The first dine and dash

Tengen immediately resumed his trademark flamboyant pose and turned sideways to introduce them to Xia Xi and Kanae.

"Here, these are my wives."

There were three girls, each with a different appearance and air about her.

They looked about the same age as Kanae, who stood beside him.

One was a gentle girl with a ponytail, a lovely figure, and a beauty mark beneath her eye.

One was a spirited girl with golden hair tips, a lovely figure, and eyes brimming with energy.

The last stood behind the other two, a timid-looking girl with short black hair and a lovely figure.

In short, all three had impressive figures far beyond those of their peers.

[Hinatsuru Tanizaki (Power level: 27)] Ninjutsu LV.3

[Makio Ishigami (Power level: 22)] Ninjutsu LV.2

[Suma Higashiyama (Power level: 16)] Ninjutsu LV.1

Xia Xi: ...

He could understand their stats being higher than ordinary people's.

He could also understand their having special class skills.

What he couldn't understand was...

Why were Ninja dressed so revealingly?!

Why did your Ninja wear black stockings?! Your Ninja wore thigh-highs, too?! And fishnets?!!

Xia Xi strongly suspected that the three girls' outfits were entirely a reflection of Uzui's personal tastes.

"Well? Aren't my three wives flamboyant!"

Mr. Flamboyant flashed Xia Xi a dazzling smile and gave him a thumbs-up.

Xia Xi said, "Uzui, why don't we establish Konoha together?"

"I'll be the Hokage, and you can be Root."

Uzui gave him a blank look.

What nonsense was this kid spouting now?

He drained the sake in his cup and rose. "Well, that concludes tonight's flamboyant feast."

"I have to set off on a mission shortly."

"Until next time, you two!"

After waving jauntily at Xia Xi and Kanae, Uzui swiftly formed a series of hand signs.

With a soft pop, white smoke billowed up.

The next second, he became an upward-streaking blur and vanished from everyone's sight.

"Amazing! That really was Ninjutsu!"

Kanae covered her mouth and exclaimed.

Xia Xi merely curled his lip, choosing not to expose the Ninja's tricks.

Since he was considerably stronger than Uzui, he had seen the feint meant to divert their eyes, the smoke bomb thrown to obscure their vision, and the final burst of his Breathing Style as he darted away in another direction...

Xia Xi had caught every bit of it.

"Sorry for all the trouble Lord Uzui caused you!"

The three girls bowed to them, then hurried off in the direction Uzui had taken.

"What an enviable guy," Xia Xi sighed.

Kanae narrowed her eyes and asked Xia Xi with a bright smile, "You really envy Mr. Uzui, don't you, Kurumaji?"

The hair over the boy's forehead swayed gently as he vaguely sensed a subtle threat.

Even so, he voiced his thoughts.

He was utterly honest.

So honest that Kanae could not detect the slightest trace of pretense.

"As a man, of course I envy him."

"But if it were me, I'd pass."

He had no desire to commit bigamy.

Besides, making a living in the city was hard enough. Who had the energy to deal with three women?

Did dating not cost money?

Didn't you have to provide emotional support for your girlfriend?

Didn't being in a relationship mean constantly considering your partner's feelings?

Naturally, Kanae knew nothing of what was going through Xia Xi's mind.

She merely blinked softly at his honesty, and the faint pressure hanging in the air quietly dissipated.

"I'll believe you mean that for now, Kurumaji..." she said softly.

Meanwhile, Xia Xi stared at the empty plates on the table, lost in thought.

Wait!

"That bastard Uzui! He invited us out for a late-night meal, then ran off without paying?!"

He actually dined and dashed?!

Didn't he know how poor a Kanoto-ranked Swordsman was?

That was money he had earned by risking his life in deadly battles. His hard-earned money.

Every expense had been planned out. That money was meant to buy him a big house in Tokyo's Minato ward!

Seeing Xia Xi like this, Kanae covered her mouth and giggled.

Then she took out her little purse to settle the bill.

But Xia Xi suddenly stood up.

He called out to the owner, "Boss, you're pretty familiar with Tengen Uzui, right? We'll pay for my portion and this young lady's first."

He placed what little cash he had on the table.

Then he whispered to Kanae, "Hey, we should go."

Before Kanae could fully understand what he meant, his warm, dry hand had already closed around her wrist.

She instinctively gave a soft gasp, and the next moment...

Xia Xi had already activated his Breathing Style.

[Total Concentration]

[Thunder Breathing!]

He did not draw his sword. He simply drove his Breathing Style to its limit and unleashed an explosive burst of footwork.

Holding the girl's hand, Xia Xi shot away with her like a streak of lightning skimming the ground, vanishing from the owner's sight.

"Huh?! Wait, Lord Uzui's bill..." the owner called.

"Put it on his tab!"

Xia Xi's voice drifted back from far away.

The diners were first stunned by the skills of these two "Ninja," then burst into laughter.

That rascal Tengen really did make friends just like himself.

What a character.

A short while later, after fleeing into a quiet alley, Xia Xi finally let go.

Kanae was slightly breathless from their high-speed dash, her cheeks flushed.

Her violet eyes shimmered brightly.

She looked up at Xia Xi, torn between exasperation and amusement.

They had clearly run out on the bill, yet paid the portion they owed.

And though they had settled their bill, he had insisted on leaving Uzui's share for Uzui himself.

"Kurumaji, doing that..."

"It's for Uzui's own good," Xia Xi declared without a hint of shame. "He needs to learn that dining and dashing is wrong."

Kanae brushed her fingertips over her earlobe and said gently, "The next time we see Mr. Uzui, he's sure to complain loudly."

Then let him complain.

Since when did an NPC get to freeload off a player?

He hadn't even charged him for tonight's guidance yet.

Xia Xi shrugged, showing that he did not care in the slightest.

"Let him complain. We paid what we owed, anyway. At worst, we can have one of the guys in the Kakushi deliver the bill to him later."

"Where are you headed next? Back to headquarters? Or somewhere to rest up?"

"Neither for now." The girl shook her head. "Besides, I still have some follow-up reports to put together for this mission, so I'll probably remain on standby nearby for a few days. What about you, Kurumaji?"

Xia Xi had originally planned to head straight to the Rengoku Family in northern Tokyo.

But after considering the locations Master Kazami had pointed out, Xia Xi thought for a moment before speaking.

"I'll visit my senior fellow disciple in Yokohama first."

"His experience creating Mist Breathing should be a useful reference. After that, I might visit the Rengoku Family. Almost all the Flame Breathing Swordsmen train there these days, after all."

"Oh?"

Kanae blinked. "Who is your senior fellow disciple, Kurumaji?"

Xia Xi replied, "Igara... Igaright Aizen."

"You mean Lord Igarashi Usen, the [Mist Pillar], don't you?" Kanae corrected him with a smile.

"I never imagined that such a gentle senior shared a teacher with you, Kurumaji. He's a very strong Swordsman. I'm sure he'll be able to offer you plenty of advice."

The night was gentle, and a soft breeze swept past the mouth of the alley.

Looking at the boy beside her, Kanae suddenly spoke softly. "Kurumaji, please make sure you create your own Breathing Style, the strongest one of all."

"It will be difficult, but I think... you can definitely become a Hashira."

"And you can definitely make your name resound throughout the world."

She and her younger sister had promised each other that they would destroy as many evil demons as possible.

They wanted to keep the tragedy they had suffered from befalling more innocent people.

She also knew that it would be difficult for her and Shinobu to accomplish that on their own.

Yet... in this boy her own age, she seemed to see a chance of fulfilling that wish.

She wanted to work toward that goal together with him.

Meanwhile, the butterfly girl's words left Xia Xi momentarily stunned.

He had never expected her to suddenly offer him such a blessing.

He instinctively touched the three swords at his waist.

Then he nodded readily. "Yeah, of course. I'm planning to clear the game within a few years, so naturally I'll have to become stronger than everyone else."

After saying that, he instinctively returned the pleasantry.

"The same goes for you, Kanae."

"Your Flower Breathing is strong, too. You might become a Hashira before Uzui and I do."

He had used no honorifics when he spoke.

He had called her by her name quite naturally.

Kanae's heart gave a little flutter, and the warmth of her smile blossomed like a summer flower.

"Yes! Then, Kuru... Xia Xi, it's a promise."

"We'll get stronger together, and then become Hashira together."

She spoke softly.

Xia Xi nodded. "All right. It's a promise."

Wait a second?

A strange sense of déjà vu rose in his heart.

Xia Xi suddenly remembered something, and his expression stiffened.

Hold on, hadn't he forgotten something...?

Hadn't he promised to go out for grilled meat with Persimmon?

He was done for. He'd stood her up.

Wouldn't he have to treat her to an extra bowl of udon the next time they met...?