Ryosuke tentatively narrowed his eyes, opening them to a slit, and immediately met Rika's expectant face.
"Ryosuke-nii-san~"
Rika tugged at his arm, swaying her body slightly in a spoiled manner: "Will you come with me to the Final Selection~ Please? Please!"
Ryosuke had a headache.
Alright, alright, your brother's out on a mission, so you're openly taking advantage of me, huh?
What's more, your generation is the Golden Generation!
Not only are there Sabito and Giyuu, who are Water Breathing prodigies.
There's also Murata, the road pillar with incredible luck and a slightly dirty haori!
The Hand Demon was already taken care of by me, so you could just hold your sword and shout '666' from behind and still pass!
This setup is incredibly safe, alright!
Why should I go? To just stand around outside?
Just as Ryosuke was about to politely decline, Master Jigorō spoke first, his tone incredibly natural.
"Ryosuke, Rika hasn't traveled far alone much, and her personality is quite lively. You don't have any missions recently, so why don't you accompany her to Fujikasane Mountain? You can look out for her on the way, and I'll feel more at ease."
Ryosuke: (゜д゜)
Grandpa!
Which eye of yours saw that she needed looking after?
This girl is smarter than the monkeys in our backyard, alright! She's practically the monkey king!!!
Your favoritism knows no bounds!
I'm even worried she'll tie up a demon and turn it into some kind of infinite power source... Ryosuke sighed helplessly. He had just cast a pleading glance at Uzui Tengen, who was training, when the swaying big thunder blocked his view.
Hinatsuru smiled gently, serving tea and snacks, and nodded in agreement.
"Master Jigorō is right. Rika is young, and it's certainly safer for her to have Mr. Ryosuke accompany her to such a distant selection."
Ryosuke was completely choked, almost unable to catch his breath.
He looked at Hinatsuru indignantly, then glanced at Makio and Suma next to her, who hadn't spoken but whose eyes showed approval... Fine then.
Female friendships form so quickly!
How long has it been, and they're already united against him!
In the end, Ryosuke ran out of excuses to decline. He accepted Master Jigorō's instructions to 'go early and return early,' and with slumped shoulders, went to pack his bags.
Rika: (●´∀｀●) Yay!
Oh well, I'll just consider it a trip to clear my head.
And I can check on Sabito and Giyuu, so it's not a complete loss.
However, on the way to Fujikasane Mountain... a young man in a dark haori walked ahead with a look of utter despair, followed by a chattering, bouncing, extremely excited young girl.
"Ryosuke-nii-san, look! Doesn't that cloud look like a big rabbit!"
"Ryosuke-nii-san, look quickly! There are fish in that stream over there! They're so plump! Hehe~"
"Ryosuke-nii-san, are you hungry? I brought rice balls! Hinatsuru-nee-san taught me how to make them!"
"Ryosuke-nii-san! Ryosuke-nii-san..."
...Ryosuke felt as if hundreds of bees were buzzing in his ears, and his brain throbbed.
He had never felt a journey so long in this life or his previous one.
Several times, Ryosuke wanted to use Thunder Breathing to speed up and just escape.
But then he thought of facing Master Jigorō's cane and Rika's tearful offensive when he returned, and he forcibly held back.
"Shut up, let's keep moving."
Ryosuke finally lost his patience and glanced at her.
"Oh..."
Rika wilted for a moment, but within a few minutes, she couldn't help but start humming an off-key tune, bothering Ryosuke again.
Ryosuke massaged his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
After several days of trekking, the mountain range, perpetually shrouded in a sea of wisteria flowers, came into view.
And beneath this beautiful surface lay the accumulated stench of blood and despair that had gathered in the mountain's depths over the years.
As soon as they reached the clearing in front of the shrine, before Ryosuke could even find a place to hide and slack off, a familiar figure rushed over like a cannonball, grabbing Rika and examining her up and down.
"Rika! Are you alright? Was the journey smooth? Are you thirsty? Hungry?"
Shota had clearly rushed over to see Rika off after completing his mission.
Rika giggled and spun around.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Ryosuke-nii-san came with me, so it was super safe the whole way!"
Only then did Shota notice Ryosuke standing nearby, and his eyes widened, his face darkening.
"Huh?! How did you end up coming along, you guy?!"
After several years of acquaintance, he knew Ryosuke's lazy nature well.
Unless he had a mission, there was no way he would leave his home!
Ryosuke was too lazy to even roll his eyes, waving his hand weakly.
"It's a long story... but I don't want to talk about it right now."
He really didn't want to recount the story of how he was conspired against and tricked into coming.
Shota approached with a serious expression.
"You didn't do anything strange to my sister on the way, did you, kid?"
Ryosuke: o_0?
Brother! While I do like looking at beautiful women, I'm a human, not an animal!
How old is your sister?!
That thought of yours is criminal! Too criminal!!!
What's more... Ryosuke looked at Rika's expectant face with a helpless expression.
If anyone's going to do something strange, it'll be her to me, right?
Seeing his demeanor, Shota didn't ask further, his attention returning to Rika as he meticulously reminded her of the selection's precautions.
Just then, a clear, energetic voice came from behind them.
"Ryosuke-nii-san! It really is you!"
Ryosuke turned around. The young man was full of spirit, his smile bright beneath his medium-length, flesh-colored hair.
Giyuu beside him was as quiet as a backdrop, though his eyes lit up slightly when he saw Ryosuke.
Hmm~ He really liked this person.
Murata, who was the last to arrive, looked a bit dejected.
"Sabito, Giyuu, and Murata."
Ryosuke walked over and patted Sabito's shoulder, "You've gotten stronger again. The selection will definitely be no problem."
"Hehe, not bad! Can't compare to you, Ryosuke-nii-san."
Sabito scratched his head shyly: "Eh, are those your junior disciples?"
Ryosuke nodded, and before he could speak, Rika excitedly ran over.
Rika: ＞ᴗO!
"My name is Rika Kiritani! This is my brother, Shota Kiritani! You're Mr. Urokodaki's disciples from Mount Sagiri, right?"
"Yes, hello."
Sabito had a very good impression of this enthusiastic young girl and introduced the two people beside him: "Tomioka Giyu, Murata."
Rika nodded vigorously, greeting them both in turn.
Giyuu showed no expression, responding politely.
As for Murata... well, he was a bit shy.
Watching Rika's familiar demeanor, Shota had a doting mother's smile on his face.
Look! This is my sister! How cute!
Ryosuke said nothing, and he and Giyuu served as background figures.
After some small talk, the time for the selection to begin arrived.
Watching the new batch of swordsmen pass through the wisteria flower sea, Ryosuke yawned, lazily waving goodbye to Rika and the others.
OK! Escort mission complete! Now I have seven days of vacation!
Ryosuke turned, ready to say goodbye to Shota and slip away, when a figure silently appeared before him, bowing respectfully.
"Mr. Yasui, the Master has requested your presence."
Ryosuke's footsteps paused, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
Kagaya summoned him? And at this particular time.
A feeling of being schemed against rose in his heart.
He looked at the equally astonished Shota, and just as he was about to speak, the Ubuyashiki clan member gently shook their head.
"The Master has only requested you, sir. Mr. Kiritani, please wait in the side hall."
Well, he couldn't avoid it.
Ryosuke sighed.
"Lead the way."
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