Female Swordsman Training Dojo

"Since you've said so, then let's leave it at that for now." Harunobu picked up his chopsticks. "But if the number of disciples at the dojo increases in the future, then don't refuse."

“Of course.” Hirako breathed a sigh of relief. She thought Harunobu would be angry at her for talking back and being offensive. He really is a gentle person... Hmm, what are you thinking, Sachiko!

With her legs slightly clenched under the table, Hirako began serving Harunobu food. A dinner with a subtle yet harmonious and happy atmosphere came to an end, followed by an even happier teaching session.

Having learned from the previous day's experience, Harunobu opted for a more basic training program, prioritizing the enhancement of Hirayukiko's physical abilities. With the help of Thunder Breathing, the progress was very smooth this time.

However, since this was the first time Hirako was learning a professional training method, she inevitably needed Harunobu's hands-on guidance during the process, which inevitably led to some bumps and frictions.

Moreover, because of their previous conversation, the two interacted much more intimately and openly.

After two short yet seemingly endless hours, Hirako, who still had to go to work, reluctantly welcomed her sleep time. Harunobu, after taking two cold showers, also drifted off to sleep, albeit uncomfortably.

The next day, before Hirako even got out of bed, Harunobu was already dressed and ready to go hunting.

He desperately needs money to promote the Aozora Pavilion so he can quickly recruit enough disciples. This is an era with newspapers, magazines, and even radio stations, and they are still very trendy, making it easy to fool a large number of people.

But precisely because of this, Harunobu's peers have naturally been eyeing this area for a long time. There are many dojos in Tokyo, including three in Asakusa alone, including Aozora Dojo. The advertising costs after rolling them up are also very expensive, especially if you want to advertise for a long time.

Indeed, no matter what era you live in or what your status is, if you want to make progress, you can't escape the fate of opening a book!

Harunobu fitted his sword and prepared to find the kitten to start reading together.

Hmm... isn't something wrong?

Chapter Seventeen: Qingxin's book is only half-finished...

In the early morning, Harunobu walked out of the intersection of Aozorakan Road somewhat dejectedly. The little cat leaning against the wall nearby immediately cast his gaze over: "Have you decided on today's target?"

Harunobu rolled his eyes, walked over to the kitten and struck the same pose: "Unfortunately, our enjoyable hunting time ends today."

The kitten curled its lip unsurprised: "With your methods, this kind of thing always happens. In fact, the fact that you've managed to hold out this long is because you're so unpredictable."

It has been more than ten days since Harunobu killed Ino-o Sanjiro. During this time, Harunobu has been clearing out various bounties at a rate of three to four per day. It can be said that he has been either traveling or killing people.

Reality is not a game; bounties don't refresh indefinitely, Tokyo's security situation isn't at the point where there are endless vicious criminals to catch, and the police department can't really let Harunobu single-handedly overpower the entire police system.

In fact, when Harunobu went to Tanaka Yu to pick up a new order, he was directly advised to take a break. This was not only a request from the police, but also a request from the backgrounds of those wanted criminals with connections.

Although those who end up on the wanted list either have weak backgrounds or are not valued by their families—like Ino-o Sanjiro—the true privileged class in this country would not be treated this way, just like the samurai.

However, Harunobu's short-sighted approach still made them somewhat uneasy, so they joined forces to send Harunobu a message that roughly meant: That's enough.

Seeing that Qingxin still looked a bit listless, Xiao Mao sighed and then comforted him, "Alright, anyway, the remaining wanted posters are just for petty thieves and perverts worth only a dozen yen. The time and effort wasted catching them can't be made up for. You might as well take on more disciples to make more money."

“Then you…” Qingxin’s eyes lit up, but the kitten resolutely refused, “No!”

"Why? We're so familiar with each other!"

"That's why I don't want you. It's too dangerous to have a perverted instructor like you who would attack his disciples!"

More than ten days passed, and the kitten had of course met Hirako. She also noticed Harunobu's ulterior motives towards this voluptuous older sister. She was greatly relieved, but she still did not intend to become Harunobu's disciple.

Because that goes against common sense.

It was already rebellious enough to just take women as disciples, but the Aozorakan was too small and inconspicuous, so no one paid attention. If Eta were added to the mix, the fun would be much greater.

It was precisely because she had become familiar with Qingxin over the past ten days that Xiao Mao was even less willing to become Qingxin's disciple. Even if that wasn't the reason, she had other things to do and didn't want to drag Qingxin into it.

In short, he was unwilling to become a disciple before because he was worried that Harunobu had ulterior motives, and he is unwilling to become a disciple now because he doesn't want Harunobu to be in any danger... although with his strength, nothing should happen to him.

But one thing is one thing, and she shouldn't drag her friends into her own problems.

"……Hello!"

"Huh?" The kitten was suddenly startled and looked toward the source of the sudden loud noise, which was Qingxin's helpless face.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" Qingxin took a step back, creating some distance.

"Of course, it's my future source of income," the kitten casually lied without batting an eye. "Even if the cooperation ends, I still need to feed those little creatures."

"You really have worked hard..." Harunobu now knows some information about the cat. She probably has a group of Eta children who are even younger than her. Every day, when these children are picking up trash and begging, they help to gather information. In return, the cat provides them with food, shelter and protection.

That is what is known as a cat house.

“But I didn’t say the cooperation was going to be terminated.” Harunoshi stroked his chin and pulled out two pieces of paper from his pocket. “Although there are no wanted criminals to arrest today, I should start dealing with the annual quotas.”

The kitten took the paper from Haruno and examined it carefully: "Kappa attack?"

"Ah, it seems to have come in from the water, and it looks like it's an older type. It has developed the instinct and skills to avoid humans, so someone needs to find it."

The kitten frowned and continued reading until it finished, at which point its brow relaxed slightly: "It still only attacks indiscriminately, so it must still be at the ordinary level. Okay, I can take this job."

“I thought you were going to tell me to find someone who does this kind of business professionally,” Harunobu said, somewhat surprised. “And you seem to know quite a bit about yokai.”

“When Eta was attacked by a monster, the samurai weren’t in such a hurry, so they had to do their own research.” The cat said bluntly, puffing out its meager chest, which drew a pitying look from Harunobu.

Her gaze turned slightly colder, and the kitten continued, "Besides, I can do this job, so why should I pass it on to someone else?"

"Then it's settled. But when you're gathering intelligence, safety should be your priority. You can always earn money again." Harunobu paused, then handed over a large sum of money. "As for the reward, it'll be fifty yen."

The kitten looked at Qingxin, who casually tossed out a huge sum of money, pursed her lips, and did not refuse Qingxin's kindness. After all, the danger of this job was incomparable to that of the previous ones. Monsters would not care whether you were a child or not, or whether you were on a bustling street. If they found you, they would kill and eat you.

“However, this might really drive those little guys to fight tooth and nail.” The kitten put away the two sheets of paper that only contained rudimentary information. “After all, for us Edo people, money is life, and every opportunity to make money is hard-won.”

People like Harunobu who maintain a close relationship with Eta are extremely rare. Even if they have no choice but to cooperate with Eta, it's mostly a one-off deal, and they just have to grit their teeth and bear it.

"Then you should be even more careful to save your life. I won't just kill one monster." Harunobu said with a grin. To be honest, after spending more than ten days together, Harunobu felt that even if the cat wasn't an SR, it was still an excellent partner worth maintaining long-term. At least the intelligence on the dozens of wanted criminals hadn't been wrong at all.

The kitten looked at the grinning face in front of it and clicked its tongue impatiently: "I need to go back and assign tasks first. You go wait at the Wind and Sound House. If he doesn't come looking for you, go back on your own. I know where the Azure Sky Pavilion is."

"Never mind then, it's really annoying to hear Kaze's eye roll." Harunobu rubbed his chin. "I'll wait at Sumida River Park. Kappa probably like to stay by the water, right?"

"Whatever." The kitten patted its face, adding two layers of dust. "I'm leaving now."

"Don't rush, let's take the tram together."

Harunobu grabbed the cat's shoulder as it prepared to run away. This wasn't the first time they'd made this kind of contact, and the cat didn't react much. It simply said, "I'm not going to pay for the tram fare."

"Yes, yes, you greedy little cat, how about we call you Money Cat from now on?"

"It sounds awful, your taste in names is really..."

Amidst the unexpectedly harmonious bickering, Harunobu took the kitten to the Kazemonya—the cat house's lair was also nearby—and then took the train to the Sumida River, beginning a day of strolling and eating.

At 7 p.m., the kitten found Harunobu, who was scooping goldfish: "The target has appeared, right here in the Sumida River."

Chapter 18: The first monster retreat

Setting down the water bag already filled with several goldfish, Harunobu stood up, leaning on his sword: "What...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Qingxin, who had already turned around, suddenly stopped, because the scene before him was somewhat unexpected.

The sky was now shrouded in darkness, and the bright moon cast a pale silver light, creating a hazy filter that complemented the lanterns hanging from the night market stalls.

Under this ambiguous light, a fairy who seemed to have stepped out of a dream stood gracefully in front of him. Although she was wearing a tattered kimono covered in patches and the most ordinary straw sandals on her feet, and her small feet were covered in dust, this only made her exquisite face, which was so beautiful that even Harunobu did not know how to describe it, stand out even more.

Actually, his face was still covered in dust, and from a distance he just looked like a dusty homeless child. But from Qingxin's distance, he could appreciate the delicate features beneath the sweat. His bright eyes were filled with pride, and his small but pert nose was flared from the exertion, shaking off the sweat on his cheeks. The transparent beads of sweat, mixed with dust, turned gray, slid down his thin cherry lips, and disappeared into his neck, leaving only a white mark...

"kitten?"

"what……"

The female leader of the cat house then realized that her disguise had been exposed in front of the perverted samurai, but she thought it didn't matter. Although this guy was a perverted instructor who would do things to his disciples, his hobby was mature women, so she, a little girl, was actually safe.

So she puffed out her meager chest instead: "That's right, it's me. By the way, you haven't suddenly come up with some perverted idea, have you?"

"How could that be? You flat-chested, flat-bottomed brat." Qingxin handed a fox mask she had bought for fun to the kitten. "Use this for now. You don't like people seeing your real face, right?"

The kitten readily accepted the mask and put it on. Then, a somewhat muffled voice came from behind: "I'm not going to pay you back for this."

"Then consider it a favor you owe me." Harunobu waved his hand; this fox mask only cost three sen (one yen equals one hundred sen). "Alright, where is the target?"

"Follow me!" The kitten turned and began to lead the way, casually dropping a piece of news that made Harunobu quicken his pace, "Speaking of which, that guy has already started causing a ruckus. If you can defeat him, you might be able to get a special reward..."

As the kitten was talking, she suddenly felt her body lighten and her field of vision suddenly increased significantly—Qingxin lifted her up and tucked her under his arm.

"Hey! What are you doing! Have your fetishes kicked in?!"

"Next time, if a yokai is already causing trouble, remember to tell me first!" Harunobu took a deep breath, his Thunder Breathing, which he could maintain even while sleeping, pumped his blood, providing his body with a large amount of energy, which then transformed into the explosive power of his legs.

A flash of thunder!

Although he didn't draw his sword and was simply moving at high speed, Harunobu still attracted countless eyes wherever he went. After all, the thunderous sound when Thunder Breathing was unleashed was indeed very eye-catching.

Meanwhile, the kitten, which was being held like a package in Haruno's left hand, revealed its dead fish eyes. As expected of a samurai, he was still so eager to help others... or was that what they said?

In short, the samurai old man is indeed a good person. Unlike Eta, who only thinks about making money, he actually cares about strangers.

However, the kitten wouldn't rebel because of this. She wished everyone were such a good person, so even though she was very dissatisfied with how Qingxin was carried, she still cooperated and continued to give directions: "Turn left ahead into that alley!"

"Turn right and go straight!"

"Just jump over this wall!"

With Harunobu's rampage and the cat's skillful directions, it only took Harunobu a few minutes to reach his destination, a riverbank near the Sumida River. There, two extremely gruesome corpses lay, their anuses and surrounding flesh torn off.

A typical Kappa offense involves attacking human anuses, supposedly to steal something called a "shiri-ko-dama".

The culprit—a kappa about 1.3 meters tall, with bluish-purple skin and a Mediterranean-style haircut with a bald center and thick foliage around the edges—was pouncing on a mother and daughter.

Harunobu released the kitten, but before it even hit the ground, thunder roared.

Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap Flash!

The gleaming silver blade glided through the night sky, and the bright moonlight lost its luster in that instant, as if startled by a thunderclap, letting the artificial, cold light streak across the night.

The kappa, which was excitedly pouncing on its blood prey, let out an angry scream, but its anger could not make it unleash its full power. Unable to gain leverage in mid-air, it could only be helplessly knocked away and crashed heavily to the ground, leaving behind only bright green blood.

"Run away."

Harunobu, who stood in front of the mother and daughter, gave a brief speech, then assumed the Thunder Flash stance again. Although his previous attack had injured the kappa—which showed that Suzuki Doichi's defense was indeed abnormal—he had not been able to decapitate it as easily as he had dealt with an ordinary person.

No, it shouldn't even be broken any bones.

Breathing heavily, with thunder rumbling faintly, Harunobu prepared to try a six-hit combo first—but the kappa didn't give him that time.

"Li!!"

A strange scream rang out. Before Harunobu could finish charging up, the kappa appeared in front of him. Its seemingly slender arms moved with disproportionate speed, grabbing at his face. Its sharp claws, which were also bluish-purple and had thick black grime under their nails, clearly indicated that it was poisonous.

This guy, although his defense is not as good as Suzuki Doichi's, he is far superior in other aspects, whether it is strength, speed, or even reaction!

Faced with the attack that was already within reach, Harunobu had no choice but to abandon drawing his sword and instead simply leap high into the air—no!

The mother and daughter were not very fast. Although they started to run away quickly, they did not get very far. Harunobu's attempt to dodge exposed them to the kappa's attack.

"asshole--"

Harunobu roared angrily, and his katana was suddenly drawn and swung at the kappa.

It's no use, the distance is too far.

The kitten watching from afar, and the mother and daughter who had resigned themselves to their fate, thought this way, until a deafening roar, like the wrath of Naruto, swept in and overturned their judgment.

Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Far Thunder!

This is a technique that uses the explosive power of Thunder Breathing and the swinging of the sword to create a huge, thunderous sound, mixed with airflow, for a ranged attack. It is especially effective against those with keen hearing and a keen eye for the slightest movement.

Just now, green blood flowed from the holes on both sides of the kappa's deformed head, and the cautious creature immediately stopped its pounce and retreated a little.

The mother and daughter successfully reached the kitten, and Harunobu also landed firmly on the ground, facing the kappa at a distance of two meters.

"Li...!"

The kappa roared, its two sharp claws hanging down in front of its chest, its beady eyes shooting out a look of fear and hatred, fixed on Harunobu's face, and Harunobu returned the look with anger.

They almost tricked me...

The faint rumble of thunder reappeared. Qingxin took deep breaths of the cool night air, his veins bulging slightly as his blood flowed rapidly, making his handsome face look ferocious and terrifying. However, compared to the genuine monster opposite him, he exuded a sense of majesty.

"Li!!!"

The kappa let out a high-pitched scream. Its instincts told it that it could not continue this standoff, so it lowered its body, and a faint green light shone from its ten sharp claws.

The next moment, it moved at the same time as Qingxin.

Amidst the deafening thunder, the silvery-white steel struck the purplish-blue skin. The sharp blade sliced ​​through the tough leather and cut into the tender, pink muscle layer, but that was all.

The kappa screamed in pain, gripping Harunobu's knife firmly with its left claw, while its other hand and two claws reached for Harunobu's face and abdomen respectively.

However, they all crashed into another dark figure—Harunobu's scabbard.

Flying Sword Style: Twin Dragon Flash!