Zoro's Desire to Challenge

"Father!"

Hearing Koshiro say that, Kuina's forehead twitched with veins forming a 'well' shape. "Why do you say everything out loud?"

"Oh?"

Koshiro smiled and said, "Are you suddenly shy in front of your idol? But you're still holding onto his arm?"

Huh?

Kuina subconsciously looked down, her cheeks instantly feeling like they were burning, turning red all the way to her ears. She quickly let go of his arm and bowed, "I'm terribly sorry! Please excuse my rudeness, Lord Xianuo!"

"It's alright, it's alright."

Xianuo waved his hand. Of course, he didn't take it to heart, nor did he think of it as any kind of admiration between a man and a woman.

Kuina was only eleven this year, a year older than Zoro, and about the same age as Nojiko.

A young girl just entering puberty, her moods changed daily, making her very unpredictable. Suddenly becoming a fan of someone, and then suddenly losing interest and unfollowing them, were all very common occurrences.

"Lord Xianuo."

As soon as Kuina sat down, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you just passing through here temporarily? You won't be leaving tomorrow, will you? Why don't you stay a few more days? This is a rare opportunity, and I still want to ask you for some pointers on swordsmanship."

Just as she feared, so it happened.

"No rush."

Xianuo let out a dry chuckle, patted his shriveled stomach, and cast a pleading glance at Koshiro. "Why don't we eat first?"

The dinner location was in a spacious side room to the west of the dojo.

A low, long table ran across the middle, and everyone sat down on the tatami mats on either side.

Isshin Dojo wasn't small in scale; there were about ten people sharing dinner together.

Besides Koshiro and Kuina, there were two assistant instructors from the dojo, the cooking granny, and a few children who lived and ate there.

Zoro was among them. This brat hadn't finished his extra training session yet and was dragged back by Kuina midway, looking very displeased.

The dinner was simple: rice as the staple, several stir-fried seasonal vegetables, accompanied by grilled eel and miso soup.

The taste, aroma, and appearance were all ordinary, but Xianuo's stomach had been growling so much that anything would look like a delicacy to him right now.

After starting to eat, Xianuo keenly noticed that a certain gaze was occasionally stealing glances in his direction.

He looked up, and Kuina quickly averted her gaze, nonchalantly holding her bowl and chewing her rice delicately like a lady.

At first, Xianuo had tried to maintain his image and eat with restraint, but after Kuina's persistent staring made him uncomfortable, he stopped caring.

--This unlucky kid, she's peeked once or twice, why can't she stop?

He simply stopped pretending, rolled up his sleeves, and started devouring his food. In an instant, the pile of plates he created was higher than his head, which conveniently helped block the girl's line of sight.

"This guy eats so much..." Zoro, sitting opposite him, watched with wide eyes. "And his eating manners are even worse than mine..."

"Stop babbling!"

Kuina's face immediately fell, and she shot him a fierce glare. "Isn't it only natural for a powerful swordsman to have a large appetite? And you, who can't even beat a girl, have the nerve to serve yourself a fifth bowl?"

"You!"

Zoro was furious. Why was this arrogant brat being so biased today?

He wanted to retort, but he couldn't find any reason.

Especially after remembering that he had just lost to her for the 1950th time that afternoon, he felt even more stifled.

He could only glumly lower his head and stuff his face. When he got up to serve his sixth bowl, he stealthily looked Xianuo up and down again.

Senior Junyi said this guy was strong, and Kuina also said this guy was strong. Where exactly was he strong?

He couldn't tell.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. Perhaps... he should find an opportunity to test him later?

After dinner, the night grew deeper, and a light drizzle began to fall.

In the Japanese-style courtyard, a simple bamboo shishi-odoshi (deer scarer) occasionally made a "clack" sound, startling the fish in the pond into scattering.

Xianuo stood under the eaves, watching the rain silently. Junyi suddenly walked in with hurried steps. "Boss, the clinic has been all settled."

"How are things?" he asked.

"That kid Sanji is fine. His condition improved a lot after taking medicine. After a night's rest, he should be back on his feet tomorrow."

Junyi sighed. "As for that Uncle Zeff, his wound got infected and festered, making it a bit troublesome to treat. Granny Zilan doesn't have enough strength, so I just called Teacher Koshiro over. The two of them are working together to figure it out. They should be able to resolve it properly tonight."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Xianuo nodded. Just as he was about to say something, his shoulder was suddenly patted from behind.

He turned around, and the green-haired brat was straining on his tiptoes, trying his best to look at him levelly. However, due to the significant height difference, he ended up looking up.

"Hey! Lord Xianuo!"

"What is it?"

"Let's spar! How about it!"

Zoro grinned, shaking the two bamboo swords in his hand. "That sword on your back looks really strong. I'd like to see if you, as a swordsman, are worthy of it!"

Xianuo glanced back at his Masamune blade, his brow twitching slightly as he remained silent.

"Zoro," Junyi frowned. "Boss Xianuo is very tired and doesn't have time to mess around with you."

"But senior brother, I've been training all day today and I'm tired too. Isn't that fair enough!"

Zoro continued to stare intently at Xianuo. "Scared?"

Xianuo couldn't be bothered to argue with the kid. He shook his head and was about to leave, but after his gaze swept over the opponent's bamboo swords, he suddenly changed his mind.

Whatever.

Since I can't get out of it, I might as well deal with the trouble all at once.

"Fine, let's have a spar then."

Xianuo reached out to take the bamboo swords, but Zoro pushed his hand away, glaring. "What are you doing! You think I'm going to share one with you? I'm a dual-wielding swordsman, and I'm using both these swords!"

Right, I forgot. Xianuo smiled and motioned for Junyi to get him one. Then, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the end of the hallway.

"Miss Koshiro's eldest daughter, why don't you join us too?"

"Huh?"

In the dim light, Kuina, hidden behind a pillar, widened her eyes. She nervously clenched the hem of her clothes with both hands. When did he notice her hiding and peeking?

The dojo's backyard.

There was a thatched rain shelter covering an open space here. Normally, if the weather was bad, outdoor activities at the dojo would be moved here.

"Hey! Seriously!"

Zoro was so angry he was about to explode, pointing his bamboo sword at Xianuo. "We agreed to spar, so it should be one-on-one, right? Why did it turn into the two of us against you!"

"Zoro!"

Kuina reprimanded. "Watch your manners! Mr. Xianuo is a renowned swordsman in the East Blue. It's already very rare that he's willing to give us a chance to spar. We should both work together and go all out to be worthy of this honor. Why are you shouting like this!"

"What kind of magic potion did you drink to keep siding with outsiders!"

Zoro became even more annoyed. "Fine! Let's fight this one match. I'll be attacking on my own anyway, so just consider it a solo fight. I won't cooperate with you!"

"Who cares about you."

Kuina scoffed, gripping her bamboo sword. She solemnly said to Xianuo opposite her, "Then we're going to start attacking. Be careful, Lord Xianuo!"

The girl who had been shy and timid in front of her idol just moments ago now stood ramrod straight like a green bamboo stalk as she entered a serious state, her entire demeanor suddenly becoming sharp.

"Bring it on."

Xianuo smiled, weighing the bamboo sword in his hand.

Under the eaves behind them, Junyi held his forehead with one hand and sighed softly.

This scene was all too familiar. He could guess what was going to happen with his eyes closed.