“So, the training session has been canceled for today?”

“Yes, unfortunately. I’m sure my dad will be able to make some time soon.”

“I see, I really hope so. We haven’t had practice with Sensei for close to two weeks now.”

“That’s a bummer…”

After arriving at the Dojo, the other students quickly learned about Munisai’s absence and started asking Jun for information.

They all gathered in the outer Dojo talking and mingling, while the new student not far from them had decided to use the time to train on the straw dummy again instead.

Beside Jun and Kojiro, amongst the other gathered students, there were the two girls, Emi and Mai, along with two boys.

One of the two male students had a thought and took a step forward.

“At least we can finally use this time to introduce ourselves properly to the new student, right?” He said, turning to the boys, “Let’s go, you two!”

Next to Kojiro, the boy dozing off was quickly forced awake before trotting behind his friend. Kojiro trailed behind them slowly.

“W-wait!” Jun got up to stop them, but she was the one getting stopped instead.

“Let them be.” Mai said from behind her.

“Actually, Junjun, let’s go introduce ourselves too! I want to know what he’s like!” Emi added, already taking steps forward.

“Emi, wait! What are you planning?!” Jun walked after her, “Mai, help me out here!”

“You’re on your own.” Mai replied coldly as she began to follow.

As they all sauntered toward the new student, he quickly noticed them.

Six students were walking towards him, and he had no idea why, only a feeling.

So, he reflexively held his black Bokken up to greet them.

“Woah! There is no need for that!” The first arrival said, “We’re just here to introduce ourselves! My name is Yasuto, maybe you remember me from a few days ago?”

Lawkey recognized him, he had been the one to preside over the duel between him and Jun, the one that announced his bitter defeat. That wasn’t why he remembered though, Yasuto was just tall, taller than any twelve year old around him. He just stood out.

His hair was long, but it was neatly tied in a top knot behind his head. He wore the traditional blue Keikogi, but it was so neatly worn, you’d think he had years of experience.

“...” Lawkey just stood, waiting.

“And this is Zenga!” Yasuto just continued, introducing his friend, “He’s on the quiet side, probably because he’s dozing off most of the time, but he means well!”

“Ah! Yes, hello, name’s Zenga…” upon hearing his name, Zenga suddenly came to, but he quickly went back to daydreaming.

He was a bit chubby, wearing the same blue Keikogi as Yasuto and the rest. His hair was short, as if he couldn’t bother to style it in any specific way.

“My turn, my turn!” Emi jumped forward before anyone could say anything, the big smile on her face never wavering, “My name is Emi! I’m glad to meet you finally! Let’s start by being good friends, okay? For now, at least.”

She was still donning her loosely worn pink Keikogi, while twirling the end of her light red ponytail.

“Hey, Emi! What are you talking about?!”

“Teehee!”

Jun shot from behind her, but was only met with a wink and a tongue sticking out.

“My name is Mai, an assassin-in-training.” Mai stepped forward with a dead-pan expression, introducing herself in as few words as possible, “Stay away from Jun, she’s mine.”

Her eyes were sharp, cutting daggers into the boy in front of her. Coupled with the dark parts of her Keikogi and her sharp-edged black hair, she almost looked as scary as an Umbra Bat.

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“Huh?! Mai?! What?” Jun was taken aback by her comment.

“I’m naturally joking, can’t you tell?” Mai said, not changing a single muscle on her face, “Perhaps I should have waited for night time and held a sharp knife instead…”

“No, no! That would make it more horror than comedy!”

Except for a few individuals, the others around them burst into laughter at the exchange.

Jun was barely able to keep up with all their shenanigans. Normally, she’d be laughing along, but she was worried about how Lawkey would take all this.

He was still standing with his practice sword pointed at them, not moving an inch.He was keeping his eyes focused and on full alert.

“Ah! There is still one more!” Yasuto said, turning to the last boy to introduce, “This is Kojiro! He’s a bit shy-”

“Hey, you.” Lawkey interrupted, addressing Kojiro directly with narrow eyes, “I can’t see your eyes, but you’ve been glaring at me this entire time. What do you want?”

“Huh?!”

Jun and the rest turned to Kojiro, confused. He looked the same as always to them. His light brown bangs covered most of his face, while he donned his usual dark magenta Keikogi.

“...” Kojiro took a second, then said, “You were with her at the end… my mother?”

While Lawkey kept his composure and stance, everyone else was shocked.

“So, you’re Sasaki’s son?” Lawkey asked, his tone firm.

“Yes.” Kojiro answered, “Sensei already told me what happened.”

“...” Lawkey waited, then out of nowhere, said with a smirk on his face, “Let’s have a duel!”

“Huh?!”

Everyone was taken aback by his sudden challenge.

“Wait! What are you saying?” Yasuto stepped forward, “You can’t do that, Sensei forbid it. Besides, Kojiro shouldn’t be fighting anyone yet-”

“Then why is he smiling?” Lawkey interrupted him again.

They all looked at the supposed shy boy, and noticed the unusual wide smile on his face.

Noticing their eyes on him, Kojiro quickly toned it down to a mere chuckle.

“That’s fine by me.” He said, ignoring what Yasuto pointed out.

“Pick up a sword then” Lawkey smiled, resting his Bokken on his shoulder, "Let's do this!”

But…

“Stop!” Jun quickly stood between them with her arms wide, “This isn’t the time for that!”

“Junjun, what’s the harm? Let them have a little fun!”

“Yes, let them end each other. The less imbeciles, the better.”

Emi and Mai both opposed Jun, each having their own reason to see the duel take place.

“No, Jun is right! We should be practicing, and most of all, helping the new student catch up and feel welcome!”

“Yea… I’m with Yasuto… on this…”

Yasuto and Zenga added their two cents.

“Tsk, if that’s how it’s going to be, leave me alone.” Lawkey turned back to his straw dummy, “I need to train.”

“...”

Jun stood silently. She had sensed something deeper going on with the two, it wasn’t simply about a friendly duel.

She knew that the two were connected by the woman named Sasaki, who practically made them brothers of some kind, but Jun could not let them fight.

That’s what her instincts told her.

“Please wait! It’s Lawkey, right?” Yasuto called out to the new student, “Please let us help you. Since we have the day off, as your seniors, we can give some guidance towards mastering the first Principles of the Shadow Sword Style!”

“This is the second time I hear about those principles, the old man didn’t say anything about them.”

“Did he just call Sensei an old man? How brazen!”

As Lawkey narrowed his eyes at Yasuto, Emi held her chin in her palms and swayed left and right, earning her some nasty glares from the side.

“Sensei doesn’t usually explain these things until later so students don’t get discouraged, but we can help you make faster progress by breaking them down!”

“Yasuto, I’m not sure dad would like this…”

Yasuto opened his arms wide, offering his help, but Jun was still unsure.

“The faster he gets it, the faster he can leave, right?” Kojiro murmured from behind, taking everyone by surprise again, “Isn’t that what he wants?”

Jun silently clenched her teeth.

“That’s right.” Lawkey said, “Tell me about these Principles!”

“Heh, all right!” Yasuto clapped his hands with a chuckle, “Let’s sit down!”

And so they all did. They sat in the outer Dojo, making a circle.

“The first Principle of the Shadow Sword Style school is the Unification of Mind, Spirit and Technique! That will be our focus for the moment!”

Yasuto kicked off the lecture.

“Huh? Unification? What’s that mean?” Lawkey asked.

“It’s when you combine them all as one.” Jun jumped in, taking up her role as the top apprentice in the Dojo, “But it isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are three main things you need to do before you can attempt that.”

“Junjun is right.” Emi added her two cents, “I’m sure Sensei has at least started with one of them by now.”

“He always starts with the Cleansing of the Spirit.” Mai pointed out, “I remember my first time with him, I was so young and innocent back then.”

“That sounds really weird, Mai. Don’t do that.” Yasuto reprimanded her, then turned to the new student who’s growing impatient, “Have you performed your first Sword Purifying Ceremony yet?”

“Yeah…” The events of that day flashed into Lawkey’s mind.

He remembered the overwhelming feelings he had experienced, the change he underwent during it.

“In that case, Sensei has already started on the Cleansing of the Spirit, and perhaps even the Clearing of the Mind.” Yasuto explained, “That leaves the Honing of the Techniques!”

“I don’t think… we should be so… hasty.” Zenga mumbled, “Clearing of the Mind comes… first and foremost.”

“Zenzen, you just want to stay seated here, don’t you?” Emi giggled.

“Perhaps we should stick needles in his behind again.” Multiple sharp edged needles mysteriously appeared between Mai’s fingers.

“Again?! What do you mean?!”

Jun asked in shock as Zenga began to sweat buckets.

“Zenga is right.” To everyone’s surprise, Kojiro cut in, “Clearing of the Mind is one of the most important steps, one that needs to be repeated every single day. Even if Sensei had started with the process, a clouded mind wouldn’t be able to move on to the other steps.”

“I agree with Kojiro, let’s work on that!”

Yasuto ignored the fact that he had just heard Kojiro speak more words at once than he ever heard him say, and moved the conversation along.

“Fine, whatever.” Lawkey said, leaning back on his arms, “What should I do?”

“Meditate.”

“What?!”

“Meditate. With everyone else around you, you need to dig deep into your mind and clear it from any harmful thoughts that may cause you to be distracted or have a clouded judgment.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Yasuto and Lawkey went back and forth with no progress.

“That’s how it is, let us begin.” Jun jumped in, “We’ll help you. Even if it isn’t for training, this process helps you sleep better at night if anything.”

“...”

Lawkey stayed silent, taking the hint.

And with that, his training to master the first Principles of the Shadow Sword Style School with his new practice colleagues began.

What could be awaiting him as he dived deeper into his own mind?

He wasn’t very eager to find out.

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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]