Uesugi Tetsu's eyes flew wide open.
Waking up to find the grind-loving Ririko silently studying beside him was downright terrifying.
But that was precisely why Uesugi Tetsu noticed the nearly airtight iron bars behind Ririko.
They were no different from the prison cells he had seen on television—in fact, they were even worse.
"Huh?" Uesugi Tetsu glanced at the large, incredibly expensive-looking medical equipment beside him. "Isn't this a hospital?"
"No ordinary hospital would be willing to use so much specialized equipment on a single person."
Ririko replied flatly. Then, right in front of Uesugi Tetsu, she slowly exhaled a two-meter-long, pure-white sword of air, causing her expanded chest to settle back down.
Uesugi Tetsu stared in astonishment. "Whoa, that's so cool!?"
"It's nothing special."
The corners of Ririko's eyes lifted slightly. She pursed her lips and coughed softly, restoring her expression to its usual calm before continuing as though nothing had happened. "Anyone can do it after practicing for long enough. You can too, Uesugi-kun."
"But the breathing technique really is incredibly effective." Ririko spoke with unusual seriousness. "The current me could easily defeat five or six fully armed versions of myself from before I learned it."
Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes as he stared at Ririko in front of him. He realized that her Essence, Qi, and Spirit were worlds apart from what they had been several days ago, when she had only just entered the Clear Sword Heart realm.
If Ririko several days ago had been like a sun with an overwhelming presence—something impossible to ignore even if it merely flashed through the corner of one's eye—
then now, she looked like nothing more than a somewhat pretty ordinary high school girl. Her figure was unremarkable beneath her oversized robes, and her looks could earn her seven