"Fuu...."

Kiseki's soft snore filled her room,  her legs kicking out of her blanket , which is covering half of the opened book next to her.

She was on page 49.

A knock on her door perked her ears.

"Kiseki,"

The said girl opened her eyes slowly , proceeding the current brightness of her room.

Her brown eyes glanced groggily the door.

"..haii..?"

The gentle voice spoke back.

"If you don't prepare now , we won't be able to practice enough for today,"

Kiseki's eyes bored into her door for a few seconds , before the bell in her mind rang , sending shivers to her body.

"W-Wait , I'll be ready in no time!!" She shot up from the futon , quickly closing the book next to her and shoved the book to the small shelf by the window.

Her other hand opened the near closet and seized her white kendogi and dark blue hakama.

She changed into them in a rush , finally beginning to tie her hair in a ponytail style.

She would have been outside her room now if she didn't remember her father's  scolding in the past.

「"Pull out your hairtie!"

"E-Eh , papa , why..??"

He frowned.

"Don't ever tie your hair that way.If you want to tie them , tie it loosely low under your nape.You could slowly lose your hair if you tie it too much either," he scolded , taking the hair tie on his daughter's palm before tying his daughter's brown locks carefully.

"You are the temple maiden.You shall not lose , cut , or damage your hair,"

The brunette just stared at her father's brown eyes.

"..hai."」

Kiseki decided to remember her father's past messages , pulling out her hairtie and tying her hair loosely low under her nape.

Her delicate legs took her to the door, and to the yard.

There , her young blue haired master had waited in her demonslayer uniform , dark blue scarf with black wavy ornament she always had on , and her simple white boots.

On her belt , a white and blue sword rests.

Meanwhile , on her other side of belt , a kendo sword awaits.

Her young blue reddish orbs pierced to her brown ones.

"You're late.Come here."

Kiseki gulped , praying for the best before jumping to wear her sandals , before bowing down to Akao.

"Ohayo gosaimasu! Chikoku shite moshiwakegozaimasen!"* Kiseki yelled in apologetic manner , before straightening up and looked into her master's eyes.

Akao wasted no time , pulling out the kendo sword from her belt with a neat pull , the sound cutting the air perfectly.

She handed the sword to Kiseki.

"Keep that into your belt.Follow me," Akao simply turned to the side , walking to the other side of the yard.Her cold demeanor now no longer suprises the younger girl.

She brought her to the cherry and apple tree behind the yard.

Kiseki wondered , eyes wandering along the moving leaves.There's nothing on the trees , except cherries , apples , and leaves.

Her brown eyes turned to her master in confusion.

"For first.....you're pretty weak," Akao implied bluntly."You were a temple maiden who only acted like a housewife.You have no ability to wield a sword , or even do a tiring activity.That's why,"

She patted on the tree gently.

"I'm going to train your strength and stamina first,"

Kiseki still eaised an eyebrow.

How am i going to train that with trees? Climb them?

"What do i need to do? Climb them?" Kiseki shrugged her shoulders.

"No.Watch this...I'm just going to do this once," Akao sighed , inhaling through her gritted teeth before aiming her palm at the tree , earning a loud thud and wind explosion.

Kiseki closed her eyes in defense , eyes opened slowly in alert before widening in shock.

The whole apples and leaves fell down on the ground , remaining nothing on the tree.

Her brown eyes quickly scanned her master's palm , which looked just fine , without any scratch or bruise.

"H-How.."

Akao poked Kiseki's nose.

"Breathing," she answered."And constant practice.But i won't teach you breathing yet.This is the first stage of your training.You're target is this apple tree.The apples are mostly ripe , and everyday you'll train here , and you'll bring the apples you collected to me,"

Kiseki gulped.

How is she supposed to do that with bare hands?

"One more thing," Akao added."No scarf or haori at night.I expect you to come back no earlier or later than sunset." She explained her rules before walking back into the estate.

"Goodluck."

Kiseki's jaws fell to the cold ground.

Now??!

Her brown eyes glanced to the tree.Thick trunk , big red apples , and a lot of leaves.

Her hands rubbed the tree trunk gently , eyes looked down desperately.A single breath , and she opened her eyes in determination.

"Come on....this is the first stage..You're going to give up now..?? Pathetic.." she mentally slapped herself , before starting to push the tree trunk.

"O-Ow..!"

Her palm pulled away from the tree trunk , her eyes twitched at the sight of blood seeping out from the slit on her palm.

She took a leaf and a fist of grass , tying them around her palm.The cold sensation reduces pain.

She palmed the tree again slowly , before palming with her other hand , harder.

Behind the wall , a pair of heterochromatic eyes watches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hosh...hah...ha....haa......"
Kiseki leaned to the tree while calming her wild heartbeat , her brown orbs looked around , trying to adapt with the decreasing brightness.

It's almost sunset.

And it's getting colder.

What's more , this is Winter Estate that we are talking about.

She looked at her palm.Her slender fingers trembles in pain and cold , she couldn't even feel her palm anymore.

Scratches and wood pieces like thorns seemed to stuck on her palm.Her breath came out as smokes , while she made no sound as she rose back up and continued to hit the tree with her palm , once in a few moments hissing in pain , feeling as if her blood screaming in protest.

No.....now it's not a feeling anymore.

Her blood is truly screaming at her.

She clenched her teeth and gripped on her head , where she felt stinging sounds.

My body feels weird...it's warm.....no...it's boiling...?

She slowly walked back to the tree , hitting the tree with all her strength.

She looked down.

Only finger countable  amount of leaves...and no apple.

At all.

She sighed before taking her leave , into the estate.

She was going to fix her messed hairtie when a sharp sting stopped her hand.

Ah right....my hands...

She lifted her head , spotting her master , sitting near the kotatsu , eating another bowl of berries.

"Where's the result..?"

Kiseki looked down , fingers trembling , rested on her side of hakama.

"There's no apple.There are only a few leaves.."

Akao sighed.

A tone Kiseki knew well.

Dissapointment.

Tears brimmed on her eyes.

"You stupid.Seem like i need to even teach you life morals?" Akao poked her temple."I don't care even it's just leaves , bugs , an ant or a micro piece of rock.The point is , i need your result.So you , and i , can compare you ability with he coming up results," she explained , eyes straight piercing the brown ones.

"And it's the result of your whole day training.Are you going to throw that away? Are you going to throw your price..?" Akao sighed , before walking away inside her room.

Kiseki widened her eyes.

She still could not comprehend her master's way of thinking.

But that thing aside , she's happy.

She's happy and grateful that her master appreciates her efforts.

With uncontrollable grin , she ran back towards the yard , collecting the leaves  before  running towards the estate again.

When she came back , the view suprised her.

Her master is sitting calmly under the kotatsu , drinking her usually berry tea , with various delicious looking food on the table.

Next to her , a few aid kit await.

Akao patted the spot next to her.

"Sit."

Kiseki put down the leaves next to her before siting down , inserting her cold ice feet inside the kotatsu , which immediately wrapped in warmth.

Akao took her hands.

"Stay still , or else I'm going to make you stitch your own hands," Akao threatened with calm demeanor.

Her young blue reddish eyes shifted towards the hundred small wood pieces and thorns on her hands.

"This is going to be long---"

"MASAYUKI-SAAAN!! KONBANWAAA!"

Akao looked towards the door.

"Hai , come in."

The three girls ran in , blowing steamy breaths to their hands while rubbing them together.

"Sumi , Naho , Kiyo , great timing.Feed Kiseki," Akao commanded.

The three girls saluted.

"Hai!"

Kiseki swedropped.

"Uh...No...You guys don't have to--"
"Stop feeling uneasy for someone  helping you.You just wasted straight half a day out there , without eating.Now EAT," Akao pressed on the last word with squinted eyes.

Akao sweatdropped as Naho feed her.

"Aam.." she ate the soup slowly , before loud rumbling erupted from her stomach."a-ah..."

"See," Akao muttered , eyes glued to Kiseki's palm." Sumi , get a jar of honey from kitchen.Kiyo , get a blanket,"

The two girls dashed like they knew the entire part of the estate , coming back to Akao within 5 seconds with the requested stuffs.

Akao poured honey to Kiseki's palm , before reaching out for a needle.She burned the needle before she plucked out all of the thorns.

Meanwhile Kiyo slumped the blanket on Kiseki's back.

Kiseki stared at Akao.

She might be older than her by only one year,  but she already acted like a mom.

A figure she never had a chance to know more about..

She looked up to the ceiling.

She'll do her best tommorow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oyasumi," Akao muttered , closing Kiseki's door.She headed towards another room , checking on the three girls who slept with snores echoing in the room.

Meanwhile , the brown haired girl quickly took a bath , changed , and seized the book.

She's getting into a new chapter.

The Swordsmanship Chapter.

She marked the current page before taking a peak at the coming up pages.

"All...about sword techniques....and relationship with breathings.." she muttered , holding her chin.

Her eyes glancd to the kendo bamboo sword Akao gave her this early morning.

She stood up , placed the book on the table and leaned it to the wall.She took her kendo sword , slowly gripping on it while hissing in pain trying to forgot the stinging pain on her palms.

"First..hold your sword like this..."

She focused to the book , only with moonlight through her window as a lighting , her brown eyes are reading the instructions carefully , stance just as the book says , in the middle of the night.

Yet she's not the only one awake that night.

Someone...

Is standing near her window.

"...i told you to sleep early..."

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Sorry for the long ass update , I need fillers to fill the chapters in the long timeline pause.

I'm starting to get lazy to update..

I wonder why :v