A burly, masculine man gazing at him with such tender eyes—Aoto couldn’t help but shiver slightly.
“K-Kondo-kun, is something wrong?”
“Tachibana-kun.” Kondo raised a hand and patted Aoto.
As Kondo reached out his hand, Aoto almost instinctively flinched his shoulder back.
“Have you studied swordsmanship anywhere before?
Have you frequently used a sword in your daily life?”
“No, I only learned a trick or two from my deceased father.
In my daily duties, I usually fight bare-handed or use a Jutte.”
“That last match truly left me in awe!” Kondo exclaimed, his face filled with excitement, “While your swordsmanship still needs improvement, your talent is truly top-notch!
Just now, when I saw how quickly you could adjust your movements, I truly couldn’t believe my eyes!”
Kondo praised Aoto quickly and without reservation.
“Kondo-kun, you flatter me.” Aoto quickly and politely demurred.
Outwardly, Aoto smiled calmly.
But at this very moment, deep within his heart, his emotions surged like a raging vortex.
If Aoto were to describe his newly acquired talent in one sentence, it would be: The cow won’t calve—it’s incredibly awesome!
If others could see Aoto’s rapid improvement in the recent battle, then it was even more evident to Aoto himself, being the one involved.
Just now, when he realized how much sharper his movements and sword techniques had become, Aoto almost cried out in surprise.
It wasn’t until that moment that Aoto truly understood the meaning of the phrase “extraordinary talent.”
Extraordinary talent means achieving what ordinary people can only accomplish with 99% effort, by expending only 1% effort.
In the battle just now, Aoto did almost nothing, yet he was able to make incredibly precise self-corrections to his movements.
This feeling was something Aoto had never experienced, neither in his past life nor in this one.
And Kondo’s praise continued:
“To achieve such significant progress in swordsmanship in such a short time—I’ve only seen such astonishing scenes from Soji before!”
Aoto: “Soji?”
“Ah, I haven’t mentioned it to you before.” Kondo’s lips curved into a proud arc, “Soji is the pride of our Shieikan!”
“He showed astonishing talent in swordsmanship at a young age.”
“When he first started learning the sword, he was just like you—even without anyone teaching him what to do, he could refine his sword techniques and adjust his body posture to be more suitable for holding a sword.”
“Kondo-kyo.” Okita-kun interjected, a hint of displeasure on her face, “Why are you giving me more and more titles?
I can’t accept being called the pride of the Shieikan.”
“I’m merely stating facts.” Kondo shrugged.
While Kondo and Okita-kun were bickering, Aoto quietly muttered to himself:
—Of course, he’s like me, because the swordsmanship talent we both possess is at the same level…
—The pride of the Shieikan, huh…
No wonder he has such an exaggerated talent as the “Sword Genius.”
—Hmm?
Oh, right…
—I remember now…
—It was from Yamanami that I first heard the name “Okita Soji”…
Aoto suddenly realized why he felt Okita-kun’s name was familiar when he first met her and heard her introduction.
It was because he had just heard that name from his friend, Yamanami Keisuke.
Yamanami had previously mentioned that Okita Soji of the Shieikan possessed excellent strength, so much so that her master, the head of the Kochiba Sword School, couldn’t help but extend an invitation to her.
—No wonder she was specifically praised by Yamanami for her strength…
With such swordsmanship talent, it would be strange if she weren’t strong…
At this thought, Aoto couldn’t help but subtly shift his gaze, quietly scrutinizing Okita-kun beside him a few more times.
If it weren’t for having copied the “Sword Genius” from her, Aoto would find it truly difficult to imagine that such a slender, handsome youth could be a swordsman with such extraordinary talent and strength.
You are a promising talent!” Kondo’s booming shout pulled Aoto’s consciousness back to reality, “As long as you train diligently, achieving something in swordsmanship in the future will certainly not be difficult!”
“I don’t aspire to achieve great heights in swordsmanship.” Aoto said half-jokingly, “As long as today’s me can surpass yesterday’s me, that’s enough.”
Aoto’s words were a mimicry of a friend from his previous life who worked out with him at the gym.
That friend often had the phrase “My goal is to make today’s me surpass yesterday’s me,” a quote likely copied from somewhere online, on his lips.
His friend looked very cool when he said that—but if this friend spent more time using the equipment when he said that, instead of spending most of his time posing in front of the mirror and posting on his social media, he would have been even cooler.
“Oh, oh!” Aoto’s recent words made Kondo’s eyes light up, “What you just said was excellent!”
“Alright!
Let’s stop the small talk here.” Kondo crossed his arms, “I’ve now got a general understanding of your current level and talent.”
“Your current level is still quite ordinary, so you’ll have to start by learning the most basic sword-holding stances.”
“How about it?
Do you want to start training now?”
“Of course!” Aoto said without hesitation.
“Good!” Kondo grinned, “Then…”
“Young Master!
Young Master Kondo!
Is Young Master Kondo here?”
Kondo was in the middle of speaking enthusiastically when, out of the blue, urgent shouts came from the dojo entrance—the owner of the voice was a burly man dressed as a commoner.
“Koroku?” Kondo cast a bewildered look at the burly man, “Why are you here?”
“Young Master Kondo.” The burly man, whom Kondo called “Koroku,” said with a wry smile, “Hijikata Toshizo of your family, something has happened.”
As soon as Koroku said this, Kondo and Okita-kun’s expressions instantly changed.
“What happened to Toshizo?” Kondo asked urgently.
“Didn’t Hijikata go back to his old home in Tama a few days ago to visit relatives?” Koroku said, “You know, Hijikata is always restless, so not long after returning home, to pass the time, he resumed his old trade and went around Tama selling his Ishida San’yaku.”
“As a result, something happened yesterday afternoon.
A group of people came to cause trouble for Hijikata.”
“That person said he was Hijikata’s former buyer, and that after buying Hijikata’s Ishida San’yaku, he found the medicine was useless, so he gathered a group of people to demand an explanation from Hijikata.”
“Those people came aggressively, there were more than twenty of them.”
“You know Hijikata’s temper, that thorny brat.
He directly fought with those people.”
“One person against more than twenty, it was a chaotic fight.”
“Although Hijikata won, he also suffered serious injuries, and he is now recovering at his old home in Tama.”
“Although Hijikata told his family not to tell you about his injuries, Hijikata’s brother-in-law, Sato, still decided to send me to inform you of this matter.”
“Where was Hijikata Sensei injured?” As soon as Koroku’s words fell, Okita-kun quickly asked.
“His leg and forehead were injured.” Koroku replied, “The leg injury seems quite serious; he’ll probably be confined to bed for the next few days.”
“Soji!” Kondo said loudly to Okita-kun without hesitation, “You stay here, I’m going back to Tama now to check on Toshizo’s condition.”
“I want to go too!” Okita-kun responded just as quickly, “Hijikata Sensei is injured, how can I pretend not to have heard and calmly stay in Edo?”
“No.
If you go with me to visit Hijikata, who will look after the Shieikan?”
Kondo and Okita-kun were arguing loudly about visiting Hijikata.
Aoto, who didn’t know anything about Hijikata, quietly moved closer to Suzuki and asked:
“Um…
who’s Hijikata?”
“Hijikata Toshizo.
One of the disciples of our Shieikan.” Suzuki whispered to Aoto, “You’re new, so you probably don’t know about our Shieikan’s ‘the five vajra guardians,’ do you?” The source of this chapter is g.com.
Aoto: “I really don’t know.”
“You are now also a part of our Shieikan, so in the future, you must pay close attention to the five individuals in our Shieikan who are collectively known as ‘the five vajra guardians.'”
Suzuki cleared his throat, then spoke eloquently:
“The first is the head of our Shieikan, who is also our master—Kondo Shusuke Sensei.”
“Although Master is already 68 years old this year, he is still quite robust.
He usually has a benevolent look, but only when it comes to matters related to swordsmanship, he is exceptionally strict.”
“In the future, remember not to do anything disrespectful to swordsmanship in front of Master, such as intentionally making your bamboo sword dirty.
Master hates people who disrespect swords and swordsmanship the most.”
“The second is Young Master…
Ah, that is Kondo Isami Sensei.”
“Because Kondo Isami Sensei is the Teachers Assistant of our Shieikan, and also the young master of our sword school, we usually like to call Kondo Isami Sensei ‘Young Master.'”
“Due to his advanced age, Master has largely entrusted the management of the sword school and the teaching of swordsmanship to Young Master.”
“In not too long, Young Master will likely inherit this Shieikan and officially succeed the Natural Reishin Style as the fourth head of the Natural Reishin Style.”
“The third is Okita Soji-kun.”
“The Okita and Kondo families have an extremely close relationship.
They are as close as one family.”
“The relationship between Young Master and Okita-kun is also like that of brothers.”
“And Okita-kun has a very long history in our Shieikan; she became Master’s inner disciple at the age of 9, entering the Shieikan to study Tennen Rishin-ryu.”
“If I remember correctly…
Okita-kun is 16 this year, which means this is her 7th year since entering the Shieikan.”
“Currently, almost no apprentice in the entire Shieikan has more seniority than Okita-kun.”
“If both Master and Young Master happen to be away from the sword school, the Shieikan will be directly entrusted to Okita-kun to manage.”
“Young Master also often has Okita-kun share the management duties of the sword school and the teaching of swordsmanship.”
“Okita-kun’s position in the Shieikan can be said to be second only to Young Master.”
“Close as brothers, huh…” Aoto recalled the scenes of Kondo teasing Okita-kun when her hands were bound by his arrest rope technique, “No wonder their relationship seems so good.”
Suzuki’s explanation of “the five vajra guardians” continued—
“And the fourth person…
is Hijikata Toshizo.” As he spoke, Suzuki’s mouth twitched.
“Hijikata Toshizo is the second most troublesome person in our Shieikan.”
“If you encounter him in the future, remember to be extra careful.”
“How troublesome is he?” Aoto pressed.
“He is one of the disciples of our Shieikan.”
“This person and Young Master are from the same area, both born in Tama, not far from Edo.”
“Young Master, Hijikata-kun, and Okita-kun, the three of them have an extremely close relationship.
Their bond is so strong that they could almost be considered biological brothers from different fathers and mothers, just like Liu, Guan, and steps in ‘Records of the Three Kingdoms.'”
“Hijikata-kun has a very bad temper and a sharp tongue, so he often gets into trouble outside, and fighting is commonplace for him, which is why he has the nickname ‘Thorny Brat.'”
At this point, Suzuki looked at Kondo and Okita-kun, who were still arguing.
“Hijikata-kun went back to his old home in Tama a few days ago to visit his family.”
“Sigh, even going back home he can’t be peaceful…
This thorny brat, he really is…”
Having said this, Suzuki shook his head with a wry smile.
*********
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