Female Swordsman Training Dojo

The magical artifact given to me by Granny Kujo can create a slowing zone around me when activated. Anything that enters this zone will be slowed down, ranging from a snail's pace to... well, it can have no effect at all.

The bullets fired by the soldiers with their homemade guns weren't particularly fast to begin with, and this further slowed them down, making them even slower for Harunobu, who had activated Water Breathing. That's why he was able to deflect so many bullets so easily. Normally... he'd only be able to deflect a dozen or so at most, maybe sixty or seventy if he used Water Breathing 11 at full power, but no more than that.

Moreover, this is all predicated on having prior preparation; otherwise, it would be very embarrassing to be shot dead before you even have time to react and draw your sword.

So at least for now, firearms are still very dangerous for him.

Luckily, he had the money to buy tank items.

Harunobu sighed: "Alright, let's continue patrolling and see if there are any more free teaching materials delivered to our door!"

"Yes! Teacher!" Tachibana Nako followed Harunobu in high spirits. Having realized her own fighting strength, she had great confidence in successfully avenging herself.

As for the soldiers who were cut down? The police, who had been watching the whole thing, have arrived and will soon be sent to jail.

The author says:

Author's Note: Third update!

Chapter 170: The Kitten Makes a Great Contribution

Harunobu's night patrol ended at 6 a.m., but unfortunately, no more free teaching aids were delivered afterward, which disappointed Harunobu.

Nako was also disappointed; she wanted to test her fighting ability more.

However, it was quite nice to take a walk with Shi Fan.

The two returned to Aozora-kan in a pleasant atmosphere, and upon entering Nichishun-ryo, they saw a kitten sitting in the living room.

Chapter 182

Its head bobbed up and down, like a chick pecking at rice.

So cute.

Harunobu chuckled unconsciously, silently waving to Tachibana Nako, signaling her to go wash up and rest. Then he sat down next to the kitten and reached out his wicked hand to pinch its nose.

A few drops of sweat still clung to the tip of her pink nose, making it a little sticky, but the smooth touch quickly overcame this slight discomfort, making Qingxin's smile even brighter.

Watching this harmonious scene, Tachibana Nako smiled as well. She remarked that Shihan (a teacher) could sometimes really act like a child, as she walked into the bathroom.

However, there was a hint of loneliness in her smile.

Amid the strange sensation of difficulty breathing, the kitten finally opened its eyes and yawned.

"Ha... Good morning, teacher's college."

"Good morning." Harunobu released the small, pert nose, watching it return to its original state. "Did you find some important intelligence?"

"Yes, not only did I get intelligence, but I also rescued Haruko-nee." The kitten rubbed its eyes, then its nose, and finally pounced into Harunobu's arms, stretching its waist like a cat.

"Then, Chunzi also said that she knew where the leader of the Demon Dragon Society was hiding."

Qingxin gently patted the kitten's back. The familiar, warm hand made the kitten comfortably close its eyes and quickly fall into a sweet sleep.

"This child must be exhausted," Hirako's voice came from the stairs leading to the second floor. "Husband, why don't you go to sleep too?"

"No, I'm fine." Harunobu picked up the kitten, whose breathing had become shallow. "Which room is Miss Haruko in?"

The kitten could sleep so peacefully without seeing any outsiders in the living room. That means Miss Haruko must have been taken care of properly.

Hirako looked at Harunobu with heartache. He had been working non-stop lately. During the day, he practiced swordsmanship and taught his disciples. At night, he patrolled, only getting a few hours of sleep in the early hours of the morning. Now, he wasn't even letting go of that little bit of time.

However, Hirako would not disobey Harunobu's request. She reached out and took the kitten from Harunobu's arms: "I've put that Miss Haruko in your room, so that you, my husband, won't get jealous."

Chunzi's job and her condition are not very good.

"Yes, yes, I'm such a jealous person." Qingxin pinched the kitten's sleeping face one last time. "Then I'll go check on the situation."

“Yes, she just woke up when I came out. Husband, you should hurry up.” Hirako turned and walked towards her room. “But if you have time later, come and sleep here for a while.”

Watching Hirako's swaying hips, Harunobu took a deep breath and then returned to his room.

Upon entering, Qingxin saw the woman on the bed and the tattered clothes beside the bed... or rather, the fabric.

Of course, the woman was lying peacefully in bed, only her pale and thin face was visible.

“Hello, Miss Haruko, I am the owner of this dojo, Taira Harunobu.” Harunobu walked to the bedside and sat down cross-legged. “Or perhaps saying that I am the cat’s instructor and husband would make you feel more relaxed?”

Harunobu's intention was to lighten the mood with a bit of fun and to prepare for the interrogation to come. But he had clearly underestimated his current reputation. Even though he was a prisoner who hadn't been out in the streets for months, the human subject, despite his weak body, struggled to get up and bow to Harunobu after hearing his self-introduction.

Although she was too weak and Harunobu tried to stop her, the process still caused Harunobu's blanket to turn over, exposing her body underneath.

The emaciated, pale body was not beautiful; it was covered with various scars. Red marks were the least severe; purplish-blue marks and even scabs were the most common.

Harunobu paused for a moment, looked at Haruko who had suddenly started trembling, and covered her with the blanket again.

“Thank you, Lord Taira.” Haruko calmed down. “What would you like to know?”

“The kitten said you know where the leader of the Demon Dragon Society is hiding? Let’s start with that.” Harunobu stroked Asagi, which was lying across his lap. “Besides that, you can tell me anything else related to them.”

"Yes, Lord Taira." A trace of pain flashed in Haruko's numb eyes, but she still calmly began to tell her story.

It's a very ordinary story.

A 25-year-old woman in her late twenties, with nowhere else to turn, was forced to take dubious jobs to make ends meet. She had carefully verified her situation with the most reliable person she could find, but ultimately succumbed to the temptation.

What should have been a simple housekeeping job turned into a brutal and lewd act that even regular prostitutes wouldn't take. Having barely survived and thinking she could at least leave alive—she hadn't even expected to get paid—she was instead sent to an experimental facility and became a real experimental pig.

"...People were confined in individual rooms like pigs, selected based on age, gender, height, and other criteria, and then dragged out by the Yakuza to participate in surgeries."

"Some people were able to come back, but most never saw it again. Even those who did come back mostly went mad, and a few became something that was not human."

"Snakes, lizards, monsters engulfed in flames... it's like hell has invaded the human world."

He patiently waited for Haruko to finish her last sentence and vent her emotions. Only then did Harunobu ask, "So, the place where you did housekeeping work was a hidden stronghold of the Demon Dragon Society?"

Perhaps because she had vented her emotions, Haruko's eyes brightened considerably: "Probably so. Most of the people there are Yakuza, and I even saw Ryuichi Suzuki."

"You know him?"

"When that guy was a small-time hoodlum, he used to hang out on the streets a lot. Older people in the Yoshiwara area should be able to recognize his face."

"So, do you remember the exact location there?"

"I can't give you the details, since we were led there blindfolded. But it's definitely near the Sumida River, and there should be ramen shops and cafes nearby, you can smell their aromas and hear their calls."

Harunobu silently noted down the information Haruko had given him. Although she hadn't given him a precise location, with this information, plus the information Koneko had gathered over this period, they should be able to pinpoint the location.

Looks like it's time to go and sketch Ryuichi Suzuki.

But before that, he had some questions to ask.

"Miss Haruko, you just said that Ryuichi Suzuki can transform into a yokai and create clones?"

“Yes.” Haruko answered Harunobu’s questions one by one, and Harunobu slowly pieced together Suzuki Ryuichi’s condition.

Normally, he's a sturdy 1.5-meter-tall Yakuza. After transforming, he looks almost exactly like Suzuki Michiichi after transforming, only taller and bigger. He can also breathe fire, spew acid, and create clones. In addition, he can maintain stable rationality.

I don't know how good its physical attributes are, but at the very least it's at the level of an ordinary-level monster, and its defense might be at least at the level of Suzuki Doichi.

It seems we need to do some preparation before we can get to him.

Chapter 171: Drawing Cards!

At noon, Harunobu got up from Hirako's bed, carrying the kitten. After all, he was going to pull off a big heist tonight, so he needed to conserve his energy.

As for the daily criticism and guidance she gives to her disciples, since Hirayukiko has already mastered both the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu and Ashina-ryu styles and brought them to the middle school, teaching ordinary disciples shouldn't be a problem. And the results of Hojo Amu and the others practicing on their own for half a day, as geniuses, might be greater than the results of him, an N-rank good-for-nothing, giving pointers from the sidelines.

Just kidding. Even the most talented person is wasting their time if they don't know what to study.

While my style is cool, in many ways it's not as good as the ancient sword techniques that have stood the test of time and been passed down through generations.

Especially in this world that samurai cannot bring peace to. Weak swordsmanship has long been eliminated by yokai, just like the Natural Harushin-ryu style.

Chapter 183

Speaking of which, shouldn't the current Natural Harukin Style be renamed New Harukin Style?

After brushing his teeth with his mind wandering, Qingxin took a towel, scooped up a handful of hot water, and pressed it against his face. The warm water instantly cleared his head.

After quickly and efficiently finishing his washing up, Qingxin stretched out his left hand, which he had deliberately left uncleaned, and slipped it under the nape of the neck of the kitten that was still purring and blowing bubbles.

"Well--"

The kitten instinctively shrank its neck and immediately clamped its grip on Harunobu's large hand. The wet sensation made the kitten pout and wave its little fists to drive Harunobu's large hand away.

"Idiot, didn't you get enough touching me last night?"

"Such an adorable cat, you could probably never get enough of petting it in your entire life."

Harunobu's shameless cheesy pickup lines were incredibly effective, easily defusing the little kitten's pouting and making her blush. The two lingered for a while longer before leaving the bathroom and returning to the living room. The Hiharu Dormitory was nearly empty; Hirai Sachiko had gone to the main dojo for her lesson, and Hosho Amu and the two cowards were all off doing their Bracer duties.

"So, Kitty, are you sure where Ryuichi Suzuki is hiding?"

Qingxin sat down at the dining table with the kitten in her arms, and while talking, she opened her mouth and took the bun that the kitten offered her.

Mmm, minced pork, delicious.

She stuffed a red bean bun into her mouth and chewed like a kitten, saying, "It's confirmed. There's only one place that matches Haruko-nee's information. It's a manor estate owned by a shipping merchant named Suzuki Ippei."

"It's much smaller than our house, but it's still over 500 square meters. It should be able to easily accommodate several hundred people."

"Moreover, the ramen shop nearby is a safe house for the Demon Dragon Society. This information comes from Rumor House, so it should be reliable."

"What about the defense forces?"

"On the surface, they are just ordinary bodyguards, about thirty of them, and their only weapons are sticks. But it's better to assume they have guns; who knows, they might even turn into monsters."

"Are there any methods of infiltration?"

"Private real estate? Probably not. Or perhaps we could try having Hijikata Souji send the police to search the place? Or maybe we could try contacting them under the name of the Aozora Business Alliance?"

"No, alerting the enemy would be troublesome."

Qingxin stuffed the last steamed bun into the mouth of the kitten that was busy feeding him, and opened the system page.

"I'll go scout out the location tonight and see how things go."

The kitten chewed twice and swallowed the red bean bun: "Is everything alright? You're not good at infiltration, are you?"

After all, when catching criminals before, Xiao Mao had already witnessed Qingxin's level of infiltration.

"That's just because it's more efficient that way, and maybe Ryuichi Suzuki will be in the garden anyway."

"Yes, yes." The kitten turned around and rubbed its little face against Qingxin's chest, leaving a noticeable oil stain on Qingxin's white clothes.

Seeing the little cat throwing a tantrum, Qingxin gently pinched her face, which she had just wiped clean: "Go do your work, you silly girl."

"Slightly, slightly, slightly~"

The kitten made a face, jumped off Qingxin, and got ready to work. Since her foolish husband wouldn't listen, the clever kitten could only support him and try to lighten his burden.

Watching the kitten leave, Qingxin turned her attention to the system page.

He currently has 4655 study points. He should have had more, but he spent 800 points building the dormitory along the way.

Originally, this should have been used to continue building gym facilities, but since we're planning to chop people up, it's better to use it to strengthen our immediate combat power.

Taking advantage of having just petted, hugged, and lifted the lucky kitten high in the air, Harunobu quickly pressed the draw button.

【Extracting...】

[Extraction Complete]

[Congratulations on obtaining an R-grade item, Dash Potion]

???

Looking at the small medicine bottle on the system page, Qingxin opened the detailed description with a completely confused expression.

[Forced Walking Drug]

[A secret elixir from the same Azure Star that guides you forward, crafted with special ingredients from the New World. It will give you incredible resilience, allowing you to effortlessly create ten dragons in one go!]

[Special Effect: Will not run out of energy for one minute]

It feels less effective than the recovery medicine... It's miraculous.

But it's actually pretty overpowered, locking your stamina bar for a minute!

It was a decent start, I guess. Let's try again!

Immediately open the next game, and the system's dazzling special effects unfold once again.