Chapter 87: Open the Door and Face Certain Death
Even though that bird still cannot spread its wings and soar,
one day it will ride the wind to heights unreachable—
thousands of mountains and rivers still lie between,
so it can only bury its wish deep in its heart and gaze toward the distant horizon.
...
Miu was clearing away the dishes, humming the tune of 'Tori no Uta'. It was the song Takumi had taught her. Maybe because of its sad story, or maybe just because of the title itself, Miu loved it deeply. Her favorite animal was cats, but her name and the title "Slash-the-Void Feather" she'd earned made it clear she had a stronger connection to birds—so she fell for it instantly.
Shio was sprawled shamelessly on the floor, picking at his teeth with a toothpick. Once Miu left with the after-meal things, he drawled in boredom,
"So dull… Finally got a disciple, and because he's 'too diligent,' he stepped through the gate in no time flat. Then the Elder goes and forbids teaching ki usage or techniques without his permission. Sigh. Supposed to be a hundred-day training regimen, but we're done in less than a third."
"That's how it goes—master shows the door, cultivation is up to the individual. Takumi just needs to slowly grasp whole-body power now. As for ki techniques, he's still too young. Let's wait until the hundred days are up."
"You've got a point there, Akisame. Where's that pervert Kensei?"
"Teaching his disciple—that little girl named Shirahama."
"Isn't she Shigure's student? And wait, that guy's actually interested in a kid like her now?"
"Shigure said she sleeps during the day and teaches at night. The free time works perfectly for Kensei to lay the foundations. Sure, he's a bit sleazy, but for someone with zero base he's actually the best teacher—founder of the Phoenix Martial Alliance with a hundred thousand disciples, after all."
"Hah. I saw Apachai sulking on the ground drawing circles. He probably wanted to teach too, but Muay Thai really isn't suited for girls—especially a frail, untrained one like her. She looks like she's about to cry just seeing him."
"I think she looks about to cry when she sees you too."
"Damn it, how do you manage to sound so philosophically deceptive all the time?"
"Natural talent."
"… …"
Shio fell silent for a moment before continuing,
"Speaking of which, Miu's been in a really good mood these past couple days. Her surging ki has become as calm as stillness-type. If the wavelength hadn't stayed the same, I'd think she'd reversed her true ki or something."
"Probably because she's in love. Girls get like that when they fall for someone."
"Hah, that kid Takumi's got some serious game—turned her into a completely different person. But at the end of the day, even a shy feral cat becomes docile once tamed—clinging like a little bird. Still, isn't she being way too good to him? These past two days his portions at meals have been noticeably better in color, taste, and even quantity."
"Yeah… I'm actually kinda jealous. The Elder must feel like his precious granddaughter got stolen—he's been leaking surging ki fluctuations a lot more lately."
"Well, whether it's daughters or granddaughters, they grow up eventually. The fruit a farmer worked hard to raise is bound to get picked someday. If you leave it on the tree forever, it just rots."
"Waaah!! Help!! Save me!!!"
Takumi was sipping the afternoon tea Miu had brewed for him, lazily sunbathing. With no training for once, his whole body felt blissfully limp. Screams still echoed through Ryōzanpaku—but they weren't coming from him anymore.
Poor Keni. Right now a long pole was strapped to her back. Kensei gripped the pole and mercilessly pressed it downward while running forward, shoving her along.
"A human's leg strength is three times that of the arms! Why? Because people walk on their legs!"
"Kensei-sensei, stop pushing! My face is gonna hit the ground! Waaah—it's scraping!!!"
Keni, already half-dead from terror, had no mind left to listen. She absolutely did not want her face ground into the dirt like a plow ruining a field—total disfigurement! She was a girl, a girl! Even if her figure wasn't much, she'd inherited her mother's cute, delicate face—that was her one pride as a female. If it got ruined, she'd never get married!!!
"Kouichi, help! I can't take it anymore!"
Takumi glanced over and gave an apologetic look.
"If you want to get strong fast, there are two ways: make your fists as strong as your legs, or make your legs as nimble as your fists! It's painful, I know, but I'll cheer you on mentally."
"Nooo! I quit! I can't do this anymore!"
"Too late."
Takumi felt genuine sympathy. Training at Ryōzanpaku definitely produced more tears than sweat. To avoid Keni thinking he was the type to just watch a girl suffer without batting an eye, he decided—close his eyes! Keep drinking tea and sunbathing.
"What a leisurely life… Hmm, I finished the training task way ahead of schedule. Still got almost a month left—definitely gonna relax properly. Oh yeah, I should take Miu out shopping for a date."
To surprise her, Takumi deliberately used the lightness skill he'd learned from Shigure. He sank his ki into his dantian; the blue stillness-ki acted like an air cushion, silencing his footsteps completely. He arrived at Miu's room and pushed the door open.
The instant he stepped in, Takumi realized he hadn't surprised Miu—she'd surprised him.
Miu was in the middle of changing. Her snow-white, smooth upper body was completely bare. The slender jade neck, lotus-root-like arms, delicate collarbones, soft fragrant shoulders, and fair back all gleamed before him. Takumi's throat went dry; his heart started racing wildly.
When he pushed the door open, Miu had her back to it, reaching behind herself to fasten her bra. The sudden noise made her reflexively spin around—just in time to meet Takumi's eyes. She froze in shock. Even as a top-tier martial artist, she fumbled the bra and it dropped to the floor.
Takumi hadn't expected to be greeted by Miu's flawless back first. Before he could even take a second look, he was presented with the full frontal view. Flat, toned stomach. Full, snowy peaks. Everything laid bare.
Sure, she'd once told Shigure she had zero confidence in her figure when compared to her—but Miu's chest was far from small. Compared to Nao, Takumi's blonde girlfriend from the 'Oni Chichi' world, they were about equal. And thanks to years of martial training, her legs and hips were long and shapely, borrowing a bit of that tyrant-little-sister vibe. All in all, Fuurinji Miu was an incredibly well-rounded beauty.
Caught completely off-guard, Miu stood frozen. When she noticed Takumi's scorching gaze locked on her chest, she reacted in a flash—whipping up the bedsheet like a gust of fragrant wind to cover herself, then snapped angrily,
"Kouichi! Don't you knock before coming in? Don't you know that's basic courtesy?!"
If this had been a couple days ago, Takumi would've fled in panic. But now he just smiled calmly, gently closed the door behind him, and said,
"My bad. I forgot to fulfill one of my boyfriend duties."
"Huh?"
Miu blinked, confused by his sudden shift in tone. Takumi walked over, picked up the fallen bra, dusted it off, brought it to his nose for a sniff, then teased,
"Smells amazing…"
"You… you…!"
"Helping my girlfriend get dressed is one of the essential courtesies of being a man—and a gentleman."
"What kind of twisted courtesy is that, you pervert!"
Miu's face flushed crimson as she yelled. The next instant her beautiful legs lashed out, slamming into Takumi's chest. He crashed through the window, flew out from the second floor, and landed headfirst in the dirt like an upside-down green onion.
"Well… I forgot—even a tame cat still has claws."
Takumi spat out a mouthful of soil. Even covered in dirt and humiliation, he couldn't resist one last quip.
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