I Let My Guard Down-Didn't Dodge.

Upon hearing this, Hasegawa Izumi turned her head away.

The girl who appeared before me was wearing a black sailor uniform. She had long, black hair that reached her waist, and beautiful features. There was a light brown beauty mark under her right eye. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail with a red ribbon, and the ends of her hair were slightly curled, making her look capable yet gentle.

She was also carrying a black guitar bag, but she wasn't a 'band girl'; obviously, it didn't contain a guitar, but a precious sword.

"It's you, Miss Isayama."

"It has indeed been a while since we last met."

Faced with her familiar tone, Isayama Yomichi's forehead furrowed as if it were about to form a grid.

"Hasegawa-kun, you really don't hold back."

"Miss Isayama seems to harbor resentment towards me?"

This tone puzzled Hasegawa Izumi.

"Come with me for a moment."

Isayama Yomichi noticed the strange looks coming from those around her and left the scene.

Hasegawa Izumi thought for a moment, then followed.

The two went to a secluded spot.

"Hasegawa-kun, I did leave you my phone number so you could contact me if anything came up... but it's happening way too often! I've lost count of how many calls I've received asking me to clean up messes, and why are there so many girls calling?"

Isayama Yomichi stopped in his tracks, turned around, and loudly vented his dissatisfaction.

"Oh... so that's what happened."

Hasegawa Izumi looked away, feeling somewhat guilty.

There was one rare instance where he felt he hadn't been treated fairly.

After all, the two weren't very close.

"I'm sorry, thank you for your hard work."

"What's with that superior-to-subordinate tone you use? But there's no need to apologize, after all, you saved my life..."

Isayama Yomichi first made a sarcastic remark, then her voice softened.

The girl was a very sentimental person, so she kept it in her heart and wanted to repay the favor.

"Okay, then let's call it even. Bye~"

With that, he waved and prepared to leave.

"Wait! You haven't finished speaking yet!"

Isayama Yomichi flashed forward and blocked his way.

"Is there anything else?"

"I just received a mission from my superior, but before I even got there, the target's aura vanished, just like when we first met... So, was it you again?"

"Since you guessed it, I won't pretend anymore... Yes, it was me."

He said it without any emotion.

It has a joking feel to it.

"Wow, that's amazing! You wouldn't happen to be an Ability User besides being a martial artist, would you?"

Isayama Yomichi was astonished and made a conjecture.

Although that Yaochika-sama only recently infiltrated Tokyo to commit crimes, his abilities have already been proven and are far beyond the reach of ordinary Ability User. The organization has sent many superhumans to work together multiple times, but they have still managed to get him to escape.

"Is this important?"

Hasegawa Izumi looked at her and asked meaningfully.

"... It doesn't matter, as long as you know you are indeed very strong."

Isayama Yomichi smiled faintly.

"So, I'd like to ask you for a favor..."

"I'm the kind of person who dislikes trouble."

"Hasegawa-kun, I'll help you with a lot of trouble in the future."

"Tell me about it?"

He stopped and turned around to ask.

They sat down on a bench and continued their conversation.

"That's right. As Hasegawa-kun reminded me before, after I reached the state of Unity of Person and Blade, I communicated with 'Ran Guren'. Now I can fully control the power of the Lion King... But I can't see the way forward anymore."

Isayama Yomichi's face was full of curiosity.

In this era when the extraordinary is just emerging, most people know what their abilities are but not why they are. This kind of cultivation without a deep understanding can easily get stuck at a certain stage and make it difficult to move forward.

This is precisely why the girls of the Far East Magic Society believe that their advantages will only grow stronger over time.

Moving forward along the scenery ahead, walking alone with someone, is a completely different kind of difficulty.

Therefore, Isayama Yomichi wanted to ask the strongest person in her mind for the answer.

"I've talked to people about the different levels of swordsmanship before, like sword intent, sword heart, Sword Domain, and the idea that everything in heaven and earth can be a sword. But I can see that while you have talent in swordsmanship, you don't have the pure sword heart like Saeko. So that kind of swordsmanship isn't suitable for you..."

"Since you possess a magical weapon and have a great talent for magic, you can leverage these advantages to consider pursuing the path of a 'Magic Swordsman'."

Hasegawa Izumi's answer surprised her somewhat.

"Magic Swordsman... what's that?"

"Have you ever read a light novel? It's the kind of novel where magic and swordsmanship are combined into one profession."

"No... no."

The girl was somewhat speechless.

"However, I can roughly understand what you mean, which is to use the blessing brought by the Ran Guren to unleash a more unique sword technique, right?"

"As expected of a 'Kendo Prodigy,' someone who can be compared to Senior Yako."

"Such praise is not something to be happy about!"

Isayama Yomichi blushed slightly, then seemed to realize something.

"By the way, I sparred with Busujima Senpai about two weeks ago, and I found that she has changed a lot. Even the essence of her swordsmanship has changed. Is this all thanks to you?"

"It was all earned by Senior Sister Yako through her own hard work."

"I see... I understand."

She smiled knowingly, feeling even more confident about her future.

See you later! Next time, I'll definitely impress you!

The girl, biting into a chocolate bar, waved goodbye with her back turned and walked away with a flourish.

For Hasegawa Izumi, this was just a minor incident.

He turned and left, returning to his home.

"Kukuku, my My other half, when does the next trial begin? I can't wait to wield the Thunder Hammer User it a good beating!"

Kōko came running over, carrying the Demon Rabbit.

This is what a useless little Little Sister is like.

It's completely hopeless.

Hasegawa Izumi sighed inwardly, ruffling her Little Sister's hair, and said, "Let's go when we have time. Besides, more training isn't necessarily better. The important thing is to learn something for yourself from it. Only when you, Kōko, have a deep enough understanding of your own abilities will you have a chance to surpass them."

"So, brother, how much longer do I need?"

Kōko asked with a childlike innocence.

"Let me count: one year, two years, three years..."

"My... my My other half, does it really take this long? Then... then I'll be bullied by the Thunder Hammer User for the rest of my life!"

When she saw her brother counting on his fingers, her face darkened.

"There's nothing we can do. They got off to a faster start than you, and you're a Kōko slow, so it's not easy for you to overtake them on the curves... But don't worry, there's good news. According to my estimate, everyone will stay at Tier 4 for a long time, and you'll be able to catch up by then."

Hasegawa Izumi's smile grew wider, and Kōko's expression became increasingly terrified.

The girl immediately knelt down and hugged her older brother's leg, crying, "No! Brother! Help me!"

"Alright, alright, I'll help you. Even though Kōko is a good-for-nothing, you're still my little Little Sister in this life. I'll find a way to help you catch up with everyone else."

Only after he made his promise did his Little Sister stop wailing and put on a smile.

"Whee..."

"My brother really loves me the most!"

There is a highway just a few hundred meters away from Shuchiin.

There is a small hill beside the road. If you go up the stone steps, you can see a very small shrine called Yagami Shrine. It is old and dilapidated in many ways and looks like it has been abandoned.

However, judging from its cleanliness, it indicates that the shrine is still maintained by someone.

Occasionally, people from the surrounding area would come to worship and make requests. For example, a certain Wicked Eye of the Tyrant King User once led a group of people to pray.

"Iori, breakfast is ready..."

A Kuroneko with smooth, shiny fur and an X-shaped scar on its head was resting on the side of the wall. Upon hearing a familiar, gentle female voice outside, it quickly got up and stepped out of the dark space.

A bento box sat quietly inside, containing a grilled fish that emitted a delicious aroma.

It raised its head, looked at the girl's sincere expression, and then began to tear into the fish meat as if no one else was there.

"That's great, Iori, you finally ate in front of me... What a good boy."

Although the girl's face was expressionless, her tone conveyed a sense of joy.

She had fed the Kuroneko many times before, but the Kuroneko was always wary of her and would never come near her. It wasn't until yesterday, when she rescued the Kuroneko from the tree that it was too scared to come down, that their relationship finally made some real progress.

"Iori, I'm going to school now. I'll come back tonight..."

After watching it eat quietly for a while, the girl decided to leave.

"Meow meow meow..."

The Kuroneko named 'Iori' stopped what it was doing and let out a few low, emotional whimpers.

"I'm sorry, Iori, I can't understand your feelings..."

"However, I guess you're thanking me, right?"

The girl smiled almost imperceptibly before turning and leaving.

After finishing the grilled fish, Iori licked her paws, looking like she wanted more.

After thinking for a moment, it left the shrine to find a place to hunt.

As stray cats, to survive in the city, they either have to be fed like this or scavenge through the trash.

If it were an ordinary cat, living the same standard of life as described above, it would certainly be very happy. But it is a cat that has gained spiritual insight.

After becoming a civet cat, its appetite also increased.

Because growth requires energy, which doesn't come from nothing, it can't freely absorb the spiritual energy that roams between heaven and earth, so it can only achieve this through eating.

However, it has recently run out of food in the surrounding area, and now it can only go to farther places.

So on this day, the Kuroneko followed the mountain path, crossed several streets, and happened to arrive near Shuchiin.

Then, something strange happened.

"Look at that Kuroneko, could it be the legendary cat?"

"I don't know, but it's possible, right? Its eyes seem very human-like."

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?"

"It's that Urban Legend! It's said that if you offer something to that cat, you can make a wish and have something you don't need given to someone who does."