Swinging a series of combination punches at the "masked man" in front of him, Itsuki almost gave up on defense and continued to attack his imaginary opponent.
'Do you really like the martial arts you practice? '
'I don't see affection in your eyes, only the numbness of practicing a routine. '
Was my previous failure because I simply couldn't face my own heart?
Itsuki's constantly moving footsteps paused, and the "Masked Man" immediately launched a counterattack. The claws swung like a lion made Itsuki turn her head to dodge again. However, the result this time was not even as good as the last time. The illusory claws passed directly through her throat. If it was an actual battle, she would have died.
"No!"
Itsuki took two steps back, his back dripping with cold sweat from his previous mistake.
The more she thinks about it now, the more confused her heart becomes, but the more she resists it, the more she thinks about it.
I can't calm down at all!
The masked man standing in front of her blocked her high kick with his arm, leaned over and kicked the only support, Itsuki's body responded.
"Ah - I..."
What should I do?
"What's wrong? Did you give up so easily?"
"No..."
Grabbing the hand extended by Ash, Itsuki sat up from the ground.
"I have to try harder to... wait!"
Was he being pulled up by someone in his imagination?
Itsuki shook his hand in the void, and it felt like he had caught something just now.
"Well~ I saw you making gestures in the air, so I didn't want to disturb you, so I actually acted with you twice."
"You!"
Itsuki, who sat down on the ground again, had a look of horror on his face. He pointed at the smiling man with a slightly trembling finger and kept moving back.
"I'm not imagining this."
"It's true~"
Chapter 35 I sell "myself"
"Good afternoon - oh!"
Ash Before he could finish saying hello, he quickly turned his head to avoid the incoming water glass.
"Yeah!!!"
The embarrassing memory that she originally didn't want to recall came back to her mind again. Itsuki screamed and threw all the useful things on hand at this person. Now she didn't see the heroic spirit she had shown before, and the expression on her face was only that of panic.
The girl's back was against the wall. In addition to the fear of the invincible enemy, what made her embarrassed was the sense of shame that made her unable to do anything.
There weren't many things for Itsuki to throw in the empty room. He placed the water cup, buckle and other items on the ground, and Ash spread his empty hands as if to show his sincerity.
"If that's how you say hello, that's certainly impressive, Itsuki."
"Don't use such an intimate title!"
Compared with his difficulty in adapting, Itsuki wanted to ask him how he had the nerve to greet her like he was nothing.
The feeling of humiliation in her heart made the girl's mind go blank. She didn't know what to do except for subconscious resistance.
Even if she has been disguised as a boy since she was a child, it does not mean that she has actually become a man. The other party's action of touching her without caring about her feelings directly shattered the softness of the female part in her heart.
I didn't expect to be invaded by such a man...
"Don't come over, otherwise! Otherwise -"
"Oh~ interesting, I would like to know what would happen otherwise?" Ash showed a rather interested expression while approaching Itsuki who was retreating. "Otherwise, are you going to call someone?"
"I——"
Itsuki was speechless for a moment. She knew that the person in front of her could transform into the terrifying spider-shaped Kamen Rider. Apart from Pretty Cure, the power of humans was unmatchable, not to mention that her friends, Lei and Erika, were still here.
No, no matter what, we can't involve them!
Itsuki, who had made up his mind, did not continue to retreat, but once again mustered up the courage to assume a fighting stance, with a determined expression on his face.
"No matter what you want to do, I, I will never give in or do what you want!"
"Okay, okay, it was just an accident last time, I didn't mean it that way."
Ash's statement made Itsuki's blood surge. She didn't expect that the other party would blame this incident on an accident. It was really shameless!
"Don't be angry." Seeing Itsuki's expression change, Ash continued to explain. "I'm really, really just a little bit curious. This time I have to take responsibility for my rudeness."
Under the girl's alert gaze, Ash took out a soft thing from his pocket. The little lavender gray-white radish "elf" immediately caught Itsuki's attention.
"This, this is!"
I remember that those Pretty Cure seemed to be followed by similar elves!
"What's wrong? It looks soft, right?" Under Kain's eyes full of contempt, Ash pulled its cotton-soft face to an exaggerated length. "Just think of it as my apology gift, and I'll lend it to you to play with for now."
Seeing the soft little "elf" held in his hands at some point, Itsuki's eyes widened for a moment, especially when it raised its little rice cake-like hands to greet him.
"I am Kain, the devil desu, please give me some advice."
"Yes, yes! I am Itsuki Meidoin - um, so cute!!!"
The soft spot that had always been hidden in her heart was really poked. Unable to suppress her explosive emotions, the girl hugged Kain tightly and kept rubbing against it with her rosy cheeks.
So cute! I used to say that I was envious of Pretty Cure and the others, but now that I see them, they are still really cute!
Pulling her tongue helplessly, Kain shrunk into small beans and floated in the direction of Ash.
'I'm obviously a part of you, but I even lent it to you. Is there anyone like you who betrays your own demons? '
'Really, if you feel unhappy then forget it? '
"Hmm~"
Feeling Itsuki constantly rubbing his soft cheek, Kain also narrowed his eyes with an expression of enjoyment.
'Alright, actually it's not bad~~'
Puni Puni's soft young girls are so nice~
"So Mr. Timons, you really didn't... plan that..."
"So, I'm not bored to that extent." Seeing Itsuki hugging Kain to his chest, Ash held his forehead helplessly. "And if I really plan to do something to you, even if I execute you on the spot, do you think you will have a chance to resist?"
"..."
Itsuki, whose cheeks were feeling hot, did not speak. She began to think that Ash's words made sense and she couldn't help but tilt her head to one side.
"Well, I didn't come to you for these things."
Ash sat cross-legged on the tatami. Itsuki hesitated for a while and followed suit with Kain holding his eyes in his arms.
"I saw your fight with that guy, and to be honest, I was pretty disappointed."
As the eldest disciple of Meidoin-ryu, there was no reason why Itsuki would lose in a duel with someone who had been expelled from the sect but came back to kick him out. However, he never expected that the result would be a huge upset.
Especially when Ash, who was hiding in the dark, saw that Itsuki, who had already defeated his opponent, was actually defeated by his opponent who fell to the ground because of his mother-in-law's hesitation. Ash, who was watching the battle angrily, saw his blood pressure soar.
"Well..."
Itsuki, who was lectured by Ash, lowered his head in grievance, but this was indeed her problem, and there was no reason to refute it even if she wanted to.
"Do you really like the martial arts you practice?"
When You Qi heard this mantra that was about to make him "dazzled", Itsuki trembled all over, and his arms around Kain became tighter.
"This kind of question... I don't..."
Before Itsuki could finish her words, Ash laughed out loud and interrupted what she was about to say. With his hands clasped in front of his chest, he looked directly at Itsuki with confusion that could not be concealed in his eyes.
"Did my words have such a big impact on you? Well, since you can't think clearly, why don't you just not think about it?"
"Eh?"
Itsuki, who didn't expect the other party to say that, made a cute voice, and Ash raised his hand and gently tapped her forehead.
"If you don't understand, don't think too much about it. Things like trying to get into trouble will only cause trouble to yourself."
However, let me help you prove it with actual actions.
Clapping his hands and standing up from the ground, Ash threw the black dress aside casually, revealing the vest underneath.
"Mr. Timons?"
"Come on, let me enlighten you." He raised his hand and waved provocatively to the girl who was still stunned on the ground. "Who told me that I am now a close brother?"
"If you don't understand what you say in words, let's use actual fists and kicks to communicate!"
Chapter 36 You have a great big brother
"Hmm~ It's really a sparring session full of personal grudges DESU."
Using the light yellow dress as a cushion, Kain, who was sitting on it, took off the lid of the Itsuki water cup, blew into the hot water vapor inside, and leisurely enjoyed other people's tea.
"Itsuki——Come on desu!"
As for Ash? He won't have any problems.
"Drink!"
Perhaps the cheers from Kain had an effect, and Itsuki's movements were a little faster.
"Yes, that's it! Keep going!"
Although Meidoin-ryu's practice is mainly focused on cultivating the mind, this does not mean that this school does not pay attention to the practice of martial arts. In fact, Itsuki Meidoin, who has continued to practice until now, can still win even if he faces five adults at the same time as long as he is not armed.
At this time, Itsuki gritted his teeth, kept listening to the beeping sound of Timons, and threw out fists and kicks that were as standard as textbooks.
Straight punch, swing punch, uppercut! Staring, side kicking, and whipping kicks take turns! There was a crackling sound in the small room as the soles of feet came into contact with the tatami.
Ash constantly defended, unloaded, and dodged, but continued to meet Itsuki's attacks head-on. Faced with such a high-quality "sandbag" who could not fight back but had extraordinary reactions, Itsuki fought harder and harder for a while, and the speed of his hands became faster and faster, almost surpassing his previous record.
"Flaw!"
"Wrong, that's the flaw I sold you."
You really don't know how to catch flaws.
The slightly side cheek brushed against the girl's fist, Ash's thrusting palm slapped her arm joints, and the iron palm like a swimming dragon quickly grabbed her entire arm. Itsuki's body instantly escaped the control of gravity, and the perspective quickly changed to the ceiling.
"Haah-haah-ha..."
Itsuki, who was thrown to the ground, opened her body in a large shape and breathed in the fresh air. After sweating for a while, she felt that her body was now extremely comfortable.
"I... thank you..."
Is he helping me vent?
Should I say thank you to him?
"Not bad." Ash's masked face broke into her view from above her head, just blocking the light on the ceiling. "But it's only about speed. Your punches are messy."
At first, he was still using the tricks he had learned, but later on, he was like a primary school student simply wielding his train punch, attacking for the sake of attacking. If other students in the dojo were present, they would definitely doubt whether the girl in front of them and their senior brother, who was highly skilled in martial arts, were the same person.
"Your whole heart is reflected in the fist." Lift up Itsuki's left hand that was opened due to loss of strength, and then put it down casually.
"The so-called martial arts is nothing more than mental and physical skills. You have unyielding determination, you have trained your body to be stronger than boys of the same age, and you are so talented that there is no difference in skills. So, why do I have a low opinion of you?"
Kain on the side took out a sweat-absorbent tissue from his pocket and placed it on Itsuki's face.
"I guess you have already thought of the problem. After all, you are not as stupid as the blue one."
"I understand." Unaware that Ash was dissing a blue idiot again, Itsuki nodded. "Timons Mr. said it's not okay if you don't like it - does that mean I don't have my own opinions and knowledge?"
"There is some difference, but not too far." He twirled his fingers and put a crisp sound on her forehead. Ash couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth when he saw her covering her forehead and screaming in pain.
"You want your grandpa to be proud of you, and you want to be a role model for everyone. Because this kind of thing is what everyone wants to see and what everyone expects, so you practice for such 'correctness', but you only fail to shake your fist for yourself - that's what you said about the lack of opinion."