A little under a week had passed in the winter season. With an unusually light amount of snow in the clearing weather, Azi had the perfect opportunity to go out and explore the village. Doing so had been tough the past few days. Snowfall was always built up in the morning, and by the time it thawed Shizu was taking most of his time, forcing him to spar, or what Azi would call her form of violent education.
In any case, besides the bruises, getting used to the cold was going to be a challenge with how often it snowed here, so bundling up was the norm whenever he went out of the house, and bearing the cold on those bad days was going to take some time.
He had hoped that he’d get a day off where the sky was just right, it eventually came, and right when business and his lessons with Kajima started to slow down. Using the morning, he headed for the village, but an uninvited guest kept pestering him.
“Hey, come on. It’s your 3rd time coming to this part of the village.” Shizu said, prodding him in the back. “If you’ve got this much time to mess around and wander, why not spar with me some more?”
Azi exhaled, exasperated that he had to say it again. “Today’s my day off. Or well, a half day off. We’ll have time after lunch. Now stop it.”
Shizu hummed in identification. “Okay? I know, but you can’t slip behind in your training.”
“Can’t I take a break?” He asked. “Shizu, you’ve been beating me up every time we sparred, and you haven’t been gentle. Don’t expect me to be compliant when I’m all roughed up as it is.”
“That’s because you’re too soft, Azi.” She slapped him on the back. “I have to toughen you up, and a good beating will do you some good.”
“More like it will do you, some good.” Azi retorted, wincing as he rubbed the new sore spot on his shoulder. “Now, quit bothering me.” He moved ahead and returned to looking at all the wares on display in the nearby shops. They were in the commerce district of the village and while the idea of a rural village in a traditional eastern feudal period would incite his idea that the place was small, Shisayama was by no means under that common connotation.
Untrue to his own bias, there were an abundance of houses built almost wall to wall for blocks. All were well made pieces of architecture from honed and hued wood, topped with smooth ceramic tiled roofing. The village lacked a means of street lighting at night, but it wasn’t an issue for anyone due to how it was the norm to be indoors by sundown.
Lined on either side of the dirt trodden road, merchants were setting up in small booths, and items shined displayed on mats or tables. Adding to it all, establishments were hawking an assortment of services. The mixed smell of different cuisines tickled Azi’s nose and he made sure to note everything down.
With the little pocket money he made as Kajima’s assistant, he purchased a few items that caught his attention. Specifically, what he bought was literature with connections to Thaumaturgy. Initially he wanted to buy a book on how to learn thaumaturgy itself, like a how to guide, but no such convenient book existed. Either the details pertaining to the mystic art of Thaumaturgy was highly confidential or no one had published any educational studies on the topic, or?
Hmm, well this is a feudal society, it’s not like the society that I remember from my memories. The Empire of Yamato is advanced but not advanced enough to recreate what I saw from wherever those places are.
He recalled a library from his youth, where any topic of interest he could think of was stored and stowed on high shelves. Just where did I come from?
He asked himself and the far west came to mind. He wasn’t sure but there was such a stark difference in technology from what he believed was his homeland, to the present day society around him. According to a map Kajima shared with him, apparently, the west was still unknown territory, so the chances of it being his place of origin was high, being as it was his only lead.
But a trip there was not on his list of things to do. Bandits and monsters were abound in that part of the world, so exploring it was a high risk venture. The lead he had was blocked so Azi was coming to grips that living in the Empire was going to take some time. He was doing well in adapting these days, but there were some hiccups.
The nobles in particular were a concern. While not troublesome so far, running into one of them, especially if they were a prideful type, meant he’d run the chance of gaining their ire. A few of those kinds of people roamed the streets here, likely lower nobles but nobles nonetheless. He suspected he’d get on their nerves so he stayed clear. His time with Shizu seemed to have enlightened him to that fact, with how much they argued.
Luckily, Shizu wasn’t the type to call for his immediate execution for his lack of respect, even if she was usually violent and prideful. Still, his concern with nobles would either need to be avoided or he had to get used to being around them.
Quickly buying what he needed, he returned home in the afternoon with Shizu on his tail. Just outside the house as they were coming down the main path, they met with Kajima who was chopping firewood to fuel his forge.
Sharing about their day, it was agreed that they wouldn’t be needing dinner since they had eaten out. The aromatic smells of the village had tempted Azi and Shizu, and they gave in to their hunger. Kajima couldn’t help but laugh as they shared, he waved them off and got back to chopping firewood. Giving them a sidelong glance, he enjoyed watching as the two of them banter as they got inside.
“How about now?” Shizu asked, stopping Azi at the door. “Let’s spar now, just one round.”
“No.” Azi flatly refused, overly annoyed this time. “Plus, If we do one round, you’ll keep coming at me to keep me from leaving.” He said and stepped up his pace. “We’ll be at it until dark, if I let you have it your way.”
“That’s because the round isn’t finished. Come on, don’t be a chicken.”
Was she really a meathead or a bully? No, Azi knew what she was, she was a tomboy. He sighed and ignored her as he moved to his room. But as he slid his door close a foot got stuck in.
“What are you doing?” Azi slid the door to his room open a little. Shizu’s hand came around to try and force it open. Of course, Azi held the door firmly as Shizu’s face peered in through the slit, a pissed look was plastered on her face.
“Hmph!” She huffed and glared at him. “Let me in. I want to see what you’re up to.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“That’s not a good reason.” Azi said. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“Yes, but I have a day off, just like you, so let me in.”
“If I do, do you promise to be quiet?” Azi asked.
“What do you take me for Azi? A kid?”
He shook his head. “No, of course not.” He said, to which Shizu puffed her chest out proudly.
“Hmph! I’m glad you..”
But before she could finish, Azi added. “I think you’re an annoying cat. Now get lost!”
“C-Cat!” Shizu gawked. “How dare you call me a cat! And annoying? Where do you get off insulting me you little pup!”
Azi swore he was sighing more often because of her, he was on the edge of losing his temper. “I’ll stop calling you a cat, if you stop calling me a Little pup.”
“Never.” Shizu huffed again as Azi glared back at her.
“Then you’re not getting in.” He said. “Also if you think I’m flaking out on today’s training, I’m not, just be patient and let me have some peace and quiet.”
Another back and forth went on between them until eventually, Shizu agreed to be silent if she got to come inside. It was a victory Azi was willing to gloat about later, better yet, he was fine having the conversation be done with. Shizu growled as she sat down on his bed. Her eyes followed him as he sat at a desk. Pulling out the books from his bag, Azi began reading in silence.
Shizu bided her time and watched from a distance. Though the angle she had was bothersome since she couldn’t see what Azi was writing in that notebook of his. She came over to look over his shoulder and eventually got fed up with standing. An abrupt idea came to her, one that was going to bother Azi and make it easier for her to watch him. But the main point was to get on his nerves as payback.
Suddenly broken from his focus, Azi turned his head to find Shizu cheekily smiling at him. He was about to ask what she was doing but immediately began fussing when she wrangled and lifted him up from the chair to then seat herself in it with him in her lap. For a minute he wanted to get stuck in with her in another argument, but the book he was reading had his full attention.
“Stay quiet, alright?” He mumbled. “And no squeezing.”
Shizu petted his head as if acknowledging him. At least she’s keeping quiet like she promised. He thought.
His attention pulled back to the stack of books he had bought. So far, he had learned next to nothing about thaumaturgy. These were, so-called, non-fictional literature about the Emperor’s feats, the so-called God’s exploits, along with a few legends and tales of powerful thaumaturges from the Empire’s history.
They spoke of these legendary figures, particularly the Emperor, having the ability to sunder lands, split oceans, raise mountains, and many more acts of wonder. All of it was very hammed up, too exaggerated for Azi to take seriously. He did at least gleamed an insight on this magic the Empire had.
Heavily found as a commonality, the practitioners of the mystic arts described the appearance of magic as a pressure in the air, that it was the use of energy invisible to the human eye.
Another commonality he discovered was that there was a clear divide in the Emperor’s magic and the common folks' magic. Unlike the Emperor, the people used a kind of catalyst or item, though this difference may have been untrue since many other supposed non fiction tales had told of thaumaturges using staffs over paper talismans, or the other way around.
He inspected the differences.
So, nothing is truly uniform in thaumaturgy. The magic is specifically unique to each person. There’s common elements and methods of practice, but no clear cut guide. Maybe this uniqueness explains why there might not be any guide books on this subject.
Azi noted down all that he could and Shizu watched, finding his overt fascination boring. It was insightful to see that he was an academic, but watching an academic at work was beyond unamusing for an Ordained Knight like herself. Action was her element, idleness was not.
Even though this was almost putting her to sleep, Shizu wanted to stay and watch, she needed to gauge his potential. The faster she did so, the sooner she could return to go see Rulu. She rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake even a second longer.
A couple hours went by and Azi was getting into the 3rd book he had bought today. Books themselves were quite pricey but that only pertained to newly made books. Second hand were much cheaper, harder to read but affordable in his situation. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt Shizu lend her full weight on his back.
Her furry ears brushed and tickled the back of his neck and, disturbingly, he felt his neck being nibbled on. Turns out to his amazement, Shizu had fallen asleep on him and was using him as her pillow, and apparently as a chew toy as well.
“What the heck, I’m not a thing you know.” Azi muttered, he helplessly pushed back but realized that getting her off of him was going to be impossible. She weighed considerably more than Azi could carry, and he wasn’t willing to wake her up. Plus, she would only cause trouble and get in the way of his reading.
He smirked and patted her on the head. “There there.” He said teasingly. “ Whose a little kitty. You are. Heh heh heh. Sweet dreams, little cat.”
Her long and pointed furry ears twitched. It again tickled but Azi kept himself from laughing as he continued with his reading. Hours later, Shizu's eyes opened and found herself hugging Azi. For a second she blushed.
This wasn’t her intention but watching Azi study was plain boring. Her mouth opened to begin objecting that she wasn’t asleep, though she stopped when a snore reached her ears and by how her lips were on his neck. For a moment she gaped with no words to explain herself.
As her eyes finally adjusted to the room's lighting, the lack of light coming from the window told her that it was already late. Kajima was likely asleep because the workshop had gone quiet.
The same was for Azi. He was slumped over onto his desk. Noticing the drool on her own lips, Shizu wiped it away and discovered that she had been childishly biting Azi in his sleep.
He noticed?! And he didn’t do anything!? An indignant look of embarrassment fluttered across her lips. She wanted to pummel Azi for seeing her in such a manner and leaving her like that. And! He had skipped out on today’s training. She was beyond furious. Taking a breath, a cooler head prevailed.
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Lifting herself up from the chair, Shizu carried Azi over to his bed. Getting him tucked in, she held in her giggles at how dumb and happy the little pup looked. Like always, knowing that Azi wasn’t easy to wake up, she pinched and pulled at his cheeks.
His sluggish flailing was adorable, how his brows furrowed like a scolded child reminded her of the amusing days with Yashimu when he was younger. Heh, you said I should be quiet and said that I shouldn’t squeeze you. But it doesn't matter if you aren’t awake.
To torment him further, Shizu gave him a big squeeze as if he were a stuffed pillow. Nuzzling into his plume of dishevel black hair. Azi’s breath touched her with how close they were getting. Promiscuous, she knew, but Azi wouldn’t know, which was the point, and one that she could tease him about. But.. Something happened.
“Huh? Wait? What?”
To her surprise, Azi fought back, in a way. Just as she had done to him earlier, he began to nibble on Shizu’s neck as if in a kind of retaliation. The stimulation caused by his lips sucking and pressing on her neck made her squeal.
With a quick push, she separated from Azi, and a startling pair of opened eyes stared at her for a minute. Shizu thought Azi was awake. She opened her mouth to explain and complain, but Azi did something in the next second she hadn’t been expecting.
Chu.
He gave Shizu a peek on the cheek. His eyes blinked and then slowly closed as he fell back into a deep sleep. Shizu was left dumbstruck. By all means, she felt that his conduct was improper. It threw her through a loop. For her to receive such a gesture, especially from this annoying little pup, was beyond demeaning.
Shizu had all right to punch him, yet couldn’t bring herself to. Her heart had skipped a beat and it felt like her head was spinning, she didn’t know what to do next. Hearing Azi’s soft snores, she wanted to violently wake up this troublesome little pet of her’s but doing so would invite the possibility of him finding out what had happened.
That wasn't a favorable outcome. So instead, she pulled him close and hugged him gently.
What the heck am I doing? She thought so loudly in her head that it almost slipped out into words. A considerable blush appeared on her cheeks showing how uncomfortable this made her. But it was just so nice to hug him. He was the right size, soft all over, compact, and her heart was beating so excitedly at the act that it was addicting.
She could put a word to this feeling. It was.. love.
No, no no no. Not this idiot! Not this.. Dumb little.. Thing of.. Adorable.. No.. horridly cute. No! Shaken to her core, Shizu’s eyes fluttered back and forth around the room, as if checking to see if anyone had seen what had happened. As she did, she was trying to come to grips with her whirling emotions.
This wasn’t love. She knew that. Love was built on time, not on surface emotions. Taking a few calming breaths, and getting in a couple hours of pinching Azi's sleeping face, she quietly got up and left the room.
What had happened this night would be a secret Shizu would take with her to the grave.
Days went by, and the subsequent sparring sessions with Shizu had gotten noticeably heated. The number of bruises Azi suffered seemingly doubled and the numbness in his shield arm was growing with every round. He noticed a considerable increase in intent in Shizu’s glares.
Did I tick her off?
***
Later one night, as they were setting the table for dinner, Azi noticed how uncharacteristically nice Shizu was being. The girl was up to something, or had a card to play in messing with him. With wary awareness, he kept an eye out as Shizu moved her cushion closer to his.
Azi went to help put down the last of the food. Hearing a pop, he looked over and found Shizu uncorking a bottle at the table, already pouring a cup for herself and Kajima. So that was why she was happy. By the new smell in the air, it was alcohol.
Azi wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t drink so much, and that the number of bottles of sake were definitely enough to get her drunk, but he remembered how she had a silver seal. That thing gave her the authority to do almost whatever she wanted. He imagined that she’d childishly command him to let her drink all she wanted. That seal was like a credit card or a kind of get out jail card.
But what’s a credit card? Azi was having a rough time with his memories. He recalled certain idioms that made sense, yet parts of the idioms he knew seemed wholly foreign to him. His concerns changed as he watched Shizu drink cup after cup so casually and in such a lackadaisical manner. Is she really a knight?
With no real answer to that, Azi shrugged and grabbed up a piping hot meat skewer from the table. He began nibbling on it and savored each bite as the heavy and robust taste of the oily fat spread across his tongue. An uncontrollable smile took shape on his lips. Shizu tapped his shoulder and offered a cup of sake to help wash down the food.
It smelled strong, yet the liquor’s proof didn’t seem all that high.
He accepted it hesitantly. A foreboding feeling that he shouldn’t drink it made its way into his head. With his amnesia, he had no memory of why he felt this way. He put the feeling to the back of his mind and resolved himself to enjoy the rare moment he was having with Shizu. She was being amicable today, and that was no doubt because of all of the booze they had on the table.
They were getting along, in some manner of speech, though sharing a drink with a person who was beating the hell out of you on a regular basis seemed like a strange relationship to have. Were they friends? Rivals? Or people who mutually found each other annoying?
Azi would say it was the last one.
Ugh, this tastes so bitter. His lips scrunched. His experience with alcohol was just as he expected from the smell, it was so bitter and a sudden sensation of uncomfortable burning formed in the back of his throat.
He let out a rasped sigh after the burning sensation ceased. There was a somewhat refreshing after tone on the tips of his taste buds, it was enough for him to get over the somewhat dower first impression. Hmmm.. I guess it goes really well with meat, now that I think about it, this helps get rid of the greasiness.
As he mused such a trivial thought, Shizu smirked as Azi coughed a bit at the harshness of such a little drink. This was prime time for her to tease him, but she kept it in, she had other things to tease him about, and why spoil the mood?
They continued to enjoy tonight’s dinner. The dinner was larger than usual. Shizu had foregone lunch today in favor of additional rounds of sparring with Azi, which he had no choice in that matter.
Kajima, thinking they needed to make up for that, had brought out bigger portions to the table. There were also an assortment of snacks. Hard crackers, dried fruits, sliced cheeses, and an ornate glass bottle filled with an amber colored liquid. He eyed Azi and Shizu when they weren’t looking.
Since they always bickered uncharacteristically like children, today they weren’t getting too heated. They’re getting along better these days. I wonder, does Azi see Shizu as a woman or as an acquaintance?
Joining the two in their bantering, he hoped to glean what kind of bond they had going on. Everyone shared about their day and in the middle of Kajima's talk about Azi’s lessons in monster butchering, Shizu had a topic to add.
"By the way, Speaking of monsters, in total our group received 5,000 Minos from the hunted monsters we bagged." Turning her gaze to Kajima, she pulled out and handed a palmful sized leather pouch to him. It jangled with the clink of coins.
"I’ve been holding onto it if any one of us needed it for emergency funds.” She said. “I didn’t get to tell everyone since we’ve been busy. Sorry Azi, I knew you could’ve used it, but I wanted to talk about how to use this money as a group.”
“It’s no problem.” Azi said. “You’ve been caught up with a lot of work with the village watch, not to mention all that sparring with me.”
“Yeah, no kidding. Which got me thinking. If you are okay with it Kajima, let's put these funds into Azi's lessons. He doesn't have much in the way of money or possession, and he’s been pretty much using all his pocket cash for studying material. I’m fine with him using these funds for himself to help get him up on his feet faster. What do you think?"
“Yeah, that should work.” Kajima replied. “Me and Shizu already have a stable source of cash.” He gave the bag over to Azi. “You should use it for yourself, Azi. I may have given you the bare basics from the storehouse but those were already pretty damaged. Make sure to get some new essentials and don’t skimp out on clothes or coats.”
“Thanks.. you two.” Azi looked inside the pouch and a few out of reach items came to mind. “I’ll be sure to do that. In fact, I think I know what I want to buy.”
Kajima had provided the basics of what he needed, but being self-sufficient one day wouldn’t hurt. As he took one of the coins out, he palmed it as he began to think about the future of his living situation. Maybe I can get a house and start my own business. I would love to have a place I can call my own. I could make handicrafts and sell them on the market.
What could he do with the money to make that a reality? Possible investments? What kinds of tools should he buy to help earn a living? Azi smiled, adding to the already cheerful mood at the table.
Keeping the mood going, Kajima looked to the ornate glass bottle of liquor he had brought out.
"I know there isn’t an occasion, but you should try this Azi. It's a liquor from Yamato that’s called dragon's breath. We usually only drink it during parties but.. why not." He uncorked the ornate glass bottle filled with the amber liquid and poured a thumb full into a porcelain shot cup for Azi.
"It's easy to drink due to how sweet it is, so be careful.” Kajima warned. “This brew makes you get drunk faster since the ingredients are special.”
Azi took the small sake cup with careful hands, he didn’t want to spill a drop of the beautiful drink, it smelled expensive. Shizu made an attempt to grab the bottle, but her hand was slapped away by Kajima who seemed to guard it like his life depended on it.
"This drink is for adults and not for inexperienced children like yourself." Kajima said. “Maybe in a few more years you can drink some, little Shizu.”
She pouted at Kajima, this really wasn’t fair. Azi was a kid too, kinda. Technically, Azi said he was much older than he looked. Just how is he 27?
"Come on Uncle!” Shizu begged. “Azi! Share some with me? Please?"
With a pleading look, Shizu gazed at Azi like a cute begging cat. Her eyes were teary wet and opened wide as her lips were upturned to him. Her little pink lips quivered, adding to her cute look. It perturbed Azi with how submissive she was being.
He couldn’t believe that Shizu the tomboy had turned into this adorable creature. Is this really Shizu? Or is it some kind of shapeshifter?
He knew she wasn’t the latter, no such thing as a shapeshifter existed. Not able to resist her overbearing eyes, he nodded and only allowed himself to drink half of his small cup's contents. The taste of the drink was overly sweet which made him grimace due to how the sugariness overpowered his senses. He did enjoy the aftereffects of the drink, it did invigorate his body with a small warmth forming in his stomach. It pushed away the cold of the winter night’s.
After he let the feeling settle, Azi offered the last half to Shizu who accepted it with glee.
"Yay, I always wanted to try this. It's so hard to get in Kujyuri. As thanks Azi, I'll be gentler on you during your lessons with me."
That was a relief. Azi may have just increased his chances of surviving the next few training sessions and lessened his future suffering. Kajima laughed and patted him on the back, to which Azi gave a sidelong look at him.
"Don't worry Azi.” He said. “Shizu’s training won't kill you.. Not much that is."
"What was that last part necessary?! What do you mean by "much?!" Terror creeped onto Azi’s expression. The worry in Kajima’s tone was alarming.
"Oh don't worry, you'll be fine.. I think?"
Azi went stunned silent as Kajima looked away nonchalantly from him with a distant look. He imagined how brutal Shizu would be in training him in the future. He could barely keep up as it was, if the lessons got worse then he knew for sure he’d die. I’m in for a lot of hell aren’t I? Oh god, what do I do?
To push back the unsettling ideas out of his mind, Azi grabbed an empty and poured himself some of the dragon's fire liquor. When the cup was full, he drank it down, hoping to get his mind to calm down. The drink was soothing. But.. In hindsight, Azi thought that he was an idiot for doing something so stupid but hindsight was hindsight and he was prone to making rash decisions when he felt as if his life was in danger.
Plus, the taste of the overpowering sweetness helped him get his mind off of his previous thoughts. His mind buzzed as he continued to down the last half of his cup.
The liquor was quite good in Azi’s opinion, it lacked the burning sensation that came with drinking the usual kinds of alcohol. Instead of a heat forming in his mouth and throat, it was all in his stomach.
“Wait wait! Azi, not so much.”
Kajima attempted to stop him from drinking the entire cup but it was too late. Concerned, he turned to Shizu to get her to help Azi to bed. The drink would work fast in putting people into a stupor, but his attempt to help was dashed as fast as he had made it. Shizu had already gotten red in the face by the small amount of dragon's liquor that Azi gave her.
Shizu was a lightweight, if Kajima remembered, and when it came to the higher proof stuff. He mentally facepalmed at his blunder. Unable to stop at what he knew was going to happen next, he decided to observe and jump in when necessary. He glanced around, making sure nothing too breakable was nearby. I really hope Shizu doesn’t destroy the house.
After finishing his drink, Azi's face had also turned a bright red. His mind was going hazy. Overcome by this familiar sensation made him remember why he had such an aversion to drinking alcohol. There was a time he got rowdy and overly excited at a party he could only vaguely recall.
The thought faded away when he saw Shizu. All the grief and torment she gave him these past few days seemingly came out. While they had their pleasant times, it felt so embarrassing and painful to be teased and thrashed by her. He moved over and got in her face.
"Wha ois.. Witt you! Ne...xut timme, ac....tooo with mor..e like a..laady.. Shizu. And! Y-you a-are aaa knig-th are..n't you? Be.. Be better!"
Shizu, doing the same, glared at Azi as she butted her head against his.
"Yeaah, Yeaah.” She slurred. “Bu...t you had it hic.. coming Azi. You are.. hic.. too weak."
(Author note: I'm not writing in slurs from now on. Dear lord, the effort to write like that makes my head feel drunk. Fitting.)
"Who are you calling weak?!” Azi shouted. “I'M STRONG. I TOOK THAT HIT FROM THE KENGIRI, IT WAS NOOO PROBLEM."
Shizu started to laugh hysterically. "HAAAAAAAAAAAA, YEAH RIGHT! THE APOTHECARY AND THAUMATURGE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD. YOU HAD ME WORRIED.. You Know. THAT IS WHY I'M GOING TO TRAIN YOU HARD! AND YOU BETTER LIKE IT!"
"Oh YEAH? BUT I DON’T NEED IT! I'M NOT DEAD, SEE!" Azi pounded his chest with his fist in a drunken show of how tough he was. "I'M JUST FINE. HECK, I COULD TAKE YOU ON LIKE I DID WITH THE GENGIRI! AND! KENGIRI!"
Anger ticked on Shizu's red forehead, so she stood up from her seat and looked down on Azi tauntingly.
"You think so, you’re a coward that fights behind that shield. You don’t attack, you just stand there and take it, like a little punk.”
“Heh.” Azi swallowed a gulp of sake, as if pouring fuel on an already raging fire. “Then I’ll do it!” He said. “I’LL fight without a shield!”
“Oh, you’re on.” Shizu declared. “LET'S FIGHT! And we’ll use REAL Weapons! OR ARE YOU TOO SCARED TO FACE ME in Real COMBAT!”
Not taking her provocation sitting down, Azi rose from his seat. While he was unable to get to eye level with her, he still nonetheless eyed her up, as if in defiance.
"FINE!” He turned in Kajima’s direction, who was already both amused and regretting that he wanted to let this happen.
“KAJIMA!” Azi yelled and pointed a finger at him. “GIVES ME A SWORD, THE BIGGEST ONE YOU GOT."
Kajima thought he should intervene, though decided otherwise as he was stunned for a moment. The look Azi had in his eyes took him off guard. They were filled with a passion and excitement that Azi only had if he had his heart set on doing something. It was like during his lessons. Results seemed to always come around when he got like this. Getting him to back down would be impossible without force.
Not wanting to let his enthusiasm go to waste or hurt either of them, even though this was caused by the mistaken blunders of alcohol, Kajima got up and walked over to the storage room. Pulling out two swords, a blunted katana for Shizu and a large blunted greatsword for Azi, he handed them over.
Kajima chuckled as Azi was struggling to wield the greatsword that was more than his small arms could handle. He gave it to Azi on purpose to teach him a lesson on biting off more that he could chew. Kajima was about to suggest a different weapon for him to use, but he and Shizu were shocked by what they saw next.
“Hup!” With a grunt, Azi used one hand to lift the greatsword.
Swinging it as if it weighed as light as a knife, he grinned. He was satisfied with the weight of the enormous and disproportionate weapon. Gobsmacked, Shizu and Kajima stared in bewilderment as Azi walked out of the house with the 2 meter long great sword leaned on one of his shoulders.
Azi waved them over.
"Come on! The weather’s perfect! LET'S FIGHT!"