Muichiro listened carefully, committing every word Tetsu no Sosuke said to memory. He planned to train in secret later, taking it slow.
"But you can't rush physical training. You need to take good care of your body, every inch of it. Once something gets damaged, it won't be so easy to recover."
Tetsu no Sosuke added one more reminder, then said, "I'm leaving tomorrow. I've stayed with you two for quite a while, and it's time I got on with my own business. I'll be back in a few days. Show me how much you've improved when I return."
"Okay." Muichiro nodded, though he was reluctant to see him go. "How long will you be gone?"
"Not too long." Tetsu no Sosuke smiled.
Early the next morning, Tetsu no Sosuke said his goodbyes, just as he had promised.
Yuichiro looked even more surprised than Muichiro. "You're leaving already?"
"I can't make something for someone and then not deliver it. He's a traveling merchant, and the road can be dangerous."
Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "Don't worry. When I come back, you two can leave with me if you want. I have a decent-sized house where you can stay. And if you want to keep learning from me, this place won't do. What do you think?"
Yuichiro hesitated briefly before asking, "When will you be back?"
"In two or three days if things go quickly. About a week if they don't." Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "Take that time to think it over. You can keep living here on your own, or you can come with me and let me look after you."
With that, he said no more. He slung his box and the Sunflare Hammer over his back, waved to the brothers, and walked away.
The brothers barely knew