Five years passed without much incident.
It was the longest time Lawkey had gone without having to fight for his life.
That however, did by no means mean his skills or drive had diminished in the slightest.
In fact…
“That’s Point! Lawkey wins!”
Yasuto shouted as he announced the winner of the recent duel.
“Well, how many wins does that make now?” He asked, extending a hand to his opponent, “Like a few hundreds to one, maybe?”
“Heh, you wish! You’re barely in the lead, don’t get cocky!” Jun took his hand and got up.
She, along with Lawkey and the other students, had grown up to look as one would have expected them to. They all pretty much kept the same hairstyles, more or less, and dressed in a manner that fitted them personally. On their waists, both Lawkey and Jun were donning their respective Kage Clan Badge Munisai had gifted five years ago.
While all of them were of average height except for the taller Yasuto, when it came to their body development however, some might have been more blessed than the others.
“Junjun, lulu! That was so good! It always brings back memories of your first time…” Emi trailed off, blushing as she quickly covered her cheeks. That immediate action caused some bouncing in a specific area.
“Watch how you phrase things, airhead. Want me to tie you up again?”
“Eep!”
“Shreek!”
As Mai threatened, both Emi and Zenga took an instinctive step back. Even though Zenga had not been directly addressed, he felt a cold sweat run down his back. That made the rest let out some nervous laughter.
“This does take me back though.” Yasuto cut in, scratching the back of his head, “It has been a while since I was able to be here for these duels, sorry.”
“I-it’s okay, Yasuto!” Jun tried to reassure him.
“Yuyu!!” Emi launched herself at Yasuto, embracing him immediately, “You’re so cute! I’m here for you anytime, okay? I am your future wife after all, right?”
“H-hehe…” Yasuto let out as the embarrassment overtook him.
It was true, He and Emi had gotten together in the last year.
It wasn’t that unusual of a thing. Emi had repeatedly spent time helping Yasuto and his family, and eventually the two became close.
Unlike Jun, Lawkey hadn’t been that surprised when everyone found out. Even though Emi had always joked around with him, he could feel that it wasn’t anything more than that.
What was really surprising for him however, and to everyone else really, was the fact that Mai and Zenga had somehow found themselves in a relationship too.
Lawkey wondered how that was even possible, considering their history… but he quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind. It wasn’t his place to feel sorry for Zenga, he looked like he was enjoying himself most of the time anyway.
“So, how is he, your brother?” Lawkey then turned back to Yasuto, addressing the obvious.
“Hmmm we can’t really say anything has changed in the last five years to be honest.” Yasuto looked down as Emi patted him on the head, “But I’m sure Kenzo will wake up soon… He is strong after all.”
“...”
Silence quickly creeped in. Everyone knew what Kenzo had done before falling into his coma. He was a hero of the Kage Clan.
Not only had he managed to thwart hundreds of enemies, but he somehow managed to not fatally wound any of the villagers that were being controlled by Kojiro. The only casualties that he wasn’t able to save were the ones that actually supported the revolution.
However, no one could really fault him for that outcome, considering his situation. Everyone recognized his efforts, and even allotted most of the success over the battle to him, rather than the Great Powers.
The fact that he had been in a coma since then, and that he missed the birth of his daughter, was a tragic outcome the entire clan had found difficult to overcome.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Even so…
“I know what can cheer you up, Yuyu deary!” Emi jumped up, making the bosoms on her chest, that had grown far more than anyone expected, bounce along with her, “Let’s go to the artificial hot springs!”
Whether it was the sight in front of them, or the suggestion itself, Jun and Mai, who were lacking behind in that department, stood speechless in place as the boys next to them tried to find something fascinating to observe on the ceiling.
“Not happening!” Recovering quickly, the girls shot down the offer immediately. That made Emi purse her lips.
“Fine! I can go alone with Yuyu! You can all stay here without making any progress!” She stuck out her tongue.
“What?! Mai, do it!”
“With pleasure.”
“What are you going to do?! No, stop it!”
Ignoring what was happening behind him, Lawkey thought back to when they first went on their trip together.
Since then, the clan has managed to improve exponentially due to the trade with other clans and villages. The Clansfolk had become more content with their lifestyles as they got more and more useful upgrades to their lives.
Many gave in to see reason behind the Shadow Queen’s plans. Still, Taiga still had many things to overcome. The accidental meetings between her and Lawkey for the occasional moon gazing had made that very clear to him.
“Anyway, I’m off to take care of my errands. See you all later!” Lawkey waved as he made his way out of the Dojo.
“Heh… hehehehe…”
“Junjun, let me go! Meimei has a scary look in her eyes!” Emi shouted, then turned to the boys, “Yuyu, Zenzen, help!” But all the boys could do was wish her luck inwardly.
“...” While holding onto Emi, Jun watched Lawkey leave the room with narrow eyes.
**👑**
“That will be 15 Keys.”
“Really? Wasn’t it 14 last time?”
“That’s how it is, kid.”
“... Alright, thanks.”
“Come back anytime!”
Lawkey paid out and got the food ingredients he was instructed to get. He had bought everything on his list, but there was one more stop he had wanted to pass by on his way home.
However, as he turned around, he was faced with someone waiting for him.
“What are you doing here, old man?”
“What? You think I’m too old to walk in the market?”
“Well, your hair has gotten grayer over the years, hasn’t it?”
Munisai simply chuckled at that remark. Even though he was accepting of it, he still felt a slight discomfort when those things were pointed out to him like this.
“So, did you get everything?” He ignored his feelings and asked the boy as they began to walk together.
“Yeah, I got everything as usual. Your daughter won’t let me train or sleep until she makes me do chores and errands without end.”
“...” Munisai stayed silent, then put on a soft smile, “That just goes to show you are adapting well into the clan, don’t you think?”
Lawkey rolled his eyes at that. Sure, the clan had been more welcoming in recent years, but he could still remember their harsh treatment at first.
After the battle five years ago, most of the blame had naturally gone to Kojiro and Hideyoshi. Especially after everyone found out about the water pollution to make the villagers sick, and the deliberate sabotaging to drive many towards accepting the revolution.
The clansfolk eventually recognized that if there was a curse at play, it must have been Kojiro’s, the one who was confirmed to be a Hyking.
And so, everyone grew to accept Taiga’s plans to change the clan, along with the child who had risked his life to protect them despite their discrimination towards him.
Despite wanting the opposite, Hideyoshi and Kojiro’s plans had directly influenced those outcomes without them meaning to.
Lawkey didn’t quite know how to feel about Kojiro’s misfortune working out in his own favor, but there wasn’t much he could do about that.
“Hey, kid.” Munisai called out, still keeping a slow pace with his crutch, “You think we haven’t noticed?”
“...” Lawkey narrowed his eyes, then let out a long breath.
“Why do you think Jun has been giving you that many errands?” The old man asked while raising his head, “For someone who takes their responsibilities seriously, the more you have to do, the less you will be willing to leave. Why didn’t you come to talk to us?”
“I haven’t made a decision yet…”
“You have made a great deal of progress since you have first stepped foot into this clan, into our home.” Munisai trailed off with a soft grin, “But would it be so bad to stay? There is still the matter of the ninth Stance, is there not?”
“... the Stance that needs the clearest of minds,” Lawkey muttered, “Did you have to make it that complicated?”
“Heh, what happened to ‘easy is for the weak’?” The Sword Saint scoffed.
“You’re never going to let me live that down, huh?”
Naturally, Lawkey had made exponential progress in his Shadow Sword Style training. He was able to master most of the first three Principles, namely the Unification of the Mind, Spirit and Technique, secondly, the Unleashing of the Sign, and thirdly, the Merging of Stance and Sign.
He was still having a little trouble with the practices of the third Principle, namely the Awakening of the Beast, but he was practically on the verge of graduating, after which the fourth and fifth Principles would be his responsibility to practice on his own.
However, for that to happen, he needed to make a difficult decision.
That was what Munisai was getting at right now.
“...”
“Think on it. I can’t ask you to let go of your goal, but it would be wise to consider all your options.” Munisai paused, then continued as he walked on without Lawkey, “Whatever you choose, we’ll respect and support your choice.”
“...” Lawkey had come to a halt, simply watching his teacher walk away with narrow eyes.
Munisai had noticed Lawkey’s eyes linger repeatedly on a stand, so he didn’t stop to wait for him.
After watching his teacher disappear in the distance, Lawkey pushed his thoughts aside and made his way to the stand. Then he bought something he had been thinking about.
**👑**
CLACK! CLACK!
Lawkey swung his wooden sword, hitting the straw dummy with masterful precision.
It was his usual routine, when night came, he practiced until he could finally sleep.
And in recent times, it was the only part of the day where he could properly think.
“...”
Passing through from inside the house, Jun glanced at him while holding onto freshly dried towels. Most of the chores and errands had been taken care of, and she didn’t want to be too overbearing with the rest.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, then left a towel to the side before going back to her duties.
Lawkey had naturally felt her gaze on him, but at the moment, he couldn’t know how to confront her face to face.
He kept his eyes on his straw dummy as his thoughts continued to get in the way of his training.
Sure, there hadn’t been an incident in the last five years, but he knew this peace wouldn’t last forever. His nightly reminders made sure he didn’t forget it.
To protect them completely, he had but one option.
Besides, what about his other promises? He had to venture out, to become stronger.
To find them.
He couldn’t simply relax in the clan, even if everyone had been more welcoming, there was a constant reminder of that day.
And then, he suddenly heard a voice invade his mind.
“?!”
{Do you want to save Kenzo? Then you know what to do.}
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Special Illustrations:
image [https://i.imgur.com/IMh0OnN.jpeg]
image [https://i.imgur.com/AEW573h.jpeg]
image [https://i.imgur.com/xE1bMSa.jpeg]
image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]