"I know why you're here. The Master should have written you a letter, right?"
Tetsu no Sosuke barely kept his emotions in check as he asked Kashima Taro to sit down.
Kashima Taro took a letter from inside his clothes and handed it to Tetsu no Sosuke with both hands. "This is for you."
Tetsu no Sosuke nodded, pulled out the letter, and glanced over it before setting it aside. "What kind of Nichirin Blade do you want?"
"Sharp! Light!"
Kashima Taro kept his explanation simple.
Tetsu no Sosuke looked thoughtful. "Show me your swordsmanship."
"All right." Kashima Taro stood, went out into the courtyard, and drew his Nichirin Blade to demonstrate his swordsmanship.
Tetsu no Sosuke watched quietly, recalling the first time he and Kashima Taro had gone on a mission together. Back then... he didn't seem to have paid any attention to his swordsmanship. Watching it now, he realized it was derived from Water Breathing.
It approached ice, yet never froze solid, dispersed yet radiating a biting chill.
"Ice Mist?"
The term popped into Tetsu no Sosuke's mind, and he propped up his chin as he watched intently.
For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly thought of another blade... Sode no Shirayuki!
Of course, that blade was utterly unsuitable for Kashima Taro. After all, the guy wasn't a Soul Reaper.
But a light, sharp Nichirin Blade, slightly shorter than usual, might suit him better, given his rather treacherous swordsmanship.
"Every inch shorter brings greater danger. Within that tiny space, Ice Mist blooms! Slip in for the kill, and nothing can stand in your way!"
Tetsu no Sosuke tapped his fingers lightly against the table. Only after Kashima Taro had demonstrated his swordsmanship three times did he gently clap his hands. "That's enough."
Kashima Taro wiped the sweat from his