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"Why, Ikki? Give me one good reason you can't teach me how to use a sword."
Kujaku followed behind Ikki, still nursing some resentment over his earlier words.
It wasn't that she resented him exactly. Given her personality, she wouldn't get worked up just because someone declined to teach her, and Ikki himself had no real obligation to do so anyway.
Even so, she couldn't help feeling puzzled. Based on past experience, Ikki wasn't the type to turn down teaching a pretty girl. If anything, he rather enjoyed it.
'Am I not pretty enough? Or does he really only bother teaching a girl if she hands him a famous sword first?'
All Kujaku wanted was some reason that would settle her doubts.
"... there's no time for it."
Ikki said, shaking his head, not once slowing his pace toward the plaza.
"You're lying. How could you not have time? Once this war's over, you're not exactly planning on leaving Marine Headquarters right away, are you? And even if you were, I could just come along with you for a while."
Kujaku asked, furrowing her brow.
It was true that, under ordinary circumstances, a Marine following a pirate like Ikki out to sea would be a fairly shameful thing. But these weren't ordinary circumstances, and Ikki's situation was anything but typical.
Marine Headquarters coveted his strength and hoped he'd share more of it with them. On top of that, Gion, the Marines' foremost female swordswoman, already had an undeniably complicated relationship with him.
Given all that, Kujaku going to sea with him for a while shouldn't really raise many eyebrows.
If she told her grandmother, Vice Admiral Tsuru, about wanting to learn swordsmanship from him at sea, Tsuru likely wouldn't refuse. What grandmother would turn down the chance for her granddaughter to grow stronger?
"Even so, I still can't give you a solid answer."
Ikki said with a sigh.
After all, he already knew the World Government meant to move against him, and in the coming war at Marineford, he'd end up standing opposite the Marines whether he liked it or not.
In what capacity could he possibly go on teaching Kujaku after that? Once he truly stood against the Marines outright, Tsuru likely wouldn't let her granddaughter anywhere near his swordsmanship again.
It seemed Gion and Kujaku would have little chance to stay in contact until he somehow became Fleet Admiral himself, or perhaps not until the World Government collapsed entirely.
"You're such a nuisance. Wait, you're not trying to get something out of me, is that why you're turning me down like this?"
Kujaku suddenly crossed her arms and asked.
"Huh? What are you even talking about?"
Ikki frowned, giving her an odd look.
"Isn't that right, though? I've heard you've gotten your hands on plenty of girls already. You're saying this to me because you want me to give you some kind of benefit in exchange, aren't you? Really, I can see right through you, Ikki."
Kujaku said with a snort.
"That's a little hurtful, coming from you."
Ikki said, his mouth twitching.
Even he had to admit there was some truth to what she'd said. She was a beautiful, alluring girl, after all, and if there really were benefits to be had from her, he wasn't about to refuse them.
For a moment, her words left him at a loss. He wanted to just go along with what she was implying and admit he really did hope she'd offer him something.
But her relationship with Gion was too delicate a thing to risk. Given everything between them, he owed Gion's feelings some consideration, so in the end, he kept quiet and simply quickened his pace toward Marine Headquarters Plaza.
Seeing this, though, only confirmed what Kujaku already suspected: that Ikki genuinely had no interest in her. That realization made her, a girl always confident in her own charm, grit her teeth and hurry after him.
It wasn't as if she lacked options. Plenty of men at Marine Headquarters would have jumped at the chance to pursue her, and if not for her grandmother being Chief of Staff Tsuru, no doubt far more of them would already have confessed their feelings outright.
By Kujaku's own reckoning, the number of people who'd fallen for her was no less than the number who'd fallen for Hina or Gion. Under those circumstances, she simply wasn't willing to put up with being brushed off by Ikki.
With that thought in mind, she came up beside him, took his hand without warning, and started pulling him in an entirely different direction.
"Ikki, come with me."
Kujaku said, tugging him aside, her expression suddenly serious.
"Huh? Shouldn't we be getting to the plaza as fast as possible?"
Ikki asked, frowning in confusion.
There was no real way for her to actually drag him along by force. But considering his earlier refusal might have already bruised her pride, he didn't want to resist so hard that she couldn't even manage to pull him at all.
"Never mind that. Just come with me."
Kujaku said.
"But Sengoku's probably expecting me at the square right away, and so is your grandmother."
Ikki said.
"A little bit of time won't make any difference. Just come with me already."
Kujaku said.
"Then tell me where we're even going."
Ikki said.
"There's a training ground over that way."
Kujaku said.
"So we're headed to the training ground? You're expecting a kendo lesson from me right this second? I don't have time for that."
Ikki said, rubbing his forehead in some embarrassment.
Unless Kujaku became one of his partners, the methods he used to help his companions grow stronger quickly would be entirely useless to her. Without that, there was no way for her to pick up any of his swordsmanship either.
He honestly couldn't understand what she thought she'd gain by dragging him off course like this.
"Look, just give it up, Kujaku. I'm no god. I can't just make you learn my swordsmanship on the spot. If you happen to have a famous sword lying around, though, I could trade you something for it."
Ikki said, moving to shake her hand off.
But Kujaku sensed the motion coming and only tightened her grip instead.
Through the contact, Ikki could clearly feel just how soft her skin was. It was hard to imagine someone who handled a whip so often could keep her hands so well cared for.
Not for the first time, he found himself marveling at just how sturdy people's bodies were in this world.
"I don't care. You're coming with me right now, or I'll make sure Gion-nee starts ignoring you from here on out."
Kujaku said, pouting at him.
"You... fine. If this delay makes Sengoku and Tsuru blame you for holding up the march to the plaza, I'm telling them you forced me off course."
Ikki said.