Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Am I being treated as someone with sexual fetishes?

Yes, that's right.

The kitten was already preparing to run away. She could feel the sticky, wet gaze of the perverted samurai opposite her, licking her body like a venomous snake. He was clearly about to reveal his true nature. Luckily, she was in the Kazekaku-ya...

However, thinking about the battle she witnessed last night, the cat's heart, which had just calmed down, started racing again. It seemed that even the Wind House might not be able to stop this freak.

I shouldn't have been greedy for that little bit of money!

Just as the kitten, who had quietly crawled to the door, was about to get up, Qingxin spoke up: "Um, let me clarify first, I have no interest in a flat-chested, flat-bottomed girl like you—you should know my only disciple right now, right?"

The kitten didn't know that gathering intelligence also takes time, and since Hirako was mostly at the textile factory during the day, she was still planning to run away. But thinking about the speed Harunobu had shown last night, she obediently stopped: "You're right."

Ah, yes, yes.

Qingxin didn't notice her perfunctory attitude and continued, "So I just want to take you as my apprentice. The reason is really because you are very talented. You are aware of this yourself, right? Even if it is a rudimentary skill, you can learn it without it being passed on to others without anyone guiding you. With your intelligence, you can't not realize that, can you?"

"...You're right." That's quite sincere, but unfortunately it's meaningless.

Okay, so this is a refusal to communicate... This little girl is really wary.

Harunobu scratched his head and decided to change the subject: "Alright, let's not talk about that for now, let's talk about intelligence—I want to cooperate with you long-term."

Since he couldn't dispel the girl's wariness in a short time, Qingxin had no choice but to prepare for a protracted war. In any case, giving up SR was out of the question. He would use his noble personal charm to prove that he was not a pedophile, but a peddler.

Moreover, this was originally his goal. After all, he planned to take all the valuable bounties in Asakusa Ward, which naturally required intelligence support. Although the Rumor House was very good, it was also very expensive. Harunobu believed that the money-grubber Kyoko would also feel the pinch of taking a cut.

As expected, as Qingxin explained the meaning and reasons for the so-called long-term cooperation to her, she was clearly swayed. Although her vigilance remained strong, the high profits still tempted her.

It turns out that there's just not enough given...

"Sorry, let's forget about it."

"..."

Harunobu was somewhat embarrassed and angry, but he still maintained a smile: "One-tenth of the bounty for each wanted criminal will be given to you as a reward for the information, paid in advance."

Kazekatsu had previously reminded Harunobu that, in theory, one-tenth of the bounty should be paid for information about wanted criminals like this. However, the information business is difficult, and once the bounty is rolled up, the minimum price has dropped to one-twentieth. Therefore, one-tenth is actually the highest possible reward within a reasonable range.

Even if it's expensive, it's probably because of some special requirements, and Qingxin doesn't want to damage her image any further.

"Well……"

A massive upheaval was visible to the naked eye.

The kitten's eyes even seemed a little vacant, as if she was calculating her gains in her mind. I wonder how good her mental arithmetic is; Eita's education level isn't very high, after all.

Harunobu wasn't bothered by such a large sum of money. After all, he made money for the dojo, and as the main quest mentioned, a dojo is only a dojo if it has disciples; otherwise, it's just a dilapidated building. If he could buy disciples with money, Harunobu would definitely go all in immediately.

Unfortunately, it’s not available for purchase.

Even if the kitten in front of him hadn't shown that strong wariness and suspicion, Harunobu would never have gotten involved in human trafficking.

Fortunately, after some thought, the kitten's self-interest outweighed the risks, and he decided to gamble that this perverted pedophile samurai wasn't so perverted after all.

That's right, Harunobu can now confirm how the kitten views him, because the disgusted expression the kitten inadvertently showed when she was thinking earlier was exactly like the erotic paintings he saw in his past life memories.

It's a shame there were no panties or ice cream—wait a minute!

Haruno pinched the skin between his eyes to divert attention: "So, what's your answer?"

"I agree. Let's start with this Ino-o-Sanjiro in front of us."

The kitten took a deep breath. "Twenty-three yen."

Harunobu readily paid the bill, then remembered the whimsical idea he had before leaving: "Speaking of which, Little Cat, do you know where near my dojo there's a job that pays over 15 yen a month, isn't too demanding, and doesn't have long hours?"

Although the kitten was a little puzzled, it still nodded: "There are quite a few, such as the management of various companies, the key technical personnel of some factories, or working as a housekeeper in a foreign family, or trying to become a writer and submit articles?"

Clearly, Hirako can't do either of them.

"Tsk..." The glimmer of hope that had just risen was ruthlessly shattered, and Harunobu clicked his tongue in exasperation, "Do we really need to find an information broker for this?"

"I see, is it work in the underworld? I don't know much about that..." the kitten said with some regret, "But are you so short of money, Samurai-sir?"

Qingxin shook his head and stood up: "It's not about finding a job for me, it's about finding a job for the number one disciple I just mentioned. The work in the textile factory is too hard and is seriously affecting her study progress. Her talent is just as good as yours, and it shouldn't be wasted on cotton."

"Then why don't you just let her work at your dojo?" The kitten looked at Haruno with a puzzled expression, and her words were like a wake-up call.

Qingxin's eyes widened, as if waking from a dream. Before he could even express his opinion, the system jumped out to assert its presence:

[Recurring Task: Teaching]

[Task Description: A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts, assigning students jobs that match their talents, abilities, and interests.]

[Task Rewards: 100 Study Points (per person), 1 chance to draw from the in-game store (first time)]

Chapter Fifteen: A Flash of Lightning Speed

Seeing Harunobu suddenly become excited, the kitten took a few steps back, but before she could create enough distance, Harunobu's claws had already landed on her head.

The burning heat and the warm touch made the kitten tense up instantly, and a sinister expression appeared on her face. However, her head relaxed quickly, and Qingxin's right hand returned to his side.

"Sorry... would you believe me if I said I just did it on impulse?"

Although that wasn't the case, Harunobu was simply believing in the superstition of his past life's memories, thinking that a lowly little girl like Kitten would fall for a head-patting kiss... As it turns out, this approach only lowered his favorability rating.

Now it's probably even harder to shake off the label of "lolicon".

"Do you think this is convincing?" The kitten took a deep breath and looked at Harunobu with disgust. "It seems our cooperation is still too risky..."

"Then I'll increase the reward too. Let's go hunting together, and you can choose the loot first."

On his way to collect the bounty last night, Harunobu, after looting Suzuki Michiichi's body, felt a pang of regret when he thought of the two unconscious Yakuza. However, he didn't feel bad about using them to lure the kitten now.

Firstly, he couldn't carry much by himself anyway, and the more he carried, the more he would gain from the kitten. Secondly, this way he could legitimately act with the kitten and have more opportunities to persuade her.

Of course, with her combat strength, she would only be a hindrance in the battle; he could just come and loot after he was done.

The kitten was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Then let's go to the hideout of Pig Tail Three-Tailed Man. It's a British merchant ship called the Welsh Glass, docked in the port area..."

As the kitten narrated, time flew by. At noon, under the blazing sun, Inosuke Sanjiro, who looked exactly like a pig walking upright, appeared on the deck, leaning against the ship's railing and admiring the scenery of the dock. He was not worried about his situation; on the contrary, he was quite relaxed.

Although he raped and murdered a mother and child, they were just a lowly family who couldn't even afford to work in a factory. Once the storm has passed, he can easily overturn the case with his wealth and connections.

As a British partner in Japan, he was that confident—that's how foreign compradors are.

After listening to the cat recount the whole story, Qingxin stood not far from the ship's gangway, looking at the greasy-faced pig, and struck a lightning-fast pose—there was no need to capture this kind of scum alive; letting him live would only waste legal resources.

"Hey, are you just going to kill him like this...?"

"Don't blink, little kitty," Harunobu said leisurely. "Since you said you didn't go last night, now take a good look at my swordsmanship and see if it's worth becoming my apprentice."

The last word had barely left the air when a thunderclap reached the kitten's ears, causing her, who was already intently focused on Haruno, to tremble for a moment.

From bottom to top, across a distance of more than ten meters, Harunobu flashed past the British sailors guarding the gangway and the hull of the ocean-going merchant ship, just like lightning, and brushed past Inoo Sanjiro.

An ordinary industrial-made knife sliced ​​across his large neck, spraying greasy blood. He didn't even have time to show a surprised expression before losing consciousness.

Cheap him.

Harunobu swung his katana, splattering blood onto the deck. At that moment, Ino-o Sanjiro's repulsive body swayed and collapsed onto the gleaming deck.

It wasn't until the sound of the two hundred-plus pounds of fat meat falling to the ground that the rest of the deck realized this daylight killing. But no one was prepared to avenge him; only a few sailors nervously stood guard at the cabin entrance with their sabers.

"I'm just a samurai who's here to catch wanted criminals, not some evil person," Harunobu said kindly, even showing a smile. If it weren't for the blood-soaked corpse behind him, he would have seemed like a sunny and cheerful young man.

Snapped.

Ino-o-sanjiro's head slammed into Harunobu's foot, smearing his shoe with blood. Harunobu spat angrily, bent down, and picked up the head: "Goodbye, everyone."

Harunobu leisurely walked away down the gangway, and the bewildered Englishmen finally exclaimed in surprise: "Oh my god! That's a samurai? Can he fly?"

"He's insane! How dare he provoke the great Great Britain!"

"Come on, Peter, you clearly hate that fat pig."

"But those are also the fat pigs we raised."

"A dead pig."

"damn it……"

Similar discussions arose one after another, but no one intended to avenge Ino-o-Sanjiro. They had plenty of such "partners"; if one was gone, another would immediately want to fill the gap. There was absolutely no need to offend a "knight" for this.

Qingxin returned to the kitten's side, his face, which had been trying to maintain a calm demeanor, suddenly contorted. He hadn't used the ordinary Thunder Flash, but a more advanced Thunder Flash - Divine Speed. As the name suggests, it was a faster Thunder Flash, which naturally put a greater strain on his body.

In short, Qingxin's left foot is injured, but as long as he doesn't use it continuously, the injury is still under control. Anyway, even if his leg is really broken, he can be healed with magic, but the price... as expected, there's a reason why forbidden moves are forbidden.

"Are you alright?" Kitten hesitated for a moment, but still reached out to help Harunobu up. "And why did you kill Inosuke Sanjiro? Putting aside the bounty, the police wouldn't like this kind of thing."

Harunobu readily accepted the kitten's help and replied, "Even if that guy gets arrested and thrown in jail, it won't do any good. He'll just have to spend more money to buy his freedom. Although I didn't become a bounty hunter for justice, why wouldn't I do it if I could help uphold justice along the way?"

"As for the police not liking it... at least the police officers I deal with definitely like what I'm doing. Do those high-ranking bastards even deserve to be police officers?"

The kitten pursed her lips, not intending to discuss the police issue with Qingxin, but Qingxin had no intention of letting her off the hook, and cheerfully lowered her head: "Hey, I say, after seeing the profound technique just now, do you have any plans to become an apprentice?"

"No," the kitten replied expressionlessly.

"Okay, at least because of my fearless act of upholding justice, believe me, I'm not a pervert."

“Ibaraki-sanjiro also frequently donates to charity, and his company offers salaries that are among the highest in the industry…” Kitten glanced at the head in Harunobu’s left hand, “but he’s still a damn guy.”

"Alright, alright, you stubborn fellow." Harunobu pouted. "So, have you chosen your next wanted criminal?"

Now that he already had a long-term information broker working with him, Harunobu naturally wanted to collect as much bounty as possible at once! Even with the tram, going back and forth would take too much time!

"..." The kitten pulled Qingxin toward the tram stop not far away. "First of all, you should see a doctor. We can't let you mess around with such a lucrative business."

Chapter Sixteen: Opening the Book

That evening, Harunobu, who had only completed two bounties that day, returned to the Aozora House. Taira Yukiko had arrived home before him, so she immediately smelled the aroma of food as soon as he entered the door.

Hurrying back to the restaurant, before Haruno could speak, Hirako, hearing the footsteps, had her beautiful eyes light up instantly and looked over first: "Welcome back, Master. Today I made all your favorite fried food."

Harunobu looked at the dining table. Fried pork cutlet, fried shrimp tempura, tamagoyaki... these were indeed his favorite foods. Looking at Hirako's tired expression despite her excitement, Harunobu suddenly had a strange feeling.

It's like spending a day fooling around with a young and beautiful girl, only to come home to find your wife waiting for you with a table full of food... Ugh, just thinking about it makes my fists hard.

Hirako, of course, had no idea about the chaotic thoughts in Harunobu's mind. Seeing that Harunobu didn't reply, she thought there was something wrong, and her voice immediately lowered: "Teacher, is something wrong?"

"No." Qingxin rallied his spirits. After all, he was out there earning money to support his family, and there was nothing sordid about his relationship with the kitten, so there was absolutely nothing to be ashamed or guilty about!

"This is a touching silence. No one has ever cooked for me before, let alone made my favorite food." Harunobu went straight for the point, and Hirako blushed slightly, choosing to change the subject, "No way, at least the old director must have cooked for you at the Normal School."

“That person only ever asks me to cook for him. When we were kids, we’d eat out together.” Harunobu smiled and sat down in his usual spot—at the head of the table—with Hirako to his right.

Hirako was extremely embarrassed. She hadn't expected that the conversation would not only fail to get to the point, but would actually make the situation even more awkward.

However, Qingxin did not continue the pursuit because the timing was not right and it would be too hasty... Well, even this virgin got shy after using his skill, and it went into cooldown.

In short, Harunobu steered the conversation toward serious business: "By the way, Sachiko, I'm thinking of having you take the teacher training course as a substitute teacher. What do you think? Of course, the salary won't be lower than your current job."

Today, Harunobu earned a whopping 430 yen from the bounty alone. Even after deducting the information fee for the cat, he still had over 300 yen left. His monthly salary of 15 yen was nothing, not to mention the large amount of bounty waiting for him.

"Hmm?" Hirako was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that Harunobu had no intention of hiding it. "Teacher, please forgive me for refusing."

"what?"

Completely surprised by the rejection, Harunobu let out a kitten-like voice and asked Hirai Sachiko, "What's the reason?"

Hirako took a slight breath. She was a little nervous. To be honest, she really wanted to accept Harunobu's offer. And accepting it wouldn't be a big deal. She wasn't an 8-year-old girl. How could she not see Harunobu's feelings for her?

But that's precisely why she had to refuse in the end: "Our dojo has no other disciples besides me, so there's no point in setting up a substitute instructor, not to mention that my skills aren't up to the level to serve as a substitute instructor!"

An unexpectedly insightful argument!

Harunobu thought there would be some very emotional dialogue, and he would just use the atmosphere to get through it... However, this argument was not without flaws. After all, in addition to the disciples registered in the system, Harunobu would definitely recruit ordinary disciples. After all, he couldn't live off the bounty for a lifetime, and the security situation in Tokyo at this time was not that bad.

But just as he was about to loudly voice his objection, Hirako suddenly spoke up as if deliberately timed perfectly. However, her stammering tone and flushed cheeks clearly indicated that this was just an accident: "And...and although I only went to elementary school, I also know that you can't just keep taking from others without giving back, especially from the closest people..."

Well, Harunobu's arguments have been completely exposed, and his prepared remarks vanished in a wave of exhilarating pleasure.

But when the hormones subsided, Harunobu felt completely numb again. He really didn't expect that even though he had planned so well, he would be defeated by Hirako's disagreement. And the reason Hirako gave him was hard for him to refute.

In my past life, the part about women's rights greatly shocked the natives in 1912, even though the actual situation was not like that, it was still very moving.

For Hirako, this was indeed her true feeling. She was happy to accept the housekeeping arrangement to offset the rent and was grateful for Harunobu's help. However, she was asked to work as a substitute instructor in a dojo where she had no other students and was paid at least 15 yen a month.

Although Hirako had a good impression of Harunobu, it was precisely because of this good impression that she refused such a thing. Otherwise, if she could just obey anyone for money, why would she come to work in Tokyo, so far from her hometown?

In the quiet winter night, a gentle breeze caressed the courtyard with its wabi-sabi atmosphere, mingling with the sounds of the dust demons leaving get off work. The aroma wafted through the restaurant, and Harunobu chose to surrender, having only lost halfway.