What was with this world and boobs?
Miu was a kind girl.
I was having no problem whatsoever with her company.
She was a treat to be around.
Sweet, happy, excited to show me her home.
But.
Why was her training outfit designed like the concept of modesty owed someone money?
No.
Focus.
Miu was being nice.
Then there was the other woman.
Her name was Shigure, and she was a weapons specialist.
I met her briefly and was stunned by the array of weapons she had stored near her forge.
The forge had clearly been used recently.
The room was sweltering.
Which was how I discovered, courtesy of Miu’s superhuman strength depositing me firmly back into the hallway, that Shigure removed her kimono when she was working.
Apparently, she wore chainmail underneath.
Just chainmail.
I stared at the hallway wall.
The hallway wall was safe.
The hallway wall understood boundaries.
— Miu POV Raoul seemed like a nice person.
He didn’t have the aura of a martial artist, though.
I wondered why Grandfather was so interested.
Kensei called him a baby dragon, and Grandfather called him little dragon.
That was surprising.
Dragons weren’t real, were they?
No.
Martial arts were already ridiculous enough.
Humans catching bullets was still something I was wrapping my head around, and I had known that was possible for years.
Taking a glance at our guest, I focused my senses to see what was so special about him while he spoke with Grandfather.
But nothing really stood out.
His middle dantian was bursting with power for some reason, though.
With that much energy in the alchemical furnace, how was he not dead or dying?
Shouldn’t energy be stored in the lower dantian and only move to the others if the person in question was refining qi?
How did he do that, anyway?
He wasn’t trained, and he was already qi-holding?
I couldn’t even do qi-wielding yet, and I had been practicing for years!
My thoughts were cut off when Grandfather allowed him to return for a provisional discipleship.
Raoul smiled at everyone, gave a polite bow, and left.
What a nice guy.
The elders looked like they needed to talk, so I supposed I would make dinner.
It would be nice to have someone new around here!
— Raoul POV [Quest Generated: Survive Ryozanpaku Training.] Objective: Do not die.
Reward: Basic Combat Competence.
Failure: Embarrassing.
— Fuck off.
I walked away from Ryozanpaku with a provisional discipleship, a bruised shoulder from opening the door, and the sinking feeling that I had just joined a death cult with better manners.
Those guys were strong, though.
Apparently, there was someone I hadn’t met yet.
He wasn’t home.
But the people I did meet were interesting.
Akisame Kōetsuji.
Ma Kensei.
Shigure Kōsaka.
Shio Sakaki.
Miu Fūrinji.
And the monster himself, Hayato Fūrinji.
Although everyone there called him Elder.
I just knew these guys were going to be a huge pain in the ass.
I thought I was going to learn martial arts, but apparently, I was now going to be trained by the modern equivalent of demigod combatants.
You know.
Except they weren’t gods.
I hoped.
[They are not.] And somehow, that was scarier.