style can never cut out a nine-headed dragon.

While Qingxin was engrossed in studying swordsmanship, Fengting had already arrived at a small room behind Fengwen House.

The kittens stay here, or rather, the information brokers who make a living from the Rumor House all stay in this area, but not everyone can have a small room of their own.

However, as a well-known information broker in Asakusa and Shitaya, the female leader of the Nekoya group still deserves such a private room.

Feng Ting knocked on the door, and a lazy voice came from inside: "What is it?"

Feng Ting went straight to the point: "Miss Kitten, yesterday Director Ping specifically asked for your information about Ino-o Sanjiro, the one who's wanted."

"Huh?" The kitten's originally lazy voice suddenly rose two octaves, like a calico cat whose tail had been stepped on, "I won't answer!"

She absolutely doesn't want to have anything to do with that perverted samurai anymore! Even though he is indeed very strong...

"I understand." The kitten's reaction surprised Feng Ting, but he didn't intend to interfere. He was only responsible for receiving customers and contacting dealers, and wouldn't interfere with anything else.

Feng Ting returned the way he came, made slight polite modifications to the kitten's words, and informed Qing Xin.

Qingxin was somewhat surprised. Although he had noticed yesterday that the kitten was wary of him, he hadn't expected it to react so strongly.

However, he has no intention of giving up: "Please contact them again for me and say that I will offer double the price."

Feng Ting's eyes flickered for a moment, then he extended his hand: "One yen, please."

Qingxin paid the money: "If the kitten still doesn't agree, just say the price is negotiable."

With Hirako's problem still unresolved, Harunobu urgently needs a new source of study points, and a small financial expenditure is acceptable.

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to pay rests with him. If it's really too expensive and we can't reach an agreement, then we can just give up.

Feng Ting, having received payment, returned to the kitten's "office" and relayed Qingxin's words.

"what?!"

"Double the price?!"

The kitten's somewhat agitated response surprised Feng Ting. It was the first time he had seen the child so unsettled. Even doubling the price wouldn't be very profitable for this level of information... Oh, the child hadn't even quoted the original price yet, which explained it.

Even the kitten herself didn't realize how much the battle she witnessed last night had affected her.

On a personal level, she wanted to become Qingxin's disciple; who wouldn't want that kind of power?

But reason told her that it was impossible for the samurai to get along with Eta; that guy was definitely up to no good!

With these two conflicts, the kitten's behavior naturally became somewhat abnormal, especially when Qingxin came to visit again the next day, which undoubtedly made the sensitive kitten even more suspicious.

However, Qingxin offered far too much—double the original price, which was tantamount to letting her ask for whatever she wanted!

This guy is definitely a perverted person with malicious sexual fetishes! What normal person would buy information like this?! What a sucker!

Gritting her teeth, the young Eita girl made her decision: "I'm coming right now!"

—At worst, she'll just hide away after this deal and let her underlings run the business!

At this moment, the sulking kitten had clearly forgotten one thing: why didn't she send her little brother to relay the information now?

That's a long story.

Chapter Fourteen: Recurring Quests

On the second floor of the Wind and Rumor House, in the same room, Harunobu and Kyoko sat facing each other. However, Harunobu was sitting cross-legged in a carefree manner, while Kyoko was kneeling properly. But even though she was in such a proper posture, it had a peculiar feel to it.

It was a very carefree attitude, a state of complete indifference, as if they were ready to run away at any time and didn't care at all. Even their smiles became more perfunctory.

Harunobu carefully observed the kitten. She was still wearing that simple kimono with patches on top of patches, and under the kimono were clearly taut muscle lines. It was only because she didn't have a weapon that Harunobu felt that her two little hands would definitely not be placed on her thighs, but on the hilt of a sword.

This must be a serious warning sign... but why?

Although it seemed abrupt to suddenly propose taking on apprentices, it shouldn't have come to this... But with the facts before him, Harunobu couldn't help but carefully consider where things went wrong.

While he was thinking, he naturally continued to observe the kitten, but he was completely unmoved. Not to mention that the kitten was at most fourteen years old and had a malnourished and thin body, her gray face and hands and feet were enough to dispel any desire in others.

That being said, judging from the curves of her body, although her flat chest is definitely beyond saving, her slender hands and feet seem to offer some hope. Moreover, even covered in a layer of dust, one can still barely make out the delicate features of her face, just as one can see the whole leopard from a glimpse of its spot.

Realizing this, Harunobu, a normal man who likes big women and big drums, finally found a few words from his past life's memories that seemed to correspond to his current situation.

Lolicon...pedophilia...