We have finally reached our destination after a long exciting voyage we had on the sea. I wouldn't really say that it was an exciting voyage for me because half of the time I was on the cruise, I was bedridden thanks to a certain Cardinal. But putting that aside, as I got out of my designated room, Zenith was already waiting for me.

"Zen...What's up?"

"Good morning, White. How are you today?" she softly said that.

I gladly replied, "I'm fine after having a little rest. What about you?"

Zenith walked slowly to me and said to me, "I'm sorry about yesterday...I was...I didn't mean to hurt you."

I quickly remembered that Zenith used her magic on me yesterday, leading me to end up meeting with Sam. But then again, I was the one who got into that kind of trouble. I'm the one who started when I think about it.

"It's okay, Zen. It's not entirely your fault. But darn...that ice attack was freezing as heck."

Zenith finally smiled after being reassured of my wellbeing. In just half an hour later, the cruise ship has finally reached ashore and landed its anchor near the port. Sam called for us for a briefing before we go into Nippon. She said that we will be separated into groups according to where we planned to go. We already settled that matter during the voyage and now it is just making sure everyone is in the correct group.

Unsurprisingly, Zenith and Recordia will be joining me. But unfortunately for me, Yumiko is joining as well. On the bright side though, it's not just the four of us. Aspye, Kallen, Hemrietta and Azreal also joined us. That would be seven of us not including Recordia.

"I can't wait to see what's in store for us in Nihon!" Azreal was very excited as much as other was as well.

-

We were supposed to be waiting for our tourist guide at the port over here but it has been an hour since we got here and our tourist guide hasn't arrived yet. The other team had already begun their journey and we're still stuck in this port wasting our time looking at the fishermen doing their daily task.

In light of this situation, Yumiko suddenly opens a conversation,

"Hey did you guys know that Nihon has always been forbidden for outsiders to enter until it was 500 years ago?"

"Really? What happened?" I asked her.

Yumiko explained, "Back then, Nihon was in strife. It was an age they called The Warring States. Lots of different warlords claimed that this land was theirs. It all culminates when the first ruler finally declared the end of The Warring States which in time, they slowly develop the country. As the years of ruling progressed, they decided to open the borders to the outside world and the rest is history..."

"Yumiko knows a lot about Nihon. Recordia is surprised! Recordia said that as she shakes her head up and down in agreement."

"Well I'm knowledgeable enough in this thing because I'm always interested in the history of the worlds."

Hemrietta then said, "And here I thought you would only care about wars in history, Yumiko."

"I can focus on other things as well."

"What else do you know about Nihon, Yumiko?" asked Azreal.

Yumiko then wonders a bit and said, "Did you know that there is a tournament coming in today?"

"A tournament? What kind of tournament?" Azreal was interested for some reason.

"It's a fighting tournament. But not the usual one. It's an invitational tournament. You need to have an invitation in order to enter the tournament."

"I see..." Aspye nods and asked, "What is it called?"

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"It's called The Koi Dragon Invitational"

I then asked her about the name, "Why Koi Dragon? Can't you name it something else?"

"Mr. Cyclone...It looks like you don't have any knowledge about the origin of that name." Yumiko mocked me, "Well then...allow me to explain. A Koi Dragon is a Koi fish. Legend has it that a certain koi had the strength and courage to climb a certain waterfall. When the koi reached the top exhausted, yet having reached its goal, the koi was transformed into a dragon. The koi dragon is a fish that has the ability to transform into a dragon."

"How is this relevant?"

Yumiko continued, "The meaning behind this legend is that The Koi Dragon represents overcoming obstacles through strength and perseverance. It symbolizes that nothing is impossible when you believe. Thus, the invitational was named after it."

I nodded as I finally understood the meaning behind The Koi Dragon.

After that, Kallen asked Yumiko, "What do they get for winning? Is it money?"

Yumiko shakes her head, "That's a yes but moreover than that, all of the participants will be climbing to win the Mikazuki Blade."

"The Mikazuki Blade?" Zenith eyes started to grow big all of a sudden.

"Or its other name, The Crescent Moon Blade. It's a tachi. A long, single-edged samurai sword with a slightly curved blade. It is worn slung from the belt. It is what the participants of this invitational are trying to get."

"Why would they want a blade? Is it that strong?" Hemrietta wondered.

"It's not supposed to be a weapon but it is more so as an artefact. It was believed to be the sword that could split apart The Rift of Time. Who wouldn't want to keep a legendary artefact like that? I know I would. Even this shorty seems to be interested in it."

I looked at Zenith whom had the eye of wanting something and said to her, "Too bad you can't get in that tournament, Zen. But...we can at least get to see it right?"

Then all of a sudden, "Indeed, you guys will get to see it soon!" a lady approaches us.

We figured that she was our Tourist Guide but from what she's wearing, it doesn't sound like a Tourist Guide at all. She was wearing an unbuttoned dark blue robe that has a hood that she doesn't don on. She's only wearing cotton brassier to cover her large chest, a dark blue skirt with white frills on the inside, a big leather belt with a bunch of equipment on it, and thigh high leather boots that has an iron kneecaps on both of her knees.

But the most distinctive was what she was carrying behind her neck. It was freaking big rifle. She was carrying a rifle. Now that is what I call unexpected. Oh yeah, she also has silver ruffled long hair. Which brings us to the next point that surprises all of us.

"Zenith?" The lady calls her name, "Is that you?!"

Zenith was also surprised and said, "S...Sister?"

"Wait what?!" Everyone excluding those two said the same thing at the same time.

Then I immediately talked to her, "I thought you only had a little sister...Astral was it? Yeah. What is this?"

"Astral is my little sister...but...that woman over there is my big sister. That is a difference, White."

Then Kallen interrupted, "But wait! This doesn't add up. Besides their hair colour, their body genetics doesn't look the same at all! Are they really sisters?"

Yumiko quickly shot him with a small harmless explosive bullet to Kallen after realizing what he meant.

"Anyone else want to talk about another female's body physique?" Yumiko gave the guys a stern look.

Back on the subject at hand, this woman that approached us is actually Zenith's big sister. Something that I don't even remotely remembered she had one.

"It's so nice to see you here, Zenith. How's our parent and Astral?"

"They are fine as always...so far business is good for them with Astral's help..."

The woman laughed and said, "I'm glad little Astral has grown up to be a good smith."

"She's still mixing gunpowder though..."

Then, Yumiko barges in as soon as she hears the word gunpowder, "Gunpowder? Business? What are you two on about?"

The woman then forgives herself and said, "I'm very sorry. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ethereal Feather, your very own Tourist Guide!" She then pulled Zenith next to her and said, "This right here is Zenith Feather, one of my two younger sisters."

"Okay..." Yumiko was still confused, "But what did you guys mean when you said mixing gunpowder?"

Ethereal then softly laughed and said, "Our family has a business! A family business. The Feather is a Gunsmith Family!"

"G...G...Gunsmith?" Yumiko's words were trembling. "You never told me about this, shorty..."

"But...you never asked..." replied Zenith.

Yumiko then burst into excitement and said, "I can't believe I finally get to see a gunsmith! Not just any gunsmith but a family of gunsmiths!"

Ethereal laughed as she looked upon the excited Yumiko, "Our parents are gunsmiths, yes but I'm not a full time gun smith as you can see. But Zenith on the other hand, she knows how to make one. In our village, she's called The Pure Gunsmith while little Astral was still The Gunpowder Mixer."

"What about you, Ethereal? Do you have a title like them at the village?" I asked her.

"Of course I do! I was called, The Prodigy of Vigor. It's doesn't really sounded relatedly to guns, am I right? I'm only known as that because of my physical strength, good health. I helped the villagers a lot. It's also because I always have the three 'E's"

"The three 'E's?"

Ethereal replied, "Effort, Energy and Enthusiasm!"

Indeed she has the three 'E's from the way she was talking. She was a polar opposite when compared toward Zenith. It's actually a good thing that she's not the same as her own big sister. In my opinion, it is better to be unique and that is a plus for me. What's next for us then? Well, we will just wait and see what Ethereal has in store for us here in Nihon.

TO BE CONTINUED