Chapter Seventy-three: Past-time reunion
"Fuu."
Tweet~! Tweet~!
Ah— the sound of nature, peaceful as it could be.
Right up in the sky, a glowing lightbulb was shrouded in blankets humans called clouds.
Trees swayed gently in the breeze, casting long shadows over the stairway that ascended a small hill.
Lining the staircase were red torii gates, highlighting the path.
Right now, walking up those steps was a male, glancing at his phone with a mix of expressions.
"Senpai… she never said she was a shrine maiden."
Having passed the base and noticed the two stone decorations at the entrance.
…he arrived at that conclusion.
And right there on his damn screen was the name.
[XXX Shrine.]
Of course, Morgan considered turning back, but quickly thought better of it and decided to see her.
Kagarike Haruka.
There was no reason to doubt it.
Just as he had expected.
As if it had never been a challenge, she had taken first place at the Nationals.
Sponsorships were the least of what she had been offered.
However…
'That stupid girl.'
Perhaps lost in thought, Morgan climbed the steps.
Well over a hundred of them, without him realizing it.
Reaching the top, a clearing spread out before him.
A main building stood ahead, with two others positioned to the sides.
A small shrine rested near the left building.
Beyond that, he could make out several more structures further behind.
Focusing his senses, he noticed a dense cluster of waves coming from one particular building.
Just as he opened his eyes—
"Oooh, ooooooh! It's Sinclair!"
It was Haruka, her iconic brown hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a shrine priestess outfit.
She waved energetically as she ran toward him.
Morgan's jaw slackened at the sight.
She didn't seem to have changed. Still, it was good to see she was doing well.
But just as he thought that—
'Nngh!'
Swish!
"Hou?"
"You crazy girl! Immediately attacking me just right after we reunite, you dinosaur-like woman."
Haruka had launched an attack the moment she got close.
But Morgan had already dodged it before it could land.
His face twisted slightly.
Why were her instincts always to attack someone at first glance?
As expected of a gorilla.
Yet, as his brows furrowed, his expression soon relaxed, his eyes slowly widening.
That was weird. I thought I would've gotten you."
Haruka said that with one hand on her hip, clenching and unclenching the other.
Then she turned toward him with a grin.
'I don't like that smile.'
Morgan thought.
"How about a spar? It's been a long time since I've enjoyed myself."
Morgan shook his head.
"No way. You'd lose."
"Hou! To say that so confidently, shouldn't we test it, then?"
There she went again, smiling like a wild beast.
But what made Morgan hesitate, however, was—
'..what sort of bullshit is this!?'
The Haruka standing before him had grown.
It wasn't something as simple as unlocking human potential,
nor was it just being able to take on ten men in a fight.
What Morgan saw was..
…this girl, without surgery, and without even the need for a micro-Realizer.
She could operate a CR Unit if necessary.
Compared to Origami, Haruka's raw potential far surpassed hers.
'Her brainwaves are already linear with standard Wizards.'
She tilted her head back cockily, mistaking his quiet for hesitation.
In response, Morgan's eyes narrowed.
"So be it, then. Let's squabble."
"Heh! Follow me."
With that, she turned around and began walking along the path between the central building and the one to the left.
Just as Morgan had sensed earlier, there was a dojo there.
Was that even allowed?
Has religious laws really become that flexible?
'Ah… sometimes I forget.'
Religion, in this world, was merely a byproduct to begin with.
Influenced only by the settings, since this world is a seeming mirror of another world.
Christianity, Buddhism, and the rest were all vague concepts here.
Not to mention, this world itself had been brought to life by someone called an 'author.'
By the time Morgan finished his thoughts,
..he was already standing before the building as Haruka strutted ahead.
Then, in a single motion, she swung the doors open.
"Fifty more swings! And you, how many times have I told you to shave that head clean!"
"And what's with that weak scream! Scream like you're doing it raw with your woman!"
What greeted Morgan was a booming voice, accompanied by a chorus of people swinging their shinai in unison.
At the front stood a man with his arms folded.
Brown hair, stern expression and intimidating, clad in a black keikogi and hakama.
The rest wore white keikogi with black hakama.
From that ferocious face alone, anyone could tell that Haruka was related to him.
"Dad!"
Yup. He's the dad.
At her shout, the man turned around.
However, the rest didn't stop to glance once.
The reason was simple. The man shot them a death glare.
Slowly, the man walked over while glaring at Morgan.
"Dad, meet my junior I told you about, Sinclair. And Sinclair, meet my dad, Kagarike Souchiro."
"So, you're the one my daughter talks about so much. Interesting."
He crossed his arms as he spoke, narrowing his gaze.
Morgan turned his head toward Haruka with an exasperated look.
She must have already told her father.
"Yes, yes. So if you would please clear some space, we want to have a go at it."
Soichiro paused for a moment contemplating it while stroking under his chin.
A male that could match his daughter… huh?
While he had never seen one himself.
However, this daughter of his spoke about him nonstop.
But yes, he couldn't deny it.
It would be a spectacle for both him and his student.
"Fine, then."
With that, he turned to the rest.
"You lot! Halt! Take a break and watch these two very closely."
At his command, the students began to move, retreating to the sides of the hall.
Haruka came towards him, handing him a wooden bokken.
"Like before."
She grinned as she did.
You really can't be helped, Morgan muttered under his breath as he took it.
Under everyone's gaze, the two stepped toward the center of the room.
Haruka placed her wooden sword on the floor and stretched her arms.
"So? How do you want to do this?"
She bent forward, touching her toes, then straightened up.
"Any way you want."
Morgan replied, his gaze fixed on the wooden sword as he rotated it slightly.
He was already thinking about how much physical strength to hold back.
'…Got it.'
With that thought, Morgan tapped the bokken lightly with his finger.
Naturally, from the back.
Many of Soichiro's students had varying expressions of disbeliefs
It was only natural.
They had heard rumors of someone who could go head-to-head with her and had assumed it was an exaggeration.
Even now, they still didn't quite believe it.
Regardless, they kept their eyes on the two.
"Fine then, last time, you made the first move, this time, I'll go first."
Last time, which both remembered clearly, they started at a short distance.
Five meters.
This time, without saying a word, both took several steps back.
It was as if they were silently communicating.
When the distance reached roughly twenty meters, they stopped.
Morgan assessed it.
'Twenty meters… still too close.'
He could cross that distance in a single step.
But what about Haruka?
"Njah~ Let's go."
She tightened her grip on the wooden sword, and then—
Despite her clothes being wholly unsuited for combat.
Squeak!
Morgan heard it: one footstep, then a second, then a third.
She was already in front of him.
With a 'miko outfit' to boot.
'…she's terrifying fast for a human.'
Morgan noted it, but instead of retreating, he leaned in.
His front was completely open.
After all, his left arm was open, and his right hand held the sword angled toward the left.
Squeak~
The polished floor cried out. Then her other foot scraped against the ground, and—
She spun.
A full three-sixty toward Morgan.
Seeing that, with a grin,
Morgan rotated counterclockwise, and their swords collided.
Thwack~!
For a brief instant, they pressed against each other.
Then Morgan slid his wooden sword down hers.
Gravity pulled his blade downward, but he immediately twisted his wrist, swinging it back up in a sharp V-shaped arc.
"Nngh!"
Haruka saw it coming and leapt back, yet the blade still shaved off a small piece of her dress.
Squeak~
Her feet skidded across the floor before she came to a stop.
She glanced down, then lightly patted the torn fabric.
"Inadvertently, I went for a clash. I'm used to overpowering people like that."
She nodded to herself.
That's right. You're different.
Her grin slowly widened as she licked her lips—
Squeak~!
Once more, she appeared before Morgan, bringing down an overhead strike with one hand.
Morgan raised his arm instantly to counter, but just as Haruka's sword descended.
It vanished.
Rather than disappearing, she forcefully redirected it from the point of contact by spinning.
A sharp lateral line traced through the air past Morgan.
Silence filled the hall.
Morgan looked down at his clothes.
A tear had appeared in his clothes as well.
'You've got to be kidding me… Her battle sense is absurd. She thinks the same way I do.'
Slowly, a smile crept up Morgan's lips.
"Indeed, this is how it should be."
…
Evening
Without realizing it, the two of them continued like that for over an hour.
And before they knew it.
Evening had arrived.
5:31 P.M.
They sat on the wooden veranda, Morgan lying flat against the boards.
"You don't look tired."
Haruka had a towel draped over her face, water trailing down her features as she looked at him.
"Well, I could say the same about you. You recovered quickly."
"Hehe~"
She lifted her head, then moved to sit beside him, gazing up at the sky.
Just then, another figure joined them, though he remained standing a short distance away.
"I can see now why my daughter speaks so highly of you. I'm genuinely impressed."
"See? Sinclair is strong."
Morgan sat up with a wry smile.
He could still vividly recall Soichiro's shocked expression during their bout.
The man had looked as though he'd seen a ghost.
"Why don't you come here more often, to our dojo?"
Soichiro extended the invitation, but Morgan slowly shook his head.
He would only grow busier from here on out.
Not to mention, there was another reason—one he couldn't share.
"I see."
With that, Soichiro stepped toward Haruka and gently patted her head.
"You… if you ever get the chance, do whatever you wish."
The words sounded cryptic to Haruka, prompting a confused, "Hah?" as Morgan's eyes widened slightly.
The timing of those words was far too convenient.
Ignoring his daughter's reaction, Soichiro turned and headed for the entrance, giving Morgan a small nod along the way.
Then he was gone.
"Geez… what was that about."
"Senior, let's go."
Jumping down from the wooden veranda, his foot met the brick ground as he moved ahead.
"Aah, wait for me."
She quickly followed, walking beside him and matching his pace.
"That reminds me—how is everyone else?"
"Oh, that, huh. Well…"
As it turned out, most of them had transferred to other schools.
The student council president, on the other hand, had gone abroad.
It seemed his actions had disrupted more than a few things.
Even so, Morgan wasn't particularly concerned, nor did he dwell on it.
"As for me, I don't really see a reason to attend school anymore. I never had much interest in it to begin with."
Morgan glanced at her with a thoughtful expression.
It wasn't entirely unreasonable.
School was overrated to him now, anyway.
He could simply store information and assimilate it as needed.
Then, recalling her father's words from earlier, Morgan suddenly came to a stop.
"Haruka… you like fighting, right?"
She took another step before stopping as well.
"What brought that on?"
She tilted her head, puzzled.
Morgan didn't hesitate.
"Then what if I told you there's a chance you could fight almost every day? Would you take it?"
As both a wizard and a gamer, he didn't explain further, simply watching her think it over.
She bobbed her head slightly.
She didn't really understand what he meant.
Haruka never liked complicated things.
Yet, for some reason, her father's words echoed in her mind.
Slowly, a grin spread across her lips.
"So, what's the deal?"
Morgan returned the grin, pulling a card from his pocket and handing it to her.
Haruka blinked, holding the small flat rectangular card in her hand with a name written white as a heading.
..Clocktower.
"Go there, and tell them you're with me."
With that, he turned and walked off, giving a casual wave as leaves drifted past.
She stared at him waltzing off with a grin putting the card between the two mountains she carried in of her.
For some reason, a smile crossed her features, holding her right hand towards where he left from clenching it.
Then, she unclenched it slowly.
"Spirits, Wizards, interesting ain't it, Haraka-nee? Heh."
Haruka muttered with a grin, tilting her head upward slightly as her miko outfit rustled.