Mount Sagiri!

Mount Sagiri,

A range of rolling peaks shrouded in pale white mountain mist.

The mist curled around the mountainsides like a thin veil, drifting slowly on the mountain breeze. At times, it parted to reveal a lush sea of trees; at others, it gathered and enveloped everything in a haze.

"Wow..."

Shinobu's eyes widened, and she kept turning her head like a fawn seeing the forest for the first time.

"Is this where your master lives, Mr. Giyu? It's so big! And the mist is so thick!"

She skipped along ahead, her curiosity as a ten-year-old temporarily overcoming her grief, and pointed to a waterfall cascading down a distant cliff:

"Look, sis! There's water falling from the sky!"

Kanae followed behind her sister, her expression far more complicated.

She looked up at the unfamiliar mountain forest, a tangle of emotions welling up inside her.

Anticipation, because they were finally going to meet someone who could teach them to grow stronger;

Anxiety, because she didn't know how the trainer would treat them;

And a trace of indescribable shyness: whenever her gaze passed over the white figure ahead, her heart skipped half a beat.

Giyu walked at the front, his pace a little slower than before.

He knew every blade of grass and every tree here. Every turn, every jutting rock, and every hidden path was etched deep into his memory.

This was where he had trained for two years. In a way, it felt more like home than the "home" that had long since ceased to exist.

He noticed the change in the sisters' moods and glanced back.

"What's wrong?"

Kanae hastily shook her head.

"N-nothing. I'm just... a little nervous."

Shinobu ran back and took her sister's hand, saying excitedly:

"Don't be nervous, sis! Look how beautiful it is here! And Mr. Giyu's master must be really amazing, right?"

"Mm."

Giyu gave a brief reply, then paused and added,

"Master Urokodaki is strict, but... he's a good person."

Kanae nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Whatever happened, she had chosen this path herself, and she had no reason to back down.

After walking for another fifteen minutes or so, they came upon a mountain stream so clear they could see the bottom.

The stream wasn't wide, but its swift current splashed loudly against the rocks. A simple wooden bridge spanned it, and on the other side, several wooden houses built against the mountainside were faintly visible.

Just as the three were about to cross the bridge, a distinctive sound came from behind the houses.

Clang—!

Whoosh—!

The two sounds rang out in alternation, sometimes as dense as rain, sometimes clearly spaced apart.

It sounded like the sharp clatter of wooden swords colliding at high speed, but also like the roar of a torrent crashing against rocks. Stranger still, the two sounds seemed to have a rhythm, like... some special breathing pattern.

The Kocho Sisters stopped at the same time and exchanged glances.

"What's that sound?"

Shinobu asked softly, instinctively edging closer to her sister.

Kanae looked puzzled as well.

She looked at Giyu and noticed a subtle change in his expression.

His normally placid ice-blue eyes lit up slightly, and the corners of his mouth even curved upward by an almost imperceptible degree.

"It's Master and Sabito."

There was a rare hint of... nostalgia in Giyu's voice?

He led the way onto the wooden bridge, and the sisters hurried after him.

The closer they got to the houses, the clearer the sounds became, and they could faintly hear voices too—

"Too slow! Your center of gravity shifted on the third turn of your Flowing Dance!"

"Yes, yes, Master!"

"And your breathing! How many times have I told you? A change in form doesn't mean you can let your breathing fall apart! Giyu was much steadier than you when he used this move!"

"Master, you're comparing me to Giyu again! That guy isn't normal!"

At that last remark, Giyu's steps faltered.

The Kocho Sisters exchanged a glance, their eyes both saying:

It looks like Mr. Giyu's senior brother... has something against him?

Giyu led the sisters around behind the houses.

There was a carefully leveled clearing about twenty paces square, covered in fine sand and surrounded by training equipment such as wooden posts and stone locks—this was Mount Sagiri's training ground.

At the moment, two people were "dueling" in the clearing.

No, perhaps it couldn't be called a duel. It was more like a one-sided training bout.

One wore a red Tengu Mask. He was tall and lean, but stood straight as a pine, holding an ordinary wooden sword.

His movements didn't seem fast, yet he always blocked or dodged his opponent's attacks at just the right moment, his footwork flowing smoothly like water.

Each time he swung, the sound of his wooden sword cutting through the air was strangely accompanied by the sound of rippling water.

The other was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, with short orange-red hair and a fox mask to ward off misfortune.

He was attacking with all his might, swinging his wooden sword with fierce force. Sweat soaked his bangs, and though his breathing was heavy, it maintained a special rhythm.

His movements were clearly more forceful and swifter than those of the person in the Tengu Mask, but... he always fell just short.

"Water Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Dance!"

The orange-haired boy let out a low shout and abruptly accelerated, turning into several afterimages that attacked his opponent from different angles.

His movement was indeed fast, so fast that the Kocho Sisters' eyes could barely follow him.

But the person in the Tengu Mask merely turned slightly to the side, tracing a small arc in front of himself with his wooden sword—

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Three light sounds, three precise blocks.

Every one of the orange-haired boy's attacks was blocked, and he had even put so much force into them that the recoil sent him back two steps.

"Forms aren't something you learn by rote!"

A stern voice came from beneath the Tengu Mask.

"The essence of Flowing Dance is 'flowing,' not 'darting around'! Look at your footwork... what kind of chaotic rhythm is that?!"

"I-I was trying a new variation..."

The orange-haired boy defended himself between breaths.

"A variation? You want to play with variations when you haven't even mastered the basics?"

The person in the Tengu Mask snorted.

"Giyu mastered the basic form in a day and could use it in actual combat in a week. And you? You're still running around like a headless fly!"

"Aaaah, Master, you're bringing up Giyu again!"

The orange-haired boy waved his wooden sword in frustration.

"That guy's a monster! What normal person could master Flowing Dance in a day?!"

At the edge of the training ground, the Kocho Sisters watched, dumbfounded.

They had never seen a "fight" like this before.

Even though it was only instruction, the speed, the power, and the force unleashed when the wooden swords collided were all far beyond anything they had imagined.

In particular, the person in the Tengu Mask made his movements look effortless, yet he always left the orange-haired boy, who was giving it his all, completely helpless.

Shinobu swallowed instinctively.

Kanae, meanwhile, involuntarily... edged half a step closer to Giyu.

Just then, the situation in the clearing changed abruptly.

The orange-haired boy seemed to have lost his temper at his master's criticism. He took a deep breath, and his entire aura suddenly changed—

"Water Breathing: Sixth Form: Twisting Whirlpool!"

His wooden sword spun out in a slash at astonishing speed, stirring up a vortex of air visible to the naked eye.

The strike was clearly several times more powerful than before, sweeping up even the fallen leaves at the edge of the training ground.

Yet the person in the Tengu Mask remained unhurried.

He stepped back half a pace and swept his wooden sword diagonally upward—

"A huge opening."

Three simple words.

The wooden sword sliced precisely into the center of the vortex, the point where its rotational force was weakest.

There was a sharp crack, and the orange-haired boy's wooden sword flew from his hand. It spun several times through the air before embedding itself in a distant wooden post with a thud.

His move broken, the orange-haired boy himself lost his balance and stumbled forward.

The person in the Tengu Mask followed through with a light tap to his back using the back of his wooden sword—

Thump!

The orange-haired boy fell face-first into the sand.

"Pfft..."

Shinobu couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.

Although she immediately covered her mouth, it was already too late.

Kanae pressed her lips together, her shoulders trembling slightly.

But the next second, the sisters made the same move at the same time—

One on each side, they both grabbed the corners of Giyu's white haori and hid behind him.

Giyu: "...?"

He had been concentrating on watching his senior brother and master train, analyzing how Sabito could improve the Twisting Whirlpool he had just used.

Suddenly, he felt both corners of his haori pull tight, and he looked down to see two fluffy heads.

Giyu's expression went blank for a moment.

His normally cool ice-blue eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows rose in confusion, and his lips parted a little without his realizing it.

He looked down at the sisters hiding behind him, then up at the training ground, then back at the sisters. He was like a mechanical doll that had gotten stuck, completely unable to understand the situation.

That adorably blank expression lasted only three seconds, but it was long enough for Shinobu, who had quietly peeked out, to see it.

Kawaii...

Shinobu marveled quietly to herself.

"What are you... doing?"

Giyu finally found his voice.

"S-sorry!"

Kanae hurriedly let go, her face reddening slightly.

"Um... the fight was t-too intense. It was a little scary..."

Shinobu let go too, but said with complete confidence:

"You're stronger, Mr. Giyu! I feel safe hiding behind you!"

Giyu was silent for two seconds before finally just sighing.

"That's training. Nothing will happen. Besides, Master noticed us a long time ago."

As if to confirm his words, the person in the Tengu Mask turned his head on the training ground and "looked" in the direction of the three of them.

The orange-haired boy who had fallen into the sand also raised his head and met Giyu's gaze!