SC1 10.1 – Shopping

Five days had passed since Yunno and Yui helped me with kitchen work. And today, we started our day as usual. After washing their face and drank a glass of soy milk Yunno and Yui swept the yard. Then, they carried out their Slash and Parry training.

I didn’t accompany Yunno and Yui as I had to pave the yard and carried out Kato’s other request. However, I didn’t totally leave them alone and secretly guided them.

When using katana or kodachi to make a slash, the way you grip the hilt was vital. You should hold the hilt firm but also relax enough, and only clenched your grip as hard as you could just a millisecond before the sharp edge made a contact with the target.

The firm but also relax grip would make your slash or parry nimble like swallow because you could with ease snap or manipulate your wrist. Meanwhile, the sudden hard clench before the contact would make your slash or parry firm and powerful.

It was very hard to combine this kind of grip. If you missed the timing, even if it was only a millisecond, you won’t be able to cut the bamboo cane. Your katana or kodachi would bounce back and even fly away instead. That’s why in the initial training a student could only practicing their slash and parry against empty air, for six consecutive months at least.

As for Yunno and Yui, for now they also practicing their slash and parry against empty air. However, Soul Binding enabled me to control and manipulate their body. So, once every a dozen of slash or parry, I would direct Yunno and Yui to produce a perfect slash or parry.

It seemed Yunno and Yui realized that once for a while they produced the correct slash or parry, as when they did it they would tilt their head to the side while looking at their grip intensely. It was not unpleasant sensation, but it still weird to some extent. However, as time went on they would get use to it, while their body would remember the correct motion and form, and absorbed it until it became their second nature.

In short, I estimated in a week or two they would be able to practice their slash on bamboo cane, and in a month I could introduce them to sparring fight.

Time flew, and after completing their morning training Yunno and Yui went to tend Bonnie-01 and her sisters. I let them to feed them, collected the eggs, and cleaned the cage on their own. I only joint them when they started washing the eggs using water and coarse salt.

“How many eggs we have today?” I happily asked.

After a big smiles Yui replied, “24 big eggs.”

“I see. Today we have good harvest as usual.”

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“Yeah,” Yui happily said.

Then, Yunno turned her gaze to me. “Uncle Deitoro, will we make sweet potato flour again today?”

“Nope,” I casually replied. “We already turned all sweet potatoes we have into flour yesterday.”

After nodding her head Yunno asked again, “Will we make oyster sauce?”

“Nope, you and Yui already turned our entire dried oyster into oyster sauce in your first try.”

“Then, what will we do in the kitchen today?”

“Today, we won’t do anything in the kitchen. I will explain the detail after we have breakfast.”

“Okay,” Yunno obediently replied.

Then, once we washed all today fresh eggs, wiped it dry, and let Yunno and Yui stored it in their spatial ring, we went to take morning bath.

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After we had breakfast, Yunno and Yui did the dish as usual. After that, the two returned to dinning hut and sat in front of me. Wasting no time, I explained the weekly routine that the two had to go through.

“Yunno, Yui, listen to me carefully,” I calmly said. “From Monday until Friday, your daily routine will be consisted of training, tending the chicken, study, and kitchen work.

On Saturday, you will have only morning training, tending the chicken, and then shopping or hunting until afternoon. While on Sunday, you will be free to rest or playing all day along.”

After pondering for a moment Yunno asked me, “Uncle Deitoro, do we go hunting or shopping today?”

“We will go shopping in Rokube and nearby fishing village today. There are ton of ingredients we have to buy.”

“Uncle Deitoro, can we go hunting today, and bring Big Bro Sanno along?” Yui expectantly asked. “It’s been a while since we hunt with him.”

“You miss Sanno so much, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Yui honestly replied in low voice.

“Well, you can go to hunt only when you master Wind Step. At that time, I will let you to hunt with Sanno. Understood?”

““Hai.”” Yunno and Yui replied at the same time.

“But you won’t need to wait for long to meet Sanno. Tomorrow, Sanno and your youngest aunt will come to visit you.”

““Really?”” Yui and Yunno asked almost simultaneously, while their face was brimming with happiness.

Even if they received good food, good roof, good education, and nice treatment, it was clear that it was not enough to make Yunno and Yui forget their bond with Sanno and Yuko.

I didn’t consider it as bad thing, so I smiled and replied, “Really, Sanno and your youngest aunt will come here tomorrow.”

While Yunno and Yui had big smile in their face, Kato also widely smiled, and then she turned her gaze to me. “Let’s go for some shopping then. It will be fun to go together.”

“Yeah,” I said in low voice. “But Dear, you have to stay at the hut.”

“Wait a second, why do I have to stay at the hut?” Kato protested.

“Until we have watchdog, someone have to stay at the hut every time I take Yunno and Yui to shop.”

“That’s not fair,” Kato sulkily said. “I’m not replacement for watchdog.”

“You are not, but you still have to stay.”

“How about this, you stay at the hut as lovely husband, while I go to shop with Yunno and Yui,” Kato firmly proposed. “I’m very good at shopping and haggling you know.”

“Well, you don’t know how to choose sweet potato or other ingredients that suitable for my cooking.”

“Teach me then,” Kato insisted.

“It’s a complex technical knowledge and takes time to absorb it,” I gently explained. “However, once Yunno and Yui master it, you can escort them whenever they go to shop.”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“After six to eight shops, I believe they will grasp the knowledge.”

“That’s too long.”

“Yeah, because it’s not just shopping, but a means to pass fundamental knowledge.”

“Fine,” Kato said before tightly pressing her lips and looked away, but she didn’t argue further.

As for Yunno and Yui, they said nothing but they kissed Kato’s cheeks and tightly hugged her in turn, and somehow it elevated her mood. After that, they went to shop with me.

To save time, I held Yunno and Yui in my waist when we descended the South Ridge. By using Wind Step, we arrived at the base of South Ridge in no time. After that we walked the only road to Rokube. It was 4 km walk, but right now Yunno and Yui were strong enough to walk it in less than 30 minutes.

All the way to Rokube, Yunno and Yui walked while holding each other hand and lightly humming. It was pretty similar like when the two went to check the snares with me. It’s been a while since I looked they walked that way, and it made me smiled inwardly.

Then, we finally arrived at Rokube and we went straight to Butcher Jin’s place.

*****