"For the next few years, I stayed at Isshin Dojo to train in swordsmanship. Master Koshiro treated me well, but I still couldn't let go of my resentment. I kept dreaming that one day I could restore the dojo."
"Especially a few months ago, when a visitor from Asagiri Island came to see Master, I asked him about Sakuraba Dojo. That guest actually froze for a long while—he'd never even heard of it!"
"Such a thing, such a thing..."
Junichi clenched both fists, his teeth grinding audibly as he bit down hard. "I can't accept this! If Father were still here, how could this have happened? Back then, the Sakuraba Family was famous throughout Asagiri Island—everyone knew of us!"
"It's all my fault! I'm too useless! I couldn't inherit my father's legacy and responsibilities, and I failed to become a swordsman capable of standing on my own. That's why I let the dojo fall into ruin and decline!"
"Enough, enough."
Xia Nuo's skin was starting to crawl, and he hurriedly raised a hand to interrupt him.
"That's enough already. I really can't stand it. You're so young, yet you keep talking about responsibility and restoring the dojo. Let me ask you this: how old were you when your father died?"
Why bring that up?
But Junichi still answered honestly. "Ten."
"Then there you have it." Xia Nuo spread his hands. "Didn't you say all your senior disciples ran away? If even adults had no way to change the situation, what could a ten-year-old child have done?"
"What are you doing, anyway? Wailing like the sky is falling and taking all the blame upon yourself. Are you trying to move someone? That's just masochism."
"Remember, instead of turning your frustration inward, take it out on other people. Otherwise, you'll fall into endless anxiety, and you might even end up hanging yourself one day."
He spoke in the tone of someone who had been through it before. "Your top priority is to obediently train your swordsmanship under Koshiro. When you're tired, curse those bastards who ruined the dojo a few times to vent, then keep training. What do you mean, it's your fault? It's obviously all their fault!"
"..." Junichi was stunned.
This guy was clearly younger than him, so how did everything he said sound so philosophical?
"But my swordsmanship is already very strong..."
he said urgently. "I'm returning to Asagiri Island this time for the Kendo Tournament. I intend to win the championship and let the people from the Seven Great Dojos know that the Sakuraba Family hasn't fallen! It's just, just that..."
"You don't have the money to register?" Xia Nuo shot him a sidelong glance.
"Yes."
Junichi hung his head dejectedly, then grew angry again the next moment. "You saw what was posted on the bulletin board, right? The registration fee alone is ten thousand Beli. You also have to buy a kendo uniform and shinai in their official style, and they're extremely expensive. Altogether, it comes to nearly twenty thousand Beli."
"Not to mention, only disciples of the Seven Great Dojos are allowed to register. Swordsmen from elsewhere have to find a way to pay to join a dojo... It's insane! They're so blinded by greed, yet they still have the nerve to call it the most prestigious kendo event in the East Blue..."
"Kendo and the dojos that teach swordsmanship were never supposed to be like this!"
Bang! The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. He couldn't help slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "Why do the Seven Great Dojos have to act this way? When the Sakuraba Family founded the Kendo Tournament, they didn't charge any money. They even subsidized travel expenses for impoverished swordsmen. The atmosphere back then... How did it become this ugly? Do they have no pride or self-awareness as swordsmen at all?"
"You're so damn loud! Honestly... I can't even hear what the beauty is saying. Shut up, brat!"
A table nearby was slammed as well. A man in gold-rimmed glasses, who had been flirting with a hostess, rolled up his sleeves and rose to beat him.
Xia Nuo turned his head coldly.
"Sorry for the trouble. Please continue."
The man in gold-rimmed glasses immediately sat back down.
Junichi, however, realized that he had lost control. He hurriedly stood up and bowed to each of the surrounding drinkers who had looked over.
After sitting back down, he lowered his head and said nothing more. His tightly clenched fists trembled slightly.
"..." Xia Nuo quietly watched the frail young man before him, then suddenly spoke. "I need to confirm two things with you."
"W-What?" Junichi raised his head blankly.
"The Kendo Tournament's registration deadline is tomorrow, right? When does it begin, and how many days will the event last?"
"It begins the day after tomorrow. As for the schedule..." Junichi shook his head. "What schedule? Everything is finished in a single day. The preliminaries are in the morning, the semifinals in the afternoon, and the finals in the evening."
"So you only need to put off other matters for one day." Xia Nuo nodded. "Understood. The second thing: Sakuraba Dojo is still on the list of officially registered dojos, right? You can register directly?"
"Yes." Junichi hesitated. "Actually, I don't understand why the Seven Great Dojos haven't removed Sakuraba Dojo yet. Maybe they're worried about the bad publicity. After all, the Kendo Tournament was founded by my father..."
He suddenly realized what Xia Nuo meant and raised his head in delight. "Y-You mean you're willing to lend me money and help me register?"
"No."
Xia Nuo shook his head, then thought for a moment before continuing. "I can lend you the money, but what I mainly mean is that perhaps you could give me a position as a disciple of Sakuraba Dojo—assistant master or something like that. Then I could participate in this Kendo Tournament too."
"Eh? You?!!"
"Why are you looking at me like that? Be careful, or I might change my mind and refuse to lend you the money."
Xia Nuo placed his empty stemmed glass on the table, stood up with a lemon slice between his teeth, and stretched with a smile. "There's something I forgot to tell you."
"Actually, I'm also a swordsman with some familiarity with swordsmanship."
Half an hour later, at the registration desk.
With the newly purchased standard kendo uniform and fresh bamboo sword tucked under his arm, Xia Nuo put away his wallet with a pained expression and handed one of each item to Sakuraba Junichi.
"They're really ripping people off."
On the way back to the inn, Xia Nuo cursed the Seven Great Dojos again. "With fabric like this and this lousy sword—the bamboo splinters haven't even been shaved off properly—and they dare sell each one for fifteen thousand Beli? Isn't that just pure exploitation? With the barrier to entry set so high, why are so many people rushing over to be fleeced?"
The fifty thousand Beli Bellemere had given him vanished in an instant.
If he hadn't still been carrying some loose change he'd saved up before, they probably wouldn't even have been able to afford an inn tonight. They would have had to lie down in the street together.
"After all, the prize money is fairly generous. Besides, becoming champion... No, even merely reaching the semifinals is an enormous honor for swordsmen in the East Blue."
Junichi followed close beside him. "Several local newspapers from the East Blue will be there too. The champion will become famous overnight. Who doesn't dream of making a name for themselves? But..."
"But what?" Xia Nuo stopped and turned to look at him.
"But I still have serious doubts about whether you're really a swordsman."
Junichi sounded entirely sincere. "Mr. Xia Nuo... I'll call you that for now. I'm very grateful that you advised and comforted me, and that you lent me such a large sum of money, but you really don't look like a swordsman at all. What swordsman goes out without even carrying a sword?"
My sword is in the backpack slot. You just can't see it.
Xia Nuo muttered inwardly.
After obtaining Masamune, he had thrown away that little wooden sword. The thing wasn't even as long as his arm anymore. Carrying it around would only make him look as ridiculous as a clown.
"Your reason for doubting me is valid enough."
Xia Nuo looked down at the scrawny boy before him. "But don't I have a sword now?" He weighed the standard-issue bamboo sword in his hand and grinned. "How about we find an open space and have a little spar?"