That evening after work, Akishin opened his shop until ten. Once he closed up, he intended to have a quick drink and a long soak in the tub.
Business was even better than yesterday. Even though he'd hiked the prices by a third, custors kept pouring in. They felt a sense of peace eating dishes made from simple, honest ingredients.
His revenue for the day hit 120,000 Yen. After deducting costs, his net profit sat at 100,000 Yen—benefits of having no staff or rent.
Akishin was exhausted. He felt guilty whenever custors complained about the wait tis, but it wasn't their fault. He could only offer polite apologies. He briefly considered only selling seasoned beef and alcohol, but he felt that would be too monotonous.
For a chef, the ultimate praise was seeing custors enjoy the food. Akishin loved the atmosphere; it made him feel truly alive.
As he was closing, Akishin posted a job listing on the front door:
Wanted: Two servers. Duties: Serving custors, taking orders, clearing tables. Daily wage: 1,000 Yen per hour. Hours: 17:00 – 22:00. Dinner included. Students welco, experience preferred.
The handwriting was a bit ssy, but the ssage was clear. However, Akishin smiled and crossed out the number 'two,' replacing it with 'one.' He realized he already had a potential candidate in mind.
With that, he locked the doors. Inside, he sipped a glass of spirits while snacking on the leftover beef from earlier. Feeling a slight buzz, he showered and prepared for bed.
In the dark room, he took a deep breath and summoned the blue status screen:
Chishima Akishin
Strength: 20
Agility: 16
Charm: 13
Constitution: 20
Skills:
Kendo: Grandmaster
Cooking: Master
Go: Master
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Expert
Firearms: Expert
Sword ditation
Skill Points: 0
The word "Kendo" was blinking, indicating it was ready for training. The system divided mastery into three stages: Expert → Master → Grandmaster. Grandmaster was the pinnacle—a level almost impossible to reach through ordinary practice.
For now, Akishin only planned to raise Kendo to the Expert level. According to the system, his current body wasn't yet capable of handling the strain of reaching Master or Grandmaster.
Even upgrading Cooking to Master had put him under imnse ntal pressure. If Kendo—a skill inherently tied to killing—was pushed that far, the system might not be able to pull his psyche back.
Based on his cooking training, he expected to be dropped directly into a simulation space, possibly involving combat against simulated enemies.
The Kendo provided by the system wasn't a sport; it was a lethal art. A sword was a weapon, and sword techniques were killing techniques. The system provided them exactly as they were ant to be.
Akishin's body shivered slightly, a mix of fear and excitent at the thought of fighting endlessly in the training space. He loved the sword, and the sensation of being able to cut through anything.
Akishin loved the blade; he loved the feeling of severing everything in a single, lightning-fast strike. A person without their true essence isn't truly human.
The world was full of temptations. Akishin wanted to live a life of freedom and happiness; he didn't want to get lost or sink into a swamp of desires. Truthfully, with his abilities, he could easily indulge in a life without limits as long as he stayed within social bounds.
Yet, he chose to be a teacher, opened an izakaya, and forced himself to smile at custors, living the sowhat pathetic life of a suppressed salaryman.
Because he loved it, he did it; there was no other reason. A person is truly human because they have sothing they hold onto firmly.
"Ha... hoo..." Chishima Akishin regulated his breathing using a specific technique, hearing the rhythmic, heavy thud of his heart against his chest!
As his breath slowed, his pulse followed suit until it was perfectly stable, and his body reached a state of deep relaxation.
Without hesitation, Akishin raised his hand, his index finger tapping the word "Kendo." In an instant, his consciousness shifted into the familiar white void, while his physical body in the real world vanished.
A long black katana appeared in his hand, housed in a dark red scabbard with a black hilt, red wrapping, and a gold handguard (tsuba). It looked like an ordinary katana.
Clack!
Akishin gripped the hilt with both hands and drew the blade just slightly. The silver steel reflected the shadow of his eyes. This was a real, razor-sharp weapon. He drew it fully, the tip pointing toward the ground with the edge facing forward.
A real sword. A real sword that had never been used.
Shing!
Akishin fully unsheathed the long blade, pointing it diagonally toward the ground. The system text flickered before his eyes:
[Detecting Chishima Akishin's Kendo style...]
[No style detected. Setting to default: "I-Ryu Kendo" (Independent Style)...]
Akishin frowned. In his previous life, he never had the ti to formally train in Kendo despite his fascination with it.
He had only taught himself basic movents through videos—slashing, cleaving, parrying, thrusting. In Japan, that was enough to call it Kendo.
Many official styles existed, like Shinto-ryu or Yagyu Shinkage-ryu. Soone who hadn't studied a specific school could call their technique "Ore-ryu"—My Own Style.
Akishin asked the system if it could grant him the knowledge of a famous style, like Ashina-ryu or Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, just as it had with cooking.
The system replied: [Cannot comply. Cooking and Kendo are fundantally different.]
Akishin countered: [How? Aren't they both just knowledge?]
The system answered: [Kendo techniques are killing techniques that only improve through combat, not re information. If Chishima Akishin wishes to reach Grandmaster, it is best not to follow any established path and instead forge his own.]
Akishin fell silent for a mont, then let out a grin.
"Let's begin then."
Akishin took a deep breath and said in a heavy tone, "Show ... show what a real sword is!"
[As you wish.]
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