In the end, Shizuka stayed at the Chishima Residence.
She had originally planned to leave after the Kondo family moved out, but she didn't.
Akishin, certainly no fool, didn't bring up the subject of her departure at all.
The two of them began their life together, dwelling within a lie understood by both parties. They ate breakfast together in the morning and headed to school together.
Akishin usually commuted by bicycle, but after Shizuka arrived, he switched back to walking. Shizuka's beloved car was a sports car, making it unsuitable for a daily commute.
After work in the evening, they returned ho together.
Akishin would open the shop while Shizuka relaxed in her room. She wanted to help him, but he refused, so she was forced to enjoy her usual leisurely life—or occasionally help with cleaning the house and doing the laundry.
This wasn't an absolute routine, though.
Shizuka sotis had to work overti.
After the shop closed, only the two of them remained. Akishin would whip up a few small dishes, and they'd share a few drinks together. Afterward, they each took their respective baths, exchanged goodnights, and went to sleep.
Life with an extra person seed to bring many changes, yet at the sa ti, it felt as if nothing had changed at all. Three als a day remained the sa, but within the quiet house, there was now one more silhouette and one more voice.
Aside from that, Kawasaki Saki started working on the second day after they returned. She mastered the job quickly, handling many custors with great efficiency. She was no less capable than Kaiko; she likely had plenty of experience with part-ti jobs before this.
Yuika officially leveled up to beco Akishin's assistant.
Akishin's workload beca a little lighter.
The Chishima Residence also purchased a high-end dishwasher to replace manual labor. Although the price wasn't cheap, it was still a profitable investnt in the long run.
On the third day of living together, Shizuka happened to ntion the fact that she was staying with Akishin while she was on the phone with her mother.
Two minutes later, Akishin's phone rang.
It was a call from his father-in-law... Uncle Hiratsuka Yuren.
One didn't need to think twice to know what the issue was.
Glancing at Shizuka, who was still talking to her mother on the other end, Akishin stepped out of the activity room and headed toward the window. He let the night breeze hit him as he stared at the stars in the sky, then answered the call!
Hiratsuka Yuren: "..."
Akishin: "..."
Both were silent, like two Daruma dolls facing each other. Neither could find the words to speak; they just stared into the silence over the phone line.
The party on that end wasn't ready with specific questions, and the party on this end wasn't ready with specific answers. For these two n who were anything but simple, Shizuka was the weakness they both shared.
While gazing at the stars, Akishin finally spoke first: "Uncle, how has your health been lately? The weather is changing, so please take care of yourself. It's been a while since I last checked in..."
"...Good enough. Even ten years from now, hitting you still wouldn't be a problem."
After a full three seconds of silence, Hiratsuka Yuren's voice, sounding as if he were grinding his teeth, ca through from the other side.
Akishin: "..."
"That's good. Health is the most important thing. When will you visit my place again, Uncle? I'll treat you to so authentic Chinese cuisine."
"Don't change the subject."
In the other end of the city, inside a luxury villa, Hiratsuka Yuren stood by the window, staring at the sky.
His eyes showed a hint of anger, and he gritted his teeth as he said: "Tell , what is going on between you and Shizuka? Why did you two start living together?"
To think such a major event happened and you didn't tell . Do you intend to act first and handle the paperwork later?
Damn it, don't let catch you. Did you forget what I told you before?
In the living room outside the bedroom, Hiratsuka Sachiko was happily talking to her daughter, listening to the interesting stories that had unfolded since Shizuka moved in with Akishin.
Akishin knew this question had to be answered well; otherwise, the doting father on the other end would likely charge straight into the Chishima Residence.
Akishin began to weigh his words: "How should I put it? It was... a natural progression, slowly developing into this... well..." Realizing he wasn't very good at saying these things, Akishin sighed and said directly: "Up until now, Shizuka and I have only held hands, and even then, only twice. So you don't need to worry."
Why did saying this feel so pathetic?
I've given you the answer you actually wanted, hiks~
He let out a breath, forcing a smile onto the corner of his mouth. He had to feel happy; at least the relationship had progressed to the hand-holding stage.
"..."
"..."
Silence returned. Half a minute later, the sound of laughter ca from the other side: "Hahaha, Chishima-kun, I was only joking. When are you coming over? Let's have a drink together."
Akishin laughed as well: "It seems it'll have to wait a little longer. How about after the school holidays start?"
"Then I'll be looking forward to your arrival, Chishima-kun."
"Haha, Uncle, you're being too modest."
"Haha, not at all, not at all..."
The two exchanged pleasantries and then hung up at the sa ti.
Akishin exhaled, shaking his head with a smile, then grabbed his pajamas to take a bath.
Hiratsuka Yuren put his phone away, stared at it for a few seconds, and finally sighed. He pulled out a bottle of red wine and decided to have a glass for the first ti in a while.
...
Ti passed quickly in the unchanging rhythm of daily life.
The sun rose and set, and the world kept turning.
Before they knew it, it was mid-July. Sobu High had entered sumr break, marking the end of the sester.
Chishima Residence, Small Dojo!
"n!"
The sound of a sharp strike echoed through the dojo.
Polished wooden floors, a wooden bucket filled with bamboo swords in the corner, calligraphy with a sharp aura hanging on the wall... Hikigaya Hachiman and Kondo Soichi, clad in kendo gear, were sparring in the center of the dojo.
Hachiman was clearly overwhelming Soichi in the fight.
Hachiman's score had already reached twenty-two, while Soichi, on the other hand, didn't have a single point.
Their fight didn't follow the three-point rule system. They kept going; the only way to lose was for one side to surrender or beco unable to move.
Rather than a fight, it was more accurate to say Hachiman was training Kondo Soichi.
Hachiman used many techniques repeatedly, only switching to the next one after Soichi was able to parry it perfectly.
These were static techniques. Against an opponent with actual skill, they would be very easy to counter, but Soichi had only just started learning, and Akishin wasn't training him directly, so this thod was for the best.
Regarding this, Hachiman had initially felt quite resentful—why is it that when I practice Kendo, you beat half to death, but when it's the junior disciple's turn, you teach him so ticulously and even ask to do the training?
That's right, a junior disciple. Kondo Soichi had beco Hachiman's junior.
Akishin had begun teaching Kendo to Soichi, although Soichi hadn't officially perford the discipleship ceremony yet.
He could be considered a half-disciple.
To Hachiman's complaints, Akishin's response was that Kondo Soichi was still too young and wasn't suited to receive such harsh blows.
The real reason was that Soichi didn't possess a will as strong as Hachiman's, so Akishin didn't intend to teach him in the sa way he taught Hachiman.
He also wasn't suited for Hachiman's training thods.
Just like he did with Hachiman, Akishin gave a wooden sword to Soichi and asked him to perform five hundred swings, with no other conditions, and the option to give up at any ti.
Soichi also completed those five hundred swings.
However, he divided them into four sessions. By the first two hundred swings, his arms were already so sore he could barely lift them.
After that, the remaining three hundred swings were done in three sessions of one hundred swings each.
The total ti spent was one hour and twenty minutes.
This was the main reason why Akishin didn't train Soichi directly.
Perhaps others would think this thod was better, as dividing it into four sessions saved energy while still completing the task.
True, the task was indeed completed.
But the matter wasn't ant to be understood that way.
This was Kendo. To train the sword is to train the heart first; it isn't for the sake of a so-called "completed task."
Basically, the core of the matter wasn't about finishing five hundred swings, but about swinging the sword with a firm and unwavering ntality.
Swinging the sword with the resolve to push forward!
Steeling one's own resolve, moving forward without retreat like a blade, not thinking of consequences, only thinking of the swing.
In a life-and-death struggle with an enemy, knowing that you could die at any mont and that a single mistake could separate your head from your body—at a ti like that, do you still have room to think of consequences?
In that mont, one must swing the sharp blade in their hand with all their might, exerting every bit of skill to its peak to kill the opponent.
Often, a real fight doesn't give you ti to prepare, nor does it give you ti to think of consequences.
Cowering in battle ans death is near.
Based on Kondo Soichi's age and his physical condition—having never swung a sword before—he wouldn't have been able to finish five hundred swings all at once.
Therefore, he cleverly looked for a shortcut by dividing it into several sessions.
This didn't align with Akishin's Kenshin (Sword Heart).
Soichi had also wondered if this was a test. A test of his persistence? A test of his resolve? Or just to get him used to swinging the sword?
Swinging the sword—Suburi—is the foundation of all Kendo schools in Japan, especially the Ittō-ryū style, which spends a huge amount of ti practicing it.
In the end, when he reached two hundred swings and felt an indescribable soreness in both arms, realizing he definitely couldn't finish five hundred swings at once, Kondo Soichi chose the final thod of dividing it into sessions.
And this event was, indeed, a test.
Akishin used this to judge Kondo Soichi's ntal state.
However, the one being tested shouldn't think that way. What you want to learn is Kendo, not to second-guess the mind of the one teaching it.
In other dojos, a person like this might succeed, but in Akishin's place, it didn't work like that.
He taught Kendo purely; he wasn't running a business.
At the Chishima Residence, the one being tested simply needed to swing the sword with everything they had. Injecting unnecessary thoughts into Kendo would only produce the opposite result.
The result was a little disappointing to Akishin... or rather than disappointing, it was exactly as expected.
Kondo Soichi was too mature.
To a certain extent, Kondo Soichi was even more mature than Hikigaya.
And this was rely Akishin's own thought; it didn't an Kondo Soichi was bad.
In fact, Kondo Soichi was quite remarkable; his talent was very high, and he could quickly master the techniques Hachiman taught him.
"n!"
As Hikigaya landed another strike on Kondo Soichi's head protector, both stopped their movents.
Akishin held his teacup, casually flipping the scoreboard beside him, changing the number to twenty-three.
Beside Akishin were others: Hiratsuka Shizuka, Kondo Yuika, Sakurai Kaiko, Hikigaya Komachi, Kawasaki Saki, Totsuka Saika, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, and Yuigahama Yui.
Kondo Yuika and Sakurai Kaiko had co to the Chishima Residence to attend a study group, then worked after they finished studying.
Hachiman was a mber of that study group. Komachi and Yui had tagged along with him. Kawasaki Saki, Totsuka Saika, and Zaimokuza Yoshiteru joined later.
The study group used the Chishima Residence as their base, and it ran very orderly. There was a division of labor; different people looked for references and practice problems, everyone shared their knowledge, and if they found a problem they couldn't solve, they discussed it together.
The best part was that the study group was also attended by two teachers as friendly participants.
In their spare ti, they could also watch Kendo matches like this one.
It really was quite pleasant.
Hachiman stared at Soichi through his head protector; he could faintly see Soichi's small face turning red. He advised: "Junior, take a break for a bit!"
He did this out of consideration for Soichi's condition. If he didn't take the initiative to call for a break, Kondo Soichi would keep going until he was completely paralyzed from exhaustion before finally giving up.
Soichi nodded.
Both stepped back to the white line, straightened their bamboo swords, bowed respectfully, then walked toward Akishin and removed their head protectors.
Hachiman had a light sweat dampening a stray hair, his face was slightly flushed, and his breathing was a bit faster.
Soichi's face was bright red like a boiled shrimp, sweat completely soaked his hair, and he was gasping for air.
Yui and Kondo Yuika handed them towels and mineral water.
After wiping their sweat and drinking water, Hachiman and Soichi sat cross-legged next to Akishin.
Akishin set down the teacup in his hand, then turned to Soichi and said: "Soichi, your training for today is enough. You may remove your kendo gear and rest."
"Sensei, I can still keep going."
Soichi spoke with persistence. Though he was exhausted, he hadn't reached his limit yet.
"Haste makes waste. To train the sword is to train the heart." Akishin lifted a bamboo sword and gently tapped Soichi's head: "You're still young; there's no need to be obsessed with technique. Organizing your ntal state is what matters most. Your daily practice right now is just to get you used to moving the sword."
Soichi pursed his lips and said: "Alright." Then he walked to the edge of the room to remove his kendo gear with his sister's help.
It was clear he still wanted to keep practicing, but he also didn't want to argue with Akishin. He had that slight streak of competitiveness typical of a child.
Akishin then looked at Hachiman and instructed: "Hikigaya, get ready. I've already registered you through the school. Next week you'll be going to Fukuoka with Mizukawa Masaru and the others to participate in the Gyokuryu-ki competition."
"Understood."
Hachiman had known about this since two months ago. He had also been preparing for the Gyokuryu-ki to prove himself.
"Good then." Akishin picked up a bamboo sword and rose from his cushion. Akishin asked: "Do you need another mont to rest?"
Hachiman shook his head, took a deep breath, put his head protector back on, grabbed his bamboo sword, and walked back to the center of the dojo following Akishin.
Zaimokuza Yoshiteru and the others imdiately sat up straight, watching with serious enthusiasm—it was finally starting, the real training!
Soichi also sat up straight and serious, preparing to watch the next match.
Komachi cheered for her brother loudly: "Onii-chan, do your best! Don't lose too embarrassingly, don't end up flat on the floor again. Mom was actually a bit sad when she heard about it..."
Hachiman stared at Komachi. Behind his face mask, his expression was full of dark lines of gloom.
Whether I end up on the floor or not, isn't that up to Sensei? The difference in strength is too massive; do I even have a choice in the matter?
Akishin held the sword with one hand and said calmly: "Let's begin!"
In the next second, Hachiman lunged forward. His bamboo sword perford an instantaneous forward thrust, aiming directly for Akishin's throat.
Tak!
Akishin raised his sword and struck the opponent's bamboo sword, knocking it off course, then used the montum to counterattack Hachiman.
Hachiman's footsteps retreated backward, his body pulling away, so the tip of Akishin's bamboo sword only passed by his neck.
In the process of retreating, Hachiman gripped the sword with both hands and perford a horizontal slash at Akishin.
Akishin rotated his wrist and used the body of the sword to strike the opponent's bamboo sword.
Tak!
Seizing the opportunity, Hachiman threw a straight kick toward Akishin's leg. Akishin raised his leg to et the attack.
The two legs collided and then imdiately separated.
The two finally moved away from each other. Hachiman retreated five steps to maintain distance, then held his sword in a ready stance.
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