“Big Brother Michikatsu is practicing swordsmanship.”
Rin answered softly, catching an unusual glint in her older brother’s eyes.
Her small fingers neatly adjusted the folds of her own kimono before continuing.
“A few days ago, Big Brother Michikatsu told Father about his dream. He really wants to become the greatest samurai in the entire country.”
Rin paused for a moment, remembering the ambitious expression on her eldest brother’s face that night.
“Father was very pleased to hear it. He even immediately assigned one of the clan’s best guards to teach him.”
Rin let out a short sigh, staring at her own clean bare feet on the corridor floor.
“Ever since then, Big Brother Michikatsu wakes up before dawn every day to swing his wooden sword. His palms are covered in blisters and blood, but he refuses to stop training.”
Hearing the story, Yoriichi’s eyelids twitched faintly.
The usual dead-calm lake-like gaze in his eyes now carried a faint spark of curiosity.
“Rin.”
The boy looked up after a brief silence, staring straight at his younger sibling.
“I… want to go watch him.”
Rin froze, blinking several times as she looked at her brother.
This was the first time in her life she had heard a sentence expressing desire come from those thin lips.
“Of course!”
Rin nodded firmly, greeting those clear eyes with a wide smile.
“Breakfast with Mother is still a while away. Let’s head to the training grounds now!”
Without wasting a second, Rin stepped ahead of Yoriichi, guiding him out of the damp, isolated corner room.
Their light footsteps pattered along the long wooden corridor leading toward the main courtyard of the residence.
They had only taken a few steps when Rin suddenly stopped.
She turned around and looked at Yoriichi, who was walking slowly behind her with his head lowered.
*Where is the enthusiasm of a brother who just said he wanted to watch sword training?*
Rin sighed helplessly and shook her head at the flat demeanor of her twin.
But in the next instant, a mischievous grin bloomed on Rin’s small face.
She stepped closer until the tips of their sandals nearly touched.
Without warning, Rin reached out with her right hand.
Her thumb and index finger pinched both corners of Yoriichi’s mouth and pulled them upward with a light tug.
“You should smile more often, Big Brother Yoriichi!”
Yoriichi could only blink, letting his face stiffen from his little sister’s forced grip that made his lips curve strangely.
“?”
Seeing the frozen, confused expression on her brother’s face, Rin chuckled softly and released her fingers.
“If your face stays scrunched up like that all the time, even good fortune that’s about to come your way will turn around and run, you know?”
Yoriichi stood rooted in place, still feeling the lingering warmth of his sister’s fingers on his cheeks.
Watching how hard his little sister tried to draw emotions out of him, the boy’s clear eyes suddenly felt a little warm for no clear reason.
He knew he was incredibly lucky in this world.
Even though their father treated him as if he didn’t exist, their mother, older brother, and especially his little sister always protected him in their own ways.
Yoriichi remained standing, watching Rin’s back as the child continued walking ahead down the corridor.
Slowly, those usually cold, clear eyes softened, and the corners of his lips unconsciously lifted into a faint, genuine smile.
All this warmth was the most precious treasure he wanted to protect forever.
“Big Brother Yoriichi? Why are you spacing out over there? Hurry up!”
Rin waved from the end of the corridor, nodding impatiently.
Yoriichi smiled faintly and took longer strides to catch up.
“Yeah.”
At the age of six, Rin Tsugikuni was growing into an exceptionally charming child, like a pure spring flower bud.
Without Yoriichi realizing it, he had already begun to look forward to the day this flower bud would fully bloom in the future.
Because at that moment, he had no idea that the final form of the flower he cherished most would become something truly terrifying under the darkness of night…
“Waaah!”
The moment they stepped onto the edge of the training grounds, a loud crash slammed into their eardrums.
Rin and Yoriichi watched as Michikatsu’s body was thrown into the air and slammed hard onto the dusty ground.
His sword instructor had just swept him down with a single precise leg sweep.
Michikatsu, who had been grimacing while clutching his waist, suddenly jolted when he noticed his two younger siblings.
His face flushed bright red as he held back overwhelming embarrassment.
He hurriedly stood up, dusting off the coarse dirt clinging to his hakama while forcing an awkward smile.
“Yoriichi… Rin…”
“Big Brother, Yoriichi said he wanted to watch you practice swordsmanship, so I brought him here,” Rin explained, then gave a gentle push to Yoriichi’s back so he would step forward onto the sandy area.
“Oh! This is perfect!”
Seeing Yoriichi awkwardly staring at his own toes, Michikatsu grinned widely.
He stepped closer and offered the heavy bamboo sword he had been holding.
“Since this is a great opportunity, why don’t you try training too, Yoriichi?”
Yoriichi’s fingers moved on reflex, gripping the bamboo sword’s handle with a surprisingly natural hold.
He looked up and stared intently at his eldest brother’s face.
“Big Brother… may I try?”
“Why not? You’re my little brother! Besides, what samurai clan son doesn’t know how to hold a sword? Go on!”
Michikatsu quickly stepped back beside Rin, giving Yoriichi plenty of space in the center of the training ground.
Seeing that his new opponent was just a small, thin, short child, the burly sword instructor chuckled softly.
He thought this was nothing more than a game to entertain the bored young master.
Casually, the man gave a few basic instructions on how to grip the hilt and corrected what he considered Yoriichi’s messy stance.
Once finished, the instructor picked up his own bamboo sword and swung it lightly through the air, signaling for Yoriichi to attack first.
He truly underestimated the fragile, tiny, and shy-looking boy in front of him.
Let alone Yoriichi, who was touching a bamboo sword for the first time—even Michikatsu, whom he considered very talented, had never managed to touch the hem of his clothes even once during training.
This dismissive thinking wasn’t limited to the instructor.
Michikatsu and Rin, who were kneeling at the edge of the grounds, thought the same thing.
Michikatsu was even smiling broadly, already planning to run forward and hug Yoriichi the moment his little brother got scared and started crying from the instructor’s pressure.
Meanwhile, Rin was already preparing to run back to the room to fetch ointment for the bruises on her frail brother’s body.
However, under the relaxed gazes of everyone in the courtyard, Yoriichi suddenly moved.
His small figure shot forward like lightning striking in broad daylight.
His speed was so extreme that his afterimage appeared right in front of the instructor’s chest in the blink of an eye.
Yoriichi’s wrist spun with terrifying speed, unleashing a relentless barrage of slashes far beyond normal human capability.
*Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!*
Three powerful strikes landed cleanly, impossible to block with the opponent’s bamboo blade.
Neck, chest, then stomach—three vital points were hit in succession within milliseconds.
Before the adult man could even process the pain shooting through his nerves, Yoriichi finished the fight with a sweeping downward slash that slammed powerfully into the man’s calf.
*Thud!*
The burly body was thrown into the air before crashing face-down onto the dusty ground.
The entire sequence happened in a single instant.
The sword instructor didn’t even manage to let out a shout before he fainted on the spot.
The training ground fell into dead silence, leaving only the sound of wind blowing thin dust across the yard.
Michikatsu stared blankly at Yoriichi, who stood straight in the middle of the grounds still holding the bamboo sword.
The smile that had been on Michikatsu’s face just seconds ago froze in place.
What just happened?
The sword instructor that he himself couldn’t land a single hit on no matter how hard he tried had been defeated in an instant by Yoriichi, who had just picked up a weapon for the first time?
Was this some kind of joke?
Cold sweat began to dampen the back of Michikatsu’s neck.
*Alright, the joke’s gone far enough.
Instructor, stop pretending to be unconscious.
The ground is cold, hurry up and get up…*
No matter how much Michikatsu hoped in his heart, the sword instructor remained motionless on the ground.
The man had truly fainted and had been genuinely defeated by Yoriichi’s strength.
That undeniable fact lay bare before their eyes.
Rin, standing beside him, also stared at the scene with wide, unblinking eyes.
Unlike the instructor who had fainted before he could react, and Michikatsu who couldn’t even catch Yoriichi’s movements, Rin’s adult memories allowed her to see every single inch of those sword swings clearly.
From the neck to the chest, from the waist and stomach to the calf.
Not a single movement was wasted.
Every slash flowed with terrifying efficiency, precision, and accuracy as it struck vital nerve points.
*Why?*
Even though this was the first time he had ever held a sword, why did Yoriichi possess such extraordinary swordsmanship?
Was swinging a blade at that kind of speed really something a normal human could achieve?