Ogata never stopped working, but he quietly listened to his colleagues’ conversation.
Lord Matsudaira Gennai…
Matsudaira Gennai was the current daimyō of the Hirose Domain—and therefore their lord.
Ogata was a samurai of Hirose.
As the domain’s daimyō and ruler, Matsudaira Gennai was the master whom Ogata and the other retainers were expected to support and protect, even at the cost of their lives.
Matsudaira was only twenty-three years old.
Despite his youth, the two years since he inherited his late father’s position and became Hirose’s ruler had revealed a list of cruelties too long to record.
While his father still lived, Matsudaira had kept his vicious nature somewhat restrained.
Once his father died and no one remained who could rebuke him, he exposed that brutality without reserve.
In only two years, he had committed more absurd and cruel acts than anyone could easily count.
Ogata paid little attention to the story his colleagues were discussing.
After all, he was merely a low-ranking samurai earning a stipend of fifty koku.
Do not concern yourself with affairs outside your position—that had always been Ogata’s way of living.
Whatever new outrage his lord committed was no concern of his.
A minor retainer like him had neither the authority nor the need to worry about such matters.
He only wanted to perform his own duties properly.
The important men of the domain could decide how to deal with their lord’s cruelty.
* * *
The sky took on a golden cast as dusk approached.
And dusk meant that Ogata and the others could finally leave work.
He quickly put away everything on his desk.
After bidding farewell to colleagues who were still leisurely arranging their things, he hurried out of the building.
He was eager to reach the Sakakibara Dojo.
Training there after work was part of his daily routine.
Ogata still understood very little about the system in his mind.
He had therefore formed a private plan: at the dojo, he would use his fellow disciples as “test subjects” and investigate the system’s functions one by one.
Keeping one hand near the two swords at his left hip, Ogata ran swiftly to the dojo.
Only a few disciples had arrived, and he was not particularly close to any of them.
The absence of familiar faces disappointed him, but he soon recovered his enthusiasm.
Even without a friend available for a match, there was one experiment he could perform alone.
After setting aside his daishō, Ogata selected a bokken and walked to a corner of the dojo.
Facing empty air, he assumed gedan-no-kamae.
He regulated his breathing, then released a sharp kiai.
With the shout, Ogata executed Sakakibara Ittō-ryū’s sole rising cut—Ascending Tower.
Ascending Tower was the only upward-cutting technique within the school.
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū contained only four sword techniques:
Bird Thrust: a piercing technique.
Waterfall: a downward-cutting technique. The source of this chapter is g.com.
Dragon Tail: a horizontal-cutting technique.
Ascending Tower: an upward-cutting technique.
There were no elaborate or ostentatious secret arts—only four plain but exceptionally practical attacks.
Of them all, Ascending Tower was the technique Ogata handled least skillfully.
His strongest was Waterfall, followed by Bird Thrust, then Dragon Tail.
Ascending Tower stood at the very bottom.
When Ogata cut upward through the empty air, he clearly felt a lack of coordination in his body.
It was unmistakable proof that he had not mastered the technique.
“I need much more practice…” he murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear.
After loosening his shoulders and limbs, he resumed practicing the techniques of Sakakibara Ittō-ryū against the empty space before him.
* * *
“Hey, look over there.”
“Ogata-kun is training seriously today…”
“He is. He has been practicing alone for quite a while.”
“Very well. If Ogata-kun is working that hard, I cannot afford to be negligent as his senior.”
* * *
From the moment he entered the dojo, Ogata practiced alone with almost reckless intensity, attracting the attention of the other disciples.
They praised his diligence, and his example stirred them to train more earnestly as well.
* * *
After performing Ascending Tower for a number of repetitions he had long since stopped counting, Ogata finally paused and wiped away the sweat gathering beneath his chin before it could drip to the floor.
At that moment, the familiar system notification sounded in his mind.
Ding!
Through intensive practice of Sakakibara Ittō-ryū, you gained 10 Sakakibara Ittō-ryū Experience.
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū Level: Rank 4 (30/700).
Joy spread across Ogata’s face before he could suppress it.
“It worked…”
His intense solitary practice had been an experiment.
He wanted to determine whether practicing by himself—without defeating or killing another person—could still grant Experience.
Now he had his answer.
It could.
Unfortunately, the return was extremely poor.
Ogata had swung his bokken until sweat poured from his body and both hands had nearly gone limp, yet he earned only ten points of Sakakibara Ittō-ryū Experience.
Worse, the practice increased only the school’s Experience.
It granted nothing toward his Personal Level.
Calculated that way, relying on solitary practice to improve either his personal level or swordsmanship was terribly inefficient.
If I want to advance quickly, I really do need to fight other people…
Ogata used his sleeve to wipe away the sweat while regulating his breathing.
Just then, a very familiar male voice came from behind him.
“Good evening, Ogata-senpai.” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
It was Makino Bunshirō, Ogata’s junior disciple and the person closest to him in the entire Sakakibara Dojo.
“Makino.” Ogata greeted him with a smile.
“Good evening. You arrived rather late today.”
“Yes.” Makino gave a helpless laugh.
“Something delayed me on the road.”
“In that case, let’s not waste any more time. Have a match with me.”
“Oh?” Makino raised an eyebrow.
“Your fighting spirit is certainly fierce today, Senpai. Very well. Give me a moment to fetch a bokken.”
* * *
Ogata assumed chūdan-no-kamae.
Makino did the same.
Each watched the other without blinking.
Ogata’s swordsmanship was clearly superior, but the difference was not so great that he could overwhelm Makino without effort.
If he became careless, Makino might still defeat him.
After the standoff had continued for an uncertain length of time, Makino gave a sudden kiai and attacked first.
He executed Sakakibara Ittō-ryū’s Dragon Tail, sweeping the tip of his bokken toward the back of Ogata’s right hand.
Ogata nimbly retreated half a step and evaded the cut.
The moment Makino’s sword passed, Ogata stepped forward and closed the distance again.
At the same time, he lifted his bokken overhead and brought it down.
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū—Waterfall.
The wooden blade stopped a finger’s width from the tip of Makino’s nose.
“Ogata-senpai…” Makino said with a bitter smile.
“You win again.”
Ding!
You defeated an opponent using Sakakibara Ittō-ryū: Waterfall.
Personal Experience gained: 20.
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū Experience gained: 20.
Current Personal Level: LV 8 (70/700).
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū Level: Rank 4 (50/700).
Joy appeared on Ogata’s face once more.
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