"Gulp—"
Murata Shoichi swallowed hard, inwardly shouting, It's over, it's over! Looking at Captain Ido's expression, he's serious. Where did this lunatic come from? He just went straight up and asked the captain for the martial arts he'd spent half his life practicing.
"Beg... begin."
As the stopwatch in his hand began timing once more.
Ido Shuichi moved. This time, however, he was truly going for the kill. Every bit of martial skill he possessed had been honed through countless brushes with death. How could he possibly teach it to someone so easily?
Even if he couldn't kill him in the country, he would cripple both his arms and make him understand the consequences of talking big!
Faster!
Seeing Ido Shuichi already rushing into his face, Natsu Hiraku's expression turned grave. His body had been enhanced by cursed energy, so he would no longer be unable to react like the first time.
The fierce punch came again, but this time, the instant it was thrown, Natsu Hiraku blocked it, cutting off its force at its weakest point.
Then, gripping his right fist, he violently yanked it backward, trying to disrupt his center of balance and buy himself some time.
What tremendous strength!
Ido Shuichi immediately widened his stance to steady himself, while his still-mobile left hand reached for Natsu Hiraku's throat.
Everything happened in an instant, fully displaying both men's reaction speed.
Murata Shoichi stared in astonishment at the stopwatch ticking away in his hand and quietly counted:
"Four."
"Five."
"Six."
"No way, this kid's actually holding his own against the captain?"
The astonished cries around him did not interrupt his counting.
"Seven."
"Hey, hey, hey, are you kidding me? They're not even the same size, and the captain's punch got blocked?"
"Eight."
"No way, after all this time, the captain only left one wound on him?"
"Nine."
What was wrong with this kid? Why was he so strong?
Ido Shuichi was beginning to panic. They had fought for so long, yet he had only managed to touch him once before being forced away by that Super Strength.
"Ten, time's up! Natsu Hiraku wins!"
Murata Shoichi stopped the stopwatch and shouted. The two of them also came to a halt.
The onlookers all wore expressions as though they had seen a ghost. The two men were nowhere near the same weight class; there was a difference of over eighty jin between them. How had they ended up evenly matched?
"Oh my! Judging by those spectators' expressions, it looks like Natsu Hiraku won!"
Mitsuchi Mi had watched the entire match, a satisfied smile appearing at the corner of her lips. Sure enough, he was very strong—apparently even stronger than the captain. Her father's struggle for the inheritance would surely divide her attention. With him protecting her, there should not be any problems.
As for why she had not chosen the powerful captain as her personal bodyguard, it simply felt somewhat strange. He was in the prime of his life, so it was a little inappropriate.
But according to the investigation, Natsu Hiraku was only a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old child. His background was just a little tragic—his parents had suddenly died a few weeks ago. At that age, she could practically raise him as a younger brother, so there was naturally nothing to worry about. To put it another way:
"He's still wet behind the ears."
Teasing an innocent young boy like him should be fun, right?
Tch, he's hard to fight. My speed and strength clearly surpassed his, but he still clung to me so tightly. Aside from suppressing him at the beginning, I was being suppressed the entire rest of the fight.
Natsu Hiraku looked at the wound on his arm. He had been scratched after making one mistake while dodging. Just a graze had left such a wound. As expected of the man he had taken a liking to.
If he copied all of this man's martial arts, just how strong would he become?
If Ido Shuichi had been a sorcerer, he would have been a second Todo Aoi.
"I lost..."
Ido Shuichi looked at the blood on his fingertips. He had never imagined he would fight a child to a draw. The child was powerful and had incredibly quick reactions—those were things he could clearly feel.
But losing to a child still left him unwilling to accept it. How humiliating would it be for an adult to lose to a kid?
"Teacher Ido, according to our agreement, if I lasted ten seconds, I won, and you'd teach me everything you've learned in your life. I know that's difficult for you, but a teacher for a day is a father for life. How about I kneel and kowtow to you right now, old man?"
Natsu Hiraku knew it would be difficult to make someone teach him everything they had learned in life, so he could only try to talk his way through it. This man looked rough and burly and definitely did not have a girlfriend. It should be no problem to exploit the fact that he would have no one to rely on in old age. If he refused, Natsu Hiraku would play the pity card.
With these fighting techniques and the Sharingan's assistance, he might even be able to go toe-to-toe with Todo Aoi.
"Th... that won't be necessary."
Looking at the absurdly amusing Natsu Hiraku, Ido Shuichi came to terms with it. A loss was a loss; he had to accept it! Besides, he was already over thirty. In another seven or eight years, he probably would not even be able to throw a punch. Was he supposed to take all his martial arts into the grave with him?
"There's no need to become my disciple. I'll teach you. Come to my room tonight. I'm old—it's time to give my position to the young."
"Okay."
Natsu Hiraku was delighted. He had not expected the old man to be so ruthless in a fight yet still keep his word. Sure enough, old people cared about their pride.
The elders in his family often said that a person had to fight for dignity. Do not do anything shameful, because if you lost your face, what would you have left to live for?
They were absolutely right. Once he had learned everything and returned, he would definitely blind those bastards!
"Alright, everyone get back to your posts! Keep dawdling, and I'll make you run twenty kilometers with weights!"
After Ido Shuichi's furious roar, the onlookers scattered at top speed like refugees. It was as though they had suffered something unforgettable, and they were terrified of being dragged off for a weighted run.
"So strict..."
Just as Natsu Hiraku finished complaining, he heard someone approaching from behind. Turning around, he saw a woman in a black-and-white maid uniform slowly walking toward him.
"Hello, Mr. Natsu Hiraku. I am the housekeeper here. Miss asked for you."
"Okay."
Natsu Hiraku picked up the backpack from the ground, waved to Ido Shuichi, and followed the housekeeper into the villa. The moment he entered, he was stunned.
The floor was so spotless that it could have been used as a mirror. Four enormous pillars carved with soaring dragons supported the entire hall, golden spheres held in the dragons' mouths. But why did they look so much like they were made of actual gold...
The word "wealthy" was deeply engraved in his mind.
As he followed the housekeeper deeper inside, Natsu Hiraku's expression grew increasingly grim. At the end of the corridor was a room, and powerful cursed energy radiated from within it.
He had vaguely sensed it outside earlier, but he had not expected it to be in the room of the person he was meant to protect.
"Um, Miss Housekeeper, have there been any strange incidents in this house lately? Like bottles floating up or people disappearing?"
"No, Mr. Natsu Hiraku. Why would you ask something like that? That's scary."
The housekeeper smiled faintly and answered with a friendly expression.
"No, I was just asking. I heard big villas are prone to supernatural incidents. I'm a little afraid of ghosts, so at night, I might need Miss Housekeeper to sleep with me."
Natsu Hiraku said playfully, "If you don't mind, Miss Housekeeper, you can call me Younger Brother Natsu from now on. I'd be happy to serve you."
"Hahaha."
The housekeeper raised her right hand to politely cover the smile at the corner of her mouth. She gazed at Natsu Hiraku with an affectionate expression and said with a smile, "Since you put it that way, Younger Brother Natsu, then I'll accompany you tonight."
"Then thanks. Sister, have you been feeling like there's something heavy on your shoulders lately? Even when you aren't moving them, they still feel exhausted."
"Actually, yes. I don't know why, but my shoulders have felt very heavy lately. I went to the hospital, but nothing was wrong. How did you know, Younger Brother Natsu?"
The housekeeper kneaded her shoulder and asked curiously.
Of course I know. There's a cat lying on your shoulder.
Natsu Hiraku calmly glanced at the black cat on the housekeeper's body. Cursed spirits like this could be found in almost every household, but they were too weak to harm people, and sorcerers usually did not bother with them.
Rather than saying they would not bother, it was more accurate to say they were too lazy to bother. They were too weak. The curse might disappear on its own one day, and sorcerers were human too. They could not possibly exorcise curses every moment of every day.
Living like that would be exhausting. It would kill them.
"I could tell. I used to massage my mother's shoulders often, so I can see that your shoulders are drooping a little. Want me to massage them for you, Sister? You might feel much better."
"Is that so? Then sorry for the trouble, Younger Brother Natsu."
The moment the housekeeper crouched down, Natsu Hiraku reached out with his right hand and exorcised the cat. Then he symbolically rubbed her shoulders a few times and asked, "How does it feel?"
"Mm, I don't know why, but after you rubbed them, Younger Brother Natsu, I really do feel much more relaxed. It feels like the weight on my shoulders disappeared in an instant. How strange."
"Really? That's good. I'd be heartbroken if you collapsed from exhaustion, Sister. You're so beautiful, after all."
"Smooth talker. At your age, you should be learning proper things. If you ever have a change of heart, be careful, or I'll tear that mouth of yours apart."
As she spoke, the housekeeper pinched Natsu Hiraku's cheek. "My name is Harukaze Chizuko. You can call me Sister Chizuko from now on."
"Okay, Sister Chizuko."
Harukaze Chizuko nodded in satisfaction, withdrew her right hand, and continued, "For the next half month, Younger Brother Raku, you will be fully responsible for protecting Miss. You cannot let her leave your sight."
"Not even while she bathes?"
Natsu Hiraku said faintly.
"Yes!"
"..."
"No!"
Harukaze Chizuko realized she had misspoken and hurriedly corrected herself. Then she grabbed Natsu Hiraku's cheek with her right hand and said angrily, "Oh? So you had that kind of thought?"
"I was just asking, I didn't mean anything by it. Does Miss hate being watched? Those bodyguards outside seem pretty strong."
Natsu Hiraku hurriedly changed the subject.
"That would be too conspicuous. Miss doesn't like it. Though it is a special time right now, Master's older brother, he... Forget it. This isn't something I should discuss."
Harukaze Chizuko hesitated. Looking at the door close at hand, she took a deep breath, shed her previous flirtatious demeanor, and smiled as she spoke in the gentle tone of a girl next door:
"Then please come in, Mr. Natsu Hiraku."
The moment he entered, it was not a morning breeze stirring a beauty's hair, allowing him to behold Miss's true appearance.
Instead, a hideous cursed spirit was baring its fangs at him. Its body was mist-like, while Harukaze Chizuko beside him passed directly through it.
Creepy!
What kind of form is this?
Natsu Hiraku only glanced at it before immediately withdrawing his gaze, then passed through its body.
This was not a suitable place to fight. There were two ordinary people here, so he should keep the cursed energy fluctuations in his body as low as possible. If they discovered he was not ordinary, he would be finished.
More importantly...
He might not be able to beat it!
"You're here. This is the second time we've met."
Mitsuchi Mi smiled calmly.
"Yes." Natsu Hiraku looked at Mitsuchi Mi, who was surrounded by the cursed spirit, and said, "I never expected our encounter in that alley to lead to me becoming your personal bodyguard. Let me introduce myself. My name is Natsu Hiraku, and I'm happy to serve you."
"Hahaha, smooth talker."
The moment Mitsuchi Mi laughed, the cursed spirit surrounding her seemed to receive some kind of stimulation. Its mist-like body instantly covered the entire room, and thick cursed energy swept toward Natsu Hiraku.
The sudden pressure forced him straight to his knees. Alarm bells rang in his heart, but he did not act. If he acted now, those two people would be killed in an instant.
Stay calm. There are so many people in the courtyard, yet none of them are hurt. That proves this cursed spirit won't attack people. I'll gamble on it and keep pretending nothing is happening.
A hoarse voice came from every direction: "Don't approach my daughter. Kill... no... I can't kill people. Killing people would make my daughter afraid... I can't make my daughter afraid..."
As the voice gradually faded, the cursed energy pressing down on him vanished.
"Mr. Natsu Hiraku, what's wrong?"
Harukaze Chizuko's concerned voice came from beside him as a fair, slender arm reached toward him.
"N... nothing. The floor was a little dirty, so I was wiping it..."
Before you continue